Plesant suprise

[Morgan84]

I have adopted a 92 Vauxhall Nova Luxe from a retired lady,who inherited it from her elderly mother.It's a lovely unmolested example,with door bottoms and rear wheel arches - the rust never savaged this one.

 

Well,having never driven one before,I wasn't really expecting any miracles from it,but had always liked this particular one for some strange reason;I have no idea why as I never liked them when they were new ! I gave it a new cambelt,brake fluid and oil change,and a waxoil and oil spray underneath to keep the metalwork well protected,and a quick wash over - water beads off it nicely.

 

I took it for a run tonight for about a 10 mile short trip,and was very much suprised;appart from a vague gear change - Fords of that period are much better,it drove like a dream,and seemed reasonably nippy,even for a 1.2 carb.Id even go so far to say its actually quite nice to drive

 

I'm pretty sure if you gave me a new Corsa to drive,I wouldn't enjoy it as much

[Negative Creep]

Never been a Vauxhall fan, but I do have a soft spot for the Nova. The shape has dated very well, and I do remember it being a nice thing to drive

[Morgan84]

It drives well,but its not as nice as my MK3 Fiesta Calypso of the same age. I have never driven a Ford which was lousy yet !

[eddyramrod]

I have never driven a Ford which was lousy yet !

 

Oh you lucky lucky man, I've driven several! I even owned some of them...

 

Mrs R had a Nova when we met, I thought it was quite acceptable for urban use. May yours serve you well.

[dollywobbler]

This thread needs pics!

 

My Dad had a 1.2 Nova Merit 4-door for a time. D428 SKA. The first manual car I drove (when 15). I recall it (from my dad driving I hasten to point out) being very nippy and happy to sit at 80mph on the motorway.

[Morgan84]

I shall have to get myself a Flikr or something similar which I can post pics on,and then share them on here - Im pretty crap at uploading things,and have tried to post pics off the net here before,but only suceeded in posting links ( no idea what I done wrong,but the links worked )

 

The little motor in question is a silver 5 door facelift model;shame it wasn't a Luxe + as that would have added electric windows and central locking ! I shall have some fun from it I'm sure,and maybe move it along eventually,but I have a feeling it could grow on me - and I do get sentimental over my cars and then can't sell them.Thats why we have over 30 of the damned things.

 

I have been offered a 1995 Proton MPi GLS Saloon for very low money,but I'm not going over to the darkside just yet !!!

[e287yba]

The Vauxhall 1.2 engine in the Nova was particularly sweet compared to the engines in other Novas (and the rest were good engines) - CAR magazine reckoned it was the best/smoothest small 4-pot in the world in the later '80s, which was a fluke considering what it was surrounded by .

 

Pics would be good, if only to allow several of us to immerse ourselves in the mid '80s for a few brief reflective moments ...

[Cavcraft]

[MK5 Escort]

My late grandfather's last car was a 92' J Nova Luxe+ three door in flame red. He had it for about thirteen years up until his death in November 2010.

 

Indeed, well specified for a supermini of it's time. Leccy windows, central locking, alloys, a decent radio and surprisingly plush velour seats which' barring those horrible headrests from Vauxhall of that era, we're comfortable. I don't think the standard Luxe had alloys but willing to stand corrected on that one if need be.

 

It was also a 1.2 and a very peppy and refined (for it's time) little unit it proved to be.

 

Over the years, I can only recall him buying a couple of batteries for it as it could stand for weeks in the garage before he'd use it in the final few years. I also recall the indicators failing to 'tick' at one point (turn them on and they'd stay perminently lit) but other than that, it was trouble free motoring for him.

 

It's still knocking aroud locally now, still looking smart. It was sold to a 'friend of a friend' of my father's about four months after my grandfather's death, when my grandmother (who doesn't drive) agreed to let it go.

[kinkersaab]

I also recall the indicators failing to 'tick' at one point (turn them on and they'd stay perminently lit) .

 

 

Hazard light switch...they all did that eventually.

[Morgan84]

The Luxe doesn't have any frills like electric windows,central locking,electric mirrors or sunroof as standard.No tinted glass either,and they sit on steel wheels with full size wheel trims. The Luxe plus had the electrics pack as standard,and added the lovely spoked alloy wheels ( BBS I think ) and colour coded door mirrors. The Luxe was the replacement for the L model I think,and had the very plush velor seats.

 

It's not totally spartan though,with side door mouldings with silver decal inlay,full size wheel trims,headlamp height control internaly,and a 4 speaker Grundig radio cassette.We also gained a rear wash wipe,and a pinstrip down the side as well.The standard 5 speed gearbox mated to the 1.2 OHV carb engine is a fairly good performer.I think the Luxe + was injected as well

 

Pity this one wasn't a + model,as it would be quite a well specced car to shame some cars 10 years newer

[retrogeezer]

Those 1200 Nova's always seemed to be doing 90 in the outside lane back in the early 90's!

[Morgan84]

They might have read 90,but wouldn't have been doing much over 80 - the speedo seems very optimistic,as my Garmin satnav confirmed today,as well as one of them flashing 30 signs,which didn't blink as I went past clocking 35,but Garmin saying 30. I think thats something I saw in old road test reports somewhere that the speedo's weren't too precise

[michael1703]

reasonably nippy,even for a 1.2 carb.Id even go so far to say its actually quite nice to drive

 

I'm pretty sure if you gave me a new Corsa to drive,I wouldn't enjoy it as much

 

probably quarter of a ton lighter without all the modern shite in them nowadays

[face]

I had a rare 1300 Sport and then later a 1400SR and I loved both of them. The SR was a really nice thing to drive, where the Sport was a bit of a dog due to the twin 40's.

 

Both had the shit gearbox though - I always thought it was the 'plunge to reverse' which did it for these. Quite why they did that when the Cav of the same era had that little pull-lever under the gear knob for reverse.

[Cavcraft]

A Sport?

Got any pictures for an old Vauxhall perv please? Can only ever recall seeing one in 'real life' and didn't really know what it was at the time.

[RedSparrow]

I have had a couple of Novas, one of which was a 1200 SX (also bloody rare). It had to go eventually as it had some identity 'issues', lets say.

One of the most fun motors I've ever driven. Never quite got used to the offset steering wheel though.

[jonny69]

I'm pretty sure if you gave me a new Corsa to drive,I wouldn't enjoy it as much

We really moaned about a lot of hatchbacks back in the day. We look back on them as slow, underpowered basic shitboxes, but I think we underestimate how good they were to actually drive because they were involving and actually DID something on the road other than disconnect you and surround you with padding.

 

I've been driving my girlfriend's 207 for the last year or so and I really hate things like power steering, overly sensitive brake pedals and that delay on the throttle you get with fuel injection. I thought I'd got used to the car, but I've finally been back in my Anglia in the last few weeks since I got it back on the road, though I had to drive the 207 yesterday. I found myself stabbing away at the accelerator because the car momentarily did nothing, I was looking over my shoulder only to be confronted by thick pillars, I was struggling to maintain a constant speed on the motorway and I just couldn't deal with the external dimensions for the size you get inside. With all the old motors out yesterday I was literally crying to get back in my own car.

[Morgan84]

Well,I've done a few miles in it now,just jogging about,and although I do miss the central locking of my other cars,its not a bad little motor at all.I'm sure a sporty specced one would have been a lovely little car.I remember we used to look after a little red SX for a guy,who'd let it turn pink,and that had the more supportive reccaro styled seats,and anthracite steel pressed wheels - I think it was scrapped over 10 years ago,as it got the usual Nova disease of rust !