Nugget the Corsa - 17/11 Winter Prep

[Bobthebeard]

  On 07/01/2015 at 14:30, Cavcraft said:

Wheel trims and mirror covers aren't hideously expensive from Vauxhall new, or not last time I bought some anyhow.

But buying anything 'new' from the manufacturers might actually cause Autoshite to implode/explode.

Much safer to buy shonky used stuff at a higher price!

[Pillock]

Making sure to get it off eBay to expand the Grump thread by sixteen pages

[Bobthebeard]

  On 07/01/2015 at 15:09, Pillock said:

Making sure to get it off eBay to expand the Grump thread by sixteen pages

This. ^^

Your unnecessary purchasing woes/expenditure becomes our literary reward.

[Split_Pin]

Parts are not as easy to find as they once were, especially prefacelift items. E.g., bottom arms are different, black bumpers are cheap but for the prefacelift are not that plentiful.

 

Interior fixings are not available new anymore.

 

Hoard now while you can.

[vulgalour]

The only thing I've not found within 5 minutes of internet hunting is a front seat or matching cover to rob material off to repair that bolster.  I'm thinking scrapyards might help with that one.

[PhilA]

Corsa what now?

 

[greengartside]

  On 07/01/2015 at 18:39, vulgalour said:

The only thing I've not found within 5 minutes of internet hunting is a front seat or matching cover to rob material off to repair that bolster. I'm thinking scrapyards might help with that one.

Probably buy a whole seat for 15p.

[MikeKnight]

[CortinaDave]

I had a 2 year old P Reg one of these on HPI and it was the first and last car I ever bought on finance.

 

It was plagued with sensor faults and loved to continually snap its fan belt. It was also gutless and miserable and I loathed it passionately.

 

Parked it up on the drive until I'd paid enough that I could just hand it back and spaffed 500 quid on a 1983 Sierra ghia instead which felt like a rolls in comparison.

 

THAT SAID, at 180 quid why the hell not?? I did have a W reg 1.4 sport as a hire car for about 3 months a couple of years later and it was a massively better car, I suspect I just got stung with a pig.

[beko1987]

You going to pay a visit to the wacky waving inflatable tube man emporium on the way back to celebrate!

[vulgalour]

Al Harrington's Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm-Flailing Tubeman Emporium and Warehouse

Al Harrington's Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm-Flailing Tubeman Emporium and Warehouse

Al Harrington's Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm-Flailing Tubeman Emporium and Warehouse
 

 

 

 

 

 

Probably not.

[Cavcraft]

/\

Classic Family Guy!

[vulgalour]

I have a bag full of tools, a wallet full of cash, a phone full of credit and a set of one-way train tickets.  Tomorrow, I drive a Corsa.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

The 1.2 8valve is a pretty tough lump, it will go on forever. Plus with petrol being relatively cheap at the minute it won't cost the earth to run.

 

I had a facelift 1.0 3 cylinder as my first car - the ecotek was probably better on paper but it didn't have the same indestructible feel the earlier 8 valves had

 

I'm not a big vauxhall man but loved mine.

 

Does anyone think these are on the cusp of going the way of the nova? Clean novas seem to be demanding strong money

[vulgalour]

I reckon they're classic in the making, like a lot of similarly aged hatchbacks.  Not yet, obviously, but nearly for the very early ones.  When the Novas run out the Corsa is next in line as it's the natural successor.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Give this one the vulgalour treatment and hang on to it for a while and there's no way you'll lose money.

 

Looking forward to the collection thread

[Split_Pin]

Early sporting ones are pretty legitimate entrants into car shows now. Just as iconic as the Nova, Saxo VTR/S, Civic EF, G and J.

[beko1987]

Even if you get the rest of the mot out of it and bridge it after selling a few bits youll be out on top

 

Which you won't, you'll reset it to showroom condition and have to beat cavcraft off with a shitty stick

[vulgalour]

I'm seriously considering restoration as the short term goal with this little car.  It almost seems daft to say it of a Corsa B, but it's no more daft than the first few people that decided to restore Standard Eights and Morris Minors.  Somebody has to decide when to start doing it and it might as well be me.

 

Long-term I still have no idea.  I've looked at the costs of running it instead of the Xantia but I end up about the same overall but with a less practical and less comfortable car as a result so I don't think it'll become my new daily.  I could put it into storage long term, but I know that'll cause problems with it if I do and it would be better to see it being used.

 

We shall see.  I'll get it back, get it spruced up and decide at that point.  I've not owned a Corsa before, I've only driven them and sneered at them, so I'll be interested to see how I honestly respond to this little thing.

[the judge]

Tick tock tick tock. All aboard the Corsa express!! Destination Winsville.

[greengartside]

Good luck with today Vulg. Looking forward to the write-up!

[phil_lihp]

Interiors can be had cheap enough, when I had the Nova I scored a complete and immaculate set of posh velour seats out of a Corsa for 99p on eBay.  Alas, they looked all wrong in the Nova and were disposed of.

[Split_Pin]

Front crossmember (new from Hadrian), chassis legs inboard of the front suspension mounts, sills, rear suspension mounts, both near the beam mounts and spring seats in the chassis rail, spare wheel well, rear damper mounts, drivers side inner arch, and rear valance. If you are serious about sprucing this car up, catch these areas first, then everything else will be worthwhile on the car. I had the crossmember replaced and all of the other areas derusted and repainted. Lots of Bs about where the owners say they are mint but they are in fact a shed. Enjoy.

[Twiggy]

Hope it all goes well... looking forward to the write up.

[vulgalour]

Minor insurance hiccup.  When you take day insurance out you expect it to cover you for 24 hours, normally I'd go with someone like Tempcover for this as it's generally the most affordable way of doing things.  This time I decided to try and get the Corsa tagged on to my existing policy (too expensive by far) then asked if they could do me a day policy.  Confirmed over the phone it was a 24 hour job all sorted.  Until I printed off the docs and read through them to find it only covered me for one day, not 24 hours, so the policy ends at midnight.

 

That gives me from when I collect the car at about 5pm until Midnight to drive 4.5-5 hours plus whatever breaks I need to take on the way.  It's doable, but it's tighter than I'd've liked, especially as I've now had to cancel visiting a Captain Slow and Chompy on the way back.

 

Cancel the policy?  Sure, I can do that, but I don't get a refund.  To put another day on it's about £40, with my insurer or Tempcover, and that's not really viable either. If I get stuck with too many miles and too little time I'll call Mike and he can stick an extra day on for me so I can get home but I hope it doesn't come to that.

[RobT]

  On 09/01/2015 at 09:16, IainL said:

Front crossmember (new from Hadrian), chassis legs inboard of the front suspension mounts, sills, rear suspension mounts, both near the beam mounts and spring seats in the chassis rail, spare wheel well, rear damper mounts, drivers side inner arch, and rear valance. If you are serious about sprucing this car up, catch these areas first, then everything else will be worthwhile on the car. I had the crossmember replaced and all of the other areas derusted and repainted. Lots of Bs about where the owners say they are mint but they are in fact a shed. Enjoy.

 

The MoT from last year had chassis legs and sills as advisories on corrosion - paintwork on the sill ends are bubbling, the worse bits on the front.

 

I've had the battery on trickle charge so that should be OK for starting the bugger later, but one of the first jobs I reckon is to get a new one.

[beko1987]

If you take the M40 route norf (if you life oop norf), and it spunks out on you between Beaconsfield or banbury I can pop up with some leads and give you a hand is needed

[vulgalour]

M11, A1(M), A19 is my return route.  M40 is the long way to Thornaby.

[RobT]

He's doing 260 miles later, mine to Stockton is a fair old distance (longer than I thought)!  I'll pack him some sandwiches or something for the trip.

[beko1987]

Ah yea, nowhere near then! I'm sure you'll be fine, wouldn't an old mobile phone battery power a 1.2 corsa?