I have lost my marbles!

[Hendry]

A batch of 2012 Black Editions left the factory with normal springs at one end and "sports ones" at the other, there isn't much in it really and I never noticed until looking at photos after my local dealer told me it was wrong!

Funny you should mention because I think my car may have the wrong engine fitted (and I don't mean ive been sold something different from what I thought I'd bought) its meant to be a 1.4 90bhp Ecoflex, all invoices, finance docs refer to it as that, it checks out on DVLAs site as being 119g/km for emissions and £30 a year tax which are the statistics of the Ecoflex, and totalcarcheck.com lists it as a Corsa SRi Ecoflex, however I decided to check the tyre pressures to make sure they were right, to do so you need your engine code and tyre size to check the table of values in the handbook, so I checked my car pass card which gives engine code as B14XER, however according to the handbook no Corsa E is fitted with that engine code, the only 1.4s are B14XEJ, B14XEL and B14NEJ, thinking perhaps my car pass was wrong I checked on the engine block itself and stamped on it is B14XER, so if the handbook is right enough about those being the only 1.4 engines fitted my car has an engine which isn't meant to be fitted, furthermore a googling of B14XER suggests that copde relates to a 1.4 VVT 100bhp engine fitted to Merivas and Adams only. Awaiting Vauxhall customer services getting back to me as their system was down when I called yesterday.

[cms206]

The last new car I had was a 60-plate runout model Mondeo 1.8TDCi-125 Zetec Climate. Panther Black Metallic, 18in wheels, the full bhoona. Looked the tits.

 

28k miles later I was on my second turbo, third flywheels, seventh or eighth boost valve... after two completely trouble free Focuses (late phase 2 Mk1 on a 54 and a late phase 1 Mk2 on a 57) which both went to 60k I was understandably fucked off and the dealer principal was amazed I didn't want to sign on the dotted line for another Mondeo. Or Focus. Or anything else.

 

There is a reason I run the council estate as a daily. It cost me 150 quid years ago, maintainance, tyres, other sundries and MOTs so far have been under a grand in total. If it gets written off on the way home tonight I'll be gutted, but I'll go and spend £300 or whatever on another 740 and run that until it expires too. I can leave it in a car park and not worry about it getting hit. It is the single most reliable car (touch wood) that I have ever owned. Yes it's £230 a year to tax and it averages 26mpg but it's 200 quid a year to insure and at the end of the month I'm not spunking £220 on finance payments before I've even kicked a ball. I don't even spend 200 quid a month on fuel on this old fucker.

 

Finance may work out better for some people, I understand that... but if I had the cash sitting to finance a car every month I'd be putting it in the kitty and going on holiday with it.

[alf892]

No offence intended, but I'm surprised you're on AS.

 

Ffs! It's a website for people interested in old cars...........get over yourself

[Angrydicky]

Ffs! It's a website for people interested in old cars...........get over yourself

Hendry doesn't seem interested in old cars though, that's my point. Every single one of his posts is going on about brand new cars, trim specs and finance deals.

[Aston Martin]

I 'had' a Grande Punto for about 4000 miles. It's the same as a Corsa, but i'd rather have the Punto. The rear 3/4 visibility was awful.

[Lacquer Peel]

I thought it was the What Car? forum.

[alf892]

Oh right...... I'm too self obsessed to notice anyone else's interests.

 

In that case he can fuck off until some nasty fate befalls his new purchase and we can all pretend to commiserate whilst laughing at his gullibility.

[Hendry]

I do like old/white cars, those I like are however either overpriced or rotten (80s and 90s Fords) and I have a bad track record with buying lemons when I buy older cars, e.g. £400 P reg mk3 Golf, the Power steering hoses were fucked, it'd had a new NSF coil spring but part of the old snapped one was still there and they used to "clang" off one another, it had a rust hole on the sill visible when drivers door open, the drivers door lock was missing, but I thought it'd be OK as I bought it off a mechanic, it was fucked and I sold it at a £180 loss a week later as I didn't know what I was looking for, also bought a £350 S reg Hyundai Accent 1.3 Si Coupe from my work when I worked in a dealers and it was traded in there, long mot so I thought it'd be OK, the clutch was on the way out which I didn't notice until 3 days later as it was bordering on dangerous pulling out of a junction even if the cars coming were a mile away, and all that happens when you accelerated was noise and the rev counter needle moving up, it didn't get any faster.

 

Also I know a bit about cars, I can change bulbs, tyres, batteries, interior trim, wiper blades, air filters, that sort of thing and I know how to change oil and filter, pads and discs etc but I have very little mechanical knowledge and am totally out of my depth when it comes to even changing the oil or pads on my car, as this side doesn't interest me, I'm more interested in the other areas of cars, paintwork, cleaning/valeting them, fitting extras from higher spec models, interior, exterior, car histories etc but not mechanical stuff, it bores me.

[Hendry]

Some pictures of my new futureshite:

 

 

Excuse the poor quality iPhone pictures, I'll need to get some better ones.

[bigfella2]

Posting pictures of a brand new Corsa on here must be the automotive equivalent of Gary Glitter introducing himself on mumsnet.com. I applaud your bravery.

[Hendry]

Posting pictures of a brand new Corsa on here must be the automotive equivalent of Gary Glitter introducing himself on mumsnet.com. I applaud your bravery.

I actually lol'd at that comment however I'm far from the only 1 on here with a new or nearly new car, nor dare I say it am I the only one here who actually likes some modern/new cars.

[Inspector Morose]

As long as you like it.

[cms206]

I like some modern cars, but I've never paid more than £695 for a car out of my own pocket, and IIRC at least four of the cars came from other shiters. I've lost money on one car and I'm still friends with the person who sold me the only nail I think I ever bought out of about 30 cars in ten years.

[HillmanImp]

Some pictures of my new futureshite:

 

 

 

 

Excuse the poor quality iPhone pictures, I'll need to get some better ones.

 

Thats the front wheel. Can we see a picture of the back wheel please?

[Lord Sterling]

Also I know a bit about cars, I can change bulbs, tyres, batteries, interior trim, wiper blades, air filters, that sort of thing and I know how to change oil and filter, pads and discs etc but I have very little mechanical knowledge and am totally out of my depth when it comes to even changing the oil or pads on my car, as this side doesn't interest me, I'm more interested in the other areas of cars, paintwork, cleaning/valeting them, fitting extras from higher spec models, interior, exterior, car histories etc but not mechanical stuff, it bores me.

You sound a lot like me. I'm a bit of a mechanical arse but I'll have a go at stuff if I reckon I can, I like doing shit on cars that to many make no difference at all, floor mats/trim bits/car histories/fitting extras from higher models, I did this with much enjoyment to My Mums K11 Micra.

 

I used to tinker quite a lot with my Rovers but there are some things I feel that are out of my depth. That's why I take my cars to a trusted and well known garage. Had my car damaged recently by a bodger who I thought I trusted, I could've happily created a shit storm with him but I really couldn't be arsed, I put it down to experience and moved on.

 

Your past ventures with shite sounds like a learning experience, you bought cars that weren't what you thought they were and made a loss, but that's how it goes. Just because a car has an MOT doesn't mean its 100% mechanically sound. If everything looks Ok and holds up on the day of test, it'll pass, what happens to it or breaks/wears out after that, be it a few minutes after the test has no bearing on the validity of the certificate. It's got an MOT because when it was presented it passed the bear minimum to gain an MOT.

 

I take it through your work you sometimes come into some contact with older vehicles. If you can, take a look around them and learn the basics of what to look for when buying cheap old rammle. Yes, you can check oil/filters and change filters/plugs and the like, but test driving cars is an integral part of checking cars. When I worked at a garage I drove many cars including 2 exact examples of certain models back to back but at both ends of the maintanace spectrum. One was in fine fettle that felt tight and very responsive, the other, exact same year, model and spec, felt baggy and dangerous, like it was going to fall over, all this because it basically hadn't been maintained at all.

 

Also, a lot of older shite will feel very different to modern boxes, shite cars tend to be "bread and butter" type cars (unless you are like me/Chaseracer/PeteM/MO/ect... who drive big engined barges as dailies) they won't feel sporty or instantly responsive as newer cars like your Corsa. Older vehicles do take quite a bit of effort and involvement to drive as well to maintain and keep on the road and often will cost you time (like my Merc is currently doing)

 

Please don't take my above words as patronising or trying to teach you to suck eggs, but your obviously still on a learning curve. You had your fingers burnt a couple of times, doesn't mean you shouldn't keep on trying to involve yourself with shite. Not everyone on this site has the mechanical know how of Mr_Bollocks et al, many here, myself included constantly admit to being mechanically inept, we are at varying degrees of ineptitude, some might have a go at a few things, other might not be arsed/have the time so chuck thier old rammle at some back-street mechanic they know of.

 

Good luck with your new Corsa, I hope you like it and that it is everything you expect it to be. Personally for me and obviously for some others, it's a bit 'meh' but then, its not me who is buying it.

[cms206]

I passed a transporter this morning with about half a dozen Corsas just like that on the back.

[Hendry]

I passed a transporter this morning with about half a dozen Corsas just like that on the back.

No doubt heading to Arnie Clark's in Linwood where I bought this fuckin thing as well Andy.

 

The cars fine so far, as you'd expect from something brand new but Arnold Clark are still as epically shit as when I worked for them, sadly Evans Halshaw and Peter Vardy the other big dealers in the area and the ONLY Vauxhall dealers in the are other than Arnold, are just as bad(barring the VX dealer in Dumbarton who are the only indy left in the area and who couldn't get near the price) the salesman made a mess of things: no invoice, tried to give me the 2 keys separate (I.e. not even on a keyring, not that I wanted Arnie Clark's tat anyway) service book info incorrect, a number plate with a big mark in it where it hadn't been stuck down in 1 place and water had got into it already. Dodgy connection to the LED DRL meaning car was technically unroadworthy and a squirt of washer fluid in it, yet he was still surprised about me saying I was going to give him a bad questionnaire review when it comes in.