1998 Opel Corsa City review from UK and Ireland

Rear and middle parts of the exhaust had to be replaced when they nearly started to fall off. Earlier the front part of the exhaust had to be welded, so the exhaust seems weak in general. However I have avoided replacing the expensive front part (which includes the catalytic convertor).

Check Engine came on occasionally; Dealer said it's the Air Mass Meter. I replaced it but the problem did not go away. I finally started looking for advice on the Internet; at 2carpros.com they told me to check all the pipes leading to the airbox. I found a hole in the crankshaft ventilating hose. 5 Euro to buy a new one - and the problem went away!

Later Check Engine came on again - EGR valve. Had to buy replacement for 300 Euro. It is a common problem with this model, so the dealer has them in stock.

Failed to start on the road once; rescue service found bad contact in RPM sensor connection, and fixed it on the spot.

When the car is well loaded, i.e. 4 adults and some baggage, at starting or on uphill roads some scratching of the exhaust on the rear axle is heard. This does not happen with minor loads, i.e. just 2 adults in the front and a kid in the back.

My mechanic recently said that the underbody is starting to rust.

My first car - and an excellent choice throughout for the purpose. It did have a number of small problems but never anything really serious, and after a garage check-up, it has marched through NCT (the Irish mandatory car test) on the first try.

Steering and accelerator both have good clear feedback, albeit might be too stiff for someone like a petite lady.

Comfort is moderate but this actually worked to my advantage - the car keeps me from losing concentration. Performance is actually great for a 1 Liter car, but I've tried other 1L Corsas with worse performance.

Dealer service is best avoided, to put it mildly. This car is to be looked after by a caring mechanic you know well.

The problem with exhaust scratching may be because of a worn rear suspension or an error in welding the exhaust - different mechanics say different things. My solution now is to use the car only for light loads - it's mostly my commuter vehicle.

I like this model and would generally recommend it, but there are lots of lousy ones around. Be VERY careful when checking; I strongly advise measuring engine compression before buying one, as the mileage on them is now quite high, and if an engine was not well cared for it can be problematic.