2003 Holden Barina Reviews

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2003 Holden Barina SRi 1.8i from Australia and New Zealand

Year of manufacture	2003
First year of ownership	2003
Most recent year of ownership	2004
Engine and transmission	1.8i Manual
Performance marks	8 / 10
Reliability marks	10 / 10
Comfort marks	7 / 10
Dealer Service marks	9 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	5 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	7.8 / 10
Distance when acquired	0 kilometres
Most recent distance	6000 kilometres
Previous car	Suzuki Swift

Summary:

Great value hot hatch

Faults:

Absolutely nothing at all. It's been bullet-proof so far.

General Comments:

Barina SRi (Opel Corsa SRi)

Great looking little car. It's quick, although sometimes feels a lot quicker some days than others.

Very reliable, is faultless except for rattling seatbelt clips.

Excellent looking interior, easy-to-use stereo and steering wheel mounted controls, plus cruise control.

Seats can sometimes feel a bit hard on long trips.

A/C can lack of bit of chill on excessive hot days (35c+).

Low front spoiler is hard to live with, need to be extra careful pulling into driveways or parking in bays with a gutter in front.

Overall a great little hatch, underestimated by many.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st April, 2004

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2003 Holden Barina XC 1.4 from Australia and New Zealand

Year of manufacture	2003
First year of ownership	2003
Most recent year of ownership	2003
Engine and transmission	1.4 Automatic
Performance marks	9 / 10
Reliability marks	9 / 10
Comfort marks	9 / 10
Dealer Service marks	6 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	9 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	8.4 / 10
Distance when acquired	3400 kilometres
Most recent distance	5750 kilometres
Previous car	Suzuki Alto

Summary:

A really good buy

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong so far.

General Comments:

We test drove several other small cars, including the Renault Clio, Honda Jazz, Mazda 2, and Peugeot 206. Holden's Barina was more comfortable, zippier, & roomier than the others.

For a 1.4 L, the Barina has plenty of grunt. It handles hills very well indeed.

To our surprise, the Barina is at least as economical as our previous car (a Suzuki Alto) and is doing about 300 km per full tank of petrol.

After 2 months of trouble-free driving, we are extremely happy with our purchase.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th August, 2003

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19th Sep 2010, 17:03

I'm looking to buy a 2003 Barina second hand and have seen a lot of negative reviews on this website.

I was just wondering if you've had any problems since posting this review? I'm hoping that it's possible to get a good Barina, that they're not all terrible.

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In reply to 19th Sep 2010, 17:03

20th Mar 2011, 19:39

The 2003 Barinas are the worst car in the world.

They have continual problems with all of them being expensive. My Barina has had two new exhausts manifolds and a new EGR valve. Just another $3000 added on to the price of the car.

NEVER BUY ONE.

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In reply to 20th Mar 2011, 19:39

11th Nov 2011, 00:09

Agreed. My Barina is second hand. It has only done 70,000kms, and I have had nothing but trouble.

Electrics in the dash i.e. all speedos and petrol gauge going to zero while I drive! Very unsafe. Loud clicking/ crunching noise when I turn around corners.

Continuous ticking noise coming from front right tyre.

My car jolts in and out of gear when I drive sometimes, had sparks plug changed, didn't fix it, so not sure what is causing this!

As I write this, my car is currently not starting and I am waiting for the RAA.

Worst buy ever! I kick myself every day for not buying a reliable car!

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In reply to 11th Nov 2011, 00:09

10th Dec 2012, 04:51

I've had a 2003 Barina 1.4 SXI for nearly four years now with no major issues. In that time it's ticked from 160,000 to over 185,000kms. The only niggle I have is sometimes the intake temp sensor gets itself in a tangle, and the engine won't start straight away when it is warm.

In that time I have also replaced the front sway bar links, steering rack ends, the water pump, cam belt (including tensioner and idler pulleys etc), all brake pads, front brake discs and both mufflers (they all rust out). The radiator has a slow leak that I'll fix one day (I don't go on long trips, so not a major issue yet). I service the car myself (oil, coolant, brake fluid etc) and the things I've had to deal with are pretty much expected given the mileage.

These cars are cheap now for what you get, and they feel much more substantial on the road than similar sized cars (Toyota Vitz, etc) that cost more! I think they are great.