This car is used mainly in city tough from time to time goes from Portugal to Poland and vice-versa (7.000 Km trip).
After 12.500 Kilometres the main problem was the E.G.R valve (exhaust gas recirculation) which made the engine idle erratically and the car shake like jelly!
Solved with an accurate cleaning to the valve. (new part costs around 300 Euros)
Lights in the heating control buttons fail quite often. (very difficult to replace).
Horn button plastics in the steering wheel torn easily.
Wheel rims have a tendency to loose colour.
Special alloy wheels easily get dented and damaged.
The same goes for paint finish.
Seat rails seem quite weak.
I managed to do several times a 4.5 litters average.
Very much economical engine.
Solid built in spite of some pour plastics inside.
Quite ergonomically and pleasant interior.
Good road manners and brakes.
Good equipment in Swing version (pity for the lack of a central locking button in the dashboard and remote key).
Good visibility in every angle.
Nice radio and display.
Small pedals and to close to each other.
Heavy steering (without power assistance).
Heavy doors (at least in the 3 doors version).
If you have possibility to fix your Corsa (or Vauxhall for our British friends) in a good mechanic and electrician go for it!
Only Fiat Punto 60 can reach the Corsa fuel average.
If you're expecting a pocket rocket... forget it!
Corsa 1.0 it's good for those who need a really economical car and cannot (or don't want) to afford a Diesel car.
This car is now 95.500 km. Until now it was needed to replace only the oil pressure sensor.
The left horn button is thorned and one of the lights for the heating system has faded away.
Disc brakes must be replaced.
My Opel Corsa is now 101.500 km.
Oil pressure sensor was replaced @ 50000km
Lights for the heating system has faded away @ 65000km.
Disc brakes are replaced @ 85000 km.
Fuel consumption 5.5-6l/100km
It's weak, but economical and reliable car.
Update to 1998 Corsa 1.0 from Portugal:
After 103.000 km:
Left electrical window fails to often, pressing the button goes down, but immediately after goes up by itself.
Randomly the central locking fails to operate.
New clutch cable at 102.800 km.
New clutch pedal at 102.900, GM made the top of the clutch pedal in plastic so the two plastics hooks supporting the end of the cable simply broke (mea culpa I should have bought the original cable, price in Opel: 40 euros, competitor version made in Germany 15 euros).
The stabilizer needs some new rubbers.
The rubbers for the windshield washer broke at the same time, that is quite strange, but I managed to fix them by myself using new rubbers taken from the warehouse here in the company I'm working for.
Some minor rust around the rubber in the rear windshield wiper, also in the break callipers.
The car is stalling sometimes and the idling is irregular at low revolutions (some sensor? EGR valve again?).
I refused to replace once more the lights under the heating control, it's not worthy believe me...
Interior still in perfect conditions, seats like new, still solid with no vibrations, consumptions very good too in spite of the mentioned problems.
Update.
This car was sold in September 2007 with 117.000 km. After 4 and a half years driving I must say it was not disappointing. Accomplished his mission of transporting me and my family from A to B without great problems and always with good fuel consumption. Negative aspects? The engine 1.0 12 valve ECOTEC is slow and has some electronic problems with EGR Valve and Air Mass Meter. Inside the materials were almost as new and didn't had too many noises.
Was changed because it was to small for a family and the boot was really small for our needs.
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