Hardcore Til I Die Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Hi, I've just passed my driving test and am hoping to get a car very soon. I've been looking at a 2004 Clio with 70k miles on the clock and a 2005 Corsa with 49k miles. My main concerns are price and reliability. I can afford either car on finance and have already seen insurance quotes on both, which are acceptable, so that just leaves reliability. In your experience, which of the two cars is more reliable? The Corsa only has one previous owner, it doesn't say about the Clio. The Corsa is ?300 more expensive and slightly more expensive on the insurance too, but that's negligible really. The last thing I want is to have my first car breaking down within a few months! Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisp Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Neither lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardcore Til I Die Posted October 14, 2010 Author Share Posted October 14, 2010 Neither lol. I was also thinking about a 2005 Micra with only 35k miles on the clock, but then that's going into ?4k and I don't know if I want to spend that on my first car :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGM Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 My first car was ?500.. in 2001 :p Anyway, I'd probably get the corsa. I had a vx once and parts for it were dirt cheap :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulligan2k Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 both same sized engines? for reliability, and price of fixing it if something goes wrong you'd be best off with the Vauxhall, while not particularly well known for the their reliability its certainly a better reputation than Renault. for each cars individual reliability i would suggest googling the car, year and engine size with the word 'problem' on the end and reading few the first few hits, can help spot common faults and how likely your are to come across them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulligan2k Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 also after 70-80 thousand miles the chances of the cambelt needing changing are much higher, infact most manufactures recommend it at around that mileage. this job alone can cost ?200-?300 with parts and labour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardcore Til I Die Posted October 14, 2010 Author Share Posted October 14, 2010 both same sized engines? for reliability, and price of fixing it if something goes wrong you'd be best off with the Vauxhall, while not particularly well known for the their reliability its certainly a better reputation than Renault. for each cars individual reliability i would suggest googling the car, year and engine size with the word 'problem' on the end and reading few the first few hits, can help spot common faults and how likely your are to come across them The Corsa is a 1.0 and the Clio is a 1.2. It's mainly the less mileage that's swaying me to the corsa atm. I'm going to have a look at both on Saturday anyway :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGM Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Mileage is meaningless on modern vehicles. I would be more interested in possible rust, service intervals, or any curious knocking sounds :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Edwardo Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 I drove (for a few days) a Corsa sxi 1.2 recently. Found it to be painfully sluggish. I mean, I've driven lower powered cars plenty of times, but I couldn't believe the amount of times I found myself changing down gears, and revving the hell out of it to get anywhere. Can't say much about the Clios as I haven't driven one. In your position I might seriously consider the slightly larger engine though.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardcore Til I Die Posted October 14, 2010 Author Share Posted October 14, 2010 I drove (for a few days) a Corsa sxi 1.2 recently. Found it to be painfully sluggish. I mean, I've driven lower powered cars plenty of times, but I couldn't believe the amount of times I found myself changing down gears, and revving the hell out of it to get anywhere. Can't say much about the Clios as I haven't driven one. In your position I might seriously consider the slightly larger engine though.. The thing about Clios is they get very mixed reviews, whereas Corsas seem to get more positive reviews, and Corsas are very popular which must be for a reason! I do prefer Clios to Corsas looks wise, and the slightly larger engine would be good because I'll be doing a lot of motorway driving (the Mrs lives 120 miles away :p).. I don't think I'll be able to make my mind up until the day! Cheers everyone :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kriz Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Majority of french cars are bad news, if you had to choose one id go for the Corsa, personally, neither ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Corsa over the Clio for sure. Corsa is a Vauxhall, so repairs and parts are going to be easier to source than a French car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acnpt Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 I'd go for the Corsa, but with a larger engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TogaForComfort Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 I have had Two Corsa's both engines commited suicide. needing about ?2500 worth of parts and labour. Several friends also had the same issue as have the tons of prople posting here http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=69006 Plus, the oil pump fails and you get no notification on the dasboard. First you know if the sound of grinding metal. I would avoid them, the new corsas have the same engine as do some of the Astra models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethevans1986 Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Clio - mines a 53 plate, 1.2 Dynamique, ?40 per tyre, ?80 a service. 82k on the clock. Starts first time, even at -6oC! GE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chasethebase Reporter Posted October 14, 2010 Reporter Share Posted October 14, 2010 Just with the Clio's, make sure you check for the bonnet to see if it's one of the one's that had the fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Neither really. Everyone goes for the Corsa/Clio/106/306 pick around here so I went for a Micra (the older one, they ruined them after that) and it's been perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardcore Til I Die Posted October 14, 2010 Author Share Posted October 14, 2010 Neither really. Everyone goes for the Corsa/Clio/106/306 pick around here so I went for a Micra (the older one, they ruined them after that) and it's been perfect. See I want an old Micra but there's nowhere that's got them in stock around here and I'm desperate to get a car :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomjol Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 The Corsa's so popular because it's such a favourite of driving instructors, not because it's fundamentally any good ;) Personally I find them horribly uninspiring to drive and, though I've never driven a Clio, it can't be any more dull. As such I would ignore the reliability concerns one would normally have with a French car and get as far away from a Corsa as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGM Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Urgh.. wish my tyres still cost ?40 :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 See I want an old Micra but there's nowhere that's got them in stock around here and I'm desperate to get a car :( I actually went a good length of England for mine (Cumbria to Suffolk) so that's no excuse :laugh: (I really wanted an SE+ at the time.) Anyways, I always enjoy driving it. Have you had a look on Autotrader I take it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Topham Hatt Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Mileage is meaningless on modern vehicles. I would be more interested in possible rust, service intervals, or any curious knocking sounds :p This is the most important. A car can go for many many miles if it has been serviced frequently. Are you a girl? - Clio Are You A Boy Racer? - Corsa Are You Neither? - Go for a Fiesta or something else :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardcore Til I Die Posted October 14, 2010 Author Share Posted October 14, 2010 I actually went a good length of England for mine (Cumbria to Suffolk) so that's no excuse (I really wanted an SE+ at the time.) I only passed my test on Tuesday so I don't really want to be driving between cities on my own yet Edit: yeah, looked on Auto trader but I really want the security of buying from a dealer! This is the most important. A car can go for many many miles if it has been serviced frequently. Are you a girl? - Clio Are You A Boy Racer? - Corsa Are You Neither? - Go for a Fiesta or something else I'm a 22 year old bloke but not gunna be a boy racer, I'm going to be an old man driver and not speed etc All cars say they have a "full service history" but I know that's just marketing haha, will have to check it out more thoroughly when I view them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kami- Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 I'd go with a Corsa over a Clio... (Unless we start talking about the top of range Clio sports...) However, you'll find that both cars are simple run-arounds but not a bad choice for the first car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGM Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 We all say that... speed is like crack though :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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