[Vivek.Martin]

Thanks again people.
The thing is, used cars in Bangalore aren't as cheap as in Delhi or Mumbai (not sure about Chennai).
A decent Esteem is quoted at 2.5 Lakhs. So still looking...

[curiousElf]

Posting this for a friend (non team-bhp member)who is in need of a car to go around in Mumbai. Quoting from his mail:

<<<Beginning of mail >>>

Cost: 65k
Mileage: 68,000 kms
Owners: 2 (I'll be the third)

Driveability:
1. Gears: Shifting into 1st and 3rd gears are difficult and rough, 2nd and 4th are damn smooth though. Clutch also felt heavy. Need to floor it to change gears
2. Pickup: Feels a bit sluggish, but then I guess this is normal? Read about this on TBHP.
3. Comfort: first class. Suspension is good. When cornering at 60 - 70 kmph, the steering was trying to "straighten". But the "pull" was not uniform, but rather "oscillating". As in, pull, leave, pull, leave. NOT very strong, but still, felt it for sure.

Other niggles:
1. rear door doesn’t close very snug, hence makes a little rattling noise sometimes.
2. small, curved flap above the rear right wheel (which covers another piece of body metal), has a dent/ scratch. The paint has come off, hence might need to be replaced / repainted. The metal below also has a couple of scratches.
3. Driver's side door handle spring is semi-spoilt (since the handle doesn’t spring into place, the door doesnt lock if it is just pushed. You have to make sure the handle is in the down position to ensure it locks)
4. Side mirrors have a little rust. Might need replacement.
5. Tires seem to be the old ones. There's maybe 1-2 mm of threading left.

Other impressions:
1. Seems to be decently maintained. Checked the doors, under the bonnet for any evidence of repaint. Couldn't find any.
2. Owner says fuel efficiency is 10 in city. But he also says that he is learning how to drive. (So this can be interpreted as complete bulls**t, or whatever the previous 2nd hand car dealer told him)

Purpose of purchase:
Commuting around < 8 kms a day, some weekend city driving. Estimated at < 100km a week.

Things important to me:
1. Comfort (buying this because doctor advised me to stay away from my beloved bike, because of a back problem)
2. Hassle free existence.

Questions:
1. How much do spares cost? Are they easily available (Mumbai, Chembur)?
2. Is the suspension supposed to behave like that? What problems could it be a symptom of?
3. Is the gear box going to be a problem? Does it sound like it can be repaired, or will it need to be replaced?
4. GOLDEN QUESTION: SHOULD I BUY THIS CAR?


<<<End of mail>>>

Does any fellow bhpian have any experience with the Opel Corsa? Any advice would be appreciated.

[powertrain]

Originally Posted by curiousElf

Posting this for a friend (non team-bhp member)who is in need of a car to go around in Mumbai. Quoting from his mail:
Things important to me:
1. Comfort (buying this because doctor advised me to stay away from my beloved bike, because of a back problem)
2. Hassle free existence.

Questions:
1. How much do spares cost? Are they easily available (Mumbai, Chembur)?
2. Is the suspension supposed to behave like that? What problems could it be a symptom of?
3. Is the gear box going to be a problem? Does it sound like it can be repaired, or will it need to be replaced?
4. GOLDEN QUESTION: SHOULD I BUY THIS CAR?

In a word - NO.
Opel's have a very bad reputation of wallet bursting maintenance. Some issues that I predict:-

1. Gears:Might be that the clutch is on it's last legs. Or worse, the gear linkages might need to be repaired. Heavy expenses.
2. Pickup:Earlier Opel's have a perennial problem of Sticky Injectors. So injectors need to be cleaned. Not very heavy on pocket but finding a competent mechanic might be a problem.
3. Rear door: Might be a minor alignment issue or a major chassis flex. Can't say without through inspection.
4. Tires: Need to be replaced. That's 25-30K's

I don't see any value in this car. So I would suggest to avoid this car. However he wants it badly, the max that this car is worth is 0.60-0.75L

I presume that his budget is 1L.Since he need a hassle free existence, a worthy alternative is a Zen, Wagon R & Santro.All of them can be had for around 0.75-1.25L bracket. And they will be way more reliable,efficient & light on the pocket.

Regards,
Varun

[revintup]

My cousin has an Opel Corsa which he bought back in 2002. He still has the car. Just called him up and he has advised not to buy an Opel.

Spares are costly, tough to procure and mileage is poor. There are no takers for the car and hence resale is pathetic (if you manage to find somebody).

[KiloAlpha]

I agree with both @revintup and @powertrain. The car appears to be an unloved example - maintained on a strict budget by previous owners. You are going to have BIIG bills once you start getting things fixed. Let it go, and look for Santro/Wagon R.

[androdev]

makes no sense what so ever unless the car is a hand-me-down from dad/bro, etc. you are better off buying some really old maruti car.

[curiousElf]

Thanks folks, I am sending these comments to my friend now. I hope he sees the sense in your advice. Will reply with what he decides.

[rohitgaur]

Opel Cars have been notorious for High Maintenance charges and Poor condition. The Opel Corsa itself can be had for 75 K but not a serious buying option IMHO until and Unless you have a Mechanic inhouse and Free.
It even does not have the premium feel as people used to when it was a 6-7 Lakh option , now an Opel owner seems like either too much in love with the case or not able to afford some other car...
rest is your option anyways
Pls opt for Hyundai or Maruti Car if you really wish to enjoy the car.

[arnabchak]

@ Curious

Opel is a long forgotten brand.

As all other members have rightly pointed out, spares would be very difficult to procure more so because GM has the tendency of even ignoring existing models, leave alone, long forgotten defunct brands.

Additionally, Opel repairs would need competent hand.

Getting hold of one of them may be a monumental task.

To be hinest, I have seen decently maintained Opel Corsa 1.6 GSI selling at as low at Rs. 38K in Mumbai.

[abishek2222]

Take an about turn and just run away. It was undoubtedly the best German engineered car at its time. It a nightmare to maintain. No parts available. The neighborhood garage is going to be your close friend if you buy it.

[rajeev k]

Maintaining a Corsa is not going to be cheap as spares are hard to get and costs are going to be really high. You can get a decent Wagon R Lxi at this price point and that would turn out to be the better option.

[Simple_car]

Originally Posted by curiousElf

Things important to me:
1. Comfort (buying this because doctor advised me to stay away from my beloved bike, because of a back problem)
2. Hassle free existence.

Questions:
1. How much do spares cost? Are they easily available (Mumbai, Chembur)?
2. Is the suspension supposed to behave like that? What problems could it be a symptom of?
3. Is the gear box going to be a problem? Does it sound like it can be repaired, or will it need to be replaced?
4. GOLDEN QUESTION: SHOULD I BUY THIS CAR?

1. Don't have the idea of the price, but one can procure the spares in mumbai. Some parts will take time to come but can be procured for sure.
2. No. Can't comment on what problem is there.
3. From the description, I think the bushes are worn. Won't be expensive to replace.
4. No if you wan't hassle free existence. Yes, if you like euro cars. I had a corsa. Loved it to bits.. sadly, my father sold it off for the lack of parking space when we shifted home. That car has quite a few fans in gujarat. I am one of them.

Thanks,
Simple_car

[curiousElf]

Thanks all. My friend has come to his senses and is looking out for other cars :-)