Back home - thinking about a Corsa

balashome · 25th November 2005, 14:07

Hi friends,

Being back home is a wonderful feeling. We celebrated Diwali here and I am almost ready to take the decision on a car.

Even though I was thinking about the Tata Marina when i landed here, i did not like the vehicle after inspecting and taking it out for a spin. The small things like the power window switches, locks, knobs and all that are very poorly made. And frankly many of my friends have been casting aspersions on how the current Turbo Diesel engine will sound and perform two years from now. Since I am looking to use this car for atleast the next four years, i have been looking at other options.

After ruling out all the hatchbacks (though the Swift did entice me, i surely cannot wait for 6 months), i had to decide between the following cars - Ford Ikon, Opel Corsa, Hyundai Accent and Maruti Baleno. I do need the boot for long trips, you see.

On price points, the Corsa and Ikon scored. I did not like the shape of the Accent, so i did not even take a test drive. The Viva is certainly a looker, but it is slightly expensive. The new Baleno also is expensive for what it offers (at almost 6.5 Lakhs on road for the Lxi).

Recently i test drove the Corsa. The Corsa 1.4 Gsi is being offered at a good deal - OTR price of 5,05,000. Though the engine is not a screamer, i liked the car's feel over the myriad potholes of Chennai. And the small things such as the seating, general ergonomics, switches, control and general quality are far better than what the Marina or the Ikon offer.

Before inking the deal, i wanted to hear what 'Teambhpians' thought about the Corsa 1.4.

Cheers,

Balachandhran.S

zabcd · 25th November 2005, 14:16

Here is what I know about Corsa, both from my research and also from discussions with a close friend who owns a corsa.
1. Definitely value for money when buying-spares and maintenance on the expenseive side.
2. Good drive quality and engine delivers well.
3. I found the interior space a bit constrained.
4. I had fears about GM's ability to continue supporting the Corsa, looking at the way they are deep-discounting the car.

Overall-I chose not to buy a corsa but go with an Accent 1.6 in spite of the 'value for money' corsa offers. I didnt fall in love with the looks-but the 'peace of mind' factor prevalied for me.

tsk1979 · 25th November 2005, 14:50

Its about to be discontinued, so keep that in mind. After 4 years you may not get anything. Since you were looking at an ikon, how about fiesta 1.4, but it will cost you 6L on-road for the base version, which is slightly less than baleno. As for indigo, if you are looking from a maintainance cost and reliability point of view its a great buy, but if you are looking at fit finish and refinement it is pathetic.

GTO · 25th November 2005, 14:52

Moved to the "What Car?" section. Please revert to the appropriate forum section before posting new threads.

abhibh · 25th November 2005, 17:02

Hi,

My friend has got a Corsa 1.4 Sedan Model. He bought the car in Nov 28 2003. For 4.95 Lacs. I have also driven his car and corsa is rock solid and ABS adds a lot to it's safety on highways. Other is its class lacks the comfort that corsa have. But dealer, after sales and cost of parts and availability of parts S***S. Really it has been like 8 months when i wnt with him to the dealer where he had to get his stearing cups changed which the dealer broke while servicing his car.

GM changes the model every year of corsa doing some cosmetic changes and stuff etc. which is getting pain in the A** for customers who bought it earlier. Spares not even available out side and even GM dont have the stearing cups for 2003 Model now.

Now GM is thinking of dropping the Opel Brand and are cocenterating on Chevy. According to recent news GM is gonna get their Aveo here in india sson which will be replacing the Corsa.

So in my view you should not go for this car. Though car is rock solid and is gr8 to drive specially on highways. But what a customer wants when he buys the car is aftersales and service which you wont get.

Gor for Fiesta 1.4 man car is good or Even accent is also good but lacks comfiness at rear.

jkdas · 25th November 2005, 19:42

The Corsa we have here in India is 2 generation old. There was an offer last month for Corsa, some 80k off , so I guess it would be a good buy ( well I donno abt sales and service and price of parts)

Accent should be a safe buy but Fiesta would be better, coz its just lauched! But again,new Accent is on its way!.

Ikon 1.6 is gonna be killed soon and who knws abt teh rest of teh family!

Can someone answer this : Is Corsa's boot bigger than Getz boot?

gkrishn · 25th November 2005, 19:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkdas

Can someone answer this : Is Corsa's boot bigger than Getz boot?

You mean sail??? I am not sure about getz... but sail got a really spacious boot for a hatch.

Bala,
As ajmat mentioned else where, even though you might buy the corsa for cheap price now... you will lose out a lot on resale value when u try to sell it 4,5 years later. Most of the car you have mentioned are in end of life and might be replaced sooner or later, i guess.

jkdas · 25th November 2005, 20:15

emm thats true abt sales after 4-5 yrs!

what abt the non-sail one

Oel Corsa, what abt its boot?

gkrishn · 25th November 2005, 20:19

You want to compare a hatch with a sedan? Defenitly the corsa should have bigger boot.

jkdas · 25th November 2005, 21:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by gkrishn

You want to compare a hatch with a sedan? Defenitly the corsa should have bigger boot.

UK corsa's dont haev boot and it looks like indica

( frm same stable and hence) and hence I asked.

turbo_lover · 25th November 2005, 21:33

Quote:

My friend has got a Corsa 1.4 Sedan Model. He bought the car in Nov 28 2003. For 4.95 Lacs. I have also driven his car and corsa is rock solid and ABS adds a lot to it's safety on highways.

errrm , there is no ABS offered with the corsa ...

Quote:

Is Corsa's boot bigger than Getz boot?

getz is a hatch ...corsa is a sedan obviously it has a bigger boot..

devarshi84 · 26th November 2005, 01:56

Ehhhm ........ If you are looking at 6.5 then the lancer LX costs 6.5 ex-showroom.

www.lancerinindia.com

Just take a test drive.

within your budget I think you should check out the ford fiesta and palio 1.6sport.

Ex showroom of the 1.6 palio fully loaded is less than 5.00 and you will also get lots of deals on this one.

abhibh · 26th November 2005, 19:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by turbo_lover

errrm , there is no ABS offered with the corsa ...

Hi Turbo_Lover,

I dont know about now but the Crrsa my friend have got ABS.... and it is writen in manula too.. I know that new corsa got a 8 bit chip but the one which my friend got have a 32 bit. I will check it out at the dealer about the ABS issue.

turbo_lover · 26th November 2005, 20:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by abhibh

Hi Turbo_Lover,

I dont know about now but the Crrsa my friend have got ABS.... and it is writen in manula too.. I know that new corsa got a 8 bit chip but the one which my friend got have a 32 bit. I will check it out at the dealer about the ABS issue.

wahh?? even my corsa has the 32 bit chip..why will they downgrade to a 8 bit
how will they meet the BS 3 regulation???
the corsa was BS stage 3 since 2003 even before the regulation was out..

corsa does not have ABS ..it has anti dive geometry ..it is a suspension feature which enhances braking to an extent ..

Mpower · 27th November 2005, 07:43

As long as you are not a tall or large build, the Corsa estate should be fine. As a bonus, you can enjoy the german car feel and the solid ride quality.

25th November 2005, 14:07	#1
balashome BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 46 Thanked: 2 Times	Back home - thinking about a Corsa Hi friends, Being back home is a wonderful feeling. We celebrated Diwali here and I am almost ready to take the decision on a car. Even though I was thinking about the Tata Marina when i landed here, i did not like the vehicle after inspecting and taking it out for a spin. The small things like the power window switches, locks, knobs and all that are very poorly made. And frankly many of my friends have been casting aspersions on how the current Turbo Diesel engine will sound and perform two years from now. Since I am looking to use this car for atleast the next four years, i have been looking at other options. After ruling out all the hatchbacks (though the Swift did entice me, i surely cannot wait for 6 months), i had to decide between the following cars - Ford Ikon, Opel Corsa, Hyundai Accent and Maruti Baleno. I do need the boot for long trips, you see. On price points, the Corsa and Ikon scored. I did not like the shape of the Accent, so i did not even take a test drive. The Viva is certainly a looker, but it is slightly expensive. The new Baleno also is expensive for what it offers (at almost 6.5 Lakhs on road for the Lxi). Recently i test drove the Corsa. The Corsa 1.4 Gsi is being offered at a good deal - OTR price of 5,05,000. Though the engine is not a screamer, i liked the car's feel over the myriad potholes of Chennai. And the small things such as the seating, general ergonomics, switches, control and general quality are far better than what the Marina or the Ikon offer. Before inking the deal, i wanted to hear what 'Teambhpians' thought about the Corsa 1.4. Cheers, Balachandhran.S
	() Thanks

25th November 2005, 14:16	#2
zabcd BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: New York/Delhi Posts: 37 Thanked: Once	Here is what I know about Corsa, both from my research and also from discussions with a close friend who owns a corsa. 1. Definitely value for money when buying-spares and maintenance on the expenseive side. 2. Good drive quality and engine delivers well. 3. I found the interior space a bit constrained. 4. I had fears about GM's ability to continue supporting the Corsa, looking at the way they are deep-discounting the car. Overall-I chose not to buy a corsa but go with an Accent 1.6 in spite of the 'value for money' corsa offers. I didnt fall in love with the looks-but the 'peace of mind' factor prevalied for me.
	() Thanks

25th November 2005, 14:50	#3
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,697 Thanked: 23,487 Times View My Garage	Its about to be discontinued, so keep that in mind. After 4 years you may not get anything. Since you were looking at an ikon, how about fiesta 1.4, but it will cost you 6L on-road for the base version, which is slightly less than baleno. As for indigo, if you are looking from a maintainance cost and reliability point of view its a great buy, but if you are looking at fit finish and refinement it is pathetic.
	() Thanks

25th November 2005, 14:52	#4
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 71,925 Thanked: 322,153 Times View My Garage	Moved to the "What Car?" section. Please revert to the appropriate forum section before posting new threads.
	() Thanks

25th November 2005, 17:02	#5
abhibh Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Back in the HOOD near you! Posts: 2,768 Thanked: 39 Times	Hi, My friend has got a Corsa 1.4 Sedan Model. He bought the car in Nov 28 2003. For 4.95 Lacs. I have also driven his car and corsa is rock solid and ABS adds a lot to it's safety on highways. Other is its class lacks the comfort that corsa have. But dealer, after sales and cost of parts and availability of parts S*S. Really it has been like 8 months when i wnt with him to the dealer where he had to get his stearing cups changed which the dealer broke while servicing his car. GM changes the model every year of corsa doing some cosmetic changes and stuff etc. which is getting pain in the A for customers who bought it earlier. Spares not even available out side and even GM dont have the stearing cups for 2003 Model now. Now GM is thinking of dropping the Opel Brand and are cocenterating on Chevy. According to recent news GM is gonna get their Aveo here in india sson which will be replacing the Corsa. So in my view you should not go for this car. Though car is rock solid and is gr8 to drive specially on highways. But what a customer wants when he buys the car is aftersales and service which you wont get. Gor for Fiesta 1.4 man car is good or Even accent is also good but lacks comfiness at rear.
	() Thanks

25th November 2005, 19:42	#6
jkdas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Thiruvananthapu Posts: 9,687 Thanked: 1,497 Times View My Garage	The Corsa we have here in India is 2 generation old. There was an offer last month for Corsa, some 80k off , so I guess it would be a good buy ( well I donno abt sales and service and price of parts) Accent should be a safe buy but Fiesta would be better, coz its just lauched! But again,new Accent is on its way!. Ikon 1.6 is gonna be killed soon and who knws abt teh rest of teh family! Can someone answer this : Is Corsa's boot bigger than Getz boot? Last edited by jkdas : 25th November 2005 at 19:44.
	() Thanks

25th November 2005, 20:15	#8
jkdas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Thiruvananthapu Posts: 9,687 Thanked: 1,497 Times View My Garage	emm thats true abt sales after 4-5 yrs! what abt the non-sail one Oel Corsa, what abt its boot?
	() Thanks

25th November 2005, 20:19	#9
gkrishn BHPian Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 650 Thanked: 149 Times View My Garage	You want to compare a hatch with a sedan? Defenitly the corsa should have bigger boot.
	() Thanks

26th November 2005, 01:56	#12
devarshi84 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ahmedabad - Tor Posts: 4,024 Thanked: 213 Times View My Garage	Ehhhm ........ If you are looking at 6.5 then the lancer LX costs 6.5 ex-showroom. www.lancerinindia.com Just take a test drive. within your budget I think you should check out the ford fiesta and palio 1.6sport. Ex showroom of the 1.6 palio fully loaded is less than 5.00 and you will also get lots of deals on this one.
	() Thanks

27th November 2005, 07:43	#15
Mpower Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 10,399 Thanked: 1,735 Times View My Garage	As long as you are not a tall or large build, the Corsa estate should be fine. As a bonus, you can enjoy the german car feel and the solid ride quality.
	() Thanks