Vauxhall Corsa S 1.2

Vauxhall's Corsa promised so much when it appeared in April 1993. From its designer-body to its functional, yet stylish interior, it seemed that General Motors had created a winner. Though competitive, the cars were perhaps not as satisfying to drive as they were to sit in or just admire. They were roomy and comfortable but the handling was soon surpassed by competitors that had been designed for the late 1990s, not, perhaps like the Corsa, for the standards of a few years earlier. Vauxhall sought to address these criticisms with a thorough re-vamp in Spring 1997 but only really solved many of them with the second generation range launched in the autumn of 2000. In the 1997 revamp, the engineers at Lotus improved the handling but the Corsa's best asset, its styling, was thankfully left almost untouched. At the same time, a new 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine was introduced, initially as the special edition Sting. The Corsa sold well. As a used buy it is a good choice, provided you don't expect the first generation cars to have state of the art handling. The post-1997 models are still not class leaders but certainly offer a competitive package. Whichever car suits you needs and budget, its main strengths will be the Vauxhall name and dealer network, attractive looks and roomy interior, as well as a range of modern engines.