Right all it's decision time, im about to buy either the Ford or Vauxhall badge. Both 03 reg the fiesta going for a slightly higher price.
Which is really the better buy?
In my previous topic it has come to my attention that there more corsas written off then there're of fiestas, but is the fiesta any safer & more solid then the corsa due to it's slightly heavier body? or am i just a bit cynical?
Any thoughts welcome!
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Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
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In reliability and safety terms I can't see there being much in it., but I would expect the Fiesta to be the significantly better of the two to drive. It should be gripper, have more steering feel, and feel much more geared for "fun" than the Corsa. That's certainly my experience when we drove (admittedly slightly older) examples of both cars. SWMBO and I unanimously agreed on the Fiesta.
Cheers
DP
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Having driven both, the Fiesta had a few niggly things but generally I thought it was a very good car.
The Corsa however is horrible. Quite why anyone buys these piles of junk heaven alone knows. The clutch is horrible. The gearshift is horrible. The interior is horrible. The driving position is horrible. And the steering has no feel whatsoever.
In fact, for all that it is perceived as "bland" and "cheap" (often by Corsa owners!!!) I can categorically say that the Hyundai Accent I owned comprehensively beats this revolting little car in every way imaginable. Damn sight more reliable as well.
The Fiesta all the way for me. Would not touch a Corsa with a ten-foot pole, and I'm still not entirely convinced of Vauxhall's reliability either.
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I had a fiesta on hire and apart from very poor look of the dash, no room for your left leg, the seat belt mounting being to low and an engine that sounded like a tractor (the 1.4 diesel) its an OK car. Got a nice amount of room for the size of car and the drive is good.
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Fiesta::: Ok looking I suppose but not exactly a stunner.. Cheap, nasty and grainy plastics on the inside is offset by decent dynamics. That dash is pretty awful and that LCD block fuel guage makes it difficult to predict how low on fuel you are.
Corsa::: Nowhere near as bad to drive as some posters say but the Fiesta has the edge (slightly) Much much better interior quality too. Seat trim and plastic feel leagues ahead of the Fiesta.
Hmm.. Which would I choose?
Although the Fiesta is... ok, my money would go to a Corsa purely on the fact it has better build quality.. it feels more expensive.
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Do both cars have the same specification (if that is important to you), i.e. aircon, alloys, metallic, etc?
Are they both 3 door, or 5 door? If one is and the other isn't, is that an important factor to you?
All things being equal, I'd plump for the Corsa because you say it is a bit cheaper, for essentially the same car. Keep the cash in your pocket!
One other thought - check out the insurance premiums for each of them, in case one turns out significantly more expensive to insure for some reason.
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Having driven both, the Fiesta had a few niggly things but generally I thought it was a very good car.
Most of these outpourings could be applied to the Fiesta. We have one of the new-shape Fiestas and the gloomy drab, black interior is awful as is the gearchange. The whole feeling of this car is agricultural but I don't have any experience of the Corsa and so, unlike yourself, can't make a valid comparison. However if the Corsa, in your opinion is as bad as your say, then it must be bad, I suppose.
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"Most of these outpourings could be applied to the Fiesta"
I'll second that and having owned a faultless Corsa from new for nearly 5 years the reliability & running costs are pretty good as well.
Always good to see Vauxhall outselling Ford in a particular sector.
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As someone who looks after 1.4 examples of both but owns neither so is unbiased....
I see them as pretty well equal and it is down to individual needs as to which one suits. I have not had one repair to do on the Corsas over and above service items since new. The models I look after happen to be good spec with alloys/aircon/CD etc... they look and feel decent quality for their price/size/target market.
I have no gripes driving the Corsa... but true the power steering is a bit dead. The ride is actually quite capable and tight on the terrible roads round here.
I have given them the thumbs up to various buyers from a youngsters first car to a 72yr old Grandma and no-one has come back yet and said they hated them!
David
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I agree with Jase1 - the Corsa is dreadful. We have both a Fiesta and a Corsa at work as company cars and the Fiesta beats the Corsa hands down. I would say there about as reliable as each other but the Fiesta is quicker, handles better, has a better gearshift and is more comfortable. Considering how much money Vauxhall would have had to develop the Corsa, I think its an appalling car - I used to own a Skoda Favorit, so its saying something when I rate the Corsa as the worst car I've ever driven!
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Totally agree with jase1's vew of the Corsa. Why these cars are sold in such numbers is incomprehensible to me - there are so many better cars out there. Corsa is horrible to drive with no road feel whatsoever and looks and feels cheap - beloved by chavs though
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Hi
I've driven both the Fiesta and the New Corsa. I'll start by saying that if you're considering a diesel then it's the Corsa all the way, unless you would like a vibrating seat and the sound of Grandad's old Ferguson; in which case go for the Fiesta.
The interior of the Corsa is horrid for my liking: steering wheel is too far forward of the dash and if you're over 5' you have to lean forward to operate the light switch. The Fiesta on the other hand is built solidly (we've have no squeeks or rattles from 5 of them) and all the controls are within easy reach. Both are nice to drive though the Corsa has got sharp brakes.
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Mike Farrow
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Out of interest, why are you only considering the Corsa or Fiesta?
I posted this last week might be of interest or just add confusion.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=47...5
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Fiesta all the way for me, I've owned three and if I was forced to go back to a small car (which may happen the way this government are going) I would go back to Fiesta without a moment's hesitation.
Corsa is an entirely different matter, I've never seen the attraction to something that IMO is dynamically inferior to the Fiesta, I'd probably best state that I've only ever driven the Corsa a few times, never owned one, but I didn't like any of my drives in it.
Blue
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Out of interest, why are you only considering the Corsa or Fiesta? I posted this last week might be of interest or just add confusion. www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=47...5
Well im mainly biased towards the ford brand myself. I learnt to drive in a BSM Corsa, which i liked but it seemed quite bulky in comparison aswell as gutless being only a 1 liter engine.
Ford are also cheaper to fix with parts available at a click of a finger.
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Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
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Why don't you go for a Focus?
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My experience:
c198 1.6 Fiesta - (in c1993) went like the proverbial, I loved driving it.
c1995 Corsa, with probably a 600cc engine and 3-speed autobox, from hire firm. Driving as far as Tescos would have been too far.
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My experience:
Corsa as a hire car for a fortnight in 2001 - as far as I can remember, there was nothing wrong with it.
Fiesta as a courtesy car in 2006 - really liked it, and thought it was more fun to drive than my Ka.
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My experience: c198 1.6 Fiesta - (in c1993) went like the proverbial, I loved driving it.
Old Fiesta is nothing like the modern ones. I liked the old one, but I don't like the current ones. An old 1.6 was probably fast (possibly a 'hot-hatch'?), but a modern 1.6 is nothing special, they are bigger and heavier.
c1995 Corsa, with probably a 600cc engine and 3-speed autobox, from hire firm. Driving as far as Tescos would have been too far.
Modern Corsas are also very different. Never driven the old ones, but the recent ones (before the Punto based ones) were reasonable. The 1.2 engines are fantastic! Fuel consumption looks a lot better than on a Fiesta too.
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My wife still has her Corsa I used to have a fiesta so I've had experience of both:
Driving - Fiesta wins hands down quite good fun to drive handles nicely and quite pokey engines, the Corsa isn't that bad but can't compete with the Fiesta.
Looks - Corsa for this one can't stand the looks of the latest Fiesta so bland !! ( Just my opinion )
Running costs - Found the Vauxhall to be alot cheaper to run than the Fiesta and more reliable too.
Really it's swings and roundabouts and depends on what your after if you want something better to drive go for the Fiesta. If you want a cheap practical run around that does what it says on the tin get the Corsa I'd say the build quality is slightly better than the Ford aswell.
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The 2001-2006 Corsa is a truely dire car. Zero steering feel, utterly apalling levels of quality, comical bodyroll and the sort of plastic I'd expect to find in a selection box at christmas.
Worst car I have ever driven, hands down. Show the world you know NOTHING about cars and buy a Corsa....
Get the FIesta, every time.
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Previously had Corsa's as courtesy cars. Only one I didn't like was the one that had one cylinder short of an engine under the bonnet - namely the 1.0 litre. All the rest were fine.
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