Newbie.....

[MrsJones]

Hi all,

Well i currently have a vauxhall corsa 2008 SXI, anyway due to financial reasons im selling it and have found a really nice 206cc. .

However its a 51 plate, 62,000 miles, its had 2 owners has service history, 12mth mot & a few month tax. Its priced at £2295.. is this about right?? Its the 1.6, full leather and air con. I have seen the roof go up & down several times however my step dad thinks this is the downside to buying this car as he thinks it may stop working.

After looking on this site it does appear people do have problems with the roof, which is to be expected i suppose withe the age of the car.

Any advice, tips appreciated.

Marie

[aaronwillis]

Doesn't sound to bad
I've never had a problem with my roof
Some have tho
Main things are the micro switch in boot not working

[GrandadMonkey]

The main point of buying a convertible is so that you can have the roof down when the weather is good. A downside is that the roof can go wrong but if you have already checked out that it is working perfectly - then what is the problem?

Many problems with the roof are self inflicted by owners that don't read the owner's manual thoroughly before they use the car. Particularly the operation of the roof.

Search the forum on here and you'll find plenty of tips for prospective new owners. You'll also read of many problems - which may put you off.

Bear in mind that the car you are considering is 10 years old. Don't expect any 10 year old car to be as new. Furthermore, if it hasn't been renewed already - and I doubt that it will have been, then the cambelt (timing belt) is due for replacement on the 1.6 engine after 10 years or 100,000 miles, so it is due now. Most people would recommend replacement of the water pump at the same time. So allow a few hundred pounds for that job when budgeting.

According to http://www.whatcar.com the price appears about right. See

http://www.whatcar.com/valuations/resul ... eage=62000

However, if there is no evidence that the timing belt has been changed I'd allow at least £400 for that work to be carried out. If the belt breaks you'll need a new engine.

Check that the aircon still works perfectly.

Good luck Marie.

Ron

[MrsJones]

Thanks for yor replys, i know its the 10 yrs old thats putting me off slighly. Is £400 for the cambelt & pump.

Marie

[aaronwillis]

Yup thats about what mine cost to be done last year

[MrsJones]

Also should the roof fail when its down can u pull it up manually???

[aaronwillis]

Yup there is a how to vid on here about it
Mines never failed on me

[Thar]

One thing to bear in mind, although you can operate the roof while the engine is turned off, it's not advisable, especially if you don't know the condition of the battery.