Description
Up for sale is my lovely little Vauxhall Corsa B 1. 4 LS automatic with a genuine mileage of just 27, 650 from new, backed up by a service history like I’ve rarely seen, and will go into in a minute. It has an advisory free MOT until June 2026, after I replaced the wipers and the washer motor, two keys and the original handbook.
I’m the fourth owner, but up until two years ago it was essentially a one-owner car, which passed from husband to wife after he passed away in 2011. Looking at the paperwork, it was always Vera’s car, but Bob was on the original logbook. The second owner used it as a station car and did 7, 000 of its 27k miles between 2003 and me getting it earlier this year, after he traded it in against a BMW X5, of all things.
When Bob and Vera bought it, they chopped in an F-plate Hyundai Stellar and I’m sure we all agree; that’s far more interesting. It’s also documented on the original bill of sale, which is followed up by masses and masses of service history, bills and receipts. There’s a huge pile of paperwork, including (in Vera’s later years), a bill for one passenger door mirror per year. I’m not convinced her eyesight was that great by then. That would also explain the car’s handful of dents and scrapes – which have been repainted with a rattle can in places with varying degrees of success. The service history is colossal though and the car is almost rust-free.
The worst bit is a dent behind the driver’s door, but because this is fairly low down, it doesn’t jump out at you. There’s also another small dink on the tailgate and a tiny crease behind the indicator on one wing, and the front bumper has been painted on both corners. There are also a couple of slight bubbles, around one side repeater lens and at the front corners of both wings, plus a very small one on the bottom of one door. From 10 paces, it looks great, and the Atlantic Blue paint has come up lovely with a polish, but I’m not going to pretend it’s immaculate. It’s tidy and looks really good overall, but it isn’t perfect. If it was, I’d want at least twice what I’m asking for it.
The grey bumper and wheelarch trims are faded and didn’t come back as well as I thought they might with trim restorer, and there are a few scuffs.
Inside, it’s clean and tidy with no notable wear to the seat bolsters or suchlike. I managed to dig out the radio code so that now works again, as do all of the other functions. Not that there are many – this is an LS so it’s keep-fit windows all the way. It does have a tilting sunroof, though, and power steering. It also has the super-cool (in my opinion) non-airbag steering wheel.
It’s a 1. 4 auto and it drives great – starts on the button, idles really smoothly and is dead quiet. The gearbox works as it should, and while it’s not quick off the mark thanks to it self-shifting transmission, it’s actually surprisingly refined at motorway speeds.
If you want a Corsa B with bags of character, a genuinely low mileage and a great story behind it thanks to that pile of history, it’s a great retro runabout and with some minor cosmetic attention, plus the provenance, you’ve got a car that you could take to the next level and make a real show-worthy example out of.
£1100 firm buys it – and while I’m trying to reduce the number of cars I have, my willpower is terrible so feel free to try and tempt me if you’ve got a retro PX.
Location: north Cambs.
