Nice New Vauxhalls

Look on used car websites and you begin to notice a trend. There is a shortage in the number of used cars on the market which has led to dramatic price hikes. In fact, the price of a used car has increased by a colossal 30% over the past year. This change in the market has occurred because of the government-funded Scrappage Scheme.

In an effort to kick-start the failing new car market the government decided to inject some much needed funds into this industry The Scrappage Scheme got underway in May and has been since hailed as a success.

The scheme not only increased new car sales, but also helped to get old, dirty cars off the road. So the scheme has also benefited the environment as old gas-guzzlers have been replaced by new fuel-efficient cars.

The Scheme has been so successful that it has even been extended until next year. Ford and Vauxhall have benefited the most during the scheme, in particular they saw great sales figures during the all important 59′ plate launch month.

However, although the scheme has helped local car dealers – and the larger manufacturers in particular, it certainly hasn’t benefited used car hunters.

The Scrappage Scheme made the prices of brand new cars seem so appealing that people rushed to scrap there old cars in return for a shiny new one. Therefore, those that would have otherwise sold on their older cars to fund the purchase of their one vehicle have decided to have them scrapped – meaning that the used car market has been severely depleted.

Inevitably, because of the lack of supply, the demand has increased and therefore prices have seen a significant rise.

In some cases, because of the great deals available on the Scrappage Scheme, some people have been able to buy a brand new car for less money than the same model a year old.

This has meant that people looking for a bargain first car are really struggling to find one. The likes of the used Vauxhall Corsa and the little Ford Ka have been scrapped in their thousands – both of these cars have always been a firm favourite among young first-time drivers as they are cheap to insure and run.

As the Scrappage Scheme has been extended the used car market won’t really change until next Spring at least. Once all funds have been exhausted then we will be able if the market returns to it usual state…but then perhaps new car sales will fall once again…

Lucy Penn

To many mechanics it is well known that Vauxhall’s smaller ‘Economical’ car engines often are restricted and don’t fulfill their best performance. To the average Joe this means nothing but to everyone else it matters and so this article is on the modifying the car engine and several car parts to improve performance.

So what can you do, well firstly you can buy another car engine, both expensive and takes time. Secondly you could not buy an ‘ECOTEC’ car engine and hopefully you will get the full horsepower you deserve, or thirdly you can modify it by adding some other car parts and modifying current ones.

We like the latter and so which vauxhall part can be used. Well it’s not a vauxhall part but a Dbilas inlet manifold to enable binning of the restrictive inlet pipe work, but if vauxhall made one then we would buy it. As well as being cost effective you can also do it in an afternoon as long as you know about a car engine and have some good tools and are not afraid to dismantle you car engine.

The kit costs over £800 (including software) but if you’re going to use the car for a while it’s a good investment. My suggestion is to do on older cars with many miles on the clock because it will see the best benefit and could also use the new car parts which you are going to add.

Right so how can you fit the kit onto you car engine, well firstly several vauxhall parts must come off the engine to gain access to the original manifold before replacing the manifold, putting some extra vauxhall parts in (such as a MAP sensor and a new vauxhall alternator) and securing the vauxhall parts back up again before installing software on your ECU. Also some original car parts must be shortened or modified to accommodate the inlet manifold such as fuel tank breather.

In-depth steps of how to do this are in the February (2007) issue 67 of TOTAL VAUXHALL magazine with detailed instructions and pictures (and is where the inspiration for this article came from). Once the inlet is installed and the vauxhall parts secured you need to install the software on the ECU, which can be done in 2 ways.

Firstly after the ECU has been fitted and all the vauxhall parts secured you can drive the car down to Regal for the software to be installed. Secondly you could send your ECU to them and they will install the software for you (you do this before fixing the car parts back into place). Note this is included in the original price and no extra cost is needed, just time.

Once the conversion is complete you should feel an increased performance such as more responsive car and an increase of rpm (around 2000) and an extra 28bhp (according to TOTAL VAUXHALL magazine, issue 67) and other factors such as fuel efficiency and braking times should be unaffected. Basically your gaining free horsepower which was their in the first place you just did not know it and all by adding and modifying vauxhall parts and an afternoon of free time.

Car Sparefinder

The Vauxhall Corsa has been loved by UK drivers for over a decade often topping the charts for the most popular car in the UK. It is especially loved by new drivers for its low insurance costs, cheap running costs and nippy performance.

There is no doubt that such a loved car has hundreds of thousands of units floating around the UK car market which provide a great supply of cars for those that want to purchase one, but as with any second hand product, there are many lemons out there as well.

There are a number of things to watch out for when buying a used car as well as specific things to watch out for with certain models. It is no secret that older cars tend to rust but the earlier versions of the Corsa where particularly vulnerable to rusting, especially around the wheel arches.

One should always see the car before buying it so if you can, go see the car and make an extra effort to get down and dirty by getting on the floor and looking under the car at the under tray and at the wheel arches. You will literally need to get on the floor so bring some old clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty!

Perhaps an obvious thing to look out for is the engine condition but let’s face it, who amongst us knows what a healthy engine looks like. Instead look at how clean the engine is. Chances are an owner that takes the time to clean the engine will have taken good care of it. Rust on any part of the engine is also a big no no to watch out for as well as general wear and tear which can be expected to some extent but is a sign that the engine might be approaching the end of its lifespan. If you really have no idea what you are looking for why not bring a friend who knows a little more about cars to look at the car with you.

The Corsa is a robust and well built car and should anything go wrong, parts are in large supply and comparatively cheap in comparison to other cars and models. However, this should not be an excuse for not inspecting your car before you buy it. Perhaps the best piece of advice is to buy a car from a certified Vauxhall dealer or from a website that provides history checks.