I'm back in an Opel :)

[sir-sri]

Hey All,

No one would remember, but I used to have a 2003 SRi Corsa.

Anyway I sold it due to lack of use basically, but work are moving their office and it is the best excuse I've ever had to buy another car....

The funniest bit is that last weekend I thought, hmmm my little Corsa was a good car (I should never have sold it really) I wonder what they are going for now....and unbelievably I found MY car that I sold, now up for sale (2 years later) by the guy I sold it to!!

Anyway went for a look and it seems to have been pretty well looked after, just some scrapes on the front and mags which I never had, but that can be fixed. Done about 50,000k's now and still seems to go well. I did have a concern that it seemed hard to get into 1st and 2nd sometimes for me, but the owner drove it and it didn't have a problem, I think it was mostly the way I was trying to shift (cutting the corner from 3rd to second rather than doing a nice H) but it might be the linkages from reading around here. I was happy enough with the price to cover that being looked at anyway even if it becomes an issue, seems like ~$400 from the thread about gearboxes in the Corsa section.

Anyway, now I just have to get some Opel badges, I sold the ones I had when I got rid of the car unfortunately (never got around to putting them on)!!

JM

[EL BURITO]

that is a good find. was the guy a bit amaised you wanted it back?

[sir-sri]

Yeah I don't think he believed me at first!! He was the same as me basically, couldn't believe the timing! :)

I said to give me a call in a few years, maybe I can sell it back to him again!! :D

[BigM]

I've changed my username to line up with the NSW site, so this post is to subscribe me to my thread :D

[EL BURITO]

if u pmed a mod they could have changed it for u

[Tfer]

Welcome back to Opelaus.... enjoy your ride again :D

You have done what I have contemplated a couple of times..... I sometimes ponder about trying to get back to a Veccy B instead of the Veccy C (as much as I love the Veccy C, it sometimes seems it is a brute, where as the Veccy B was.... well... more personal) ;)

[btm]

welcome back!

[reedaaron]

I never had, but that can be fixed. Done about 50,000k's now and still seems to go well. I did have a concern that it seemed hard to get into 1st and 2nd sometimes for me, but the owner drove it and it didn't have a problem, I think it was mostly the way I was trying to shift (cutting the corner from 3rd to second rather than doing a nice H) but it might be the linkages from reading around here. I was happy enough with the price to cover that being looked at anyway even if it becomes an issue, seems like ~$400 from the thread about gearboxes in the Corsa section.


just rang holden to ask about a price cos mine have shat themselves too...1st and 2nd can be a problem at times.. $500 for the part.. just for the part.. thats crazy.. i've just gone over 50,000k's too..

[EL BURITO]

just rang holden to ask about a price cos mine have shat themselves too...1st and 2nd can be a problem at times.. $500 for the part.. just for the part.. thats crazy.. i've just gone over 50,000k's too..
Auto vaux they should be 50 pounds

[BigM]

just rang holden to ask about a price cos mine have shat themselves too...1st and 2nd can be a problem at times.. $500 for the part.. just for the part.. thats crazy.. i've just gone over 50,000k's too..

Ahh crap really??

What sort of symptons did you have?

I just found at times it felt like 2nd was "blocked" you just couldn't get it in there and would have to put it in neutral, clutch out then back in, then slip it into second....A similar story with 1st.

I haven't driven a manual for a while though and was having problems because my shoes were so big I couldn't be sure that it wasn't my fault not getting the clutch all the way in....the owner drove it afterwards and had no issues, although he seemed to be firmer on the gear changes than I would be, perhaps that's just what it needs though....

What I'm trying to work out is, if it was the linkages, is this how they would start to go, or would it be a case of you just couldn't get a gear what so ever?

JM

[EL BURITO]

it just get harder to get it into gear till it gos compleatly. but remember with the C you can still start the car in 2nd with out a problem

(this is a feature of the car so u dont spin the wheels on icey roads)

[BigM]

Hmmm well since I have only paid the deposit, I might have to consider adjusting the price in light of this....I don't really want to buy it and be up for another $500+ in a couple of months....

Can't you take a car off in any gear if you burn your clutch enough. :D

[EL BURITO]

Hmmm well since I have only paid the deposit, I might have to consider adjusting the price in light of this....I don't really want to buy it and be up for another $500+ in a couple of months....

Can't you take a car off in any gear if you burn your clutch enough. :D
It will be less than $500 if u get the part from UK. guys on Corsa-c say its less than 100 quid including labour to get it fixed

[BigM]

Is there a site or something people use to get the parts from the UK? EDIT: Don't worry, just read up and found http://www.autovaux.co.uk/

I gave my mechanic a buzz to see what he thought labour would be to do this, and he wanted to know if it would be the linkages from the gear stick to the gears you're talking about, or internal linkages in the gearbox? I assume it's the former?

[EL BURITO]

Is there a site or something people use to get the parts from the UK? EDIT: Don't worry, just read up and found http://www.autovaux.co.uk/

I gave my mechanic a buzz to see what he thought labour would be to do this, and he wanted to know if it would be the linkages from the gear stick to the gears you're talking about, or internal linkages in the gearbox? I assume it's the former?
i am not sure tbh

[Dee]

Ahh crap really??

What sort of symptons did you have?

I just found at times it felt like 2nd was "blocked" you just couldn't get it in there and would have to put it in neutral, clutch out then back in, then slip it into second....A similar story with 1st.

I haven't driven a manual for a while though and was having problems because my shoes were so big I couldn't be sure that it wasn't my fault not getting the clutch all the way in....the owner drove it afterwards and had no issues, although he seemed to be firmer on the gear changes than I would be, perhaps that's just what it needs though....

What I'm trying to work out is, if it was the linkages, is this how they would start to go, or would it be a case of you just couldn't get a gear what so ever?

JM

that's the exact problem that aaron is having with his - it just wont go into 2nd sometimes ... 1st is getting worse.

i was lucky enough to have mine realigned and fixed up a few weeks ago under warranty (44,000km) - makes a hell of a difference

[BigM]

that's the exact problem that aaron is having with his - it just wont go into 2nd sometimes ... 1st is getting worse.

i was lucky enough to have mine realigned and fixed up a few weeks ago under warranty (44,000km) - makes a hell of a difference

Hmm I'm starting to get cold feet on the idea now....I wish I gave a smaller deposit in case I end up losing that....

I've asked someone I know to call a Holden service person he knows to get a feel for what the total cost will be to fix this....If it's looking like a big job I'll either have to get the seller down on price, or walk away from it all together, it's done about 53,000k's now so probabaly right about the time it would go....

[EL BURITO]

other consideration is in 7000km u need a new timming belt. that service is $600 at Holden

[BigM]

other consideration is in 7000km u need a new timming belt. that service is $600 at Holden

Fark I didn't even consider that.

I'm tempted to walk away I think, even if I burn my $250 deposit I gave the guy....

The way the costs are adding up I don't think it's worth it....people have said too, how knows how this guy looked after it, sounds like the linkages only go if you abuse the gearbox a bit anyway? I babied the thing while I had it, but that was only up to about 13,000k's or something, the majority have been while he owned it....

[EL BURITO]

Fark I didn't even consider that.

I'm tempted to walk away I think, even if I burn my $250 deposit I gave the guy....

The way the costs are adding up I don't think it's worth it....people have said too, how knows how this guy looked after it, sounds like the linkages only go if you abuse the gearbox a bit anyway? I babied the thing while I had it, but that was only up to about 13,000k's or something, the majority have been while he owned it....
lingkages go. common problem. seems to be mostly 1.8s and 1.2s from wat i read but probly the luck. besides from that its alright car. I would just talk the asking price down a grand. that covers wat needs fixed and do a RACV check on it before u part with the cash

[BigM]

Yeah you're probabaly right....I paid $12,750 as it was....which I thought was pretty good value, I really don't know if he will cut 1k off that.... I'd be interested in your thoughts on this price?

[EL BURITO]

Yeah you're probabaly right....I paid $12,750 as it was....which I thought was pretty good value, I really don't know if he will cut 1k off that.... I'd be interested in your thoughts on this price?
that is a great price i looked at a 02 few weeks ago with more Km for same money

[BigM]

That's what I thought....and would have been happy to cover ~$400 to get the g/b sorted, but $400 and $1,000 is a big difference, maybe more by the time the timing belt is done....I might mention it to him and see if I can negotiate it down a bit further and then make a decision....

I was also factoring in respraying the wheels and the bottom of the front bar, which really adds up when you add it to the above, all of a sudden it's not really that cheap anymore....

[EL BURITO]

point out the problems and make it sound alot worse and it will cost a lot more than wat we are telling u eg say 2K worth of work. and take a mate to look at it again with you. make the problems obvious and sound like u know wat u are talking about.

but there are not to many cars with all the bells and wistles the SRI has on the sean atm for that prices and if u dont take that one look for another. but at least u know this one has low Km for its age. 2 owners and is relitivly cheap compaired to other SRI's if u are going to spend more look for a 05. but it is a great commuting car + is fun too

[BigM]

Good plan I agree, I am just in a more difficult position having already given a deposit and agreed on the price. I dismissed the problem at the time and shouldn't have, after reading peoples comments here I am certain that it has this g/b issue.

Having said that, yeah I will give the guy a call and go through the list and what it will cost, and tell him plainly, at this price I will walk away (after coming to get my deposit!) but if he takes it down we can still talk turkey.

The one advantage I have I guess is that I know the finance owing on the car is less than this price, so he can afford to reduce it and still pay that out (I know because I am having one checque made out to his finance co)

As you say, there is nothing like this for the money out there, it's the reason I bought it new, and the reason I looked at it again as a second hand car, you can't get something with twin airbags, traction control, stability control, fly by wire throttle, all electrics, etc etc plus be a fun little thing to drive for this sort of price, nothing even close. If I walked from this I would maybe get an '05 as you say, or probabaly go new and get an SRi-T Astra (although it's more than I want to spend when it's just a commuter basically....)

[Dee]

you could also ask him to fix it before you pick it up off him.... or drop the price

[BigM]

you could also ask him to fix it before you pick it up off him.... or drop the price

Yeah not a bad option, I might offer that to him as an option so hen can see for himself what it costs.

For what it's worth I rang a couple of dealers, at Homebush I described the problem and the guy said straight away yeah it sounds like linkages, and probably about $350-$400 for the whole job including parts, he said he would have to see it first because it's an SRi it might be different etc...ie: I assume he was giving a reasonable price then when they did it whack you with more....but I dunno.

[Dee]

wow that's cheap - i was told mine would be around $600 out of warranty

[EL BURITO]

wow that's cheap - i was told mine would be around $600 out of warranty
remember thou. different dealerships charge different amounts

[BigM]

wow that's cheap - i was told mine would be around $600 out of warranty

I think he was quoting me on a normal barina box (is there a difference??) he said since it was an SRi he would want to have a look and see if the linkages were different....

Or as I said, was bullshitting me then when you get in there they whack you with the $600 bill....

His alternative was it's the actual gears themselves which are screwed and you need a whole new gearbox, but from the way it felt to me I would say linkages, you could tell it wasn't even at the stage of the synchros trying to mesh when it 'blocked'.


remember thou. different dealerships charge different amounts

This man speaks the truth also! It's crazy the difference some times!!!!

[EL BURITO]

there is a difference but i belive the part numbers are the same for the linkeges. will find out when i get home.

[BigM]

Just wanted to thank everyone, especially El Burito for their advice...I decided tonight that it's a can of works I'd rather not open...adding ~$600 + to what I already had to spend on it was a bit much. The seller was not happy to say the least but I told him to keep the $250 deposit for his troubles and that's it.

Shame, I was looking forward to getting my old car back....:(

I guess I will just have to wait for them to bring that VXR Corsa over here to relive my SRi Corsa dreams!

[PaulyJ]

Welcome back. Should've asked me about a name change. Now i'm getting popups about multiple users... :(

[EL BURITO]

Welcome back. Should've asked me about a name change. Now i'm getting popups about multiple users... :(
you were not on at 10am

Hope u made the right disision for you. If if are intrested at looked at some other 2nd options befor u look at new. Have a look at the Tigra, same 1.8 but no roof and heated leather ummm.

[reedaaron]

sorry i haven't been back... i just ordered a repair kit for mine at dealer price of $107... that seems a lot better to me, it seems you've already made up your mind on the matter though.. i had to ask the right people that's all... its not what you know its who you know :p