New Vauxhall Viva

keith1950

They are trying to fill the price gap left by dropping the the Agila. So for £7995 you get a Vauxhall that's cheaper than a Corsa.

They are being built in Korea in the same plants that produced the Daewoo brand.

Whatever the extras you choose they are a basic car and will hopefully ( for anyone who risks buying one) be reasonably reliable.

As someone else commented you might get better value for money ( and save £2000) by buying the £5995 Dacia Sandero.

=rizla=

chickendipperbabe wrote: »

Background: we're in the process of changing our cars, the Mrs has test drove (with me riding shotgun) a new Hyundai i10, Micra 5 Door, Citroen C1 5 Door, Viva and a Fiat Panda.

.

What about the seat Mii/Skoda Citigo/VW UP! (all the same car with different trim and slightly different nose/tails.) Skoda were offering 0% a little while ago. They are only 4 seat though (no lap belt in the rear)

Nessun_Dorma

robatwork wrote: »

Should bring back the Austin Allegro and Maxi.

Just reeked of quality engineering throughout.

The Allegro certainly reeked of something.

Nessun_Dorma

pogofish wrote: »

Yes - I learned to drive in an Allegro - another bucket!

However, you couldn't argue with Viva owners then, or now it seems - and you let yourself down with the Cavalier - If anything it was even worse.

This is why I headed the Saab/BMW route at the earliest opportunity!

Oh, the irony.

Nessun_Dorma

keith1950 wrote: »

They are trying to fill the price gap left by dropping the the Agila. So for £7995 you get a Vauxhall that's cheaper than a Corsa.

They are being built in Korea in the same plants that produced the Daewoo brand.

Whatever the extras you choose they are a basic car and will hopefully ( for anyone who risks buying one) be reasonably reliable.

As someone else commented you might get better value for money ( and save £2000) by buying the £5995 Dacia Sandero.

Which hopefully means they will be built with some skill and incorporating a good level of reliability.

robatwork

Excuse for a reminisce - we had a Maxi and I recall the gearbox was so ropy, when I got a chance as a teenage boy to change gears I had to use both arms. The upgrade to a Marina wasn't much better - parents seduced by the lovely vinyl roof and ignored the brakes that faded after any serious use.

These were the days when an upgrade to a French car was a serious improvement!

IamNotAllowedToUseMyName

robatwork wrote: »

Excuse for a reminisce - we had a Maxi and I recall the gearbox was so ropy, when I got a chance as a teenage boy to change gears I had to use both arms. The upgrade to a Marina wasn't much better - parents seduced by the lovely vinyl roof and ignored the brakes that faded after any serious use.

These were the days when an upgrade to a French car was a serious improvement!

My uncle left an Austin 1700 (Princess) which I suspect was a rebodied 1800/Maxi. The gearboxes were always something of a mystery on those cars (at least gravity didn't make them drop out of gear like the original Minis) but this one would get lost and the gear stick would end up somewhere in your lap. Much stirring around could relocate it eventually.

My wife's Allegro 1100 apparently had a top speed of 72mph, but even on the downhill stretches of the M54 I never believed it, and I have permanent hearing damage from the attempts to reach it! Dad's Marina nearly deposited him through the floor when the seat collapsed as he was driving. His Vauxhall Shuvit abandoned him in the middle of a busy junction in Knightsbridge when the gearstick came away in his hand in 4th gear.

But the MkII Morris 1100 did have the sexy bar speedo. My dad's Mark 1 had optional extra static seat belts and heater.

Nessun_Dorma

Back in the day, I drove a Wolsley Six (think slightly bigger Austin 1800), it was a straight six 2200 and built like a tank, but the most powerful car I had driven up to then (0-60 in about thirteen seconds), it was the first car I had with power steering. But it is the one of the only two cars that I can say that I really miss from those days. The replacement, the Princess (AKA The Wolseley Wedge), didn't come close.

The most remarkable feature was the seats, probably the most comfortable seats I had sat in and have done since. The front seats used to recline all the way down as well; quite handy for a healthy, hot blooded twenty year old . The interior was something else as well; Deep shagpile carpeting, real walnut veneer, proper aircraft style tables on the back of the front seats, the glove box lid was solid wood, again with that real walnut veneer (inside and out), which folded out flat and level (just enough room to fit a cassette player and still close the lid).

phill99

pogofish wrote: »

Why on earth would they want to resurrect the Viva? - It was one of the crappiest cars ever.

I disagree. I had a 1978 Viva HA van (originally conceived on the Viva HA platform 20 years earlier.) Was by far the best vehicle I ever had. Incredibly basic engineering. Nothing could to go wrong. Drove it 250 miles without any oil in it, topped it up when I got there and it was as good as gold. Cheap to repair. Far more reliable than any electronic laden vehicle.

Skintski

I got to sit in one last weekend. It's nothing special, basically a Corsa for the OAP market.