RE: Vauxhall Nova: Shed Of The Week
Discussion
mcford said:
I was quite surprised when I managed to get an indicated 75mph out of it in 2nd gear.
I think the speedo might have been over-reading by a fair margin. 75 in second in a 1.2 Nova doesn't seem very plausible. You'd have 45bhp from the carburettor model and 55bhp from the injected one. An absolute top speed of 90/95mph would seem about right.Not for me, sorry. But it does bring a few good memories back - a friend and I tooled about the UK in one, plus a trip over the channel to Belgium, visiting numerous theme parks back in 2006, it was his car and we slapped about two thousand miles on it, including an epic journey through Wales to reach a theme park called Oakwood - it never missed a beat despite being pretty crap and maroon.
Good memories, cheers shed,
Good memories, cheers shed,
I'll mention it to my kids. Novas were de rigeur for them at the time as a first set of "wheels" rite of passage. Cheap, available, easy to work on, plentiful parts supply (particularly from "dealers" I believe). The bloody things adorned our drive looking like cheap Max Power imitations for about 5 years.
In Novas going through the odd ditch or hedgerow did they learn that hard earned money spent on bling sh*te from Halfords doesnt make a car better or quicker, nor does it forestall running out of talent mid-corner. Apparently only a good "ice" install and a dustbin like exhaust made them sound better. They cut their mechanic teeth on them learning how to service and fix them.
BUT even they, bless their otherwise misguided souls then, would never, never, never have been seen dead in one like this - a 5-door, white, ordinary lump of sh*te? No, at least I didnt have that ignominy to deal with. For them it had to be 3-door, box arched, red, and badged up (even if wrongly). And if it wasn't looking like that when they got one, it soon looked like it. Thank the lord for small mercies.
MG Mark
In Novas going through the odd ditch or hedgerow did they learn that hard earned money spent on bling sh*te from Halfords doesnt make a car better or quicker, nor does it forestall running out of talent mid-corner. Apparently only a good "ice" install and a dustbin like exhaust made them sound better. They cut their mechanic teeth on them learning how to service and fix them.
BUT even they, bless their otherwise misguided souls then, would never, never, never have been seen dead in one like this - a 5-door, white, ordinary lump of sh*te? No, at least I didnt have that ignominy to deal with. For them it had to be 3-door, box arched, red, and badged up (even if wrongly). And if it wasn't looking like that when they got one, it soon looked like it. Thank the lord for small mercies.
MG Mark
I had a 1986 1.3SR in red as my first "fast car"....it was my second car after a 1.05 Polo so it felt quite quick! I loved it and it never let me down- engine took all sorts of abuse and it felt agile if you drove around the understeer.
It loved getting airborne! It was replaced whilst I went travelling (and unbeknown to me) by a brand new 1.2 merit in white which was the facelift model but a step backwards. Things got back on track with a 8v Golf GTi with big bumpers, which felt like a scud missile after the white nova.
As many have said, this Shed brings back many happy memories, though don't want to own one now...
It loved getting airborne! It was replaced whilst I went travelling (and unbeknown to me) by a brand new 1.2 merit in white which was the facelift model but a step backwards. Things got back on track with a 8v Golf GTi with big bumpers, which felt like a scud missile after the white nova.
As many have said, this Shed brings back many happy memories, though don't want to own one now...
k up. I would not be seen dead in one then or now. Give ma a Clio or Golf any day.It looks like an old ladies car. It was of course owned by two.
My 70 year old mother wouldn't be seen dead in it, so for me its a no.
Agree with most of the comments, the sporty ones were ok, but generally chav market boy racer cars.
Was never on my want list. A friend had one of these, which was quite tasty. But still.... nah.
My 70 year old mother wouldn't be seen dead in it, so for me its a no.
Agree with most of the comments, the sporty ones were ok, but generally chav market boy racer cars.
Was never on my want list. A friend had one of these, which was quite tasty. But still.... nah.
I had a 5 door Nova like that for my first car, though a MK1. Great little car, did me well to learn how to drive properly in.
My second Nova was a 1.4 SRI which was much better, never ever let me down and was quick enough for a 19 year old. Shouldn't have sold it and would have another now.
My second Nova was a 1.4 SRI which was much better, never ever let me down and was quick enough for a 19 year old. Shouldn't have sold it and would have another now.
This was my first car, and also me on the skateboard!
I slaved away every weekend for a few years washing up in a pub saving for a car with a deal from my Dad that if I bought a car he would insure it for me.
I got the Nova when it was only 3 years old and loved it!
It was a 1.2 limited edition Antibes, so had similar looks to an SR, even with the same red carpet and seats, but cheaper insurance.
Plus, as it was still quite new, the boy racers hadn't got anywhere near them.
I slaved away every weekend for a few years washing up in a pub saving for a car with a deal from my Dad that if I bought a car he would insure it for me.
I got the Nova when it was only 3 years old and loved it!
It was a 1.2 limited edition Antibes, so had similar looks to an SR, even with the same red carpet and seats, but cheaper insurance.
Plus, as it was still quite new, the boy racers hadn't got anywhere near them.
Blakewater said:
My grandad had a turquoise Spin 3dr with those bright white wheeltrims. Someone stole them and he could only get the grey ones like on the car advertised to replace them.
I lost two of my white ones on separate occasions, I remember having to do special orders at a Vauxhall dealers to get them. They were about £30 each back in 1990, I only earnt £35 a week in a YTS job/college!
Happy Memories.
I had two
1.2 Swing & then I had a Facelifted 1.4SR ( one of the last ones before it went Fuel injected )
Both were 3 door so had the correct IMHO Look with the boxed arches, the 5 door and saloon's just look odd.
The 1.4 SR I modified or ruined depending on your point of view. Tarox Disks on the front, 60mm lowering kit, Peco Big bore Exhaust and a GSI Front bumper.
I loved that car, I put 100,000 miles on it with pretty much no major issues, apart from it and the 1.2 that it replaced, both seemed to have a heft appetite for Head Gaskets. It got a hefty dose of tinworm in the front wing by the aerial and also the rear arches...
I'd have another 1.4SR in a heatbeat I loved that car.
I had two
1.2 Swing & then I had a Facelifted 1.4SR ( one of the last ones before it went Fuel injected )
Both were 3 door so had the correct IMHO Look with the boxed arches, the 5 door and saloon's just look odd.
The 1.4 SR I modified or ruined depending on your point of view. Tarox Disks on the front, 60mm lowering kit, Peco Big bore Exhaust and a GSI Front bumper.
I loved that car, I put 100,000 miles on it with pretty much no major issues, apart from it and the 1.2 that it replaced, both seemed to have a heft appetite for Head Gaskets. It got a hefty dose of tinworm in the front wing by the aerial and also the rear arches...
I'd have another 1.4SR in a heatbeat I loved that car.
I had a lovely 1984 2 door 1.2 saloon in blue (with a diarrhoea brown interior) as my first car.
Bought new by my Grandad, and handed down through several poor family members.
It even had 'POO' on the number plate.
As well as the hazard light trick (which I didn't know at the time), you could get into one by jamming the end of a coat hanger in between the window and the rubber strip and jimmy up the lock.
Many times did I return to my car to find the interior decorated with branches and, occasionally, dead animals. Thankfully, I shared my friends' sense of humour...
So, armed with a coat hanger and a mate to give you a push, it was possible to borrow my car rather permanently without leaving a scratch on it...
She ended her existence with my ownership, a little rusty (a bit bent in places), and mouldy inside.
On the plus side, it handled rather better than the 1.0 Polo Fox Coupe I was given next by another well-meaning relative.
Bought new by my Grandad, and handed down through several poor family members.
It even had 'POO' on the number plate.
As well as the hazard light trick (which I didn't know at the time), you could get into one by jamming the end of a coat hanger in between the window and the rubber strip and jimmy up the lock.
Many times did I return to my car to find the interior decorated with branches and, occasionally, dead animals. Thankfully, I shared my friends' sense of humour...
So, armed with a coat hanger and a mate to give you a push, it was possible to borrow my car rather permanently without leaving a scratch on it...
She ended her existence with my ownership, a little rusty (a bit bent in places), and mouldy inside.
On the plus side, it handled rather better than the 1.0 Polo Fox Coupe I was given next by another well-meaning relative.
My mother had two Novii, the first she bought as I was learning to drive. It was a C reg 1200 Merit in beige. I learnt to hand brake turn in it, and it was much nippier than friends Fiesta 957 Popular !
She then bought a last of the line K reg 1.2i Luxe Plus (electric windows! Alloy wheels !) and it was awful. The injection/cat completely killed what little power the earlier car had. It was gutless.
She then bought a last of the line K reg 1.2i Luxe Plus (electric windows! Alloy wheels !) and it was awful. The injection/cat completely killed what little power the earlier car had. It was gutless.
jamespink said:
I sold a fluro yellow 3 door Nova a chap built from a new shell, Calibra turbo motor and 200+ bhp tweaks, utterly mental but far from uninteresting...
I was just going to post about what must be the same car. I used to work with a bloke named Mike (can't remember his surname) in Maidstone back in the late 90s. I was just a teenager and that car seemed totally epic to me, thoroughly enjoyed getting a lift home in it on the odd occasion I think it could do 0-60 in 5.5 seconds or something? Could be my dodgy memory though.dme123 said:
My endearing memory of these is the helpful shelf under the steering column, just in the right position to smash your legs off in anything other than a very light front end crash.
And the bracket at the bottom of the steering column that rubbed against your left foot as you turned the wheel.yonex said:
RoverP6B said:
Rover P6s are very good cars. Metros and Novas are very poor cars.
That's the thing about opinions......B'stard Child said:
RoverP6B said:
Rover P6s are very good cars.
Metros and Novas are very poor cars.
Quantify that opinion with real life experience for me, I'd really like to see just how big a hole you can dig for yourselfMetros and Novas are very poor cars.
Also had Metros, Maestros & Montegos on company fleet at BAe, crap interiors, crap handling, crap engines, deeply unreliable.
No first-hand experience of Nova but enough people I knew had 'em and hated 'em.
P6 2000 won European Car of the Year, and my V8 version was substantially better than the 2000. Quite a few still around today, which is more than you can say for the Metro.
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