RE: Vauxhall Nova: Shed Of The Week
Discussion
DrDoofenshmirtz said:
I never got why Nova's were so popular back in the day? - compared to the competition like the Fiesta, and erm...the Fiesta - they were awful!
for a lot of people - including me - it was the engines.Ford engines of that era were terrible, the CVH and the ohv thing 'valencia' was it called?
Exploring the upper half of a CVH rev counter was terrible. The Vauxhall units were nice and smooth. So much more refined.
My grandparents had an olive green A reg nova when I was born, and until I was probably 5 or 6, Granny had that, Grandad had a J reg Astra Mk2 for his work car. Dont remember too much about it apart from being able to hear the petrol moving around in the tank at low speeds, and Grandad having to weld a bar across the back to strap car seats into as apparently it didnt have any.
That got traded in for a H/J reg Blue 4 door Nova De Luxe (copue/saloon), which lasted from probably 1996 until 2003 when they upgraded to the heady heights of a 1.6 X reg Astra. Apparently the bloke at Network Q was quite excited by the Nova, possibly because it was pretty minty!
You dont see many about now as general cars though, 10 years ago they were still a first car/barry boy choice, now I cant remember the last time I saw a Nova of any sort on the road. My mates ex had one in 2004, that was quite cool, I remember he was driving it, turned a bit enthusiastically and snapped something on the front suspension, that and we went around industrial estates in it, filled it up with old pallets and went and had a fire in the woods...
Bit nostalgic is shed this week, I approve! Wouldn't actually buy one though, especially not at the currentl prices!
That got traded in for a H/J reg Blue 4 door Nova De Luxe (copue/saloon), which lasted from probably 1996 until 2003 when they upgraded to the heady heights of a 1.6 X reg Astra. Apparently the bloke at Network Q was quite excited by the Nova, possibly because it was pretty minty!
You dont see many about now as general cars though, 10 years ago they were still a first car/barry boy choice, now I cant remember the last time I saw a Nova of any sort on the road. My mates ex had one in 2004, that was quite cool, I remember he was driving it, turned a bit enthusiastically and snapped something on the front suspension, that and we went around industrial estates in it, filled it up with old pallets and went and had a fire in the woods...
Bit nostalgic is shed this week, I approve! Wouldn't actually buy one though, especially not at the currentl prices!
Having just slated these, I just remembered a memorable drive in one years ago with my brother. He owned a silver one, cannot remember which engine but it was a basic model. We has been over to Wilmslow to date two air hostesses we met on the plane a week or two earlier when we went to Spain 
. On the (late as in 2am) drive back across the moors to Bakewell (Cat n Fiddle route) it absolutely hammered it down and several times the car bogged down and died. I was driving and showed it zero mercy. It was ragged senseless and eventually we got home. Memorable drive because of the circumstances, not the car..................
Jimbo
. On the (late as in 2am) drive back across the moors to Bakewell (Cat n Fiddle route) it absolutely hammered it down and several times the car bogged down and died. I was driving and showed it zero mercy. It was ragged senseless and eventually we got home. Memorable drive because of the circumstances, not the car..................Jimbo
Drive Blind said:
for a lot of people - including me - it was the engines.
Ford engines of that era were terrible, the CVH and the ohv thing 'valencia' was it called?
Exploring the upper half of a CVH rev counter was terrible. The Vauxhall units were nice and smooth. So much more refined.
This is exactly right. Ford engines of that era were terrible, the CVH and the ohv thing 'valencia' was it called?
Exploring the upper half of a CVH rev counter was terrible. The Vauxhall units were nice and smooth. So much more refined.
Compared to the A series and CVH against the Vauxhall was night and day. They were a much more pleasant thing to abuse.
yonex said:
Drive Blind said:
for a lot of people - including me - it was the engines.
Ford engines of that era were terrible, the CVH and the ohv thing 'valencia' was it called?
Exploring the upper half of a CVH rev counter was terrible. The Vauxhall units were nice and smooth. So much more refined.
This is exactly right. Ford engines of that era were terrible, the CVH and the ohv thing 'valencia' was it called?
Exploring the upper half of a CVH rev counter was terrible. The Vauxhall units were nice and smooth. So much more refined.
Compared to the A series and CVH against the Vauxhall was night and day. They were a much more pleasant thing to abuse.
I was always amazed at what ford got away with in selling those engines for so long. Bloody awful things.
Perhaps I had better finish that with 'in comparison to Vauxhall, Toyota, Honda, Mazda etc offerings'
Edited by DrTre on Friday 9th October 14:12
NO. No. No. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umDr0mPuyQc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGLh9hRmRcM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgZIYdFmZqc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eal4fep7pK4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umDr0mPuyQc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGLh9hRmRcM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgZIYdFmZqc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eal4fep7pK4
Edited by RoverP6B on Friday 9th October 14:13
I learned to drive in '98 and Novas were still all about. It was the height of bloody awful, tasteless mods and anything from Vauxhall was a prime target for the most ill-judged - much as many are today. However, I quite liked the shape of Novas - they were quite purposeful and the warmer versions emphasised this but insurance at that young age and in that kind of car just ended up meaning I never stretched to one and constantly used my Dads cars. Promptly and quite comprehensively killing the 1.0-litre mk2 Uno I'd passed my test in.
We didn't have a tonne of money (still don't) to replace it with, so were well into Shed territory. Went to a shady dealership in the West End of Glasgow and saw a nice 1.4 mk4 Honda Civic and a bright red Nova SR pre-facelift. My Dad went for neither giving practicality as the reason, not the fact the Nova was missing it's exterior locks(!) Ended up getting a K-plate 1.6 Carb Orion, but that's another story...
Anyway, by my reckoning these nostalgic 'normal' cars are interesting - they're a preservation of a moment in motoring history. Not necessarily a landmark by any means but one that conjures up memories for a lot of people, especially on this site as the last few pages have shown. If nothing else, it's a talking point and for that reason alone a worthy SOTW.
We didn't have a tonne of money (still don't) to replace it with, so were well into Shed territory. Went to a shady dealership in the West End of Glasgow and saw a nice 1.4 mk4 Honda Civic and a bright red Nova SR pre-facelift. My Dad went for neither giving practicality as the reason, not the fact the Nova was missing it's exterior locks(!) Ended up getting a K-plate 1.6 Carb Orion, but that's another story...
Anyway, by my reckoning these nostalgic 'normal' cars are interesting - they're a preservation of a moment in motoring history. Not necessarily a landmark by any means but one that conjures up memories for a lot of people, especially on this site as the last few pages have shown. If nothing else, it's a talking point and for that reason alone a worthy SOTW.
muppet42 said:
I learned to drive in '98 and Novas were still all about. It was the height of bloody awful, tasteless mods and anything from Vauxhall was a prime target for the most ill-judged - much as many are today. However, I quite liked the shape of Novas - they were quite purposeful and the warmer versions emphasised this but insurance at that young age and in that kind of car just ended up meaning I never stretched to one and constantly used my Dads cars. Promptly and quite comprehensively killing the 1.0-litre mk2 Uno I'd passed my test in.
We didn't have a tonne of money (still don't) to replace it with, so were well into Shed territory. Went to a shady dealership in the West End of Glasgow and saw a nice 1.4 mk4 Honda Civic and a bright red Nova SR pre-facelift. My Dad went for neither giving practicality as the reason, not the fact the Nova was missing it's exterior locks(!) Ended up getting a K-plate 1.6 Carb Orion, but that's another story...
Anyway, by my reckoning these nostalgic 'normal' cars are interesting - they're a preservation of a moment in motoring history. Not necessarily a landmark by any means but one that conjures up memories for a lot of people, especially on this site as the last few pages have shown. If nothing else, it's a talking point and for that reason alone a worthy SOTW.
I remember the 1.3SR being a very popular little hatch in the 80s. Rarely did one remain unsold for longWe didn't have a tonne of money (still don't) to replace it with, so were well into Shed territory. Went to a shady dealership in the West End of Glasgow and saw a nice 1.4 mk4 Honda Civic and a bright red Nova SR pre-facelift. My Dad went for neither giving practicality as the reason, not the fact the Nova was missing it's exterior locks(!) Ended up getting a K-plate 1.6 Carb Orion, but that's another story...
Anyway, by my reckoning these nostalgic 'normal' cars are interesting - they're a preservation of a moment in motoring history. Not necessarily a landmark by any means but one that conjures up memories for a lot of people, especially on this site as the last few pages have shown. If nothing else, it's a talking point and for that reason alone a worthy SOTW.
RacingBlue said:
J4CKO said:
Would people actually like to see all remaining Nova's, Metros and the like destroyed ?
Its kind of an IS approach to persevering history that isn't it ?
I makes me smile to see cars from years gone by kept going, and to be honest, it isnt the obvious ones that get dribbled over on here, yes a Lancia Stratos is a wonderful thing but nobody was ever going to throw all those away and I had no personal involvement with them, ever, but seeing a crappy Nova brings back memories of the late eighties when my mum had one, get in a car you had and by and large it smells the same, the memories come flooding back, all those folk sat day in day out over the car show season provide a valuable service allowing people a few glimpses of the past.
However mundane or common something was it doesnt mean nobody had any fondness for it, on these threads its like the car version of teenage girls going vegetarian and getting all animal rights but seeing something that isnt ickle and fwuffy and then wanting to kill it.
So, just say not for me instead of the dreadfully hackneyed "Kill it with fire" thing, it was slightly funny in 2010 but not now.
This. I like like seeing mundane stuff like this survive - brings back lots of childhood memories. Its kind of an IS approach to persevering history that isn't it ?
I makes me smile to see cars from years gone by kept going, and to be honest, it isnt the obvious ones that get dribbled over on here, yes a Lancia Stratos is a wonderful thing but nobody was ever going to throw all those away and I had no personal involvement with them, ever, but seeing a crappy Nova brings back memories of the late eighties when my mum had one, get in a car you had and by and large it smells the same, the memories come flooding back, all those folk sat day in day out over the car show season provide a valuable service allowing people a few glimpses of the past.
However mundane or common something was it doesnt mean nobody had any fondness for it, on these threads its like the car version of teenage girls going vegetarian and getting all animal rights but seeing something that isnt ickle and fwuffy and then wanting to kill it.
So, just say not for me instead of the dreadfully hackneyed "Kill it with fire" thing, it was slightly funny in 2010 but not now.
SuperHangOn said:
RacingBlue said:
J4CKO said:
Would people actually like to see all remaining Nova's, Metros and the like destroyed ?
Its kind of an IS approach to persevering history that isn't it ?
I makes me smile to see cars from years gone by kept going, and to be honest, it isnt the obvious ones that get dribbled over on here, yes a Lancia Stratos is a wonderful thing but nobody was ever going to throw all those away and I had no personal involvement with them, ever, but seeing a crappy Nova brings back memories of the late eighties when my mum had one, get in a car you had and by and large it smells the same, the memories come flooding back, all those folk sat day in day out over the car show season provide a valuable service allowing people a few glimpses of the past.
However mundane or common something was it doesnt mean nobody had any fondness for it, on these threads its like the car version of teenage girls going vegetarian and getting all animal rights but seeing something that isnt ickle and fwuffy and then wanting to kill it.
So, just say not for me instead of the dreadfully hackneyed "Kill it with fire" thing, it was slightly funny in 2010 but not now.
This. I like like seeing mundane stuff like this survive - brings back lots of childhood memories. Its kind of an IS approach to persevering history that isn't it ?
I makes me smile to see cars from years gone by kept going, and to be honest, it isnt the obvious ones that get dribbled over on here, yes a Lancia Stratos is a wonderful thing but nobody was ever going to throw all those away and I had no personal involvement with them, ever, but seeing a crappy Nova brings back memories of the late eighties when my mum had one, get in a car you had and by and large it smells the same, the memories come flooding back, all those folk sat day in day out over the car show season provide a valuable service allowing people a few glimpses of the past.
However mundane or common something was it doesnt mean nobody had any fondness for it, on these threads its like the car version of teenage girls going vegetarian and getting all animal rights but seeing something that isnt ickle and fwuffy and then wanting to kill it.
So, just say not for me instead of the dreadfully hackneyed "Kill it with fire" thing, it was slightly funny in 2010 but not now.
Seeing old cars is what the 'Retro cars for sale' thread is all about though. This is SOTW where we're supposed to be drooling over ridiculous cars with 30l engines for sale for 50p (or at the very least something fun or oddball which you can buy for penuts)
This car, while interesting and arguably worth preserving, isn't desirable or practical or fun
This car, while interesting and arguably worth preserving, isn't desirable or practical or fun
I too was made in 1983 and learnt to drive in a red 1.2 Nova with it's 4 speed box and choke. Luckily grew up on a farm with many a track and grassy field to perfect hand brake turns and pretend to be a rally driver on. Happy days. Ours ended up being donated to one of the farmers who wanted to use it for banger and caravan racing. The mk4 1.6 Golf SE that replaced it felt like a Bentley in comparison! I'm very glad I never crashed it, it felt like it was made of thinner steel than a coke can.
J4CKO said:
Would people actually like to see all remaining Nova's, Metros and the like destroyed ?
Well, no. I'm glad there are people out there who love them enough to preserve them, just as I'm glad there are people out there who are prepared to work in sewage plants. But, like the sewage plants, I'm glad they are nowhere near me.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff