Friday 9th October 2015

Shed Of The Week: Vauxhall Nova

A genuinely clean and presentable little Nova? Time to relive the first car dream!

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We all had our first cars. There was no avoiding them. You couldn't just go straight to the second one as all the space-time laws were against it.

Shed's first car was the Ford Prefect E93A, a hideous contraption with the style of a carrion crow, the build integrity of a rabbit hutch and the performance of a toaster. Still, it was that or the bus, and Mrs Shed didn't do buses.

1994: Lion King out, last owner bought this

In more modern times, new drivers have had a better choice of formative cars. For a whole decade in the '80s and '90s, beginning with the launch of the first CDs and breakfast TV and ending with the announcement of Lady Di's divorce, there was one car in particular that got young men's juices flowing: the Vauxhall Nova.

Nova history began rather angrily in 1983 when British Vauxhall workers realized it was going to be built in Spain rather than Luton. Some wags pointed out that the Spanish word 'nova' meant 'no go', which (so it is said) is why Opel's version was called Corsa from day one.

British customers weren't overly bothered by these naming niceties. Force-fed on Metros, they latched onto Vauxhall's crisply-styled alternative with enough enthusiasm to keep sales strong until 1993, when the Nova was replaced by the blobby Corsa.

When white was cool the first time round

Driving a Nova is not difficult. In fact, you could say it was a bit too easy. You didn't even need the ignition key. All you had to do was pull the hazard warning light switch from the dash, push it back in upside down, and watch in pleased satisfaction as the ignition lights came on. A quick bump start and you were off. Disbelievers, go here for proof.

For some, this lack of electronic sophistication will be a refreshing point in the car's favour. To anyone who hasn't been around since the Dawn of Time, this car will feel both agile and fragile. The trim will rattle and squeak and there'll be a deal of road noise coming through the bodywork.

But although it's not even an SRi, let alone a 1.6 GTE/GSi or the rare twin-carb Sport homologation car, of which only 500 or so were made, the fact is our Shed's 75hp 1.4 engine is only 7hp down on the SRi. In a car weighing only 800kg or so that will mean surprisingly lively performance. It's certainly a good bit more rewarding than the weedy 55hp 1.2.

Wind-up windows and no airbag!

This facelift model makes up for its lack of sportiness (and for being a five-door, which means it's not going to be a candidate for a classic rally conversion) by being totally original. With just two lady owners, it's clearly been garaged for most of its life. We can say that with some certainty because there's little sign of rust. Ramping up the resolution on Shed's Amstrad does seem to indicate a slight staining ahead of the offside rear arch, but that wouldn't be unusual in any near-25 year old car, let alone a Nova. Check the boot too, they're known to go there.

The nature of the beast as a starter car means that maintenance tended to be skimped on, but that doesn't seem the case here. Obviously we'd need to see the paperwork, but mechanically the Nova is a game little fella that will take a good beating. That's what they tended to get, too, but this cooking model looks like it may have escaped the worst of the punishment.

The camshafts do wear out and, contrary to most young drivers' thoughts on the matter, the engines do like the occasional oil change. Keep things ticking along and Novas will cost buttons to run, with spare parts being both cheap and plentiful. Don't crash in one though. Just don't.

The Nova was General Motors' first effort at a supermini. That makes it an important car. Finding one in unmonkeyed condition is about as easy as finding a virgin in a knocking shop. If this car is still for sale in a week's time Shed will eat his hairpiece.

Here is the ad.

MOT May 2016, stereo, 2 lady owners from new, last owner 21 years, service history, HPI report, excellent condition.

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I'm sure that would really appeal to those who owned one, back in the day. I didn't; it doesn't.

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Perhaps I should have said 'some poor deluded people who were odd enough to have owned and liked them back in the day'?! A mate of mine wrote one off and replaced it with another, so I can only assume that they must have had something going for them!