RE: Vauxhall Nova SR: Spotted
Discussion
Had a Jamaica yellow one as my second car in about 2005, paid £1300 for it and drove it back from Wales. Carb froze on the way home and the gearbox whined.
It had no rust at all, even the arches were perfect but it did have a mk2 dash and a GSI interior in it which was a shame.
Got broken into on my driveway, they pulled the rear window seal out and put the window on my neighbours lawn, complete! Stole a £20 head unit and that was it. It was a nightmare getting a window seal for it even back then!
Got pulled over by the police in it who tried to tell me I was doing 100mph on a dual carriageway in it, which was impossible, it wouldn’t have gone that fast off a cliff.
I ended up swapping it for a red, L-reg Corsa SRi which I loved but then part exed against something for £300.
Dread to think what it would be worth these days, rare colour, decent condition and easily put back to original spec... Think it caught fire though so it’s probably good I didn’t keep it!
It had no rust at all, even the arches were perfect but it did have a mk2 dash and a GSI interior in it which was a shame.
Got broken into on my driveway, they pulled the rear window seal out and put the window on my neighbours lawn, complete! Stole a £20 head unit and that was it. It was a nightmare getting a window seal for it even back then!
Got pulled over by the police in it who tried to tell me I was doing 100mph on a dual carriageway in it, which was impossible, it wouldn’t have gone that fast off a cliff.
I ended up swapping it for a red, L-reg Corsa SRi which I loved but then part exed against something for £300.
Dread to think what it would be worth these days, rare colour, decent condition and easily put back to original spec... Think it caught fire though so it’s probably good I didn’t keep it!
seiben said:
Had a Citroen AX myself so Novas somewhat passed me by in my youth - however my Grandfather has owned this beauty for as long as I can remember:
]
It's been at his place in Menorca, garaged, pretty much all of its life. It's totally original, rust free and has (I believe, although I'm sure someone will correct me) the same 1300cc engine and 5-speed box as the SR. That odo is in kilometres, by the way
Grandad's well into his nineties now and is no longer able to travel out there, so I suspect the Corsa (as it's known locally) will be moved on fairly soon. I spent a glorious few days bimbling around the island in it last year. I'm seriously considering flying out and driving it home as and when it's available.
Do it. Do it now. Have you done it yet?]
It's been at his place in Menorca, garaged, pretty much all of its life. It's totally original, rust free and has (I believe, although I'm sure someone will correct me) the same 1300cc engine and 5-speed box as the SR. That odo is in kilometres, by the way
Grandad's well into his nineties now and is no longer able to travel out there, so I suspect the Corsa (as it's known locally) will be moved on fairly soon. I spent a glorious few days bimbling around the island in it last year. I'm seriously considering flying out and driving it home as and when it's available.
Excellent. Loved these. Coveted one when I was approaching my test but ended up with an Escort. They were quick for what they were, quicker than a lot of other things that 17/18 year olds could afford. I think they still look great too. It's a design that has aged well. Nice and clean and actually quite handsome with the blistered arches.
My parents had a black 1.2 Merit when I was a kid and my sister had a 1.0 3dr, can't remember what model it was. I got taken out in one about 10 years ago that had a 2.0 XE engine in it. Genuinely one of the most frightening experiences of my life to be honest. The guy was a nutcase and it just felt like way too much for a flimsy old car like the Nova.
£16k is big money, but how many do you see like that? Wouldn't surprise me if someone bought it. If I had bucket loads of money, I would certainly consider it.
My parents had a black 1.2 Merit when I was a kid and my sister had a 1.0 3dr, can't remember what model it was. I got taken out in one about 10 years ago that had a 2.0 XE engine in it. Genuinely one of the most frightening experiences of my life to be honest. The guy was a nutcase and it just felt like way too much for a flimsy old car like the Nova.
£16k is big money, but how many do you see like that? Wouldn't surprise me if someone bought it. If I had bucket loads of money, I would certainly consider it.
crofty1984 said:
seiben said:
Had a Citroen AX myself so Novas somewhat passed me by in my youth - however my Grandfather has owned this beauty for as long as I can remember:
]
It's been at his place in Menorca, garaged, pretty much all of its life. It's totally original, rust free and has (I believe, although I'm sure someone will correct me) the same 1300cc engine and 5-speed box as the SR. That odo is in kilometres, by the way
Grandad's well into his nineties now and is no longer able to travel out there, so I suspect the Corsa (as it's known locally) will be moved on fairly soon. I spent a glorious few days bimbling around the island in it last year. I'm seriously considering flying out and driving it home as and when it's available.
Do it. Do it now. Have you done it yet?]
It's been at his place in Menorca, garaged, pretty much all of its life. It's totally original, rust free and has (I believe, although I'm sure someone will correct me) the same 1300cc engine and 5-speed box as the SR. That odo is in kilometres, by the way
Grandad's well into his nineties now and is no longer able to travel out there, so I suspect the Corsa (as it's known locally) will be moved on fairly soon. I spent a glorious few days bimbling around the island in it last year. I'm seriously considering flying out and driving it home as and when it's available.
s m said:
seiben said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
Arch fail.
). Is there something missing/something added that shouldn't be there? It's a Spanish domestic market car, if that makes a difference.
freeform said:
Novas were quite tough, mechanically, and were often rented and double-driven in regional Autotest championship rounds!
Also not that stable: In the compilation of mishaps at the end of every club stage rally VHS video, at least two would be shown falling over...
A mate had one and managed to flip it over by catching the rim of a recessed manhole while turning. He had chavved it up a bit with a huge exhaust and it was notable as he had a CD Player fitted (quite rare in cars at the time, his kept skipping as it was mounted at an angle and the idea of a memory buffer had not yet been invented).Also not that stable: In the compilation of mishaps at the end of every club stage rally VHS video, at least two would be shown falling over...
At the time they were amazing cars if you were a teenager/early 20s as they offered somewhat attainable performance and it seemed really sporty being in it as a passenger ... but looking back on them now, they were awful.
seiben said:
s m said:
seiben said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
Arch fail.
). Is there something missing/something added that shouldn't be there? It's a Spanish domestic market car, if that makes a difference.Gad-Westy said:
If you look closely at the pics of the three door in the original post, you'll see the horizontal crease lines a little above the wheel arches. Below that the whole arch flares out. A bit of a signature Nova feature and super cool at the time.
Ahhhh gotcha. Sorry, I thought somebody had spotted something wrong with the old Opel. I didn’t click that it was something it never had in the first place Anyway, enough of El Jalopy. Back to the SRs
All contemporary reviews slated this car at the time. My Mum had the 1.3 GL and as far as I'm aware the SR was mechanically identical ie same engine, same suspension etc. Her car drove ok, nothing special, gearbox terrible. A million miles from the 205GTI I got as my first (used) car a few years later.
I get the nostalgia but am surprised at comments about how great they were.
I get the nostalgia but am surprised at comments about how great they were.
gl20 said:
All contemporary reviews slated this car at the time. My Mum had the 1.3 GL and as far as I'm aware the SR was mechanically identical ie same engine, same suspension etc. Her car drove ok, nothing special, gearbox terrible. A million miles from the 205GTI I got as my first (used) car a few years later.
I get the nostalgia but am surprised at comments about how great they were.
How good (or otherwise) the car actually was is not really the point though, at the time it was how good you looked in front of your mates that gave it so much appeal and by function of having them at such a crossroads kind of age they hold barrel-loads of nostalgia for those who did.I get the nostalgia but am surprised at comments about how great they were.
gl20 said:
All contemporary reviews slated this car at the time. My Mum had the 1.3 GL and as far as I'm aware the SR was mechanically identical ie same engine, same suspension etc. Her car drove ok, nothing special, gearbox terrible. A million miles from the 205GTI I got as my first (used) car a few years later.
I get the nostalgia but am surprised at comments about how great they were.
you've got to remember what they were up against, the 1.3 versions of the Fiat Uno, MG Metro, VW polo, 205. The only one I even considered was the 205 XS but they were quite rare 2nd hand.I get the nostalgia but am surprised at comments about how great they were.
I've got an old magazine article from 1984 that actually praises the Nova SR's gearbox and brakes.
Persuaded my mum to buy an SR when she needed a new car. It was red and on a D plate, the previous owner had installed a tasty Alpine (pull out!)head unit in it, which just added to it's coolness. I was insured on it as a kid and would drive my mates everywhere.
It was the Recaro seats that made you feel you were in something fast and not a 70bhp Nova. I loved that car. Rose tinted specs or not, it handled well I seem to remember, certainly better than my mates cars at the time, metros, fiestas etc.
It got rusty pretty quickly so mum got an H plate 1.4SR to replace it, but by that time, I wasn't on the insurance as I'd bought an MG Metro and was running that myself. :-(
It was the Recaro seats that made you feel you were in something fast and not a 70bhp Nova. I loved that car. Rose tinted specs or not, it handled well I seem to remember, certainly better than my mates cars at the time, metros, fiestas etc.
It got rusty pretty quickly so mum got an H plate 1.4SR to replace it, but by that time, I wasn't on the insurance as I'd bought an MG Metro and was running that myself. :-(
Edited by cbmotorsport on Wednesday 20th June 15:19
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