Corsa C - FIRST CAR disaster...... (plus others)

A just for fun look back at my first car (Vauxhall Corsa C) which I spent waaayyy too much money modifying (respray, engine swaps), to two failed second attempts (Polo GTI and Corsa B C20LET). Finishing off with the unlikely savour, which taught the value of reliable power.
Includes various teenage mistakes that, only I, could possibly make! Features modification before and after, photos and videos from back in the day and early 2000's car culture.
------------------------- Content of Video --------------------------
00:00 - Intro
00:38 - My very first car!
01:30 - First 'modification' (dear lord....)
02:22 - Second round of 'modification'
02:56 - Joining car clubs and building a 'show car' (again, dear lord....)
05:55 - Failing at engine swaps (disaster)
06:25 - OK, maybe my second car will be better? No - fail mk2.
07:47 - Corsa B C20LET of pwar! (that did an explode)
11:28 - The unlikely hero, 206 GTI 180
14:34 - Future projects and updates
--------------------------------- Car Included in vide --------------------------------
- 2002 Corsa C SXI
- 2001 Polo GTI 6n2
- Corsa B GSI with a C20LET 2.0l turbo swap
- Peugeot 206 GTI 180
- MG ZR (in bright orange!)
- Clio 172 Sport
- Various others
-------------------------- Music and Media --------------------------
Thanks to NOMYN for the great music! Check them our per the following:
New Best Collection by Nomyn / nomyn
Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC BY 3.0
Music promoted by TUNES AD / @tunesad8666
------------------------------------ Hashtags --------------------------------------
#firstcar #Vauxhall #vauxhallcorsa #modifiedcars #cars

[@zegeensa]

The Corsa C is also my first car, love it. It's a german car on a budget

[@2KXMKR]

I've never grown out of my chavviness and your C is pretty much my dream build for mine. I've still got my 1.0 Corsa Life I've wanted to z20 drop for years. She's a right little shit box. I've even contemplated starting a channel to see if there's any interest in cleaning her up and going through with it. It deeply saddens me that 20-somethings nowadays have no idea how much fun we had in the mid-2000's.

[@AK88onCars]

I know what you mean, and even now I think about doing it again - but in my adult mind “properly” (per your plans). Yeah that mid 2000 was such a ‘glitch’ in time, such good memories and making loads of friends

[@Fatpig-fq3vb]

Love your vids very easy too watch no excess silly music just really informational and interesting thanks.

[@AK88onCars]

Thanks for your comment - that means a great deal, thank you 😊

[@bainzsubs]

Just watched this video from start to end and then saw the amount of subscribers you have! How can such a talent be so underrated. This is one of the coolest origin stories I have heard in a long time!!

[@AK88onCars]

Dude that means an awful lot, thank you. Glad you enjoyed the video and hope I can keep them coming.

[@tylert6573]

2 clean corsas to be fair.. both very cool examples

[@AK88onCars]

Thanks dude!

[@diogojcorreia]

I just bought the Corsa C 1.2 as my first car, and before that, i've drived Mercedes W203 C200 Kompressor 163hp (my father's car), an W212 E220 CDi 170hp, a couple vans with +100hp and also couple other cars. And I got to admit that the little Corsa, has been a great experience! The car is an absolute "pocket rocket" with that small 1.2 litres engine, after 4k rpm's the car gets another soul. (I can't even imagine those builds with the Z20LET passing 300+bhp lol) I don't plan to do crazy mods to the car and thank god I've been around cars for a while now and I got the right people for this. But add an extra 10-20hp would be massive. ^ Thank you for your video, cheers from Azores.

[@AK88onCars]

Thanks for your comment. Enjoy the car 👍

[@mattharrison1061]

i had a factory irmischer corsa c with a leccy sunroof , miss it every day

[@ljt71]

Love the C, hard to find most of the Irmscher bits now. I had the Irmscher airdam front bumper as well with a mk1 Focus RS splitter on. Your B is very similar to my first car aswell, GSi front, steinmetz sideskirts and facelift rear bumper. R reg will have been a ph 2 sport rather than a GSi but both came with the 1.6 (ph1 sport and early GSi C16XE, Ph2 sport and later GSi X16XE). I had a few GSi's, 1 smoke grey, 2 caribic blue that I built a LET for. Myself and my older brother bought a B between us around 7 years ago as a bit of a project, now fully Opel GSi converted with custom GSi interior, steering wheel etc with an XE in. Thinking about putting a ZLEH in from an Astra / Zaf GSi as LET's are very hard to come by now! Love seeing the photos of old car shows when Vauxhalls were in their prime. We went to PVS one year in around 2012 or so and we had over 150 Corsa B's on the CorsaSport stand. Good times.

[@AK88onCars]

Thanks for taking the time to comment. Know what you mean about soft spot. I recently rejoined some of the Corsa C groups and keep thinking ‘maybe I could do it again properly’ but talk myself off it else I’ll end up with another 6 cars and no where to keep them 😂

[@ljt71]

@@AK88onCars The temptation of an Ultra Blue or Flame Red C with full irmscher kit and a LET/LEH is real for me as well. I'm the same as you though, no space! My only garage space is taken up by an MX5 atm lol.

[@AK88onCars]

@@ljt71 Theres never enough space dude! Best of luck with you're current and future projects!

[@yourmum84iscoming77]

I like this video and I really want to get one of those irmscher body kits were would you find one

[@AK88onCars]

Thanks dude! Unfortunately cannot buy them anymore! Corsa C UK or Corsa C FB page second hand is your best bet 👍

[@yourmum84iscoming77]

I know would love to replicate your old one

[@AK88onCars]

@@yourmum84iscoming77 Thanks dude, me too in fact. Would love to remake it one day!

[@MurderdMeriva]

GTi 180s are great my dad had a 307cc with that engine in was amazing. The 180 engine was actually tuned by lotus

[@AK88onCars]

Still think they are a cool car to this day

[@nastyham5302]

I have a similar story, at 17 I actually got a small engine bike, and now have a Corsa c sxi (first car as I've only just decided to get into driving) love it , but boy it's temperamental

[@AK88onCars]

Cheers for your comment. I do actually have an soft spot for them (first love kinda thing), but yeah, would advise against trying to install Corsa VXR engines ha!

[@nastyham5302]

@@AK88onCars ah ok , that was my next thought , what engine to go for , I'll keep that in mind lol

[@AK88onCars]

@@nastyham5302 if your a good mechinic - might be an interesting thing to do, but go with a conversation that’s been done a million times (E.g Z20LET). If your like me, and sort know a bit, then honestly buy a car already converted and improve it. You’ll spend more time enjoying it and less time spending money on it 👍

[@nastyham5302]

@@AK88onCars i feel like I'd like to improve on this one but yeah seems to make sense to find one already built, seen a few out there,

[@Tiwey]

I also own the corsa c sxi (named gsi in germany) and it is quite reliable... If id do an engine swap, i would get a overhauled engine with good pistons and internals for 150bhp after fitting dbilas intake

[@VR6VR6]

I miss the Fiat Cinquecento you sprayed the dash white on!

[@AK88onCars]

Induction kit? Taped on. Clutch? Away with ya.

[@DimeDimovski]

A bit shocked your first car wasn't the Tigra A. In eastern Europe people who just want to drive get the standard corsa or a ford puma, while every tuner here gets a tigra unless its a japanese or american car lol

[@AK88onCars]

Ha - well so I had this like 15 years ago and Tigra were not very popular in the UK, they had notion of being girls cars. Everyone had Japanese cars, it was like the peak of the imports.

[@rayproductionsbackupchanne3862]

me spending too much money on a z14xe corsa c with the only white interior in the country LOL. i dont want to give up this little car.

[@AK88onCars]

Ha dude, I totally know what that’s like! All part of car culture 😆

[@rayproductionsbackupchanne3862]

@@AK88onCars oh yeah absolutely. they're lovely car's though. easy to work on as a learner. and reaches 120mph so enough fun :P

[@kwak_aka10]

I am on cosra C 2003, im 30y old its my first car xD Its stock but i had some issues with computer but its replaced. Are they reliable? Should i keep it? 160.000 km on the clock.

[@AK88onCars]

Thanks for your comment dude! So in terms of reliable, I'd say yes - engine and chain driven and most of the car is easy to work on and has lots of spare access to parts. What I would say is, don't put a lot of money into "tweaking" it. They've got to the cost point this days if you want to get a SRI 1.8 they are only a £1.5K - £2k for a nice one. Otherwise, check out my other videos for hot hatches that are a step up / in between (especially Civics!)

[@taciolima8627]

Abraço aqui do Brasil tenho um corsa c sedan

[@owenjohnson8521]

Ever thought about going back to build a car properly and make it reliable?

[@AK88onCars]

Owen - do you know what? Quite often! Especially with the Corsa C. Maybe if I one day had the space and needed something to do, just to scratch the itch you know.

[@owenjohnson8521]

@@AK88onCars you definitely have unfinished business with the Corsa

[@vitalslapzz6641]

alloy name?

[@AK88onCars]

I’ve spent the last week trying to remember! I think they where called ‘DK Racing’ but cannot find any record. They really where like £110 from a friend that I kept for way too long. Buy Compromotive’s however 👌