2012 Vauxhall Corsa 1.2L Petrol · SD62 FDP

The 2012 Vauxhall Corsa presents a mixed maintenance picture with a recurring suspension concern that demands careful scrutiny. The most recent MOT activity occurred on 9 July 2025 at 37,077 miles, where the vehicle failed on a fractured nearside rear coil spring and a worn offside front lower suspension arm rear bush, only to pass a short time later on the same day after rectification. This pattern of fail-then-pass within a single day suggests reactive rather than proactive maintenance, with the tester also flagging the suspension arm bush as an advisory during the subsequent pass. The trend is neither clearly worsening nor resolving; instead, it points to intermittent attention to front-end wear items. The mileage profile is notably low for a 14-year-old vehicle. Between the July 2024 test at 31,099 miles and the July 2025 test at 37,077 miles, the car accumulated 5,978 miles in twelve months, a significant jump from the prior annual average of roughly 2,648 miles. The 2023 test at 30,855 miles shows only 244 miles were covered in the preceding twelve-month period, indicating either a prolonged spell of minimal use or a gap in the recorded history. Such irregular usage patterns can accelerate deterioration of rubber bushes, seals, and tyres through age-related perishing rather than mileage-based wear. A buyer should prioritise a thorough inspection of the front and rear suspension components. The repeated appearance of lower suspension arm rear bush wear across multiple tests, including an excessively worn bush identified in July 2024, suggests this is a persistent weak point that may recur. The fractured coil spring rectified in July 2025 raises the question of whether the opposite-side spring or the dampers show similar fatigue. Check for uneven ride height, knocking over broken surfaces, and any fresh underseal or paint on suspension arms that might mask corrosion. Given the low-mileage but age-related advisory on tyre condition noted in August 2023, inspect all four tyres and the spare for sidewall cracking and date codes, as perished rubber poses a genuine risk regardless of remaining tread depth.