Used Vauxhall Corsavan review and buying guide (2007 to 2015): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Vauxhall Corsavan should you buy?

Buy a Corsavan that's had its oil level, water drains and diesel particulate filter looked after, because the van's biggest known faults cover every year from 2007 to 2014. There's no safer year to pick: a rain-soaked engine control unit and a failing oil pump are both serious faults on every engine, and the 1.3 CDTi adds a serious filter problem on top.

Don't assume a 2015 van escapes them either. The known faults stop at 2014, but that doesn't mean the last vans were fixed; there just isn't a record that reaches them. Judge each Corsavan on its own condition and paperwork rather than its plate, and treat a low-mileage van as one that hasn't yet reached the 40,000 to 120,000 mile stretch where these faults show up.

It's a small van, so make sure it suits the job. There's no side loading door, so heavy items go in and out through the back, which is hard on your back. There's no full-height steel and mesh bulkhead either, so the cab isn't well shielded from a load that shifts, and the load area's less secure.

Which Corsavan engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

No engine in the Corsavan is a safe bet, and the 1.3 CDTi diesel carries the most risk. It's Fiat's 1.25 Multijet, shared with the Combo, and it has a serious known fault: diesel meant for burning off soot in the particulate filter can leak into the sump, thinning the oil and raising its level until the engine can run away on its own oil and wreck itself.

That filter trouble is more than a theory on these vans. One Corsavan 1.3 CDTi owner paid £1,763 for a replacement filter and had the new one fail again 12 months later. The known fault puts the trouble between 50,000 and 100,000 miles, so a van in that range needs the closest look.

The same diesel's oil cooler, built into the oil filter housing and cooled by the engine's coolant, can fail between 70,000 and 120,000 miles and let oil and coolant mix. On top of that, every Corsavan engine shares the oil pump and control unit faults above. There's no known gearbox fault to steer you either way, so judge the gearbox on the drive.

What should you check when viewing a used Corsavan?

Pull the dipstick before anything else on a 1.3 CDTi. Oil above the full mark, or oil that smells of diesel, means fuel's getting into the sump during filter regeneration, and that's a van to leave. Then open the coolant header tank: a creamy, mayonnaise-like residue or a falling coolant level points to the oil cooler, as does the engine running hot on the drive.

Look at the drains at the base of the windscreen and in the bulkhead vent well. If they're blocked, rainwater pools and soaks the engine control unit, so standing water or debris there is a warning. On the drive, an engine management light, the engine cutting out or a reluctance to start all point to a wet control unit, while a DPF warning light points back to the filter.

Listen for rattling or knocking from the engine and watch that the oil pressure light goes out straight after starting; either one can mean the oil pump's on its way out. Ask for receipts for any oil pump or filter work, and if the filter's been replaced, find out when.

Ask for proof that every recall was done. The most serious covered a steering intermediate shaft that could break on 2014-built vans, a brake pedal bearing too weak for hard braking on vans built from 2006 to 2011, and moisture in the ABS control unit that could start a fire on vans built up to 2008. Earlier recalls covered a steering shaft lacking stiffness, an ABS unit short of hydraulic oil, a handbrake mounting that could shift and, on 2009 and 2010 vans, a handbrake ratchet that couldn't hold.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What does a used Vauxhall Corsavan cost to run?

What do Corsavan owners like about them?

It's compact on the outside, so it threads through congested town streets without fuss and it's easy to park in tight spaces. If your work's mostly urban drops and short hops between jobs, that size is the point of it, and it still carries a useful amount of cargo in the back.

It's fun to drive for a van. The handling's nimble and the steering's precise, so it changes direction keenly and it's easy to place on narrow streets. That's not something you'd expect from a vehicle bought to carry stock, and it makes a day of short journeys less of a slog.

• The Corsavan's compact size makes it easy to manoeuvre through busy city streets and simple to park in tight spaces.
• The 1.3-litre Ecoflex turbodiesel engine with 95PS offers excellent fuel economy and produces very low emissions.
• This vehicle provides agile handling and precise steering, making it enjoyable to drive while still carrying a good amount of cargo.