USED Vauxhall Vectra Hatchback (02 - 09)

My car

Might of given the car a better rating had i driven a better spec car

My car

This is the 2nd Vectra I have had (previously had a 1998 1.8 16v Petrol) and was hoping that this new (at the time) model would be different enough as the previous one I had fell apart after 90K...how wrong I was. It had 35000 miles on when I got it, and has just passed 100K mark, and has been serviced as per schedule. This is the worst car I have ever owned, even worse that the 1300 Austin Maestro I started driving in! Since buying in 2005, I have spent upwards of £1000 on some expensive repair every year without fail (Turbo/Airbag ECU/Oil Leaks/Rear Brakes snapped) Problems that still need repairing: 1. Engine Management constantly coming on (cuts out turbo) 2. Untraceable Electrical Fault that causes speedo counters, radio and wipers to stop working until I turn ignition off and on! 3. Alarm constantly going off for no reason. 4. Tracking keeps needing to be set every 6-7 months.

This leaves me with a car worth £2000(in good condition!) and a repair bill of around £1500, after all I have already spent. This car is going to the great big scrapyard in the car as soon as I can scrape together enough to buy something else, and I will never ever ever buy a Vauxhall again. Without exception, I would say steer clear of this car at all costs, even if someone offers you money to take it!

My car

Quite disappointing. Comfortable enough with plenty of space and reasonable equipment, but a money pit to own privately

If you buy secondhand though you can practically guarantee the following will fail out of the warranty period:

- Snapped suspension springs- a known and dangerous fault. - Windscreen wiper linkage and/or motor - Alarm sounder in boot - Heater motor or control - Suspension drop link arms

With this age of Vectra Vauxhalls cost-cutting is very clear. These cars are not built to last. Parts prices are also very high considering their poor quality.

My car

My car had its first MOT in October (3 yrs old now) and the only thing it failed on was a Broken Offside Front Coil (Having owned other Vauxhalls and spoke to other owners it seems to be a common Vauxhall issue!) Very comfortable, the ride in the SRi may be a bit bumpy for some because of the stiffer suspension - but i enjoy the flipside which is the car doesnt have much (if any) body roll. Cruise Control is a favourite of mine in this car - it will sit nicely at whatever speed you tell it - even when you start climbing a hill it effortlessly does it without any slowing down or change in the revs :) I drive for a large part of my work (City and Rural roads - so I can never get "Motorway MPG" but it usually averages between 45 - 48).