USED Vauxhall Vectra Hatchback (02 - 09)

My car

My Vectra is the Elegance, the previous name for the Design.

I'm a family man with two kids who doesn't need a 4x4 and doesn't care for minibuses (now called MPVs). However, I do need a spacious car with a big boot (try finding that in an MPV).

I also like lots of spec and, at my age, refinement and reliability. This car fits the bill.

Its best feature is its comfort and refinement, almost Jaguar-like. Amazing for a bog-standard rep-mobile. It's not a car to hustle along the road, more a sophisticated cruiser which delivers you to your destination as fresh as when you left. It's fast enough too, but doesn't really reward enthusiastic driving on twisty roads like my old Peugeot 406 used to.

I bought the car when it was nine months old with 9000 miles on the clock for £11,000 - its list price (with auto box) was £18,500. I asked a local car-sales dealer to source one for me and he came up with a choice as long as your arm - there's loads of them out there! Plenty of bargains.

Dislikes? It doesn't come with climate-control, just air-con. It's also fairly thirsty.

Its reliability is very good. I've had no problems at all other than a very intermittent knock in the suspension (mainly over sleeping policemen). The fault has so far not been located.

I'd definitely recommend this car. (I've driven the 1.8 and it's also very good.) It's not quite as sharp as a Mondeo to drive, but much more comfortable and better value.

My car

This car rocks. If you enjoy driving then try one of these for size.

For a family/fleet car, the ride is excellent, great fun, stable and you feel safe. There are plenty of toys to keep you amused and comfortable, and plenty of power when you want it.

More and more after-market upgrades are becoming available to personalise the GSi, and best of all is that there aren't too many around, keeping them that bit more special.

Running costs aren't cheap, averaging about 250 miles to the tank, but capable of much better. This is not too bad though considering the performance you get. The insurance is not as bad as I expected.

A one-year-old motor is the best bet in my opinion, you will save about £8K on the new price and, if bought from a main dealer, you still get that peace of mind.

It has a massive boot, with plenty of room inside, nice trim, and looks and sounds great. You can't lose!

My car

This is an excellent car to drive. It's very comfortable, with an excellent layout of all controls. I enjoyed every moment driving it.

My car

The Vectra is really refined in terms of ride quality and the minimal amount of noise transmitted from outside to inside. The driver's seat is very comfortable and has a good range of adjustment, including lumbar support. The stereo is good quality compared to the one in my 2003 Honda Civic Type-S that I had before the (company) Vectra, but to be honest the Honda stereo sounded appalling anyway so that's not as much of a success as it sounds. Where the Vectra lets itself down is equipment inside and the quality of the plastics. There are no proper cupholders which is unforgivable in a motorway cruiser in my opinion. Also, the dashboard and door trims are made of the most plasticky plastic I have ever tapped with a fingernail - YUCK! The indicators are really annoying - they switch off before you've turned, or don't turn off at all. If you aren't careful you resume the cruise control while trying to signal which is a scary moment. The engine is pretty gutless - I don't think it's anywhere near powerful enough for such a large car. When you do thrash it the front end goes all jumpy and the steering feels dangerously light. All in all it's okay for me 'cos I've got 9 points so I don't speed these days but it doesn't exactly thrill.