Item: Used Vauxhall Zafira review 2005-2015
Rating: 2
Author: What Car? Team

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/vauxhall">Vauxhall</a> Zafira is far from alone in the compact seven-seat people carrier market, and if its reliability track record has you worried then a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mazda/5/mpv/used-review/n458">Mazda 5</a> could be a good alternative. Its sliding rear doors make for easy access and it handles well for this kind of car.

Speaking of cars that handle well, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/s-max/mpv/used-review/n17409">Ford S-Max</a> is another popular contender and the clear winner for enthusiastic drivers. It’s a newer car than the Zafira, and slightly bigger, so you won’t find such low starting prices, but it’s a fine seven seat people carrier.

Sensible family motoring can also be found in the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/kia/carens/mpv/review/n17272">Kia Carens</a>, which is large and well equipped, if ultimately rather dull.

Find a used Vauxhall Zafira in the What Car? Classifieds <a href="http://www.whatcar.com/classifieds/used-cars/vauxhall/zafira">here</a>

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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

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There are a few well documented problems, many of which relate to the 1.9-litre CDTi diesel engine, which can suffer from anything from failed water pumps that can throw the timing belt and wreck the engine (because of this a new water pump, belt, tensioner and pulleys are recommended every 40,000 miles), to failed inlet manifolds and blocked DPFs, all of which can be very expensive to repair.

The 1.7-litre CDTi diesel is a newer and more reliable unit, but can still suffer from a blocked diesel particulate filter if not regularly taken on longer runs.

Early petrol models suffered from clutch judder, but this should have been rectified by now, meaning that cars fitted with a manual gearbox are generally the safest bets. Known problems with automatic Zafiras include a failed heat exchanger causing coolant to leak into the system, or a wrongly specified overflow pipe preventing the gearbox from getting sufficient oil. In either instance, you’re looking at a bill that will quite likely make the car uneconomical to repair.

Xenon headlights have also been known to fail and cost more than £1,000 to fix, so look for a car without these fitted, and be sure to check the electrics in general, as interior lights and radios have been known to be troublesome.

It might be cheap to buy and in plentiful supply, but the Vauxhall Zafira performs well below average in the What Car? Reliability Index. The most common faults are related to engine and electrical failures, but axle and suspension, cooling and heating, gearbox and fuel system faults are also relatively common, resulting in an average repair bill of more than £350.

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Vauxhall has an incredibly diverse range of cars on sale, a few of which stand out above the class average. Add in the fact that it still offers some of the largest Target Price discounts in the market (something it is trying, without huge success, to cut back on), and there are very good reasons to consider buying one of its better models.

However, you need to choose carefully, because it is also a brand in transition. It has a newish parent company – the same one that owns Citroën, DS and Peugeot. And while Vauxhall’s newer models tend to be competitive, some of the others feel dated; a quick check of our star ratings will reveal which is which.

Still, given the recent success of sister brands Citroën and especially Peugeot, each new launch should make its range more appealing to buyers.

VAUXHALL

ZAFIRA

The Vauxhall Zafira is a cheap and versatile seven-seat MPV, but it's let down by its poor reliability record

Used Vauxhall Zafira review 2005-2015

Real-world fuel economy of about 40mpg for the 1.9-litre diesel compared with 30-35mpg for the various petrol engines might look attractive, but, in reality, you’ll quite likely lose any savings you might make not only in the extra purchase price, but also potentially expensive repairs.

If you do want a diesel, then better to opt for the 1.7-litre engine that was added to the range as part of the 2009 facelift. It might be down on power (110bhp versus up to 147bhp for the 1.9), but there’s still enough to pull the car along when fully loaded, and its lower CO2 emissions of 139g/km mean it’s also £55 per year cheaper to tax.

The most attractively priced Zafira uses the 1.6-litre petrol engine, but again it’s worth looking for a post-2009 facelift car if your budget will stretch, because power, fuel economy and CO2 emissions were all improved.

Larger petrol engines such as the 1.8- and even 2.2-litre units were offered, but their high emissions make tax costs prohibitive in relation to the value of the car. The latter also requires frequent oil changes to avoid timing chain problems that can wreck the engine.

Servicing should be carried out at least one every 12 months. Costs are cheap, however, and because the Zafira was sold in such quantities, most independent garages will be familiar with working on them.

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The Vauxhall Zafira is a cheap and versatile seven-seat MPV, but it's let down by its poor reliability record

You could spend as little as £600 on a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/vauxhall">Vauxhall</a> Zafira, but we’d recommend increasing your budget to £1,500, which will open up a wide selection of decent early 1.6-litre petrols, while the more powerful 1.9-litre diesel starts at just under £2,000. The sporty VXR models, meanwhile, are relatively rare, and hold their value better than other Zafiras, so expect to pay at least £5,000.

Prices for post-2009 facelift cars start at about £3,500, and the market tops out at £10,000, although note that the same sum will buy you a newer and far better Zafira Tourer.

With the diesel engines liable to particulate filter problems at best, it makes sense to look at a cheaper petrol <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/vauxhall">Vauxhall</a> Zafira, and of those, the most cost-effective to run is the 1.6. Note, though, that early cars make do with just 105bhp and thus feel sluggish when fully loaded, so it’s better to go for a the later VVT version of the engine from 2009, with a perkier 113bhp.

The Zafira was offered in a staggering number of trims and special editions throughout its life, from sparsely equipped Expression to the racy VXR or top-of-the-range Elite with its leather seats, climate control and MP3 player connectivity.

However, it’s the mid-range Design that we’d recommend. Not only does it include equipment such as air-conditioning, alloy wheels, electric windows and a CD player, but it’s also in plentiful supply

Our favourite Vauxhall Zafira: 1.6i 16v Design

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Plenty of space for all the family and their paraphernalia</li> <li>Comfortable ride for everyone inside</li> <li>Seats with plenty of adjustment and versatility of layout</li> <li>Engine that can cope with a full load of people and luggage</li> <li>Excellent efficiency to avoid big fuel bills</li></ul>

Practicality is king in the MPV market, which has taken a hit as buyers have turned towards trendier SUVs. There are still plenty of decent offerings to suit most budgets, though, with Citroën fielding a particularly strong line-up. The French manufacturer’s Berlingo offers bags of space for not much money and you can easily haggle off thousands of extra pounds in discounts, too.

Citroën also scores with the larger Grand C4 Spacetourer, which offers seven seats, lots of oddment space and appealing running costs for something so large. A similarly priced and even better option is the Volkswagen Touran. Meanwhile, if you prefer a premium badge, there's always the BMW 2 Series Active and Gran Tourers or Mercedes B-Class and V-Class.

But for something sizeable that's still decent to drive, we’d recommend you check out the Ford Galaxy, which can offer three rows of seats and decent luggage space at the same time. It’s not that much pricier than the smaller S-Max.

The very nature of being an affordable people carrier means that a lot of <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/vauxhall">Vauxhall</a> Zafiras will have led tough lives as family transport or mini cabs, so you’ll need your wits about you. In addition to the usual checks for repaired crash damage, unusual engine noises, worn clutches and smoky exhausts, ensure all of the seats slide and fold as they should. You should also open and close the boot a few times, as the tailgate mechanism is a weak point.

Check that the car’s mileage is reflected in the condition of the interior, and while it is unrealistic to expect the cheapest Zafiras to come with a full service history, there should still be paperwork for recent maintenance.

A well-publicised case of Zafiras catching fire led to a recall of more than 220,000 UK cars in 2015 to upgrade parts of the heating system. This didn’t apply to Zafiras with automatic climate control (indicated by the presence of an “Auto” button to the top left of the central heating dial), but in most cases you’ll still need to check with a Vauxhall dealer to see whether the recall work has been completed.

MPVs might have fallen out of favour in recent years as people flock to trendy SUVs, but when the second generation of Vauxhall Zafira was launched in 2005, the market was positively booming.

As with the original, the Zafira is essentially a stretched version of the Astra hatchback with a more upright body that allows enough space for a pair of seats to fold out of the boot floor. Tuck them away, however, and the boot space is vast, while a one-piece sliding rear bench means that those in the second row have plenty of leg room.

Admittedly, newer people carriers are more flexible still with their clever cubby holes and individually sliding rear seats, but for its time the Zafira was impressive, particularly considering its low asking price.

Being based on a hatchback means the Zafira is also pretty decent to drive, resisting excessive body roll in corners and gripping well. And if the basic petrol or diesel models feel too slow, there’s always the unlikely 237bhp VXR to consider, although you’ll have to be prepared to accept a ride that’s considerably firmer than in other Zafiras.

The raised driving position and good all-round visibility also find favour with owners, as does a five star Euro NCAP crash test rating, although it’s worth noting that curtain airbags weren’t standard across the range until 2007.

The reason <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/vauxhall">Vauxhall</a> sold so many Zafiras, however, and indeed the reason it remained on sale for three years alongside its theoretical replacement, the Zafira Tourer, was that it was so keenly priced when it was new. And that’s an advantage it carries into the used car market, whether you’re looking at an early car or one of the post-2009 facelift models.

Used Vauxhall Zafira review 2005-2015 review

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