VAUXHALL VECTRA Hatchback 2002‑2008

i used my vectra for a daily 150 mile commute.

the fuel consumption was amazing. i got 580 miles to a tank - thats motorway miles at around 80mph. if driven "sensibly", you'd easily get over 600 to the tank. with the high mileage, you'd expect some repairs. over the 3 years i had the car, i had to replace the wiper motor (a common fault), wishbones, altenator and the fhe flexi part of the exhaust owing to exhaust fumes getting into the cabin. overall, not too bad given the high mileage. the clutch never was replaced. i traded it in with 170,000 miles on the clock and the engine and gearbox were 100%. i would definitely recommend this car to anyone.

This is my 2nd vauxhall and as before this one is no different. I owned a 1.6SXi Astra I out 50k on the clock in 3yrs and it never missed a beat.

This vectra 1.9 CDTi SRi I own I've out 18k on clock in 1 1/2 yrs and the only thing that failed was the alternator. As for other problems like (suspension) I believe comes down to the POOR condition of the roads. Nothing to do with the car.

It's cheap to insure and brilliant to drive with 150bhp engine. I can have a blast or have a steady 58+ mpg drive.

TOP BUY FOR ME!!

I am certain that many of you would of heard of the Dual Mass Flywheel product fitted to modern cars. Probably because several manufacturers had problems with them.

Firstly, about the car, it is a good sized car, with a great boot, it can go lots of miles on the motorway comfortably with reasonable fuel consumption, the 150bhp engine pulls well and the purchase price is cheap. I've not got anything else good to say about this, so now to the bad.

Firstly, this car was serviced at 3 different garages, as I felt the clutch was banging when idling in traffic from 27k miles. This was ignored until the car was out of warranty. By this time, the clutch had smashed the crank splines to pieces. The 15 miles east of Milton Keynes Dealer had the car for several days to replace an injector, and when I got the car back (way later than promised) the bottom tray was flapping around unsecured and a day later when broken down in a sliproad, none of the air handling unit had been rebolted up. The dealership refused to push warranty issues with the clutch, even though it was documented.

So to summarise, okay car, ruined by dealer and network support and inability to put things right with no cusotmer care... This is why Vauxhalls are cheap, so I will probably end up buying another one.

Back in August 2009 I purchased an 05 plate Vectra 1.9 CDTI (150) SRI with around 50k miles on the clock. The smile on my face a year later, when I finally got rid of the car, well...

The good bits - like all Vectras, it's got space aplenty for both passengers and as many bags, pushchairs and the like, you would ever need to carry. The engine is great - compared to petrol equivelants it seems as though you can drive for ever before filling up. Performance is also impressive - nothing special from a standing start but once on your A-roads or motorways it's an impressive performer, rarely found wanting.

The bad bits - hopelessy unreliable - maybe I just had a bad-un but I lost count of how many times it was in the garage or being attended to by the AA. Probably the worst bit was being left stranded on a cold January evening with a 3 month old baby on board when the alternator had decided it had had enough. As the AA man said to me when he loaded the car onto his truck, an alternator should never go on a car which has done less than 60k miles, buy a japanese car next time.

Overall - This ownership experience was pretty unforgetable and I wouldn't have another one of these if it was free.

So here I am, just entering into the last 5 days of owning my Vectra (before I trade it in for a Mondeo). I guess now is as good a time as any to write a quick review.

Bought for around £6000 with 34k miles on the clock - it's now done 84k miles and I'm struggling to get £1500 for it in p/ex, but that's a minor quibble and not entirely unexpected.

So basically I've done 50 k miles in 2 years, consisting mainly of a daily 80 mile round trip down the M1 and on into south west London where I work - a mixture of motorway miles and sitting in stop-start traffic on the North circular and similar.

Good points - Loads of space for passengers and luggage - pretty comfortable however many hours you spend in it. Adequate performance - it's no racer but is ok pulling away from a standing start and with its 6 gears a more than competent motorway cruiser. Pretty reliable - just a couple of issues during ownership (see bad points) - in the main it plodded up and down the M1 reliably for 2 years.

Bad Points - Had a problem with the engine management 2 weeks into ownership - had to be towed by the AA after the car kept losing power - think it's a common fault with the 2.2 (featured on BBC's Watchdog in the past - google it) but was sorted under the warranty. Nothing much went wrong in the 2 years after this until the clutch went on about 80k miles - £900 for a new one plus flywheel at an independent garage. On this note - best to avoid Vauxhall dealers if possible - find a decent independant garage and most repairs (ie. I had the odd spring go) will be half the price. Also bad - you can probably do 350-400 miles on a full tank - not the most economical car though I've had worse.

Overall - I'd have another if I was looking for a large family car on a tight budget - you can get them for peanuts. But get a nice, tidy low mileage one and move it on once it's done a few miles and before it starts to give you a hard time.

Don`t buy, they drink fuel and cost a fortune to keep on the road.

You will get to know your local garage very well.

What a mistake to buy , Faults ...... where to start.

Drank petrol, best consumption i ever saw in over a year was 28mpg !! blower motor packed in october last year, took ages to find a replacment on net, £100 used replacement, garage told me they go regularly on Vectras ! Also stupid indicators,you have to push up or down much harder than you should or they only flash 3 times then go off, really anoying !! Final straw was a £600 bill to get it through an MOT........ Major suspension faults included new springs and bushes, advisary`s for disc`s all round too !!

Only good point was that it was a very comfortable drive...... Last Vauxhall i will ever own thats for sure ....Complete dissatisfaction.

A long term reliability test cannot really come out of four months of ownership, however the Vectra C has proven to be extremely reliable. This must be the first car I have owned, knocking on for ten year old where everything works. ...Everything. Properly.

The 1.8 Petrol engine may not be as desirable as the 1.9 CDTi couterpart, but produces a reasonable amount of power and has quite a torquey feel, pulling smoothly through the rev range. There is plenty of response on tap, making overtaking manoveurs reassuring. Careful driving will see MPG around the 40 mark.

The whole driving experience should be described as refined rather than sporty, yet is reasonably involving. The Vectra feels quite happy taking on a few twisty B roads and nice harpins, but is more suited cruising along on the motorway, where most of the road and engine noise is kept to a minimum.

Inside, the cabin is a decent place to be. The driving position is spot on, the seats are firm yet comfortable and the dash layout is smart without being over-stylish, perhaps looking rather dated compared to the replacement Insignia.

Interior space is in plentiful supply with huge boot space and foldy down rear and passenger seats making fitting the big stuff in a doddle.

Handling is tidy with little body-roll and a fair amount of grip. The steering is nicely weighted but doesn't offer a great deal of feedback. One thing that does let the Vectra down is jarring suspension over the smaller bumps.

For those looking for a second hand family car on a bit of a budget, the Vectra C has certainly got to be worth a look.

I bought the vectra, for £5,500, with 24,000 miles on the clock at the end of last summer and have since clocked up 16,000 miles. It is relatively fuel efficient particularly on long journey and generally performs well. It cruises nicely at 60 mph plus but if I am being critical lacks acceration.

I considered an estate because I need boot space but this on average would have cost me an extra £500. I think the hatch was a good compromise and provides adequate space and in my opinion is a better looking car. I have a dog and to create more boot space have done away with the parcel self, added a dog guard and boot protector.

I have also added roof bars to transport two mountain bikes. Being a larger car this works well.

I have had no mechanical problems to date.

The interior is sufficient but again being critical is slightly drap and has a cheap feel to it. But this is one of vectra base line models!

Fuel wise it is more efficient than the 1.8 petrol astra sxi I had previously. The insurance seems expensive for such a sensible car but I think insurance has gone up generally in the last couple of years.

The car lacks thrills but I knew that when I bought it. It meets the needs of my active outdoor lifestyle, has plenty of space and is reliable.

I got the Vectra for towing my caravan and it does the job very well. I have the 2.o diesel turbo and notice there are few comments on this model. This car comes out on top for me, maybe needs a bit more power but has good low down torque. The boot is very large and the ride is smooth a top all rounder.