1996 Vauxhall Calibra 16v review from UK and Ireland

Seats have started to wear very badly on the bolsters, material is difficult to keep clean. (cloth)

Central door locking intermittent.

Oil sump gasket needed replacing, oil would pour out then burn leading to a disgusting smell inside the car whilst in traffic jams etc.

Alternator / batterey problem. Whilst parked I had to leave the engine running to listen to the radio or the car wouldn't re-start.

Both fuel pipes corroded through at the same time leading to a massive fuel leak, quite a cheap repair, but it could have cost me my life!!!

Ignition barrel seized. BEWARE, this cost 200.00 quid to put right. As the car wouldn't move, wouldn't even go on a transporter as the steering lock was on with no way of releasing it.

Drivers window would go up and wind itself back down.

Pax door rattling, stripped down and repaired!!! by vauxhall, still rattling.

Loses water for no aparent reason, head gasket fine, rad fine, hoses fine, no air leaks - said mr vauxhall dealer!!! still losing water.

Basically as everyone now knows, this is a cavalier in drag. Before I owned the calibra I always wanted one, now when I see one I pitty the driver.

The dealers I visited were laughable and basically didn't want to know unless it was a new car that they had supplied.

Be under no illusion that my calib was a pig. It had low miles, full vauxhall service history, one respectable owner before me and was absolubtley immaculate when I bought it, in fact it was almost as new, but in the time I had it I think almost everything has went wrong.

I ended up selling it to a mate for next to nothing who knew what had went wrong with the car, in fact I told him that it was a pig. Guess what, he sold it after 3 months because even more things went wrong!!!

I work in the motor trade and when I was thinking of buying it everyone I asked told me not to touch a calibra, I got a big fat "i told you so"