Faults:

Brake calipers and discs + pads all round, very expensive, but wear and tear expected at the mileage.

Timing belt changed at 80,000, oil changes done every 10,000 miles.

Interior wise the multi function display is missing some pixels, and rear window winder broke off.

General Comments:

For a £700 used buy last year, this car is very good. According to the history this car has given very little problems. I have had it a year, and other than general wear and tear, it has been cheap enough to run, insure and repair. Vauxhall dealers are as uninterested and expensive as ever - find a cheaper independent to take care of this type of car at a good price.

1.8 petrol is better than the more common 1.9 diesel for the simple fact there is no DPF or other expensive diesel issues to deal with. 40 miles per gallon is also possible when cruising on long drives. Not a fast car, but I have had no problems overtaking. Gearbox feels tight and the clutch is nicely weighted, and the car is relaxing to drive, very quiet on motorways.

Interior wise the Exclusiv is the basic spec, meaning only electric windows in the front, old school winders in the rear. The cloth upholstery is comfortable though to sit in, dashboard plastics are very cheap looking, however they are standing up to wear and tear very well considering this is a family car. Coming from driving an old people carrier, the lack of space is expected on a saloon/hatchback car, but I have gotten used to it. I like the look of the car in metallic red, with the 5 spoke alloy wheels being easy to keep clean.

What to sum up about the Vauxhall Vectra? It is just a dull family car all things considered, but maybe not as bad as you might think, so give it a chance. I suppose mine won't last forever with over 125K miles and at 13 years old, but I'll be happy if I get another year or so out of it. There are great used buys now that most Vectra drivers have moved onto the Insignia. Lots of choice as well; the sporty SRi is preferred for younger drivers and is still a decent car to have; with tighter suspension it will be better to drive than this basic model. There is something for everyone.

Faults:

Exhaust gas recirculation valve fault, replaced after much argument under warranty, potential £600 bill with £90 for "diagnostics".

Handbrake had a habit of pulling right up and not engaging, but next time it would work fine. Two garages adjusted and found no fault. Was doing this until the day we parted company.

Dual mass flywheel was very noisy when we disposed of the car; needed doing at a cost of £1500+... We got shot at this point.

Hesitation on acceleration was probably the swirl valve or maybe the EGR on the way out again... both expensive to repair.

General Comments:

Nice car, but very expensive to fix, and the engine has loads of super expensive things to go wrong, and all ours did.

The flywheel thing made the car sound like a 1970s JCB, and nobody except main dealers wanted the job.

Car was very fast, but was so fragile that using the engine is not great, unless you like 1k+ bills.

Rear legroom is not great.

Windy windows in the back, manual air con, lack of storage in the front; all pretty poor on an 07 luxury car. Lots of cost cutting evident.

On the plus side, it looks great, goes like a train, and does 40+ MPG.