Faults:

Coolant and oil leaks, sorted for a fair price by a local mechanic.

Suspension caused the biggest issues believe it or not - many parts replaced, including a 4 wheel alignment to fix uneven tyre wear every 6 thousand miles or so which still happened after being checked twice!

The rest was just the expected wear and tear.

General Comments:

Reliable enough and large family car, the Vectra did us well. Not quite up there with the German giants, but easily as good as an equivalent Ford and better quality than French family cars in my opinion.

Good to drive, sporty SRi model. Handled quite well despite what you might have heard. 1.8 was not very fast but did a solid 37 mpg.

Nice interior, large boot and spacious inside.

Engine noise nice and quiet on a long motorway cruise.

Cost effective Vauxhall to run and still a nice to drive and stylish car. Overall OK.

Faults:

Oil leak, brake disc warp, wheel alignment, exhaust, etc.

A/C does not blow cold.

Cosmetically the car is rough inside and out, but it is 15 years old with higher mileage.

General Comments:

A car I bought used as a cheap run about that has served me well for five years.

This Vectra is not a bad car to look at, nice design and alloy wheels, looks good, I like this updated car (2006 - 2009) much better than the 2002 - 2005 models. My car is silver, the most common color.

Inside the car also looks OK design wise, despite being rough and a bit older now. Some materials feel really cheap and plasticky though. Quiet and refined on motorways. Design model is mid range, has enough electrics. Seats are OK. Spacious.

The car handles OK, but the 1.8 petrol has mediocre performance and economy (37 mpg at best), but what it lacks in power in economy it makes up for in simplicity and reliability - it is a very old design and proven engine, that if cared for rarely gives any trouble. Insurance is not bad, but tax is rather expensive. I'd still recommend this engine over the more common 1.9 CDTi diesels, they are faster and have better economy but also have their issues.

The Vectra is getting on a bit (they stopped making them in 2009) and you should really consider an Insignia - this car's replacement, it is a much more advanced car; a Vectra is only really only worth considering if you can get one really cheap.

Faults:

Usual wear and tear parts replaced.

A/C stopped working.

Cruise control a bit dodgy.

Engine check light came on, but no apparent fault.

General Comments:

Silver 2008 Vectra. Still a very common sight on the road. The car does not stand out, but is actually a pretty decent car to own and drive; it was my own personal vehicle up until about a year ago.

1.8 petrol engine had a nice turn of speed, and was popular, not as much as the diesels, but this was more reliable. Only did 37 mpg though, pretty average/poor nowadays.

Servicing can be done by any backstreet garage, a really simple and easy to work on car, no need to take a car of this age to a Vauxhall main dealer. In-fact I would advise anyone not to!

The car handled very sharp. Seats were comfortable. Bit of a cheap and nasty feel of the plastic laden dash inside. But material quality was OK and hard wearing. SRi model was also well trimmed.

I'd probably still have it had some prat not ran into the back of it (not my fault) during the early part of 2022. Damage was not too bad, but the car obviously had low value at the age and mileage, so was written off. You can get these cars in good condition with a full MOT and low mileage for less than £2000 nowadays. But I would have to recommend spending just a little more and going for an early Insignia instead; the Vectra is getting on a bit now. I think they stopped making them in 2009.