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.

Faults:

Just general wear and tear.

Though the air conditioning failed very early.

General Comments:

Big - awkward in town.

Comfortable. Eats up the miles on long journeys.

As a 1.8 estate, it's not that economical.

But it's reliable, and just keeps on going...

Faults:

Suspension springs.

Suspension link arms.

A/C condenser - replaced under warranty.

Cruise control - replaced under warranty.

Uneven tyre wear - 4 wheel alignment done to resolve.

General Comments:

I bought this car without even seeing it; at the time I was driving a Chevrolet Spark which caused me no end of issues. I got fed up with it and told the dealer that I wanted to trade it in for a bigger car. Luckily they had a Vectra in another branch and I ended up leaving a deposit and buying it that same day. The car was delivered few days later and it was a massive upgrade from the rubbish Chevrolet I was driving at the time.

Anyways, the car is an excellent long distance cruiser; I average 25k-30k a year and this car really makes the journeys easier. It is quiet at speed and the suspension is nicely balanced and soaks up the bumps nicely. Fuel economy is good too - 50 MPG, however I usually achieve less now due to having a roof rack on top - 45 MPG on average for me. The diesel engine is strong and pulls well in every gear.

It has been fairly reliable considering the mileage; most repair jobs are cheap and the Vauxhall dealers can be found almost everywhere, so servicing and repairs are very affordable. Long service intervals of 20k miles, and I usually ask my dealer to collect the car and drop it off at the end of the day once the work is done.

I still own the car now and I'm not planning to replace it any time soon.