1999 Holden Vectra Reviews - Page 3 of 5

The car will cut out at traffic lights.

The engine overheated due to a radiator leak.

I had the radiator replaced, and then the upper hose leaked.

Engine now has a severe misfire, which causes the car to shake and splutter.

Car has developed a bad oil leak.

Car has been serviced regularly (oil change at 150 000k's, another at 155000k's).

The car performs well when it is working, but the costs of repairs are outrageous.

I am appalled by how much money I have had to spend on this car in such a short amount of time. It seems that I am spending money on it every month, just to keep the engine working.

The car is unreliable and Holden should never have imported such a lemon to Australia. I regret making my purchase, and when I trade the sucker in, I'll never look back.

Timing belt broke at 115km; needed the engine rebuilt.

Various sensors failed.

Rubbers deteriorated and needed replacing.

Interior rubbers disintegrated.

Black trims under windows fell off.

Constantly needed wheel alignments.

Timing belt pulley broke at 125km; engine needed rebuilding again.

The car was very fuel efficient, but the above faults outweighed any fuel savings.

Basically these cars are lemons.

First started with a faulty camshaft sensor, then blown head gasket that was still leaking after repair. Found that there was an etching on the block and it needed re skimming. This was due to previous owners not using radiator inhibitor. Then the water pump seal blew, new water pump required. All in all cost $$$$$

It is a nice looking car and handles well on the road, nice to drive. But the problem is that they are not built to last to high mileage, I feel. So now with things continuing to go wrong with it, it has become a problem car. I recommend not purchasing one! Even tho looks and handling are appealing, the mechanical costs are too high as the mileage gets up. I've had other cars before with similar mileage and never this many problems. Stick with proven long distance models like the Toyotas...

Under warranty (three months) it had a problem with faulty switches which meant brake lights occasionally didn't work, or "lights on" warning sound would go off for no reason, and several other niggly problems.

The dealer fixed those, but, after four months, the car began stalling occasionally. By six months it stalled every time I stopped at traffic lights etc.

Now I'm having IAC valve replaced. And for a single part it is very expensive (in parts and labour)

A week after I bought the car a mechanic told me he would never buy a Vectra... and now I know why.

It's a great car: it handles well; is fuel efficient; feels great to drive; looks good; and is a handy medium size (bigger than girly Barinas etc, but cheaper on fuel than a Commodore).

But it's let down by mechanical problems - I'm now worried that IAC is only just the beginning.