2001 Holden Vectra Reviews

When I first bought this car, it was near perfect. And it stayed that way for almost five years. Unfortunately in the last 6 months it has turned into a lemon. What has gone wrong?

1. Water pump that was only 45000k old fell apart and leaked coolant everywhere.

2. Timing belt that was only 45000k old, required replacement, along with idler and tensioner.

3. 'Octopus' coolant hose blew. This is stupidly designed by some idiotic engineer because it connects to about 8 different parts of the engine (hence the name), and is consequently very expensive to both buy and replace.

4. Head gasket blew (didn't realise the engine was overheating due to a problem with the temperature sensor).

5. Needed to replace crankshaft sensor, cam angle sensor, oxygen sensor, and coil pack.

6. Front bumper started falling off.

7. Passenger side sun visor fell off.

To add to all the above, the car is also notorious for early replacement of brake pads (30-40,000km max).

Do not buy a Vectra. These cars are terrible! It might look good, and is quite comfortable and luxurious with heated leather seats, but really, isn't the main purpose of a car to get you from A to B? Which this car has failed to do on numerous occasions.

Head gasket.

Heater problems.

Computer problems.

I bought my Vectra for my first car for a bargain price for $5500au with a low 11600kms on the Odo.

Not long after, I had a few engine problems, but the car hadn't been serviced in over 3 years, so I did expect a few things to go wrong. Surely enough they did, and I admit the costs are a bit over the top compared to a Commodore.

It's an extremely comfy sports car with plenty of extras, such as heater mirrors, fog lights, and sports mode, which makes it feel more like a V8 at times.

There are some squeaks in the front cabin, but I'm assured it's nothing mechanical.

Great 1st car; bigger and more powerful than an Astra, but not as thirsty as a Commodore. Would definitely buy another Vectra.

DO NOT BUY A HOLDEN VECTRA. This was the biggest mistake of my life. Overheated and cracked the engine block. When I tried to source a second hand engine, guess what? There are none out there because this is a common problem with this model. So I see a lot of cars for sale for parts with cooked engines. Look on the bright side, if you need a new panel or whatever, you shouldn't have any problem there.

OK, this car was made in Germany so you would have thought it was quality right? Well apparently I heard they did not get the composition right for the engine block, so when they overheat they cannot handle the jandal. So with that if you like a good walk from where ever, by all means go ahead and buy one.

All the mods and cons for a car of its time. Not too bad when it is going.

Just got from auctions last week, only to find out it needed $2000 work done for the Roadworthy Cert... Really wish I had checked this website first!

Definitely the flashest car I've owned yet.

Interior is lovely, engine is bigger and tougher, and best thing of all is I only paid $4500 for it!

Smooth ride and it overtakes going up hills! Something I'm definitely not used to!