2002 Holden Vectra Equipe review from Australia and New Zealand

Both headlines failed within 4 weeks of each other, whilst the car was only a year old and still under warranty.

The tyres on the Vectra need replacing very often, according to the tyre centres I've visited. Every 20,000km the front tyres need replacing, they wear out much faster than the rears.

The routine 30,000km service at Holden was very expensive, $420.

After the warranty expired, half of the back-lights inside the dash on the right side (behind the speedometer and fuel gauge) stopped working. But they are still visible at night time so I didn't get this fixed.

At 60,000, there was a scheduled change of the timing belt, which is a very expensive part. Also brake pads needed replacing. That service cost over $1300.

At 90,000, the rocket cover gasket was damaged and needed replacing. Two more tyres needed to be changed. And a few days after the service, the car started vibrating aggressively. It turns out the head gasket was blown, which the mechanic says is very common on Astras and Vectras. Repairing this will cost $1300 or so.

All in all, its nice to drive around town. It has quite a bit of pull, a good stereo and good visibility. The interior is a bit dated, but it's quite a powerful car when accelerating from a stop.

The seats are decent, and the fabric and interior have held up well after 6 years. It has a very solid and refined feel to it, very good handling and ride.

The service issues, costs are really the biggest problem, and I wouldn't advise holding on to this car after the warranty expires.