1993 Vauxhall Carlton GSi 24v 3.0 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Luxury, fast and good fun, and kills Fords at the lights

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong so far, but parts can be like rocking horse droppings to find. And somethings like exhaust pipes are very expensive and have to be made for the car to make it worth the while eg. standard tail pipe, £200 hand made, stainless steel one £150 and as the tail pipe rots every 3 years it's worth looking around.

General Comments:

The car is good fun to own and drive and I love it, it's the car I have always wanted to own since I was 18 and one dusted me at the lights when I was in my Renault 5 GT Turbo so they are quick cars, and not bad considering the GSi is nearly 2 ton in weight.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th October, 2000

5th Feb 2001, 15:59

I have just acquired a Vauxhall Carlton GSI 3.0, I've always wanted this car and it took me a long time to find one, but I'm pleased with it, a lot of car for a small layout.

I bought the car, a '91 J reg, digital dash, fully loaded - a lot of car. Seeing it cost over £24,000 new, I'm very pleased.

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1993 Vauxhall Carlton Diplomat 2.0i from UK and Ireland

Summary:

200,000 miles and still going strong!

Faults:

Cruise control at 130,000.

Air conditioning 170,000.

Exhaust rear & middle 175,000.

Rotar arm and distributer cap 195,000.

Leaks/uses a little oil but not enough to top up between services even after 200,000 miles!

A few water problems with water pumps but these were due to inept non-Vauxhall service.

General Comments:

Comfortable, spacious and loads of toys.

Sluggish off the mark but otherwise quite fast.

Effortless motorway cruising, particularly when you find one empty enough to use the cruise control.

Engine is a little noiser now but otherwise shows little sign of wear despite being pushed hard frequently.

Fuel consumption is a little high when driven hard - get a J reg and dump the cat.

Overall a great car that just goes on and on and...

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th August, 2000

13th May 2001, 04:59

This is a very good car. I have an automatic one which is pretty quick off the mark. Fuel consumption is a little poor at times, but take things easy and you can squeeze 500 miles out of a tank full. Comfortable and lots of toys. I once had a 2.0CDi with 280,000 miles on it and still going strong until someone wrote it off for me. These go on for ever if maintained regularly. The only problem I have had is mid section of exhaust replaced and a couple of bulbs. I think the heater matrix may be leaking, but not 100% sure yet. It isn't losing any water, but has damp carpet and smells of anti freeze. Work that one out? Still going strong at 106,000 miles on a 1993 K plate. Even the Air Con still works.

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1993 Vauxhall Carlton CDX 2.0i petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A car with excellent comfort, performance and reliability

Faults:

Heat exchange unit for internal heater replaced in 1999. All other items replaced are the normal consumables, i.e pads, tyres, etc.

General Comments:

The best car I have ever owned or driven. Whilst I now own this car it was originally my company car until I retired in 1996. It was the fifth Carlton allocated to me (by choice) and definitely the best model. It has been maintained with lots of TLC and is in excellent condition. Whilst I have looked at Mercs and Jags, up to £30k I still cannot see what they will offer me as an improvement on this car (except of course the badge to impress others).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th July, 2000