Faults:

Headlight condensation.

Oil leak.

Odd tyre wear - needs a four wheel alignment.

Bit rusty on wheel arches now - but this is an older early car.

General Comments:

So I got this early Insignia real cheap last year. It has been a fantastic everyday car.

Exclusiv model is a bit basic - go for an SRi or Elite model. But as standard the car still has electric windows and mirrors among other features.

Very comfortable and spacious.

Fantastic to drive. Gearshift is smooth. Brakes are strong. Performance and economy isn't anything special from the 1.8i engine (around 35 mpg with lackluster acceleration), but it is reliable if looked after well. All oil changes and a timing belt change is a must at this age.

Initial purchase priced (used) insurance, service and repairs are all reasonable. But tax is far too expensive at over £300 per year!

Dark grey, common color but suits it well. Very sharp and modern looking still.

Overall a brilliant car for what little I paid for it.

Faults:

Nothing in my one year ownership. I bought the car last year with full history. Had a gearbox recondition and the famous oil seal issue on these engines attended to. Expensive for both, glad I didn't pay! But someone has cherished this car with no expense spared.

General Comments:

Love these Insignia's - good looking and great value.

Very nice to drive, punchy engine and always does around 45 mpg on diesel.

Exclusiv is a base spec, but the car still has plenty of electrics and a very comfortable seat and interior materials.

Dark grey, good looking. I added alloy wheels. The car looks amazing.

Massive amounts of space.

I got lucky though - most Insignia's of this age are ending up in the scrapheap (lots of rough examples on the used market), but find a nice looked after car and they provide amazing value. Cannot believe these cars came out over 15 years ago, mine feels as good as new and very modern!

Faults:

Engine management light illuminated, mid and rear exhaust section needed replaced, front shocks replaced, new discs and pads all round for the brakes at MOT time.

Air con will no longer work, and then the rear boot motor stopped working and jammed the hatch shut, a major pain but got it sorted for cheap.

I keep the car serviced on time with any oil/belt changes as scheduled. Cosmetically the car is in great shape for its age, inside and out.

General Comments:

A very smart looking modern car for 14 years old. Drives very well also. These early Insignia's can be bought for less than £3000 and are a good family/executive car.

Downside is they feel a bit cheap and nasty now, materials inside are nice enough but the car looks like a tonne of plastic was used everywhere. The seats on this SRi model are very comfortable however. Being a 2009 model I have a manual handbrake - much better than later electronic ones.

1.8 petrol engine is a bit dated, in fact I think it is much the same engine used in the Vectra in its last few years. Plodding performance and you only get 37 mpg which isn't really good enough by today's standard. Quite expensive to tax also. However insurance and repairs have been cheap enough. Vauxhall dealers are uninterested in cars of this age, I got a cold reception when going to my local dealer for service or repairs. Find a friendly back street garage at this age - much better and cheaper.

All in all it is an older car now, but I will keep it so long as it runs.