Faults:

Clutch, oil cooler, brakes, suspension, usual wear and tear for its age and mileage. Subframe rust in its final year.

General Comments:

Early Insignia, a fine car I had for a long time.

SE is a fantastic spec on early cars, soo many electric features for the time.

Exterior is gorgeous in red metallic, lovely 18 inch alloys.

Great car to drive, gears were smooth and controls were intuitive and easy to use. Cabin laid out very well.

The car rides super smooth, and the handling is nice also despite what the motoring press said in early reviews. The car was also quiet in the cabin, thanks to being well insulated and I had a petrol version; most Insignias were diesel. The strength of the 1.8 was in refined cruising and less complicated problems than the diesels gave. It's not the fastest or most economical engine, but is is dependable if cared for.

Inside was very spacious and comfortable. I scrapped this car last month due to rusty subframe problems making the car uneconomical to repair. But it was a fantastic car that I had a long time and will likely replace it with a newer Insignia.

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!