Faults:

Gearbox, clutch and flywheel, oil and coolant leaks, turbo, and now I have the timing chain rattle.

Plus all the usual wear and tear parts replaced, brakes, suspension, etc. Exhaust seems to be made of cheap metal, rots out earlier than most cars I have had before (replaced twice!).

General Comments:

Good points about this Insignia - fantastic looking car, really, a work of art. If it had anything but a Vauxhall badge on it people would notice it more. Lovely sleek lines, coupe like despite being a family 5 door hatch. 18 inch alloy wheels on SRi models are among the best I have seen. Nice to drive, smooth and comfortable, and lots of space. Radio has a quality sound. Cheap to buy and running costs like insurance and tax are OK and comparable as any car in this class. Does an easy 38 - 40 mpg, good for petrol in a large car.

Bad points? Where to begin. First of all, Vauxhall were uninterested in my problems, so I had to find an independent mechanic. This car is unreliable at higher mileage. I bought this one with very reasonable mileage and full service history and continued to look after it and it still fell apart as it aged. Was OK the first couple of years, but now is a disaster that needs scrapped, it is not worth fixing. I bought this one on the strength of a company car 2009 Insignia 1.8 Exclusiv I had years ago, it was lovely and smooth also, but was near new at the time and never gave any problems. So thinking this 2012 1.4T SRi model would be a nice step up I bought it in 2020. But my God avoid any of these Insignias as they age, I have heard the diesels are even more unreliable at higher miles!

Overall just disappointed. Back in the day I had a Vauxhall Cavalier that made it to 170K miles no problem, but this Insignia would take a tonne of repairs to get it even close to that mileage it seems, what a step backwards Vauxhall!

Faults:

Oil leak.

Brakes.

Exhaust.

General Comments:

Black Insignia, with 18 inch twin blade alloy wheels, very sharp looking car.

SRi interior is nice, sporty seats and very comfortable, lots of electrics.

1.8 petrol engine is OK for motorway cruising, does around 35 mpg.

Nice to drive, handles very well and the gearshift is smooth.

These cars provide good value for money on the used market right now, worth it if you need a large family car or smart executive run about. Buy a looked after car and you have bought reliability and comfort for as good money as it gets.

Faults:

Clutch and flywheel (expensive £1000).

Turbo pipe split, common but cheap and easy fix (£30).

Condensation in headlights constantly.

Gearbox notchy but did not fail.

Plus all the usual wear and tear. I done the cam-belt and water-pump, plus all services at reasonable prices.

General Comments:

Good looking, great to drive and very comfortable. Those are the Insignia's strong points.

Bad points are average reliability and a few annoying common and expensive issues.

Still, the few years I had the car it was an enjoyable experience for the most part. 2.0 turbo diesel has good power while doing around 46 - 50 mpg on average; more on longer drives.

SRi trim is the one to have, sporty and comfy seats along with plenty of electric extras. The car is spacious and comfortable, huge boot area.

Plenty on the used market, but do not pay too much for one - this generation is getting on now and a well known fault with these diesel Insignia's is the oil seal pick up valve - a £500 + job to fix or a new engine if it fails and seizes! That's why I sold mine last year as it was past the infamous 100,000 mile mark, but this can happen anytime apparently, especially on abused cars. Bear in mind a lot of these cars are used as taxis as well.