1989 Vauxhall Senator review from UK and Ireland

Exhaust blowing in the offside mid and rear section in one of the 2 main carrier pipes.

ABS warning light comes on above 10 mph.

This shows that the ABS system has shut down and is no longer in operation. This is probably a faulty sensor.

The UK MOT test rules state that the ABS warning light should be on when the key is turned to the ignition stage, i.e. the car is ready for the starter motor to turn and start the engine, but go out as soon as the engine is running at idle speed (on this and many other makes of car).

It is well known amongst automotive engineers that this ABS warning light should go out at the very same time as the oil pressure warning light, i.e. as soon as the engine has reached idle speed.

This is interesting, as the two lights could potentially be wired together to ensure an MOT pass, even though the problem with the ABS system still exists, and could cost hundreds of pounds to fix.

As ABS was fitted as an optional extra to many makes and models of car when new, and also carried a significant premium as an optional extra (often over a thousand pounds), it can be assumed that these cars will be perfectly safe to drive without the ABS system in operation, whether it was fitted to the car or not when new.

This car was obtained for an extremely low price, and with not much work passed its MOT test.

The car is a 3.0i auto and will outperform around 80% of cars on the road today in the UK today.

It has been very reliable and cheap to run for such an old and large car (in the UK at least), and the very low cost of obtaining one of these cars makes the extra fuel costs insignificant.

If you find one of these cars in good condition, I would recommend buying it as long as the mileage is low for the age of the car, as they are solid and nice to drive as long as you don't try and drive them like a sports car.