1996 Vauxhall Tigra Reviews

I have owned the car for 7 years.

The head gasket went at about 58000 miles.

The car overheats when being driven slowly in heavy traffic jams on hot days. Turning the heater helps to dissipate heat.

The seats lack back support.

In 7 years of ownership the car has been reasonably reliable.

I enjoy driving the car.

Help, oil leak.

Can any one relate or help on this matter? I have an oil leak from my car. It is not losing a lot, but I have taken it to a garage and there is oil in my 4th plug socket. He seems to think this could be the rocker gasket that has gone and would be around £70 - 200 to repair. Can anyone tell me if they have had this problem, and if they know if it will be the rocker gasket and roughly how much this would cost to fix?

It is a 1996 and has 39000 on the clock.

Had this car about as year, and had to do a few things to it, but love this car...

Idle Control Valve Split air tube split at 48000 (£50 repair + diagnostic, vauxhall wanted £90 just to run the diag)

Cam belt snapped and smashed engine up at 49000 (A foreign object shredded it somehow as belt was in perfect condition, just shredded down one side) (£1200 repair bill, engine rebuild etc).

Exhaust replaced at 55000, had 5 back boxs switched due to clanging. (£350)

Faulty Indicator stalk that flicks on the high beams when the indicator switches off. Still not fixed.

Oil Leak at 74000.

Multiple oil leaks at 76000 that cannot be pin pointed without a steam clean and strip down.

Also has water leak in the back under drivers chair.

I bought this car before I knew anything about it, and it is only just now with the discovery of multiple oil leaks, that I despise the thing.

I love driving the car, but its just so unreliable.

Also complaints from people who are 6' tall complaining of no leg room etc do not seem to effect me. I am 6' and I have no problems with comfort or space to move. Back seats are really not for anything apart from transporting things.

I have only owned the car for a couple of months, having yearned for one ever since the Tigra first came out. I'm still totally in love with it, although city driving deprives me of the pleasure of its superb acceleration and very comfortable cruising speed.

Although a four-seater, it is really only practical for two, as its not roomy in the back.

The only real problems I have is that the electric sunroof doesn't work, and there is no light on the LED display on the stereo, so I don't know what station or track I'm listening to in the dark!

In conclusion I must say that the Tigra has easily lived up to my expectations, I just wish I could have bought one years ago.

O/s mirror keeps coming off.

And although been checked on numerous occasions the brakes still feel very spongy and sometimes un-safe.

Luckily my mechanic told me it was better to change my cam belt after 85,000 miles because chances being it would snap and on his advice fitted new one just in time.

The passenger door does not open or lock with the key.

These problems aside I find the car very rewarding and a good drive which looks very glamerous and corners very well.

The perfect ladies car.