1996 Vauxhall Vectra GLS 2.0 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Good solid reliable car

Faults:

Rear suspension bush - supplied and fitted £130.

New battery from local store £60.

Automatic gearbox leak -£5.

Door locking mechanism £20 -fitted by myself.

Some cabin leaks -suspect windscreen as this appears to be 'glued in'.

General Comments:

I like this car.

It has remained in very good condition since purchased. prior to purchase it had some paint protection which has worked well and looks shiny even when dirty.

The engine manages only 30-35 mpg.

The auto gearbox is a dream.

I suffer from back pain and find there is no real comfortable position for me. The only car that I find a lot worse for this is the Mazda 6.

If the car remains in the same condition and I sell it the going price is less than £2000. It's better for me to just keep running it!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th July, 2004

1996 Vauxhall Vectra LS 1.8 16v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Strong reliable car

Faults:

The remote alarm central locking fob no longer works, so key See's more use, there rear left door will not unlock this happened about two weeks after purchase. When at motorway speed you can only hit break pedal lightly unlike when doing 30 in town.

General Comments:

Lovely at cruise speed (70 miles per hour) also great engines and gear box with excellent comfort levels.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th July, 2004

1996 Vauxhall Vectra LS 1.8 16v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A good car, but a little expensive to run when you're a young driver

Faults:

Leaky radiator.

Broken thermostat sensor so it looked like the car was overheating.

General Comments:

Good and comfortable car with light steering.

Plenty of space for the driver and front passenger, but limited in the back. The back seats have belts for three, but only two can comfortably be transported at anytime.

Standard sound system is excellent with plenty of bass.

Good ride with good low geared acceleration, but you find yourself constantly changing down as you hit any sort of gradient. Definitely needs a smaller steering wheel.

I like this car a lot even if it is a bit big for a first car and can be thirsty for an 1800.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 10th April, 2004

4th May 2004, 12:27

I couldnt agree more, the Vectra is a bit on the big side for a beginner, but I feel I handle it quite well. My family feel safer when I'm driving rather than when my father (who owns the car) drives so I must be doing something right.

Your right it's a world apart from most of my friends cars and I love that!!! Its exactly like me, larger than life and different. My friends have Rover Metros, Fiestas and a Rover 214 (which up until I past my test was the best car in the group - hmm).

I am 19 years old and have had a license for a few months. Not to want to sound arrogant or anything, but I think for most of my friends the Vectra would be too big for them, but its just right for me. It fits like a glove and I love it even if I do bellyache about something or other on a regular basis. Some of the other reviews are a bit too harsh I feel. With regards to the engine, I have a mate who drives a 2001 1.6 litre engine. He says it's a smoother car all round and recommends it over the 1800.

1996 Vauxhall Vectra Envoy 1.6 8v petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Very good car for not much money

Faults:

2 snapped handbrake cables.

New starter motor at 110,000 miles.

New multi-function display for radio etc.

General Comments:

Excellent value for a car of this size.

Cheap to insure for its size.

Not a lot of power for a car of this size (but makes it cheap to run) ; struggles up very steep hills.

Excellent motorway fuel economy; not nearly so good on short journeys.

Eats handbrake cables; Vauxhall now supply larger diameter handbrake cables. Presumably they've acknowledged a defect with the old design.

Base Envoy model needs a few more extras - I'd go for at least the LS model if I bought another Vectra.

Quality of trim much better than on older Vauxhalls.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th September, 2003

11th Feb 2004, 07:11

Regarding the comment about handbrake cables: I've owned a 1996 Vectra and I've found that Vauxhall cables are often thicker than those from other suppliers.

No idea why this is the case, but would advise anyone replacing handbrake cables to get the Vauxhall part (for this it's around £3-4 more expensive than getting it elsewhere).

6th Nov 2004, 09:44

About 2 months after I had bought my Vectra, the handbrake cable also broke, but so far I haven't had any other problems.

I've also noticed that the Vectra had power problems with the 8 valve engine, but being a mechanic, I know how to tune them, and if you fiddle about with the electronic distributor and the injector (without replacing anything and doing any damage), you should get about another 10bhp, which is as much power as you're going to get out of it, without performing any modifications to it. And it's enough power I think to get you up those steep hills, and also take up the slack on the accelerator cable, so that when you put your foot down, it will react instantly.

15th Apr 2006, 14:38

I have owned an 8 valve Vectra for four years now.

It has never let me down all. I have replaced is the water pump and the obvious tyres etc.

The only thing I will say is they are a bit underpowered up hills.