1998 Vauxhall Vectra LS 1.8 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A plodder that has provided very little to worry about

Faults:

Exhaust.

General Comments:

Reliable if somewhat unexciting.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th September, 2008

1998 Vauxhall Vectra Arctic 1.8 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

We like it very much

Faults:

Since new, we have noticed exhaust fumes when idling and also on long journeys. Recently our son drew also drew our attention to it.

This has been reported during service etc. but nothing has ever been done to cure it. Is this a general fault or are we just unlucky.

General Comments:

Generally happy.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th May, 2008

1998 Vauxhall Vectra LS 2.0 low power turbo diesel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Reliable and cheap to run

Faults:

Needed new ignition lock at 160,000 because the key wouldn't turn in the lock.

Needed new rose (?) suspension bush on rear suspension because it was making a clonking noise, turning left at low speed.

Water leak in boot from nearside rear quarter-light window.

General Comments:

I have done 80,000 miles in 3 years, and the car now has 161,000 miles on it, and apart from the key not turning in the ignition lock problem, it has been totally reliable. It starts first time every time.

All I do is change the oil regularly and put diesel in it. I haven't had any work done on the engine - nothing has gone wrong. The car still drives well with plenty of power on the motorway.

As you can tell, I am very pleased with the reliability and very low running costs of my diesel Vectra.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th March, 2008

1998 Vauxhall Vectra CD 2.0 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

It's good, but the handling needs help

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

The springs and shock absorbers are a little too soft for the amount of power, so it's a little frightening at sharp corners, but it goes like stink on the motorways and smooth roads.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th March, 2008

1998 Vauxhall Vectra LS 2.0 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Nice looking car, and good value for money

Faults:

Mainly electrical faults really. Engine management light came on a couple of times, which turned out to be the cam tensioner sensor in both cases. Repaired at cost of around £95.00.

Rocker box gasket went after 90,000 miles, which is fair enough I guess.

More recently the central locking packed up and required a new module. Involved a total cost of just over £250.00.

General Comments:

Quite a nice looking car in my opinion.

Fairly economical and enough power on tap if required.

Annoying rattles come from the boot area possibly parcel shelf, but hard to say.

Finish is quite good and no signs of rust anywhere.

Quite heavy on pads and brake discs, and tyres can be expensive if you don't shop around.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st December, 2007

2nd Dec 2007, 11:59

If there is a rattle in the boot, then it could be the back wiper motor is not bolted on. It happened on mine, and it cost £2 to fix. I just had to buy 2 bolts.

1998 Vauxhall Vectra LS 1.8 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Ambassador like luxury for the man on the street!

Faults:

Alarm would not turn off, (very embarrassing) although this was an after market alarm.

Indicator light bulb had to be replaced.

General Comments:

The transition from my previous car was literally like stepping forward a decade overnight. The smooth ride coupled with the sports handling of the Vectra allowed me to accelerate up hills and find new levels of driver satisfaction. Admittedly the wrong wheels are driven by the engine, but this is a minor point.

I have now installed some luxury England mats, which give the car an 'executive' feel.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd July, 2006

1998 Vauxhall Vectra Arctic 11 1.8 16v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Good, but watch that water pump

Faults:

Water pump bearings collapsed and let the cam belt go slack, which in turn made it jump some teeth and it bent all 16 valves. Two months previous we had new cambelt and all the other stuff done, but the water pump was not part of this. So be warned, make sure you have the water pump changed when you have a new cam belt, or it could cost you £700 for a head rebuild.

General Comments:

We love our Vectra - quick and very comfy.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th February, 2006

1998 Vauxhall Vectra GLS 2.0 TDi from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Great car, will buy a Vauxhall again!

Faults:

A small leak developed in the brake servo. To save money, I asked a few friends who said that it sounded like the vacuum pump had seen better days. I replaced this, but this failed to resolve the issue. No garage I spoke to was able to find what the issue was, so I looked into it further, and worked out that the brake servo must be leaking. However, when I took the car to Vauxhall, they tested the car and still thought the vacuum pump was broken. I gave them my old pump, which they replaced, and this didn't cure the issue. They then replaced brake servo, which solved the issue. They hadn't seen an issue like this before and didn't charge me any diagnostics or labor for replacing the vacuum pump.

General Comments:

Apart from the brake servo, this was a very reliable and economical car, averaging 46mpg around town and up to 58mpg on the motorway at about 65mph.

With 197000 miles on the clock, the engine seemed a little tired and was noisy, but it always started first time, even on the coldest winter morning.

It's a huge car inside, easily seating 5 people.

The stereo needed to be better, but the reception was crisp and it was easy to use.

The interior was hard wearing, even at this mileage, there was no sign of wear and tear inside and all the electrics worked fine, but there was one squeaked that came from the dashboard.

I got the car from the leasing company my brother works for, and having seen the whole service history, the most expensive service it ever had was just over £200.

To sum it up, after the previous driver had driven the car for 170,000 miles in 4 years, you would have though he would get would want a different car, but he then hired exactly the same spec Vectra again, he too must have realized what a great car this is when everything is taken into account.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th September, 2005