Faults:

Clutch/dual mass flywheel.

Boot struts.

Alternator.

Battery.

Rear window demister.

Boot locking mechanism.

Coolant pipe corrosion.

Bonnet release.

General Comments:

To be fair... The car served me well over the years of ownership.

Being the Life specification, it comes with very little in terms of features and mod cons. This is probably a blessing, as I'd imagine the electrical gremlins would run riot.

Was originally purchased at a car auction, and within a few months, the clutch and flywheel needed replacing. This was the only major problem I had to deal with, although it made me loath the car for a long, long time.

Good fuel economy on longer journeys, not so great when town/city driving, but that's every diesel. Surprisingly comfortable considering it's the lowest spec Vectra, for 95% of journeys.

Seats five adults fine, and the boot is massive (hatchback). Plenty of adjustment for the driver to get comfortable.

Surprisingly it had no cup holders and the CD/radio was very basic, compared to a 2004 Vauxhall Astra my father used to own. I suppose they had to cut costs somewhere to keep it as the lowest trim model, but it did have air con.

Apart from the clutch/flywheel issue, other niggles were not as costly, quite reasonable in typical Vauxhall fashion. I only used Vauxhall twice for any work on the car. They are way to expensive. Local garages carried out servicing and maintenance, at good prices.

The depreciation is quite steep, probably helped me purchase it at a good price. Having driven it for over a decade, age was definitely catching up with it. Whilst the engine was still pulling strong, the rest of the car was beginning to suffer due to age. Interior had started to rattle and creak more and more; and like most other owners, the headlights were not as bright as they used to be, due to the plastics dulling.

Would have drove the car till it drove no more, but it was recently written off by a lorry trying to get by it when it was parked.

It's not the best car in the world, but don't be fooled by the hatred of Jeremy Clarkson and his lemming viewers. The car will get you from A to B with very few issues as long as you use common sense and get the servicing and maintenance done. Overall the ownership of the car has been alright.

Faults:

EGR valve.

Exhaust.

Brakes and suspension.

ABS sensors.

Handbrake a bit weak even after repairs.

General Comments:

Top of range Elite Vectra served me well for ten years.

I enjoyed this car very much, driving was a pleasure, fast and economical.

Interior is as good as it gets. Very smooth on the motorway.

Good to drive. Had its issues, but more reliable than the Renault Laguna I had before. A good car if you can find a good one for very cheap. Do not pay too much as they have long since been replaced with the Insignia.

Faults:

Turbo, DPF, clutch, EGR valve, oil and coolant leaks, you name it, it went wrong on this car.

General Comments:

This Vectra performed OK and was comfortable, but was otherwise a poor car. The Ford Mondeo I had before was much better.

Exclusiv is poverty spec. Not much equipment. Quiet and smooth on motorways however. Seats were OK. Boot space was good.

1.9 CDTi was a disaster of an engine, always something going wrong. Did 45 - 50 mpg though and pulled strong when you needed to overtake.

Didn't put me off Vauxhall's despite the poor experience, I had a Cavalier back in the day and it was fine, I reckon I just got a bad one here with this Vectra. Scrapped in 2021. Too old and higher mileage - the car had zero value and too much wrong with it, depreciation on these cars is shocking. Have since moved onto an Insignia - a much better car in every way, huge improvement on the Vectra.