1996 Vauxhall Vectra LS from UK and Ireland - Comments

I've only just got this car and I'm starting to regret buying it.

Engine management light came on after 5 days of ownership. Crank sensor bracket had failed. Sensor and bracket need to be replaced, and will cost £100.

Central locking doesn't work on boot. Lock also sticks making it very difficult to open the boot.

Left and right hand ends of dash make horrible "cracking" sounds when driving over bumpy roads.

Remote central locking doesn't always work.

Just noticed a minor oil leak from the gearbox.

For a 1.6 16V it goes quite well given the size and weight of the car.

Fuel economy looks quite promising at around 45MPG.

I like the look of the car, even if it is common!

Handling is quite safe but not particularly good. Driving the thing is no fun. Engine makes a nice-ish noise though when revved hard. Boring overall.

Suspension isn't great either. It wallows over bumpy roads and there's a lot of body roll when cornering. I find myself sliding around in the seat when cornering.

Build quality is reasonable. Shame about the annoying rattles from the dash.

I've only had the car a week but it's already showing a tendency towards unreliability. I don't see myself keeping it long. My Cavalier is a much better car and gave less trouble in 2 years than the Vectra gave in 5 days! I'm keeping an open mind and don't want to condemn the car just yet. But first impressions get a big thumbs down! I just don't have any confidence in it.

Update:

Now on 82,500 miles. I've had the car 2 months and I'm not warming to it at all. It really is the pits! I hate the way it rides, handles and performs. The seats are squeaky and uncomfortable. The dashboard squeaks like a family of mice and it has more rattles than a nursery. It's the most frustrating car I've owned. It still feels lumpy on tickover and it kangaroos when pulling away from rest and there are just so many flat spots! IT'S CRAP!!! I'll be selling it soon... buying German or Japanese this time. I'll never touch another Vauxhall. Which is a shame because the Cavalier was a damned good car. What went wrong, Vauxhall?!

Update 16/11/2002.

Now on 98,000 miles and as big a pile of crap as ever.

To be fair to the car, it has been reliable. Just replaced a section of the exhaust (original) at a cost of £70. That's the first real outlay since buying the car a year ago.

BUT...

The boot fills up every time it rains. The interior rattles are getting worse. Remote locking is playing up again. The full beam lights flash when indicating left (the switch is at fault here.) It misfires badly and drinks loads in damp weather.

Summary: I still hate it. Getting rid very soon! Yeay!

A few days after writing the update the cambelt snapped. The result was 8 bent exhaust valves. The belt had been renewed before I bought the car (22,000 miles ago.) Scanning other reviews on this website show an alarmingly high incidence of cambelt failure and problems relating to the tensioner and rollers on the ECOTEC engine range. Due to these weaknesses I will never buy another Vauxhall. The cambelt on my Cavalier also failed. Is it my driving style? Or is it a design related problem?!