1996 Vauxhall Vectra CDX 16v review from UK and Ireland

Passenger sun visor broke 2 weeks after buying the car. Vauxhall wanted £110 for parts to fix it.

Timing Belt & Tensioner broke after 29000 miles. (Vauxhall did pay for everything, but I was without a car for 2 weeks)

Alternator overcharged, damaging the battery + 3 electric windows + dash bulbs. Ever since vauxhall fixed the bulbs the top of the dashboard has creaked.

Water leaks in seal around the boot, drivers side rear door, and passenger side foot well (water literly ran in through where the windscreen meets the bulk head.) filling the passenger (front & rear) foot wells in water.

Front left fog light leaks letting in water causing it to mist and causing corrosion.

The multifunction display (showing current Miles per Gallon, temperature, average speed, fuel range, average miles per gallon, etc.) has lost some of the vertical display lines.

The airbag & pretension seat belt warning light keeps coming on, thereby deactivating both safety features. I have to keep having it reset at a garage.

The drivers seat support bar broke at the very small weld point.

The clip in the radio that holds the removable face plate has broken twice.

The car was recalled because of brake problems, the handbrake cable and brake fluid was supposed to be changed, but 2 months later when I had it serviced the brake fluid still failed, it had too much water in it.

The ash tray popped out about 9 months after I bought the car, Vauxhall mechanic's said yeah its broke you'll need a new one, they wanted £127+VAT for parts. I did not go for that option and decided to take it out and look at it myself. The Haynes manual still hadn't been published at that point so I had to figure out how to get it out. I ended up being the metal pivot pin had come out. This has happened 4 times since.

Today the engine management light came on, and the car dropped loads of power. The garage told me straight away, that I wasn't alone and it would probably be the cam-shaft sensor (they have had a lot of people with the same problem). They have now told me it is indeed the cam-shaft sensor.

The car is quick, but it has terrible under-steer, and subsequently gets though tires quickly (they are not cheap tires either).

The power-steering in very nice, and the brakes are very good. This model has large disks all round.

There is plenty of room in the boot.