I have had two auto estate Vectras and have been disappointed with both.
The worst fault (which happened on both) was that the engine management light came suddenly and the power steering died, and you only have seconds to pull up and the brakes are limited, very dangerous!
Back and forth to the garage with the 2nd one, on the diagnostic computer it was always a sensor error. The last one being a cam shaft sensor, which was replaced and was costly!
On both I have had bad oil leaks and have suffered petrol fumes flooding into cabin (hole in breather pipe)
The reliability is not there, and after having two on the trot that did the same cutting out fault, it was upsetting and scary, especially after it happened in rush hour traffic and then wouldn't start!! Someone behind me nearly ploughed into me.
I would never have another one, I don't know if the cutting out is a Vauxhall manufacturer fault, but it makes the car so unsafe. I have heard of other Vectras that do the same.
The thing was serviced regularly too. Every six months.
Don't buy one for the reliability. It will cost you a fortune in bills. The garage owner knew who I was on the phone without me having to say who it was, the car was there so often.
On the plus side.
Big and roomy.
Lots of storage.
Wonderful big boot.
Goes fast and smoothly when functioning properly.
If it was reliable, and didn't cut out and scare me to death, I would have kept it as I did like the car.
I bought my Vectra GLS (1977) only a few weeks ago, but I am seriously considering getting rid of it and going back to my old 1989 Citroen BX19, which is still parked in the drive. I've never had any problems with that old bus, we only bought the Vectra because my wife didn't think the Citroen would survive the trip to Germany to attend my son's summer party.
The Vectra did the trip with no problems at all, however, last week, the ECU light came on and stayed on, so I joined the Vauxhall Owners Club in order to avoid an expensive diagnosis test, about £70+vat. They told me how to do it with a paper clip! I got the fault code out, 1530="air flow relay", but after spending many hours dismantling, cleaning and testing all the air intake components, the light still stayed lit.
As the car still runs excellently, I suspect it's a false alarm from the ECU unit itself, and as they are about £1000 to replace, I located the wire that connects to the light and cut it, there.
If there really is a fault, it will reveal itself eventually. No, I would certainly not buy another one if it was gift-wrapped!
I like my Vectra, but I've had problems with cutting out twice - both times it was a sensor.
I've got a problem with it cutting out again now so I suspect it's a problem inherent in the design.
I also owned a Cavalier 2.0 GL at the same time and had no problems whatsoever with it. I only got rid of it because it had done 140,000 miles. I should have hung on to it as the Vectra just doesn't seem as reliable.
My vectra was losing power suddenly when accelerating.
It turned out to be a faulty brake light switch even though the brake lights were OK. new switch fitted no more problems.
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