VAUXHALL Calibra 1996 SE6 8V 2.0

Wolverine_1999

Hi peeps,

I've been offered this car for €4,500 from a friend... Just wondering if you would consider it a good deal for the specs.

EDIT: Price gone down to €4,350.

1998cc 8 valve engine (Best engine vauxhall ever made)

93,000mls (very low for a calibra)

Very detailed service history, including new timing belt, bushings, tyres ect......

NCT doesnt expire until July 2007.

2 Owners before me. It was originally a show car.

Tax is expired.

Electric Windows, Mirrors, Sunroof.

Air Con

ABS

Airbags

Remote Control central locking with high tec alarm.

Alloys

Full Tan Leather Interior (rear seats hardly ever used)

Kenwood black face CD radio. (€400 worth)

skibum

Nice car, good condition and spec.
Take it for a good hard test drive, especially twisty roads. It's a vectra in drag.
Having said that the engine is nice and torquey and it does have a good bit of history.
Make sure the air con works, can be expensive to repair.

Wolverine_1999

Cool, thanks for the advice.

Does the price seem like a good one? I've been quoted insurance at €900 as a NAMED driver. Plus there is tax at around €500 to pay as well....

In relation to the registration of the car, even though I own the car, is it possible to make somebody else the main insuree on the car, with me being the named driver?

I don't think that any insurance company will insure me directly because of the specifications of the car..

Borzoi

Wolverine_1999 wrote:

(rear seats hardly ever used)

I'm not surprised yuo really need to be a contortionist to use them - I had the dubious pleasure in a colleagues Calibra. Great fun to drive though

Wolverine_1999

Was looking at UK registered cars, and it seems that the VRT on this car would only be €334 ??

Would it not be much cheaper to get one imported from the UK?

PauloMN

My advice would be to double... no triple check with the insurance company that they have the right car down i.e. make sure they are not quoting you on the 16V or the Turbo. Insurance companies can be very sloppy like this and can end up costing their customers a fortune in extra and unnecessary premiums.

Ask them to confirm - preferably in writing - that they've quoted you on the 8 valver.

As regards the car - l've a soft spot for the Calibra, I spent a very happy weekend about 8 years ago tooling around in a 2.5 V6 one. I'd try and get it slightly cheaper - depends on how desperate the seller is to get rid of it, but it's worth trying.

Look out for the usual stuff: make sure it's not smoking, burning oil, look for crash damage/respraying etc.. Also just check when the timing belt/water pump was done - if done around 50k miles you'll be needing that job done again soon so budget another €300 to €400 for that.

Wolverine_1999

PauloMN wrote:

My advice would be to double... no triple check with the insurance company that they have the right car down i.e. make sure they are not quoting you on the 16V or the Turbo. Insurance companies can be very sloppy like this and can end up costing their customers a fortune in extra and unnecessary premiums.

Ask them to confirm - preferably in writing - that they've quoted you on the 8 valver.

As regards the car - l've a soft spot for the Calibra, I spent a very happy weekend about 8 years ago tooling around in a 2.5 V6 one. I'd try and get it slightly cheaper - depends on how desperate the seller is to get rid of it, but it's worth trying.

Look out for the usual stuff: make sure it's not smoking, burning oil, look for crash damage/respraying etc.. Also just check when the timing belt/water pump was done - if done around 50k miles you'll be needing that job done again soon so budget another €300 to €400 for that.

Tesco are actually giving me a quote of €900 on this exact car as a Named driver..

I'll definately check every inch of the car before I really decide to buy.

Thanks for the advice

bazz26

That car looks like it has a Vauxhall badge on the front not Opel? If it is a UK imported Vauxhall Calibra and not an Opel then it might be cheaper to insure.

I don't think Opel ever sold an 8 valve version of the Calibra in Ireland afaik.

Also if the car is registered in your name then I think the insurance companies will only insure the registered owner as the primary user. In other words the registered owner may not be able to be insured as a named driver on the car. Check this out for sure with insurance companies before buying the car. I think the only way around this is to get a parent or partner to be the registered owner of car and then you added as a named driver.

In the long term you will still need to build up your own NCB to get cheaper insurance.

C_Breeze

It a feckin Vectra - except it has 2 doors and a few extras!
youd be crazy to spend 4000 on that.

Plus its as ugly as a pot bellied pig ! hight mileage too for an opel - i just dont trust 'em.

Drove exactly the same engined calibra before - very unresponisve i thought, didnt like it at all.

thats just my 2 cents , but whatever floats your boat i guess.

for 4k you could get a very nice celica or mx3 1.8 v6 - thats what id go for if i were you.

Wolverine_1999

bazz26 wrote:

That car looks like it has a Vauxhall badge on the front not Opel? If it is a UK imported Vauxhall Calibra and not an Opel then it might be cheaper to insure.

I don't think Opel ever sold an 8 valve version of the Calibra in Ireland afaik.

Also if the car is registered in your name then I think the insurance companies will only insure the registered owner as the primary user. In other words the registered owner may not be able to be insured as a named driver on the car. Check this out for sure with insurance companies before buying the car. I think the only way around this is to get a parent or partner to be the registered owner of car and then you added as a named driver.

In the long term you will still need to build up your own NCB to get cheaper insurance.

I've checked the primary/registered owner thing. It was possible to put myself as the owner, even though I am a named driver at one online quote. But they wouldn't insure me because of the sports nature of the car. I think it may be because they did not have the exact model available, only the 16v version which increases insurance by a lot I think.

I know I won't be getting any NCB as a named driver, but by the time I am 25, insurance will be considerably less anyway, so I might as well just be a named driver until then anyway...

Wolverine_1999

C_Breeze wrote:

It a feckin Vectra - except it has 2 doors and a few extras!
youd be crazy to spend 4000 on that.

Plus its as ugly as a pot bellied pig ! hight mileage too for an opel - i just dont trust 'em.

Drove exactly the same engined calibra before - very unresponisve i thought, didnt like it at all.

thats just my 2 cents , but whatever floats your boat i guess.

for 4k you could get a very nice celica or mx3 1.8 v6 - thats what id go for if i were you.

Any idea where I could get an MX3? Don't like Toyotas at all at all..

I have to say though, it's a nice Calibra. An Se6 as well, so only around 200 ever made. Leather seats to top it off!

C_Breeze

Wolverine_1999 wrote:

Any idea where I could get an MX3? Don't like Toyotas at all at all..

I have to say though, it's a nice Calibra. An Se6 as well, so only around 200 ever made. Leather seats to top it off!

check the buy and sell or auto trader.
If you really like the calibra , go for it though - i was just giving MY opinion.
My bros friend had one - i didnt like it at all , but he loved it! - so really its a matter of personal prefference.

Oh and interior is comfy on them , so chicks will dig it

bazz26

Wolverine_1999 wrote:

I've checked the primary/registered owner thing. It was possible to put myself as the owner, even though I am a named driver at one online quote. But they wouldn't insure me because of the sports nature of the car. I think it may be because they did not have the exact model available, only the 16v version which increases insurance by a lot I think.

Are you sure that car is an Opel and not a Vauxhall?

That might explain why insurance companies only have the 16valve version listed. Also I am not sure that Opel ever sold an SE version of Calibra in Ireland. If the car in question is a Vauxhall then it is more than likely a UK import and this could influence the insurance quotes you have been getting so far. Insurance companies might have an 8 valve version of the Vauxhall Calibra listed but not the Opel version.

Wolverine_1999

bazz26 wrote:

Are you sure that car is an Opel and not a Vauxhall?

That might explain why insurance companies only have the 16valve version listed. Also I am not sure that Opel ever sold an SE version of Calibra in Ireland. If the car in question is a Vauxhall then it is more than likely a UK import and this could influence the insurance quotes you have been getting so far. Insurance companies might have an 8 valve version of the Vauxhall Calibra listed but not the Opel version.

I've asked him about that now. Waiting for him to get back to me. Will post insurance rates if I get any.

Thanks

Wolverine_1999

Brilliant! Got a quote of €844 from Hibernian as a NAMED driver on the Vauxhall.