Is the Vectra a Good car

JohnThomas09

Hey guys.i have recently sold my car and im looking at buying a 2003 Vauxhall Vectra elite dti,it has 75000miles and a Full Service History,i dont know anything about these cars.Could anyone help me out here,im a Volkswagen man at hear and know lots about them but im thinking of buying a Vauxhall because VW's are as common as umbrella's these days.any advice on this type of car??

furtzy

Contrary to what that knob Clarkson says they're fine. I've had 3....a 2003 1.8 petrol, a 2003 2.2 diesel and now a 2005 1.9 CDTi SRi. The petrol one was ridiculously hard on fuel and had to go....the 2.2DTi was fine but a little rough and the current diesel SRi is a cracker. They all suffered from the same suspension problem where the cup that the front springs rest in was too small and sometimes the spring moved with a horrendous noise. This was a simple dealer fix but annoying that Opel didn't rectify it in their design.

The 2.0 DTi is an old design and not common rail and quite noisy compared to the modern 1.9 Fiat unit that I have now.

All in all I would recommend them

bazz26

The only reason Vauxhalls are not all that common here is because they are sold as Opels here. :P

OP, I'd seriously consider stretching your budget to the 1.9 CDTi diesel version instead. It is a Fiat Multi-Jet unit and one of the best in it's class, it was launched around late 2004. The 2.0 DTi is very old and wasn't that refined

trackmixstudio

My wife just got a 2002 1.8 vectra and it's a great car.
http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055627278

Henry Ford III

Vectras are a reasonably able car, but far from class leading.

A UK imported Vauxhall version will be very very hard to resell btw.

EPM

I'd echo all thats been said already. Not the best car but far from the worst. They were significantly improved by the 2005 facelift. If you can at all stretch to a 1.9cdti facelift car-150 brake is available along with the base 120. My next door neighbour has a pre facelift 120 diesel and loves it...and he came from a passat t-didily-i.

The SRI five doors look really well IMO but the elite spec would have everything in it

Lex Luthor

EPM wrote: »

They were significantly improved by the 2005 facelift. If you can at all stretch to a 1.9cdti facelift car-150 brake is available along with the base 120.The SRI five doors look really well IMO but the elite spec would have everything in it

I'd have to agree here...I think the older dti diesels are not that reliable from reviews out there and the newer fiat 1.9 is a lot stronger, plus it looks better after 2005. You should get a very cheap Vx equivalent in the UK

robtri

IMHO, i believe the vectra to be one of the better cars in it class, I have always liked them for some weird reason....
Nice car to drive, nice and comfy for long journeys, and the elite model youa re looking at has a very good spec list...
the DTI engine is a bit of a disapointment though, to be honest its a bit tractor like, it feels slow, and noisey compared to other diesels.

assadi above, if you could move up a couple of years to the newer 1.9CDTI engines you will have a much more enjoyable car.

chughes

I used to own a 98 Vectra and I thought it was a fine car. The only thing to look out for is the timing belt. I understand from a mechanic that this is a problem common to all Vectras. They tend to wear after 50k/60k miles so it's something you might have checked out before buying.

Lex Luthor

chughes wrote: »

I used to own a 98 Vectra and I thought it was a fine car. The only thing to look out for is the timing belt. I understand from a mechanic that this is a problem common to all Vectras. They tend to wear after 50k/60k miles so it's something you might have checked out before buying.

no more than any other car I'd say

Davidth88

I had one as a company car back in the 98-00 time. Loved it.

it will never set the world on fire , but its a good car.

The brakes were wonderful, it was the first car I had that had ABS and a few times they saved me from the ditch.

However to put this in perspective , my previous car to that was a Rover 414 OMG I hated that car with a passion, noisy horrible thing , any car would seem wonderful after that heap of junk.

furtzy

chughes wrote: »

I used to own a 98 Vectra and I thought it was a fine car. The only thing to look out for is the timing belt. I understand from a mechanic that this is a problem common to all Vectras. They tend to wear after 50k/60k miles so it's something you might have checked out before buying.

DTi is chain driven so no belt to worry about

alias no.9

furtzy wrote: »

DTi is chain driven so no belt to worry about

I wouldn't count on that, they're known to snap chains :eek:.

Lex Luthor

Quote from HonestJohn about 2003 Vectra

"98% breakdown free in 2003 Which survey. Fewest number of breakdowns, problems and faults in 2003 Which survey"

I must have missed this review :rolleyes:

tony231974

Nissan is your best bet.

furtzy

alias no.9 wrote: »

I wouldn't count on that, they're known to snap chains :eek:.

Have heard of this on the 2.2 Ecotec petrol but never on the DTi engines. If its passed a visual inspection in the service history then it should be good for well over 120K

biomech

vectra ia a fine car.... as said in all the other posts.. it wont set the world or your pocket on fire. ive a 00 2.0td and its fine... stick it in "overtake all" mode and ull still come out with 45mpg+... dont listen to any of the stories like "oh the timing belts give trouble". Plenty experts/key board warriors out there that have no clue which was already pointed out. all cars will give their own bit of trouble and some will give none... im sure the newer version is a bit different but from what ive heard theyr a grand car.... lift the bonnet every other week and ull spot anything that needs attention... best of luck with it.

Gregor Samsa

tony231974 wrote: »

Nissan is your best bet.

That sounds like a magic 8 ball answer.

"Magic 8 Ball, I'm specifically interested in purchasing a 2003 Vauxhall Vectra Elite dti, with 75000miles and a Full Service History. Can you tell me more about this car?"

*Shake* *Shake* *Shake*

Sean Quagmire

I really like the vectra aswell. In fact it would probably be my next choice of car. 2006 + current model with big alloys and side skirts are nice and agressive looking.

weepee

I didnt realise ALL Vectras are fitted with a timing chain ?


Some models and years got a recall regards 'chain' problems, might be a good idea to fone Opel Customer Service with a chassis number, they'll be able to tell ya if the car
is on the danger list.

Chain snaps, engine is dead.

Greenman

Although old with a bit of rust on the rear arches I love my 1990 Opel Vectra 1.7D, it dose 5 litres to the 100 kms and very comfortable. I'll drive it till it dies.

Saab Ed

Greenman wrote: »

Although old with a bit of rust on the rear arches I love my 1990 Opel Vectra 1.7D, it dose 5 litres to the 100 kms and very comfortable. I'll drive it till it dies.

Well I think Im right in saying that your car has the Isuzu 1.7 under the bonnet and if so you'll probably die before it.

furtzy

weepee wrote: »

I didnt realise ALL Vectras are fitted with a timing chain ?


Some models and years got a recall regards 'chain' problems, might be a good idea to fone Opel Customer Service with a chassis number, they'll be able to tell ya if the car
is on the danger list.

Chain snaps, engine is dead.

They don't but the DTi the OP is referring does

biomech

Saab Ed wrote: »

Well I think Im right in saying that your car has the Isuzu 1.7 under the bonnet and if so you'll probably die before it.

fact ... that engine is good for over 300K. the rest of the car just might make it that far too if you mind it.

bazz26

I had a 99 Vectra from new and it was the worst POS I ever owned. Numerous electrical problems that either the dealer had no idea how to fix or wasn't interested.

I'm sure the new model is better and the 1.9 CDTi engine was available in the pre facelifted model from the middle of 2004.

My only gripe is with the stupid pointless indicator switches, they wreck my head. :mad:

Did they get rid of them in the Insignia?

Mel-Irl

Great car.......... and very strong too!!!!

weepee

Mel-Irl wrote: »

Great car.......... and very strong too!!!!

This simply proves how good it is.

The Guards caught up with the bad guys quicker than expected