Should I Get A Vectra?

fatal1ty

Hi, I'm going to be 17 soon, and I talked my parents into getting me a car. But, i really want an Opel Vectra, B, to be exact. I should be able to afford to run it, they're (reasonably) light on petrol, and the 1.6 is cheaper than a few hatchbacks i've looked at. I want one of these to avoid the whole 'boy racer' stereotype, as all in all, the vectra is quieter, faster, more comfortable, roomier, and in my opinion, a lot better looking than the scrap Starlets and Corollas my friends think are 'fast'. Insurance is very reasonable too, so I genuinely don't see a reason to avoid one. However, is there anything in particular i should look out for when buying one, considering I have about E1,000 to spend on the car?

Rowley Birkin QC

Had one. They are a dog on petrol but I never really had any major issues with it other than when I left it parked up for 7 months while I was out of the country and rain ate the wiring.

Found it easy to work on so if you're mechanically minded that's a plus.

johnos1984

fatal1ty wrote: »

I have about E1,000 to spend on the car?

At that price level look for one that appears to be in good condition and hope for the best.

Personally I'd go with a JAP box if that's the budget as they tend to age better but for €1000 I'd expect problems to surface with any car

colm_mcm

Get your insurance quotes first, there's a reason people start small

johnos1984

colm_mcm wrote: »

there's a reason people start small

Surely you cannot be suggesting parents have babies and not fully grown adults due to cheaper VHI insurance?

fatal1ty

colm_mcm wrote: »

Get your insurance quotes first, there's a reason people start small

I'm looking at 2,500 for a quote, own policy. parent's won't insure me under them (they're evil...). however, i dont mind paying that.

johnos1984

fatal1ty wrote: »

parent's won't insure me under them (they're evil...)

They're right. I wouldn't want my name associated with a Vectra 'B'

eurokev

Your going to spend 1000 on a car and 2500 on insurance.


If you stand up and keep turning around really really quickly, say between 100 - 120 times your head might screw on properly , and you may realise that these figures are the wrong way around.

No 17 year old should be allowed drive anything more than a 1L imo

colm_mcm

200 quid a month + tax and petrol just to drive a vectra!!

Raskolnikov

The reason insurance is cheap is because the performance of the 1.6 litre engine is rubbish and not much better than a hatchback. The 0-60 in the Vectra you've probably been quoted on is 14.5 seconds - terrible. Unless you need the space, I would be inclined to go for a smaller and lighter hatchback to be honest.

sdanseo

I've a vectra C if you decide to go for a newer model - which is a decent enough car but be prepared to spend a few quid fixing them. New clutch, discs, pads, and needs a head gasket all in a year since I bought it, although perfectly conceivable that I just got a melon.

If the B and C varieties are anything similar on fuel consumption the 1.6L will give about 500-550km from a tank in urban driving, maybe 650km motorway. I've never thought of it as underperforming, though, that said the only thing I have to compare against it is a 1.2 Corsa and a 1.4 Fusion that my mam drives.

Raskolnikov

eurokev wrote: »

No 17 year old should be allowed drive anything more than a 1L imo

People here need to stop being obsessed with engine size! You can get a 1.0 VVTI Yaris with as much poke as the Astra this guy is probably talking about. Personally, I drive a 1.9 SDI which has 64 HP and a 0-60 of 18 seconds.

ottostreet

Raskolnikov wrote: »

People here need to stop being obsessed with engine size! You can get a 1.0 VVTI Yaris with as much poke as the Astra this guy is probably talking about. Personally, I drive a 1.9 SDI which has 64 HP and a 0-60 of 18 seconds.

That's far too fast for a 1.9. Lunacy for a 17 year old to have that kind of performance.

fatal1ty

sdeire wrote: »

I've a vectra C if you decide to go for a newer model - which is a decent enough car but be prepared to spend a few quid fixing them. New clutch, discs, pads, and needs a head gasket all in a year since I bought it, although perfectly conceivable that I just got a melon.

If the B and C varieties are anything similar on fuel consumption the 1.6L will give about 500-550km from a tank in urban driving, maybe 650km motorway. I've never thought of it as underperforming, though, that said the only thing I have to compare against it is a 1.2 Corsa and a 1.4 Fusion that my mam drives.

Thanks for the advice, it's exactly what I was looking for!! To the rest, I dont care about performance. One of the reasons I'm looking to get a Vectra is to avoid all this "all 17year-olds guys are 3-door hatchback driving, loud, brash, boy racers, and they think their little Saxo is the fastest thing on 4 wheels". Sensible 4-door saloon, for a sensible lad lol

Henry Ford III

fatal1ty wrote: »

Thanks for the advice, it's exactly what I was looking for!! To the rest, I dont care about performance. One of the reasons I'm looking to get a Vectra is to avoid all this "all 17year-olds guys are 3-door hatchback driving, loud, brash, boy racers, and they think their little Saxo is the fastest thing on 4 wheels". Sensible 4-door saloon, for a sensible lad lol

All decent enough reasoning, but you'll still be paying c.€60 p.w. or €3000 p.a. in insurance and road tax without even turning a wheel.

MugMugs

Raskolnikov wrote: »

eurokev wrote: »

No 17 year old should be allowed drive anything more than a 1L imo

People here need to stop being obsessed with engine size! You can get a 1.0 VVTI Yaris with as much poke as the Astra this guy is probably talking about. Personally, I drive a 1.9 SDI which has 64 HP and a 0-60 of 18 seconds.

I'd professionally hammer the hell out of a 17 year olds insurance premium on a 1.6 against a 1l and I'd get a little bit of sick satisfaction out of it too. 3k MINIMUM.

sept09baby

How about a Kia Rio? Would be cheaper on insurance (cheaper than most 1-1.2l hatchbacks) and cheap enough on petrol. Should be well able to get one for 1k. Would say it would be a lot easier on the pocket than the vectra and still gives plenty of room/

I've no experience driving or maintaining one though so worth checking that out but it was one I was looking at before I bought my car last year.

colm_mcm

The blind mans Hyundai accent. Great choice :rolleyes:

TestTransmission

fatal1ty wrote: »

Thanks for the advice, it's exactly what I was looking for!! To the rest, I dont care about performance. One of the reasons I'm looking to get a Vectra is to avoid all this "all 17year-olds guys are 3-door hatchback driving, loud, brash, boy racers, and they think their little Saxo is the fastest thing on 4 wheels". Sensible 4-door saloon, for a sensible lad lol

If anything the "cool" thing to be doing now is not to be driving 3 door hatchbacks and to drive bigger cars like A4's,Passats,etc

garclo

thats crazy money for insurance! you should get something small to start you off imho. if you really dont care about performance, you'll find loads of choice out there!

fatal1ty

garclo wrote: »

thats crazy money for insurance! you should get something small to start you off imho. if you really dont care about performance, you'll find loads of choice out there!

2,500 is very reasonable, if you ask me, for a quote on the Vectra. a lot of companies i've looked up were quoting me 3,4k upwards, and of course, a lot of "no quote"s.

to the rest again, I started this thread so I could find outwhat to look out for mechanically, when it comes to buying a Vectra. So, while I appreciate that you all look at the financial side for me, I'd rather hear about what to look out for mechanically when buying one, such as which parts are known to fail, etc.

Thanks again for the posts

TestTransmission

fatal1ty wrote: »

to the rest again, I started this thread so I could find outwhat to look out for mechanically, when it comes to buying a Vectra. So, while I appreciate that you all look at the financial side for me, I'd rather hear about what to look out for mechanically when buying one, such as which parts are known to fail, etc.

Thanks again for the posts

Any car going for €1000 will/might possibly have issues.I'd bring a mechanic along with you.

Ask for receipts,service history,etc and read this

I can't see people's point about the price being high, surely folks here paid a couple of grand on insurance at some stage. I paid IR£2400 ish the year I passed my test on a 1.4 with a years NCB.

TestTransmission

RoverJames wrote: »

I can't see people's point about the price being high, surely folks here paid a couple of grand on insurance at some stage. I paid IR£2400 ish the year I passed my test on a 1.4 with a years NCB.

yeah,but that was like 35 years ago :pac:

johnos1984

RoverJames wrote: »

I can't see people's point about the price being high, surely folks here paid a couple of grand on insurance at some stage. I paid IR£2400 ish the year I passed my test on a 1.4 with a years NCB.

I can't see any issue with the insurance price tbh.

My worst was €1900 after an accident.

I just thing the car is a SHID choice.

It's certainly no performance car so I don't know why people are banning on about that, I think it's just a desperate attempt to get on the road. I'd prefer go for a Laguna of similar vintage

fatal1ty

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

You realise we're talking about a 17 year old buying a Vectra here?
Not usually associated with carnage, spitting fire out of the exhaust, doing donuts, etc...
Think more carpet salesman, office stationary rep, funeral home representative, I don't think we have a rampant boyracer on our hands.
I don't get half this thread, someone only has to mention "17 year old" and the usual "They Should All Be Thrown In Prison!" brigade shows up.
Ireland is a great country for generalizations, not EVERY 17 year old will get into his car and within 100 meters slaughter 27 babies as they plow into a creche at 125 mph whilst doing donuts.
Honestly, is the "think of the children, Joe Duffy" brigade just getting louder, or dumber?

So, again from the top:
A 1.6 Vectra is NOT a performance car, it is more associated with cheese salesmen.
The OP can buy a tiny little 1 litre hatchback that goes faster.
I don't think the performance we're talking here is in any way over the top.
Any poster who came on just to post something along the lines of boyracer, they should charge you E10k insurance, etc...:
Get a life.
And thank God you're only someone spewing sh*te on the internet and not someone in a position to make any meaningful decisions regarding the OP's choice of car or insurance premium. So anyone who spouts that kind of garbage is, thankfully, safely to be ignored.
Get your Vectra OP and if it annoys the screaming ninny brigade: Good! Makes me happy.:cool:

Thank you, good Dr.Fuzzenstein!! this Doc should help cure the nation of it's stereotypes. Personally, i find the whole "17 year-old= boy racer" a bit of a joke, and I thank you for looking beyond that, hence proving you have the ability to think for yourself.

fatal1ty

TestTransmission wrote: »

Any car going for €1000 will/might possibly have issues.I'd bring a mechanic along with you.

Ask for receipts,service history,etc and read this

Thank you for the advice!

johnos1984

OP for 1000e I think there are better cars out there that will give as much performance, reliability, comfort and still be cheap on insurance than the usual rot boxes.

Toyota Avensis 1.6, Nissan Primera 1.6, Renault Laguna mk1 facelift model 1.6, Rover 600, etc etc

Basically I'd look for something which is a saloon, circa 1.6 petrol which is popular with the older driver.

As has been said above get them checked out by a mechanic and expect a few rough edges.

I started with a 1.6 Avensis which was a bit basic but cheap to run, nice to drive and very reliable. The image in any of these cars won't be great but they are clever choices

fatal1ty

johnos1984 wrote: »

OP for 1000e I think there are better cars out there that will give as much performance, reliability, comfort and still be cheap on insurance than the usual rot boxes.

Toyota Avensis 1.6, Nissan Primera 1.6, Renault Laguna mk1 facelift model 1.6, Rover 600, etc etc

Basically I'd look for something which is a saloon, circa 1.6 petrol which is popular with the older driver.

As has been said above get them checked out by a mechanic and expect a few rough edges.

I started with a 1.6 Avensis which was a bit basic but cheap to run, nice to drive and very reliable. The image in any of these cars won't be great but they are clever choices

You get the kind of car I'm looking for! Thanks a million for your suggestions, i hadn't even thought of those cars, to be honest. I'll be sure to look into a few. Thanks again.

Mr Benevolent

I'm paying €1600 on my first insurance at 31. OP, my advice is to buy a good car, and a Vectra B is crap, to put it mildly. My parents had one and it died of HG failure at 10 years old. I suggest a Fiesta. Nippy enough for a small car (better than a 1.6 Vectra anyway), lower insurance, much more reliable, better fuel economy and doesn't drive like an understeering pig. Hell I'm buying a Fiesta for my next car. Disguised as a 1.6 Puma, that is.

On another note, if you buy a 1.6 Avensis at 17 I guarantee you'll be banned from Motors post haste.

johnos1984

fatal1ty wrote: »

You get the kind of car I'm looking for! Thanks a million for your suggestions, i hadn't even thought of those cars, to be honest. I'll be sure to look into a few. Thanks again.

I know exactly what you're looking for as it's how I got on the road too.

Done deal is your best bet to find one or keep an eye locally.

Mechanics often have these cars for sale on behalf of customers too or they will buy, service it and sell it themselves for a small profit. In fact many of them will source one for you as more often than not they will end up servicing it for you too in the future

fatal1ty

johnos1984 wrote: »

I know exactly what you're looking for as it's how I got on the road too.

Done deal is your best bet to find one or keep an eye locally.

Mechanics often have these cars for sale on behalf of customers too or they will buy, service it and sell it themselves for a small profit. In fact many of them will source one for you as more often than not they will end up servicing it for you too in the future

Solid advice, man. I'll keep an eye out for one, and hopefully, I'll be on the road soon!

johnos1984

Laguna
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2547462
Laguna
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2515559
Avensis
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2532140
Primera
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2543922

dr.fuzzenstein

If you're in the market for a lazy barge, try this:
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mercedes-Benz/200/C-200-Ko/201134204058961/advert?channel=CARS

(just throwing it out there, one of my first cars was a 1984 Mercedes 200 W123, still my absolute favorite car I have ever owned or driven.)
Also, just an example, the price on that is optimistic, to be kind to the seller.

fatal1ty

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

If you're in the market for a lazy barge, try this:
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mercedes-Benz/200/C-200-Ko/201134204058961/advert?channel=CARS

(just throwing it out there, one of my first cars was a 1984 Mercedes 200 W123, still my absolute favorite car I have ever owned or driven.)
Also, just an example, the price on that is optimistic, to be kind to the seller.

beautiful car, but WAAAAY too pricey!!

robbie_998

Im sorry

my dad offered me his vectra and i told him where he could go with it......


its a terrible car, unreliable and uncomfortable to drive.
its a bit bigger than a few cars but nothing worth fighting for
my own car would carry more crap than his.

insurance on my car is cheaper than on the '98 vectra !!!

the vectra has too many problems and aren't the best cars in the world.

go with a jap box. it will give much less hassle ! and be lighter on fuel once you drive it right. (as per my thread i just created )


just to list some of the problems my dads vectra currently has
noisy exhaust (again for the 3rd time !)
oil leak from oil cap (2nd time to relpace it and also had 3 previous oil leaks in other places)
engine management problem that when car is started you'd be lucky if it stayed on.
electronic issues like dash sometimes not working.
key barrel broken (no steering wheel lock and sometimes car wont lock cos it thinks the key is still in it)
Handbrake is not worth a crap (garage said it was perfect but you still lift it a mile for anything to happen)
its nothing special to look at either to be fair... a bit ugle on the inside

bazz26

Had a Vectra B 1.8 litre for almost 2 years from new. Terrible piece of crap, drank petrol like fish drinks water. Iffy electrics and a very notchy gearbox. Can only imagine what they are like at this stage and would not wish one on my worst enemy.

Mk1/2 Mondeo and Peugeot 406 were light years ahead of it in every department.

barura

If you want to start on a vectra, go ahead! I got one for free that was sitting up. I drove it about 40 miles before giving it to a friend to take apart. In the short time I drove it I really digged how it drove, the pull of the engine, the feel of the clutch, acceleration and the stereo is nice in them. They have 4 doors, so handy for transporting people, and a boot!

Learning in one would be nice, the power of the engine will make doing hill starts, moving off, cruising etc. really nice. 0-60 speed doesn't mean squat. It can get to it, so why worry? People read too much into "POWER OF THE ANTICHRIST" when a learner wants to start on a 1.6 or larger. I WISH I started on a saloon, it is a lot more relaxed to drive and, if taught how to drive and using a little cop, wonderful for your test.

What else can I say? The 1.6 I had had brakes all around, nice for stopping in a hurry, coupled with ABS means a nice smooth stop compared to other "starter" cars.

You'll look respectable, as you want to. If you want to buck the trend of 3 door hatchbacks, why not? Be the wheelman on peoples nights out and grab a fiver each for petrol money. Do pizza deliveries. Hell, go for a long drive and realise that it's a ****-ton comfier than the 1.3 starlet you mates drive.

In short, get something that YOU like. All cars will have there problems. Check cars with a friend that has a good head for cars and get something that you will like.

Spending your money on a nice car is a lot more sensible than pissing it away on something stupid anyways... IE. Beer.

Also, when I was getting insured, a 1.8 laguna facelift from 99 was cheaper to get insured on than the VW polo 1lite I had.

Jeeze, I post too long sometimes...

mondeo

Thinking about one of those Vectras gives me a headache and a dry throat. Push starting a Lada sounds more appealing.

dr.fuzzenstein

OP, if you really want to have something different and quirky, you can't go wrong here:
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Citroen/Xantia/GREAT-CO/201114201874773/advert?channel=CARS

This is a 1.8, don't know what insurance would be like...

fatal1ty

bazz26 wrote: »

Had a Vectra B 1.8 litre for almost 2 years from new. Terrible piece of crap, drank petrol like fish drinks water. Iffy electrics and a very notchy gearbox. Can only imagine what they are like at this stage and would not wish one on my worst enemy.

Mk1/2 Mondeo and Peugeot 406 were light years ahead of it in every department.

Found a nice mondeo on DoneDeal, and insurance is 1,000 cheaper than the Vectra!! any more suggestions to reliable 4-door saloons would be great !

Mr Benevolent

fatal1ty wrote: »

Found a nice mondeo on DoneDeal, and insurance is 1,000 cheaper than the Vectra!! any more suggestions to reliable 4-door saloons would be great !

Throw up the link, and avoid the 1.8 petrol Mondeo Mk3.

bazz26

1997 to early 2000 Toyota Avensis 1.6 litre, not glamerous by any means but then again neither is a Vectra and at least the Avensis is reliable, lean burn engine is easy on fuel too.

I'd also look at an unmelested 1994 to 1998 Mazda 323f 1.5 litre, more youthful than a Vectra/Mondeo or Avensis.

fatal1ty

Confab wrote: »

Throw up the link, and avoid the 1.8 petrol Mondeo Mk3.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2544613

This is the car, but why avoid the 1.8 petrol? I was looking at a couple of 2.0diesels as well, and insurance is still less than a base Vectra

sdanseo

OP, just did a few quick quotes.

Start smaller. 1.6L will CRUCIFY you on insurance.

Weylin

no,no,no. the can be plauged by electrical problems/ecu failure. lots of way better stuff out there.

johndaman66

fatal1ty wrote: »

Found a nice mondeo on DoneDeal, and insurance is 1,000 cheaper than the Vectra!! any more suggestions to reliable 4-door saloons would be great !

That absolutely can't be right. If I picked up correctly from earlier in the thread you are a 17 year old and taking insurance out in your own name. Think you mentioned that you were quoted €2,500 on a 1.6 vectra (which seems lower than what I would have expected to be honest), so that would make the quote €1,500 on the 1.8 litre mondeo....Sorry to be a killjoy but I'd make sure to double check that as it does not seem right to me at all regardless of your other particulars...way of the mark in fact.

Lots of people mentioning to go for a smaller engined car to save on the insurance. I found when first taking out insurance you will save a few quid on a smaller car but not a hugh lot really, there was often only a couple of hundred in it.

Re the Vectra B I drove one myself for a few years but wouldn't particularly endorse it. Id consider it a pretty avergae family saloon. Far from the worst car going but certainly not the best by a long shot either. Mechanically mine gave me quite a few headaches. The headgasket went despite owning the car from low mileage and changing waterpump and coolant on time at the recommended intervals, and not roughing the car by any means. Granted the mileage was creeping up high enough when it gave but it still annoyed me. Timing belt changes are expensive, needing to be done every 40k miles...you need to buy a complete timing belt kit and water pump along with a few hours labour. Some owners will skimp on the pulleys and waterpump but thats a false economy as it may well more than likely lead to your engine self destructing in one way or another.

Fuel pump gave up on me and left me stranded far away from home. That left me with a repair bill of just shy of €500. Granted though part of that was to cover towing the car. Think the pump itself was about €320 or €340...enough loot I thought at the time. Think the main reason the fuel pump gives is because owners neglect to change the fuel filter. Utterly my own fault in my own case but you learn by your mistakes!

The car had a right healthy appetite for rear brake pads and bushings. The bushings can be expensive enough to put in. They need to be pressed in with a specific tool. Some garages will push them in by hook or by crook, damaging them in the process and pretty much your back at square one soon after. If you drive over a rough surface and find dull thumping from rear wheels area its a good indication the bushings need doing.

I found the gearchange to be quite notchy, and the ride can be pretty wallowy. Performance is far from super but the car is well able to keep up with traffic, and its not a performance car anyway as others have mentioned. Still though it didn't seem near as agile or free revving as many other similar family cars I have drove. On the plus side the car was very comfy and pretty smooth on motorways

If it were me with a budget of circa €1k looking for a car in that league I'd be more inclined to consider a Toyota Avensis/ Nissan Primera/ Mazda 323F.

robbie_998

Cheers for reminding me about the fuel pump.

Although the part itself should have only cost €80 ordered and easy enough to do oneself !

sdanseo

Sitec wrote: »

Think about a 1.6 Volvo S40 also OP.

You'll only get a post-2005 model in a 1.6 which will cost you minimum €4,995ish for a crap example.

Insurance will be terrible too and just about unobtainable on older models which start as 1.8L. Avoid, for the OP - in general though a nice car

fatal1ty

johndaman66 wrote: »

That absolutely can't be right. If I picked up correctly from earlier in the thread you are a 17 year old and taking insurance out in your own name. Think you mentioned that you were quoted €2,500 on a 1.6 vectra (which seems lower than what I would have expected to be honest), so that would make the quote €1,500 on the 1.8 litre mondeo....Sorry to be a killjoy but I'd make sure to double check that as it does not seem right to me at all regardless of your other particulars...way of the mark in fact.

RE Insurance
I agree, I thought that €1500 (€1533.27 to be exact) was too cheap to be true, but I double and even triple checked this figure, and it was still correct.

RE Vectra
Thanks for your information regarding the Vectra... I think I best stay away from them, as almost everyone on this thread has mentioned ECU and Gearbox problems, and the bad fuel economy. Personally, if the insurance quote is about the same in a couple of months, i reckon I'll get the Mondeo.

Thanks again for your info.

eljono

fatal1ty wrote: »

RE Insurance
I agree, I thought that €1500 (€1533.27 to be exact) was too cheap to be true, but I double and even triple checked this figure, and it was still correct.

RE Vectra
Thanks for your information regarding the Vectra... I think I best stay away from them, as almost everyone on this thread has mentioned ECU and Gearbox problems, and the bad fuel economy. Personally, if the insurance quote is about the same in a couple of months, i reckon I'll get the Mondeo.

Thanks again for your info.

That's a great insurance quote for a Mondeo.

We had three Vectras in the family over various stages. The last one was a 1.6 16v B that my mother originally had for 4 years, I then had it for 6 and a friend had it for 1. While it was comfortable, practical and well equipped, I felt it was underpowered for the weight of the car and as such was heavy enough on juice. The ECUs do give trouble on them, often resulting in the engine cutting out as you pull up to lights or roundabouts. The gearbox went on mine when it was 9 years old, replaced it with a secondhand one which then went after my friend owned the car for a year.

Personally, I think you'd be better off with a Primera or Mondeo, nicer cars to drive and don't seem to be as prone to niggles as the Vectra.