Vectra C 2.0 DTi

andyseadog

i'm going to look at one of these in the morning, a 2003 with 121k miles on the clock.

its advertised as not taxed or tested. i called him anyway and he said it was only imported from the UK 6 weeks ago. and motorcheck confirms this, it also confirms no finance is owed and that the mileage is genuine.

the current owner says it was recently serviced and that he has just lost his job which means he cant afford to tax and test it, which i'm wary of.

what should i look out for in these cars? i believe the 2.0 DTi is not a common rail engine and is chain driven, is there anything they are known to give trouble with?

swhyte027

Yes the chain does give trouble on that engine.im not a fan of that type of make as they give trouble with sensors but that is hard to c what's going to go wrong down the line .id say this guy is just trying to make Afew quid bringing in cheap cars from the uk and selling them on at a small profit without test and tax.even if that's the case the car could be 100%.just start the car from cold and make sure the first time it's started that u can't hear a slight rattle out of the chain.if its going bad u will hear it slightly rattle on first start up.

vectra

Did you Google his mobile number?

andyseadog

Yeah, googled his mobile number, no responses from it . and he allowed me to view the car at his house so i asume he has nothing to hide. I also done a full motorcheck report on it and it hadn't been clocked (genuine 122k miles on it) and had no outstanding finance or any other irregularities.

anyhow, he imported it from the north in december 2011, paid the vrt on it and had it fully serviced but never taxed/ tested it because he "lost his job" whether he did or he just decided to sell to make a few euro i don't know/ care.

the bodywork was lovely and straight, literally not a mark on it bar a crack in one tail light lens, and the interior was very clean, slight wear on the gearstick and drivers bolster but otherwise perfect. It started from cold very well, no grinding from the chain and pulled grand through the gears, no clutch slip or grinding or visible smoke from the exhaust. no suspension rattles either on the test drive, the tyres are at around 50% but they are all the same brand so thats a posotive i think.

and for 2030 euro to be precise i'm now the proud owner of a 03 vectra sxi diesel. lots of goodies i'm not used to like remote central locking :P cruise control, air conditioning, rain sensing wipers, front spots, alloys and buttons everywhere on the dashboard and steering wheel for electric everything, i'm over the moon.

i took 1600 for my focus and this car cost 2030 euro so 400 euro isn't bad to move up 4 years to a much nicer car i dont think :cool: both the focus and vectra needed to be taxed so thats a break even and the focus needed a timing belt which the vectra doesnt have :pac:

the donedeal advert is removed so i have no pictures at the moment.

FAir play, I reckon you did very well there, I say the add earlier, looks a fine bus, happy motoring :cool:

andyseadog

few snaps after i gave it a wash

bazz26

Saloon Vauxhall Vectras are very rare, well wear with it.

vectra

That Vectra is looking smart.. Best of luck with it.

andyseadog

thanks very much guys, and for all the buying advie as usual too !

i'm seriously pleased with the car, it feels so nice and sturdy to drive but doesn't really set the world on fire in terms of speed or handling.

i'm picking up a new heater resistor from my local opel main stealer in the morning and i have a second hand tail light sorted ready for me to fit in the morning too.

i'm contemplating removing the tow bar and the vauxhall emblem from the boot too to clean up the rear end a bit?

furtzy

Looks well. They are an underrated car. I had 3 of them and still have a soft spot for them

Very good owners club at www.vectra-c.com

They helped me out loads of times

andyseadog

andyseadog wrote: »

..............
i'm contemplating removing the tow bar and the vauxhall emblem from the boot too to clean up the rear end a bit?

I'd defo be thinking removal of the Vauxhall emblem (s) is a good idea.

shamwari

That's a very clean car, well done !

andyseadog

So here's the two month update

Benn watching my fuel consumption carefully enough and seeing high 40's (48/49 area) so i'm happy with that, but it would be great to crack 50mpg though!

Treated her to 4 parts worns :P all premium brand though, 2 dunlops and 2 goodyears as far as i remember costing €140 euro.

Had the car tracked and sent it for the NCT.

Failed on a broken passenger side headlight mounting and a rear shock, not bad if i do say so myself. The shocks showed no imbablance on the test sheet but he said it looked to be leaking so in my (uneducated) opinion it may have been unfair to fail it for that.

Removed the Vauxhall badges and fitted Opel ones. You know things are bad when the OH got me those for Valentines Day :P

The car is still driving great, had no mechanical issues thank god. the temp gauge as long as i've owned the car rests at around 82 degrees when fully warmed up though which seems a bit low? or is that ok for a diesel? i've put nearly 6000 miles on it now and its still ok.

andyseadog

andyseadog wrote: »

............. The shocks showed no imbablance on the test sheet but he said it looked to be leaking so in my (uneducated) opinion it may have been unfair to fail it for that.

................ the temp gauge as long as i've owned the car rests at around 82 degrees when fully warmed up though which seems a bit low? or is that ok for a diesel?...........

I'm thinking a leaking shock is a fail tbh.

Might have a cool running thermostat installed, I would have thought as standard she'd sit at 90 degs ish. If the stat housing is easily accessible throwing in a standard stat should raise that back to 90 degs, might be factory too of course.

andyseadog

a little update of sorts...

old vs "new" headlamp


switched the front grille (from vauxhall to opel) and fitting the new headlamp


debadged the boot


fitted stickers


dirty old leaking shock



tools needed


washed



"breakers yard" tip-ex



enjoy

andyseadog

for those of you watching this with baited breath, the car passed the NCT very happy with that result.