Opel Insignia

ScubaDave

Howdy Folks!

Have eyed up a car and thinking of placing a deposit tomorrow morning. Its a 2009 Opel Insignia SE spec. 48,000km, 2.0lt diesel, 130bhp. €17,000.

I know Opel had a bad name but the Insignia seems to have an alright reputation. Anyone have experience with them? What do ye think?

Pottler

Nice car. Nice to drive as well - mate crashed his Audi A8 and got an Insignia 2lt diesel as a loaner and we had a good spin around in it. Verry nice. Seems well screwed together too. Not as nice as the A8, but nice.:)

ScubaDave

Pottler wrote: »

Nice car. Nice to drive as well - mate crashed his Audi A8 and got an Insignia 2lt diesel as a loaner and we had a good spin around in it. Verry nice. Seems well screwed together too. Not as nice as the A8, but nice.:)

Yeah, cheap mans luxury car! Thats why i like it!

veetwin

Drove a 160bhp version a few weeks ago with all the bells and whistles like leather heated seats etc. Have to say was seriously impressed. Really well put together and refined. 18 " alloys look the part also. 09 version should have lost plenty of depreciation. The one I drive was 2010 and cost just over €20k. A new one would have been over €40k with all the options.

heathersonline

ScubaDave wrote: »

Howdy Folks!

Have eyed up a car and thinking of placing a deposit tomorrow morning. Its a 2009 Opel Insignia SE spec. 48,000km, 2.0lt diesel, 130bhp. €17,000.

I know Opel had a bad name but the Insignia seems to have an alright reputation. Anyone have experience with them? What do ye think?

You should be well able to pick up the top spec SRI 160bhp for that kinda money or less if you go private. Defo worth it IMO

Leonard Hofstadter

ScubaDave wrote: »

Howdy Folks!

Have eyed up a car and thinking of placing a deposit tomorrow morning. Its a 2009 Opel Insignia SE spec. 48,000km, 2.0lt diesel, 130bhp. €17,000.

I know Opel had a bad name but the Insignia seems to have an alright reputation. Anyone have experience with them? What do ye think?

I don't know where you got that idea from to be honest? The only really bad one is the 1.0 three cylinder Corsa to be honest! I wouldn't be mad about Opels but generally they're reliable machines. Although some early Insignias gave a lot of trouble, so make sure you buy something with a warranty, but really the problems with the Insignias should be sorted out by now.

Compton

17k is too much I think tbh, is it from a main dealer?

Compton

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3248700

bazz26

€17k seems expensive for a 3 year old Insignia. This one has higher mileage but still not excessive given the year, for €2k less and it's the more powerful 160bhp version:


http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=6213346607751080

BTW I'd be wary of a low mileage modern diesel, you could be facing dpf problems if the previous owner only used it for short journeys.

Damien360

I have one for work and it's a very nice place to be. Comfy, handling not as good as a mondeo but still ok. SE spec in mine is very good also. Cruise, better seats than base model, USB interface for ipod, climate, DAB radio, tyre pressure sensors. 30,000km service interval. No faults so far on any in our fleet. Oldest is 11 reg though but most do 50,000km per year in the fleet with no faults reported. Most are 130bhp but a few new 12 reg 160bhp also.

One thing, it is geared more like a petrol than diesel and you need to work the gears more than normal for a diesel.

tom petty

On 3-5-12 the BBC Watchdog programme includes an investigation into why so many Insignias are " spontaniously combusting " .
Maybe worth a look prior to buying .....
Have a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G7AEK2eBHU

bazz26

The Ecoflex models introduced in 2010 for lower tax bands are supposed to feel alot less powerful than the non Ecoflex models of 2009. This was apparently addressed in late 2011.

The engine is a modernised version of the old 1.9 Fiat Multi-Jet unit but I have also heard that fuel economy is not great from them compared to others in the class.

Drummerboy08

heathersonline wrote: »

You should be well able to pick up the top spec SRI 160bhp for that kinda money or less if you go private. Defo worth it IMO

SRi isn't the top spec, it's pretty much on the same par as the SE. Elite is the top spec.

bazz26 wrote: »

The Ecoflex models introduced in 2010 for lower tax bands are supposed to feel alot less powerful than the non Ecoflex models of 2009. This was apparently addressed in late 2011.

The engine is a modernised version of the old 1.9 Fiat Multi-Jet unit but I have also heard that fuel economy is not great from them compared to others in the class.

It's not that the Ecoflex has any less power, Opel fiddled with the gearing to reduce CO2 and it really made a bollix of the car. First and second gear are pretty much useless as a result.

Fuel consumtion isn't too bad, should see up to 1000km from a tank in the manual, around 800km in the auto.

Believe it or not, the 130 is acually nicer to drive than the 160 Ecoflex.

Damien360

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

Believe it or not, the 130 is acually nicer to drive than the 160 Ecoflex.

I agree. I was given the 160bhp (12 reg with built in satnav) for the day while my 130 was being serviced. The gearing is odd but I still thought the 160 had more punch to it. The clutch of the 160 is very light, bite a bit higher up, and I could not feel the road at all. Felt a bit like driving a shopping trolley. The satnav on it though is very good. Much better than my garmin.

Drummerboy08

Damien360 wrote: »

I agree. I was given the 160bhp (12 reg with built in satnav) for the day while my 130 was being serviced. The gearing is odd but I still thought the 160 had more punch to it. The clutch of the 160 is very light, bite a bit higher up, and I could not feel the road at all. Felt a bit like driving a shopping trolley. The satnav on it though is very good. Much better than my garmin.

Thats a different car again, the newer cars with s/s (which sounds like the one you were given) are nicer to drive compared to the older Ecoflex.

If i had a choice I'd be looking at a 2009/2010 SRi, which never got Ecoflex but was 160bhp. Best of the bunch IMO.

TheDriver

I am looking also at a 09 160bhp SE with lots of extras, in a dealer for about 17k which seems a good price as its got handy mileage.
Can anyone tell me what the mpg is like on this and also I note there being an issue with high break disc wearing on rear in the earlier models?
LAstly, is there much space difference between the saloon and hatch, i much prefer the look but can't see much difference space wise.

And most importantly, any sneaky expensive service items e.g. timing belt at 40k like the old old astras?

Damien360

TheDriver wrote: »

I am looking also at a 09 160bhp SE with lots of extras, in a dealer for about 17k which seems a good price as its got handy mileage.
Can anyone tell me what the mpg is like on this and also I note there being an issue with high break disc wearing on rear in the earlier models?
LAstly, is there much space difference between the saloon and hatch, i much prefer the look but can't see much difference space wise.

And most importantly, any sneaky expensive service items e.g. timing belt at 40k like the old old astras?

Depends how you drive it. I average 6.0l/100km with a lot of motorway driving. The best I got was 5.4 when I drove it in cruise control from Cashel to Newbridge at 120kmph with the toll the only time I took it out of cruise. That gives me just over 1000kms with a few to spare for 65Litres fill.

Not sure what you mean by space difference between saloon and hatch. The estate is a good looking machine and obviously better load access than saloon.

Leonard Hofstadter

Damien360 wrote: »

Depends how you drive it. I average 6.0l/100km with a lot of motorway driving. The best I got was 5.4 when I drove it in cruise control from Cashel to Newbridge at 120kmph with the toll the only time I took it out of cruise. That gives me just over 1000kms with a few to spare for 65Litres fill.

Not sure what you mean by space difference between saloon and hatch. The estate is a good looking machine and obviously better load access than saloon.

Am I the only one who thinks 47 mpg or 52 mpg on a good day isn't that good for a modern diesel on a motorway?

I mean I can top 40 mpg in a 12 year old 1.4 litre petrol car with 174,000 miles on the clock under similar conditions, and I've done similar in larger engined petrol cars on the motorway at those speeds.

MuppetCheck

captainspeed wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks 47 mpg or 52 mpg on a good day isn't that good for a modern diesel on a motorway?

I mean I can top 40 mpg in a 12 year old 1.4 litre petrol car with 174,000 miles on the clock under similar conditions, and I've done similar in larger engined petrol cars on the motorway at those speeds.

But that is not exclusively motorway driving mentioned. It gets that with mostly motorway driving. In urban conditions economy nosedives. If you reset any diesel trip computer on the motorway it will reach 50+ mpg with ease, but that is just for that portion of the journey. I think 52mpg from a big lump of a car is good. You will not see that from the petrol as an overall average.

And at high motorway speeds wind resistance is a major factor.

Leonard Hofstadter

MuppetCheck wrote: »

But that is not exclusively motorway driving mentioned. It gets that with mostly motorway driving. In urban conditions economy nosedives. If you reset any diesel trip computer on the motorway it will reach 50+ mpg with ease, but that is just for that portion of the journey. I think 52mpg from a big lump of a car is good. You will not see that from the petrol as an overall average.

And at high motorway speeds wind resistance is a major factor.

I still think that's rubbish though. According to the Opel, this car is supposed to do either 64.2 mpg or 65.7 mpg (go to page 10) depending on whether it's the 130 or 160 version.

My car (a Corolla 1.4) is supposed to do 41 mpg on average.

So basically despite the fact that the Insignia is supposed to do at least 23 mpg more than my old banger with 174,000 miles on the clock, in reality it only does about 7-12 mpg more.

Oh and my car is (obviously) slower from 0-100 kph, not to mention that it runs at much higher revs on the motorway.

So that's why I think it's crap mpg. It just goes to show what a farce the official mpg tests are - all this downsizing rubbish, stop and start technology, higher gearing (which reduces performance) etc is all designed to make the cars look good in the official tests, but in reality it does nothing for real world mpg.

MuppetCheck

But his figures are not exclusively motorway (although mostly!) whereas you said yours are. Also your car weighs considerably less than an Insignia and doesn't have as many fuel sucking equipment items like air conditioning.

If you want to do a comparison like that compare it to a basic corolla diesel. And even then it's not really that great a comparison.

Leonard Hofstadter

MuppetCheck wrote: »

But his figures are not exclusively motorway (although mostly!) whereas you said yours are. Also your car weighs considerably less than an Insignia and doesn't have as many fuel sucking equipment items like air conditioning.

If you want to do a comparison like that compare it to a basic corolla diesel. And even then it's not really that great a comparison.

I was trying to be nice to the Insignia - mine does more (a lot more) when driven more slowly:)! It can do around 45-46 when driven at around 90-100 kph, so that makes it worse!

By the way, the diesel Corolla from that era does 42 mpg according to Parkers, which sounds suspiciously low, although it was a non-turbo diesel with no technology whatsoever (PSA 1.9 diesel), so I don't think that's a good comparison:)!

MuppetCheck

Well from a similar car driven at 90-100kph I can get 60 without too much effort. I also think where you live makes a big difference. Lots of hills etc.

Leonard Hofstadter

MuppetCheck wrote: »

Well from a similar car driven at 90-100kph I can get 60 without too much effort. I also think where you live makes a big difference. Lots of hills etc.

All of which would help a diesel or rather, affect it less badly than it would affect a petrol. I stand by my assertion that the Insignia is much worse at matching its claimed mpg than my 12 year old banger, and as my username suggests, I'm not exactly a slow driver!

MuppetCheck

Well a 160 exoflex has an MPG combined of 54 according to Parkers. The corolla is 42. Mostly motorway gives another poster around 52, 40ish on a Corolla. Not a lot in it if you are looking at combined figures for both (which aren't relevant in this case).

You are quoting a combined figure for the Corolla and the motorway one of 64 for the insignia in your posts to suit your argument.

But this really isn't an accurate comparison anyway.

Leonard Hofstadter

MuppetCheck wrote: »

You are quoting a combined figure for the Corolla and the motorway one of 64 for the insignia in your posts to suit your argument.

No I'm not - if you looked my the link I posted earlier (which you obviously didn't) you'd see that the Insignia does 53 mpg in town driving and either 64.2 or 65.7 mpg on the combined cycle. The only Insignia that does around 64 mpg on the motorway (extra-urban) is the diesel auto.

MuppetCheck

captainspeed wrote: »

No I'm not - if you looked my the link I posted earlier (which you obviously didn't) you'd see that the Insignia does 53 mpg in town driving and either 64.2 or 65.7 mpg on the combined cycle. The only Insignia that does around 64 mpg on the motorway (extra-urban) is the diesel auto.

You quoted a combined figure for the corolla and compared it to the extra-urban of the insignia and not the combined of 53 that parkers also quote. I didn't use the link given as I wanted the figures from the same source:)

We're gone away from the topic so I'll stop!!

Leonard Hofstadter

MuppetCheck wrote: »

You quoted a combined figure for the corolla and compared it to the extra-urban of the insignia and not the combined of 53 that parkers also quote. I didn't use the link given as I wanted the figures from the same source:)

We're gone away from the topic so I'll stop!!

Why would you use a link from Parkers as opposed to the one I provided -which is from Opel themselves:rolleyes:? Anyway, that's it, I'm done with this thread - we're not helping the OP now.

RoverZT

You can get them for nothing in the UK

That is if you don't mind it being called Vauxhall instead of Opel.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/cars/vauxhall/insignia/postcode/m52ty/radius/1501/maximum-age/up_to_3_years_old/fuel-type/diesel/sort/default

2011 All in vrt, exchange rate, etc 17-18k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201202441641455/sort/default/usedcars/maximum-age/up_to_1_year_old/fuel-type/diesel/model/insignia/make/vauxhall/page/1/postcode/m52ty/radius/1501?logcode=p

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

TheDriver wrote: »

I am looking also at a 09 160bhp SE with lots of extras, in a dealer for about 17k which seems a good price as its got handy mileage.
Can anyone tell me what the mpg is like on this and also I note there being an issue with high break disc wearing on rear in the earlier models?
LAstly, is there much space difference between the saloon and hatch, i much prefer the look but can't see much difference space wise.

And most importantly, any sneaky expensive service items e.g. timing belt at 40k like the old old astras?

Back on Topic. I get 56mpg on the motorway and 45 mpg about town with that very model. No problems with disc wear. Saloon & Hatch have the same space (?).

A great drive and spec from the SE.

Biggest service charge I ever had so far was €135.

TheDriver

Cheers lads, seems a beautiful car and good figures there.
Nice bus.
The vauxhalls don't seem all that cheaper after conversion and vrt coupled with the loss in trade in when time comes around (for non wheel cover models etc)