1.6 petrol 2009 insignia

carzony

Hey all,

I am thinking of buying a 2009 1.6 petrol insignia. The car in question is fairly low milage, clean body work, nice sounding engine and ticks all the boxes really.

I was just wondering does anyone have advice for me before buying? I have to view it again tomorrow but can't find much about the 1.6 petrol online as the market seems to be dominated by the diesel.. I know the 1.6 is very slow but i'm more looking into any common reliability issues.

Any advice appreciated..

selectamatic

Unless you're getting it very very cheap I'd leave it. They're slow and cost 750 to tax so it'll be awful hard sell on in years to come. Insignia's aren't put together all that well either but I suppose the 1.6 shouldn't suffer as many problems as the diesels.
Does it have to be an insignia? Or is it more a case that the local garage has one in stock?

Net

don't go for it, small engine heavy car. go for a diesel if you want, 2013 upper if you can.
insignia is good car, just with some annoying issues, you better do some homework before you buy it.

carzony

I've wanted one for a while and I don't do any mileage whatsoever to warrant a diesel car. To be honest I probably need a push bike rather than the insignia .

This car is fairly cheap but it's hard to do homework on them. I didnt even know they came in 1.6 petrol until few days ago.

Net

google opel/vauxhall forums, you can find lost useful info and good/bad reviews. good luck.

selectamatic

carzony wrote: »

I've wanted one for a while and I don't do any mileage whatsoever to warrant a diesel car. To be honest I probably need a push bike rather than the insignia .

This car is fairly cheap but it's hard to do homework on them. I didnt even know they came in 1.6 petrol until few days ago.

How cheap is cheap? Sub 3k?

Maybe an insignia with a better petrol engine might suit?

ba_barabus

Did the insignia come with a 1.6 petrol? I thought that went out with the Vectra?

selectamatic

ba_barabus wrote: »

Did the insignia come with a 1.6 petrol? I thought that went out with the Vectra?

It did in Ireland. Don't think the UK got them.
115bhp €750 tax thirsty enough too.

Net

it does, I am not sure if is the same engine Vectra has, but very few of them sold I guess. like 1.6 Passat

ba_barabus

selectamatic wrote: »

It did in Ireland. Don't think the UK got them.
115bhp €750 tax thirsty enough too.

You'd really want one. Surely a better option can be gotten?

ba_barabus

OP a better option might be an Avensis 1.6 petrol of a similar age.

selectamatic

ba_barabus wrote: »

You'd really want one. Surely a better option can be gotten?

1.8i @ 130+bhp prob dearer tax :P

There's a few nice turbo options but I'd imagine the op would have to go to the UK for them.

Here in Ireland for ease of access, n/a simplicity and cheap money I'd be thinking
2008+ 2.0 accord 150bhp @ 750 tax
2008+ 2.0 ghia Mondeo 142bhp @ 750 tax
Are the only post 08 options really that were sold in any sort of middlen numbers

bazz26

Underpowered, poor mpg and high road tax for what they are. There are better options out there. A Passat 1.4 TSi might cost a bit more to buy but you'll get a better car.

ba_barabus

bazz26 wrote: »

Underpowered, poor mpg and high road tax for what they are. There are better options out there. A Passat 1.4 TSi might cost a bit more to buy but you'll get a better car.

I'd be wary of their reliability however.

It's a bit if a sh!'te period for choice of petrol cars.

had a 1.6 avensis as a rental years ago, wouldn't go near a 1.6 petrol engine in a big car, might just about be ok for city driving, overtaking is downright risky due to the slow acceleration and it felt very sluggish overall, if it was me and I wanted a petrol car would go for something smaller..

carzony

Funny enough, I'm currently driving a 2004 1.6 avensis but kinda wanted a bit of an upgrade. I'm not sure why but the insignia really stood out.

The 1.6 petrol insignia here seems to be very scarce. I looked on Done Deal and only found a handful of them.


Why such high road tax for a 1.6?

murphyebass

I had an insignia rental in the uk and I'm glad I did as I considered them to be on my list of alternative cars to my 6 but honestly I found it quite cramped which seems odd as they are big cars.
The driving position wasn't nice with not a lot of adjusting available on the steering wheel which wrecked my head.
Also don't buy it in a 1.6. It'd be like at 1.4 focus. Shudder.

bazz26

ba_barabus wrote: »

I'd be wary of their reliability however.

It's a bit if a sh!'te period for choice of petrol cars.

Once you get one with the chain already replaced then I'd say it would be safe enough.

A Honda Civic saloon 1.8 petrol would be another runner or a newer shape Mazda 6 petrol.

bazz26

carzony wrote: »

Funny enough, I'm currently driving a 2004 1.6 avensis but kinda wanted a bit of an upgrade. I'm not sure why but the insignia really stood out.

The 1.6 petrol insignia here seems to be very scarce. I looked on Done Deal and only found a handful of them.


Why such high road tax for a 1.6?

Because they were an Irish special, small engine in a big car which had higher Co2 emissions from launch before the Greens changed the motor tax system.

ba_barabus

bazz26 wrote: »

A Honda Civic saloon 1.8 petrol would be another runner or a newer shape Mazda 6 petrol.

+1 on both of those options.

Both nicer and better options than the Insignia and Avensis.

chicorytip

I'm surprised to learn a1.6 petrol version featured in the engine range. They must be as rare as hen's teeth alright. A 09 Avensis 1.6 petrol (130b.h.p.) would be a better choice but these are also uncommon.

JohnBoy26

carzony wrote: »

Funny enough, I'm currently driving a 2004 1.6 avensis but kinda wanted a bit of an upgrade. I'm not sure why but the insignia really stood out.

The 1.6 petrol insignia here seems to be very scarce. I looked on Done Deal and only found a handful of them.


Why such high road tax for a 1.6?

The valvematic engine in the newer avensis is a decent unit offering adequate performance and cheap or at least cheap enough tax of €390. They are rare though but they are out there.

I wouldn't bother with an insignia, they are not well built or reliable. An insignia is not an upgrade to your avensis. The avensis is a better car in everyway and if you buy an insignia id wager in the future you'll wish you never got rid of the avensis.

Stallingrad

Insignias are an odd car, people will tell you they are unreliable, yet it is not uncommon to see ranking highly in reliability surveys compared to the competition.

JD UK 2017:

"The Vauxhall Insignia is the most reliable large family car for the second year in a row, ahead of not just the Ford Mondeo, but the BMW 3 Series Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4 as well (there were not enough responses to include Lexus, which normally performs well in reliability rankings).

But before passing on that extended warranty, take note that the Insignia's victory, with an overall mark of just three, reflects the relatively poor performance of cars in this segment. Despite being the best in class, it scored just three for engine and gearbox reliability, and the same score for interior features and accessories - including electrics and the ventilation system. The car's highest score came in the body and interior category, which covers squeaks, rattles and wind noise. At the bottom, the Audi A4 and A5, as well as the BMW 3 and 4 Series scored just two."

Interestingly BMW were rock bottom:
The average car had 131 problems. The reputation of German car makers took a hit, with Mercedes only scraping in at just above average - its cars suffered 129 problems per 100 vehicles. Even so, that's a considerably better result than its rivals, which were at the bottom. Audis had 187 problems per 100 cars and and BMW was last, by some distance, with 198.

JohnBoy26

That survey is being kind to the insignia.