Vauxhall Vectra Hatchback (1995 - 2002) 1.8 LS 5d (AC) (96) (1997/P) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

Fairly run of the mill.

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

The car didn't stand out from the crowd.

Would you buy this car again and why?

I would not buy another due to a whole host of problems several of which were dangerous and also due to poor build quality.

What are you likely to buy next?

I already have. BMW and I will stick with them from now on.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Independent

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£3,500

When did you buy the car?

April 2000

Did you get a good deal and why?

Car was bought at book price, so didn't get a bargain but wasn't ripped off either.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

This was my first car.

What was the dealer like?

Quite poor, I had problems with the car within the first 2 months of ownership and some arm twisting was required to get him to honor the parts warranty.

What's it like to drive?

Quite sluggish with slow acceleration although good on motorway journeys. Seats were a tad on the stiff side.

What's it like to park?

Parking was easy due to the sloping rear boot lid with good visibility out of the rear window.

Have you had any problems with the car?

Coolant leak, petrol tank leak where petrol started seeping up under the rear seats and into the rear cabin into all of the fabrics and seats (exceedingly dangerous), head gasket went at 90k, engine cut out many times at low revs which was very dangerous, bearing came loose in gearbox completely trashing the gearbox which had to be totally replaced under parts warranty.

What's most practical about your car?

Boot space was rather good, even taking a washing machine on one occasion.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

None really stand out, it was a base LS version so had no extra toys. The original stereo was poor.