Very early Vectra WANTED!!!

[Charlie Croker]

Hello all. I was wondering if anyone on here has or knows about an early Vectra for sale? Must be a N plater and i would prefer either a auto or a diesel but anything considered. I would rather have a project though as mine is still running great i have the time to make it into a good un.lol. Thanks Charlie.

[Ben_L]

May I ask why N-reg? If it's for the 1700 Isuzu engine, some P-Platers have it too.

[Lacquer Peel]

[Split_Pin]

Quite rare now and more so that equivalent Cavaliers, also hard to find an unmodified one. I'd like an early N-plate SRI model, with the 5-spoke Pentaline alloys, non-lowered springs, no rear spoiler and non sporting 'lightning cloth' seats. I love how its actullly just a trim level and not sporting at all!

 

Good luck with your search.

[garycox]

My uncle's got an N reg Vectra hatch he's had since new, I've asked him to let me know if/when he wants to sell it. It's a 1.8 petrol manual though.

[Cavcraft]

Sadly I had one last year or so (245k I think, still running like a good un 1.7TD) and I think it ended up weighed off. IIRC the early ones didn't have an adjustable steering column, which annoyed that two bob gobshite Clarkson.

[Morgan84]

A nice early saloon in CDX trim would be nice

[Charlie Croker]

Iain that would be great a 1.8 manual is fine....i was just being picky.lol. Just let me me know when he would like to sell. There is no rush. I fancy a Nreg one as they are the first ones.......October 95 launch i think. So if i find one that was registered then i will award myself BIG shite points.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

October 95? That ain't early.

 

Try this for a 'very early Vectra'.

 

http://www.autoscout24.eu/Details.aspx? ... asrc=st|fs

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I've got a '95 Vectra brochure. It's very believable.

[retrogeezer]

Here's one I had a few years back, bought in 2003 as a Cat C for £350 plus one £40 wing in the right colour later equals 3 years cheap motoring and sold for £700 in 2006. Not sure what happened to it as it was only on the road for a short while after I sold it.

 

 

[red5]

I passed an N plater 1.7 5dr on way back from Oswestry the other day - was for sale £375 iirc. Am passing there next couple of days - want me to see if it's still for sale?

[Charlie Croker]

If you would that would be great. Thanks. That green one is one of the best colours.

[cort16]

You're not going to drop a Piano on it are you? I can see the Vectra turning into the 90's Marina.

[John F]

I actually saw an 'M'-reg. Vectra a year or two ago, which must either have been a pre-production car or press hack, or was possibly on hokey plates.

 

Some chav was picking his girlfriend up in it. It sounded as knackered as she looked.

[Cavcraft]

I often wondered if you were crafty enough if you could fool people into buying something they thought was a one off, just by putting an earlier plate on it. I expect if put, say an M reg common or garden number onto a Vectra (or something that's actually worth money) and didn't actually mention it on the advert, maybe someone would think it was a pre production one or something? It might work if you did the old 'waiting for V5 to come back in my name' trick. Not that I'm suggesting anyone should, of course.

[Ben_L]

I seem to remember if you played the PS2 game, The Getaway, you could have a Vectra Armed Response car with a D-Plate on, but then, if you got out, walked away and got back in again, it'd turn up to have an N-Plate on it, and vice versa...

 

Good old console games, keeping it real

 

I may fire up the PS2 just to get a screenshot of EARLYVECCYMADNEZZINNITBLUD...

[Partridge]

Thanks for the link Tayne.

I quite like them.

 

Shit, did I just say that?

 

At least with the early ones you’ll sure to avoid the Ecotec which was wank, cracking important parts of their engine often. I think their biggest mistake was calling it the “Vectraâ€Â, they should have just stuck to Cavalier and no one would have said anything, and just signed on the bottom line.

[John F]

At least with the early ones you’ll sure to avoid the Ecotec

 

??

 

Even the Cavalier was fitted with the X20XEV Ecotec from 1994...

[Cavcraft]

Probably a good thing they didn't call them cavalier, would have sullied the rep of an ace car. Also (as had been said myriad times) the Ecotec is NOT a bad engine, it just wasn't quite as good as the 8V. That would have been difficult to achieve, as they were quite simply the best 8V engines ever made anyhow.

[John F]

The X20XEV Ecotec is actually quite a good engine, it's just a little less powerful (136 bhp vs 150 bhp) than the C20XE 16v ('redtop') engine that it replaced.

 

But it's got bags of torque and is less peaky than the C20XE, and its faults have been exaggerated out of all proportion.

 

1) Cylinder head gaskets often blow between 80,000 and 110,000 miles

2) Inlet manifolds can crack

3) Cam cover gaskets can leak

4) Cam / crank position sensors fail.

 

And that's about it.

[Charlie Croker]

Iv'e just got round to watching the YouTube link. It looks like i will need to be looking for OUR reg numbers as they must have been the press cars. Done the Doovla check on the ones in the clip but both come back as not found so can be presumed dead long ago.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Iirc, Vauxhall equipped the misery spec Vectra Envoy 1.6 with the 8v motor.

 

Even though the one I had was abused rubbish and I hated it, I look at them again now in a whole new light. Mainly because a mechanic at my local BMW specialist runs a 2.0SRi Estate and it never goes wrong. Hmmmmm........

I'd deffo have a facelift one and marvel at the low purchase price and the massive boot. I once sold a 318i engine and it fitted in the boot of matey's Vectra hatchback. With the rear seat erect, and the parcel shelf fitted. Now THAT'S impressive.

[Split_Pin]

I went from the Vectra with its impressively massive boot to my Aveo with its impressively cramped one, mostly filled with a pram!

[Charlie Croker]

I've had a load of them.lol Including 3 of my now much wanted N platers. The one i have now is a P plate 1.6 Premier thingy......i think they were some sort of boggo spec limited edition that was a bit dearer than the Envoy and cheaper than the L.S. Its a strange spec that seems to be L.S but with the 3 spoke alloys that were fitted to the C.D.X. Mine has lost the original alloys and now has the 15in early SRI ones and they look much better i think. I'm gonna keep this one as if i sold it my pals mum who i got it from would kick my head in.lol.

 

I've been looking on the Bay of E and of course now i'm looking there's cack all on there.lol

[Lord Sterling]

Iv'e just got round to watching the YouTube link. It looks like i will need to be looking for OUR reg numbers as they must have been the press cars

 

N667 DUR, not OUR, though DVLA throws up the same results. I don't think they were press cars either, I seem to remember a lot of Vauxhall press cars around that time carrying 'GKX' plates. I've never seen an M-reg Vectra but there most probably would have a few pre-productions registered on said plate. N-reg is realistically the earliest which is (just about) still available.

 

I've said before that I've tried a few Vectras myself including borrowing one for a day which I think it was a R-plate 1.6 LS, very acceptable to drive, comfy interior, great stereo and the general feeling of its purposeful-ness. I've never understood the venom directed towards these cars which I have found in a few places.

[John F]

It's probably due to disappointment more than anything else, because the Vectra was slightly worse in many respects than the excellent Cavalier that it replaced.

[now_with_EFi]

The early Vectras had the wrong grade of Foam in the Seats. My 'ex' had a 1995 5-dr 1.7TD Envoy in Kiss of Death Dark Blue. The Seats were like concrete and the whole car was the most miserable POS I'd ever been in. It still went like a Rocket, never broke down and did 200k miles

[Lord Sterling]

It's probably due to disappointment more than anything else, because the Vectra was slightly worse in many respects than the excellent Cavalier that it replaced.

 

How so? Having driven the Vectra and Cavalier I can't say I agree. The Cavalier, whilst indeed an excellent car felt quite dated and agricultural compared to the Vectra which, imo felt fresher and more up to date. In fact the Vectra felt better built and more comfortable than the equivalent Mondeo. I suppose Vauxhall/GM did err on the side of caution, but then so did a lot of manufacturers.

 

I don't agree on the seats either, as I said, the ones I've driven felt Ok, never really took much notice but it did feel comfortable enough.

[red5]

Early ones did indeed have concrete seats - apparantly the Germans like em like that. Later ones had more 'normal' seating uncomfortableness.

 

Loved the Envoy. Doooooooooooooooooooooooooog slow but dead reliable.