Vectra Cs

[Hendry]

Guy at work has just bought an 05 plate for £450. Don't know much about it other than its ultra blue, and a 1.8 petrol Life (base model) hatch, don't know the mileage, history, what the interior is like, haven't looked at it close up or anything but it seems mega cheap for what it is, or maybe I'm just clouded by my old man paying £9500 for a 6 month old 54 plate 10 years ago, and struggling to believe it was that long ago as it seems like only a couple of years ago, but are they really all as cheap as that? Seems a mega bargain as similar age Corsas and Astra's are at least treble the price, I know they are more in demand as everyone wants cheap to run small cars but these seem a lot more car for the dosh,particularly considering you still see 99/2000 Astra going for more than £450.

 

I didn't realise there was so little difference in price between cars who were 5 years of a difference, and as my old man had his Vectra for 7 years without miuxh trouble and I know all the weak points and common faults I'm seriously considering one if they are all as bargainous as that one?

[Squire_Dawson]

They depreciate like a stone tied to an anvil. What do you expect? Cheap shite = buy it.

[wuvvum]

My 54-plate ex-Thames Valley plod 3.2 V6 SRi was £400 a couple of years back.  They aren't worth a lot.  They're also not a bad motor if you get the right version (1.8 pez seems to be among the better options) - on balance I prefer them to the Mk3 Mondeo.

[srad34]

Bargainous, they are mahoosive inside, specially the estates 

[Ghosty]

Calling Eddy...

[Hendry]

They depreciate like a stone tied to an anvil. What do you expect? Cheap shite = buy it.

  

 

I thought an 05 would still command £1200-£1500

 

My 54-plate ex-Thames Valley plod 3.2 V6 SRi was £400 a couple of years back.  They aren't worth a lot.  They're also not a bad motor if you get the right version (1.8 pez seems to be among the better options) - on balance I prefer them to the Mk3 Mondeo.

My old mans was a 2.0 DTi which he took from 12k to 232k in 7 years of hard abuse as a taxi and it was pretty reliable, steering rack was the only real weak point, the clutch failed at 143k which is pretty good I'd say, the rest was all consumables or wear and tear, tyres, discs and pads, drop links, rear banana arms, track rod ends that sorta stuff, no gearbox or engine, wiring or electrical faults. But yeah I had the 1.8 Z18XE engine in an Astra H and had no bother with it.

[Bren]

Diesels the preferred option but can be a PITA.

 

1.8 is a bit underpowered- vec C is a big car.

 

Around town the wrong side of 30 mpg is not unusual for a 1.8 - some people claim 40 + mpg but if that was the case nobody would buy the diesel.

[sierraman]

For the money you can't go wrong, they are better than the previous attempt, all those taxi drivers can't be wrong. That said though, I've driven the Astra with the same 1.8 in and it was awful lifeless crap. But at £450 it could be any engine, just chuck it when it goes wrong, just don't start spending money on it in the name of preventative maintenance. If it was on offer to me cheap I'd have it but if I was out looking for a car this size I'd get the Mondeo, putting the two aside I can't understand why someone would go out and pick the Vectra. But that's just my two penny for what it's worth.

[Cavcraft]

Quite a few claim the big MPG stakes for the 1.8 petrols, I suppose a lot of people plump for the diesels because it's a sort of mindset that diesels are cheaper to run.

 

I think my CDTi is the 120BHP variant. Booting it from stand still it's really bad for the first sort of 50-100 yards, then as the revs build up it starts going some. It could do with being a bit quicker, I suppose, but it's perfectly fine for everyday use and has enough power to get you about.

Achilles heels of all of them seems to be stupid bloody sensor faults, the last one I had (another CDTi) was so bad it nearly put me off them: it had myriad random faults and would go into limp mode if you drove through a puddle. Brake pipes rust, suspension components wear out quite quickly and you'll never impress anyone because you own a Vectra.

They're pretty much bottomed out in price now, though late model 6 speed diesels still do very well money wise, and I think 'survival of the fittest' seems to have kicked in, so all the talk of the 2.0DTis shitting their fuel pumps and what not is still a possibility but seems less likely, if that makes sense. Mine has a rusty door, I've not seen another like it, and very occasionally refuses to start, then fires up 15 minutes later like nothing was wrong.

The cruise control is fabulous and easy to use, as is the 6 speed box, it's roomy, reliable (form a 'modern' diesel) quite comfortable and actually handles really well for a big barge of a car, as the owners of  MX5s (one in front of me, another later behind me) on Friday on the Horseshoe Pass will possibly testify. 

 

All that said, I'm pretty sure at the last MOT mine had a metric shitload of advisories so the next MOT might see it sadly being weighed in. I hope not because it's pretty much the perfect car for me in every respect.

[Pillock]

Price is down to the "Interceptor Factor".

How many times do you see a Vectra C on the telly, being stopped by two thuggish police officers, who then proceed to discover drugs in the glovebox or a baseball bat in the boot. These things seem to be available in such large numbers, probably due to massive fleet orders getting sacked off all at the same time, that they then get traded for Xboxes* on council estates**. Then poor old Mr Smythe, who has polished his Vectra weekly since he picked it up new from the dealer, can't get any more than a few hundred quid because gumtree is full of bargain basement ones.

 

I can't like them, because I've lived on sink estates for too many years and seen base model Vectras fully loaded with hooded chavs far too many times. Always base model, always dark blue, always glaring at you wondering whether you've got a decent phone to rob. 

 

* Other games consoles are available

** Other generalistic ways of describing low income families are available 

[eddyramrod]

Calling Eddy...

Eddy receiving you, strength five.

 

Yeah, I've just bought one, well five weeks ago, see my Tick... tick... BOOM! thread.  Cost me 350 with MoT, and I had to buy it a new battery.  It's a 2.2 LS from 2002.  You'd think LS was quite low on the tree, but apparently not, it has kit on it that my mate's 08 Life doesn't.  It's also dark blue, and completely without hubcaps, so looks pretty damn disreputable.  For what I need it to do, it's completely competent, or even perhaps more than I really need, but it was the right price at the right time.  It actually drives quite nicely.  I took MrsR for a run in it the other day and she declared she liked it.  Considering it's significantly lower than the Tacuma, and therefore harder for her to get in and out, that was high praise.  She couldn't believe I'd bought a manual!  Neither could I really, but at that sort of price I wasn't going to be picky.

 

Verdict: I reckon that's about the price level for these things now.  They don't have much in the way of character, which just reinforces my preference for older cars, but what it does, it does perfectly well enough.

 

If anyone wants mine I'd just go out and repeat the exercise, quite happy to; who knows what I might end up with this time?  I'd like to see a little profit though, just so it would make sense in woman-maths.

[colino]

I'm not really sure how they got their image, say compared to a similar model Mondeo, equally apparent in volumes, styles and equally as unmemorable.  Probably a lot to do with what people have heard rather than experienced.

I do know that if I have a job that will need a lot of miles covered over a few weeks, a 1.8 Vectra is the motorway muncher of choice.  42mpg on average and cheap to fix or maintain if it needs it.  Also a ready market for them when you want to get rid.

[HH-R]

I think it's just if you're on a budget then buying a smaller car generally means less outlay when it does break/usually cheaper tax, insurance etc so the prices to buy are higher.

 

They're not rare or exclusive, or have an image like say a big old Merc would have which would save the residuals a bit. The petrols will be discounted by those willing to run something big and getting on a bit for MPG reasons, even though the shitty Fiat diesels are a liability. The first time something big breaks it will be sacked off.

 

It would always be in the back of my mind that Vauxhalls usually get the absolute balls caned out of them from day one to death, usually by first owners who have them as lease cars/motability/company cars/buy a new Corsa every three years and hand it back so they don't care about not slipping the clutch reversing off their driveway or keeping the revs down a bit when the engine is cold. The second and third owners probably look after them a bit but after that, they're ragged around with very knackered sounding top ends, no wheeltrims, smacked up kerbs at 20 MPH and the bonnet not opened for 4 or 5 years.

[BorniteIdentity]

My old gaffer had an early one with the 2.2i motor.

 

Memories include:

 

1. Not having a fucking clue where you're going when reversing.  I mean that.  Not the foggiest.  You'd frequently find yourself adopting the "Reverse Ace Ventura" with your head out of the window trying to fathom an exit route out.
2. Its sheer size.
3. The fact it had a gearbox within a year.  As did a friend's one.

[sierraman]

Driven both, interior was well made but steering etc wasn't nearly as good as Mondeo. Those indicators are maddening! Why did they come up with them? Given the rest of the car is prone to all sorts of shit, they spent far too much time on this.

 

I understand the CDTI is prone to grief, chief amongst which was the EGR, Swirl thing, Water pump problems, given this is pretty crucial to the car working properly it obvious they didn't spend enough time looking at this.

 

Its one of the great arguments in our family, I'm a Ford man, my dad steadfastly refuses to accept Vauxhalls are cack, so I've had the argument a hundred times. But then it wouldn't do for us all to be the same. Anyway for the price I'd give it a go irrespective.

[Hendry]

For the money you can't go wrong, they are better than the previous attempt, all those taxi drivers can't be wrong. That said though, I've driven the Astra with the same 1.8 in and it was awful lifeless crap. But at £450 it could be any engine, just chuck it when it goes wrong, just don't start spending money on it in the name of preventative maintenance. If it was on offer to me cheap I'd have it but if I was out looking for a car this size I'd get the Mondeo, putting the two aside I can't understand why someone would go out and pick the Vectra. But that's just my two penny for what it's worth.

 

My old 2005 Astra H was the 1.8 16v Z18XE same as the Vectra and it was adequate. MPG was poor tbh, 31mpg on a mix of town and short motorway journeys, but I'm not someone who measures a cars cheapness to run by how much it costs to tax and how much miles to a gallon it does, I'd far sooner have a car which drinks like a fish and costs a fortune to tax twice a year but doesn't need any money spent on faults and repairs than some unreliable heap which does 60mpg and costs £30 a year to tax, that's a false economy.

 

Quite a few claim the big MPG stakes for the 1.8 petrols, I suppose a lot of people plump for the diesels because it's a sort of mindset that diesels are cheaper to run.

 

I think my CDTi is the 120BHP variant. Booting it from stand still it's really bad for the first sort of 50-100 yards, then as the revs build up it starts going some. It could do with being a bit quicker, I suppose, but it's perfectly fine for everyday use and has enough power to get you about.

Achilles heels of all of them seems to be stupid bloody sensor faults, the last one I had (another CDTi) was so bad it nearly put me off them: it had myriad random faults and would go into limp mode if you drove through a puddle. Brake pipes rust, suspension components wear out quite quickly and you'll never impress anyone because you own a Vectra.

They're pretty much bottomed out in price now, though late model 6 speed diesels still do very well money wise, and I think 'survival of the fittest' seems to have kicked in, so all the talk of the 2.0DTis shitting their fuel pumps and what not is still a possibility but seems less likely, if that makes sense. Mine has a rusty door, I've not seen another like it, and very occasionally refuses to start, then fires up 15 minutes later like nothing was wrong.

The cruise control is fabulous and easy to use, as is the 6 speed box, it's roomy, reliable (form a 'modern' diesel) quite comfortable and actually handles really well for a big barge of a car, as the owners of MX5s (one in front of me, another later behind me) on Friday on the Horseshoe Pass will possibly testify.

 

All that said, I'm pretty sure at the last MOT mine had a metric shitload of advisories so the next MOT might see it sadly being weighed in. I hope not because it's pretty much the perfect car for me in every respect.

 

My old mans 54 plater had a rusty OSR door bottom at 6 years old, I suspect that had more to do with being abused as a taxi than anything else though, it also had 232k on it when he got rid and never had any bother with the fuel pump in the 220k he had it, also are the CDTis not supposed to be mega unreliable? when I used to frequent Astra H forums swirl flaps, inlet manifolds, EGR valves and alternators, clutches DMFs and gearboxes were regular failure items on the 1.9s (although I believe the Vectra escapes the gearbox issues as it has the M40 as opposed to the Astra's M32) that said my cousin ran an 05 plate 8v CDTi from new as a taxi for 8 or 9 years without issue.

 

 

Eddy receiving you, strength five.

 

Yeah, I've just bought one, well five weeks ago, see my Tick... tick... BOOM! thread. Cost me 350 with MoT, and I had to buy it a new battery. It's a 2.2 LS from 2002. You'd think LS was quite low on the tree, but apparently not, it has kit on it that my mate's 08 Life doesn't. It's also dark blue, and completely without hubcaps, so looks pretty damn disreputable. For what I need it to do, it's completely competent, or even perhaps more than I really need, but it was the right price at the right time. It actually drives quite nicely. I took MrsR for a run in it the other day and she declared she liked it. Considering it's significantly lower than the Tacuma, and therefore harder for her to get in and out, that was high praise. She couldn't believe I'd bought a manual! Neither could I really, but at that sort of price I wasn't going to be picky.

 

Verdict: I reckon that's about the price level for these things now. They don't have much in the way of character, which just reinforces my preference for older cars, but what it does, it does perfectly well enough.

 

If anyone wants mine I'd just go out and repeat the exercise, quite happy to; who knows what I might end up with this time? I'd like to see a little profit though, just so it would make sense in woman-maths.

That's because the Vectra C was one of the first cars Vauxhall really cost cut as the car got older, Life spec replaced LS from 54 plate onwards (you will sometimes see 54 plates with LS above the side repeater and Life on the door badge) All Vectras from 2004MY onwards had the rain sensor wipers and auto dim interior mirror removed, the cubby hole beneath the light switch, and on most models the middle rear seat head rest, and on higher specs like SRis the chrome window sill trim and rear cupholder, that sort of thing, Then on the facelifts from 06 plate onwards, (55 was the start of the facelift) models like the Life, Club, SRi and Exclusive had the rear air vents behind the front centre armrest removed and just a hole left where they were. Gas bonnet strut replaced with the pole again.

[bub2006]

I've mentioned before we have had two and the few month age gap shows cost cutting. The 03 plate ls had rear interior light,cupholders in the back,ac,cruise auto dimm rear mirror with mood light sort of thing. The 53 plate is actually a 2004 car and it's higher trim but hasn't got rear interior light,rear cupholders etc but has still got auto dim mirror, mood light etc. A friend has a 53 plate Dti Ls with no auto dim mirror, no cruise but has leather,air con and sunroof. Later ones didn't even get hydraulic bonnet rams. As for mpg the 53 plate 1.8 we have is better on fuel than same engined 03 plate. The 53 plate we have now does between 37 and 42 mpg. 37/39 in town,max 42 on a run and I've calculated it numerous times. Mind you wife drives like a nun. The 1.8 does feel a bit breathless on hills sometimes but is ok on duel carriageways

[Jim Bergerac]

That's because the Vectra C was one of the first cars Vauxhall really cost cut as the car got older, Life spec replaced LS from 54 plate onwards (you will sometimes see 54 plates with LS above the side repeater and Life on the door badge)

 

Interesting - There's one like that near me and I've always assumed it had had an accident and had either the door or wing replaced.

[Matt Byrne]

My dad had an 02 Ultra Blue 1.8 LS at the time I passed my test in September 2004 and he put me on his insurance that night. Being a proper petrolhead, the first chance I got to wring the heck out of it, I took it and that was pretty much how I always drive it. That I didn't get stopped by the police is remarkable, although I like to think I only push on in safe conditions.

 

The steering was lifeless, but accurate and the 1.8 does have a decent shove in second gear. Now I've got the Z18XE in possibly it's best application, the Coupe SE2 with the F17 CR box. As long as you stay on it, that's a rapid real world combination. Vauxhall's official figures put it barely behind the more powerful 2.2.

 

Mostly, I'm just really surprised to see anything good written about the Vectra C. It gets bad press, but it'll always be special to me. A bright red SRI with a GSI 3.2 dropped into it would always appeal to the Vaux lover in me.

[New POD]

In 2008, via work I could have bought a brand new Vectra 1.8 via GM partners scam for £8K. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) I didn't have the money.

[twosmoke300]

We had an ex fire service 2.2 dti . Went like the clappers but had a warning light for something every bloody week . Totally unacceptable ride quality too . Overall I'd avoid

[Bren]

If I were to go for one it wouldbe the 1.8.

 

V6/ turbo too expensive to run, diesels are a money pit - what you save on fuel you will spend on repairs.

[Matt Byrne]

As if it was a moment of true serendipity, I spotted a 53-reg Nepal Yellow hatch in the staff parking section of my work place. Don't see many in that colour, it's one I happen to like.

[Craig the Princess]

The ex-Eddy 2.2 LX has survived 3 months with my dad and just passed the mot with no money spent on it.

 

Double thumbs up, wood swop 4 eggsbox agin

[Lord Sterling]

Price is down to the "Interceptor Factor".

How many times do you see a Vectra C on the telly, being stopped by two thuggish police officers, who then proceed to discover drugs in the glovebox or a baseball bat in the boot. These things seem to be available in such large numbers, probably due to massive fleet orders getting sacked off all at the same time, that they then get traded for Xboxes* on council estates**. Then poor old Mr Smythe, who has polished his Vectra weekly since he picked it up new from the dealer, can't get any more than a few hundred quid because gumtree is full of bargain basement ones.

 

I can't like them, because I've lived on sink estates for too many years and seen base model Vectras fully loaded with hooded chavs far too many times. Always base model, always dark blue, always glaring at you wondering whether you've got a decent phone to rob.

Agreed, except I do like Vectras, Bs/Cs, having driven many of them, I do like the fact that they do seem to be built to do exactly what they were built to do. Nothing more, not much less.

 

Personally I'm happy they are as cheap as a week's wages. I've seen some real peaches go through the Cannock auction room leaving at silly low prices. I'd certainly feel a lot more at ease driving one of those to from Chez_Mo in Market_Town_Shire to work Birminghamshiteon. But then, for not much more money, there are a lot better cars out there and the Vectra does seem a bit annoymous.

[CortinaDave]

I've always thought these were unspeakably dull, but then so is the equivalent mondeo.

 

FWIW i owned a mondeo of this era and it was absolutely lovely to drive and super thrifty on fuel, and when you're driving it you don't have to look at the yawnsome exterior. I believe the same is largely true of the vectra.

 

Its 450 quid. If you want competent transport that will get you to work and be pleasant enough to drive while utterly bland to look at you really cant complain.

 

The big plus of being so anonymous is that the local rozzers dont give you a second look, whereas running about in proper chod they tend to take any excuse to pull you over.

[Split_Pin]

I've had my 1.8 Coupe for 10 years and whilst it's quite a sweet, revvy engine, a modest, mid-range diesel will easily outgun it.

 

My pal had a 1.8 C and he said it was very thirsty, however the next car he had was an unspeakably foul Astra Mk5 with what appeared to be a 1.6 8v engine so all things considered etc.

[Cavcraft]

I'm already missing mine, to the point where one of my next circa a grand purchases will likely be a 3.2 petrol, or a petrol turbo model. They're incredibly cheap now (the bigger engine ones at least) but the turbo and SRi ones around 2007 are fetching a surprising amount of coin.

[JohnK]

I've had 2 Vectra C's.

 

First one I had was a 56 plate 1.8 VVT - had 15k on the clock when I bought it in 2009 and I clocked up about 40k in it. Not a bad car, the VVT engine gave moderate performance and was really frugal on a day to day basis (most of my commute was fast A-Roads).

 

A year or so after selling it I bought a cheap 02 plate 1.8 off my mate. Very early C with the non-VVT engine. Pretty slow, burned oil at a rate of knots and was just overall not very nice. Was a bit of a disappointment compared to the one I had previously.

 

Incidentally, my first C replaced a 54 reg Mondeo TDCi (which in turn replaced a 52 reg 1.8 Zetec - big mistake!)

 

The Mondeo's are a nicer car to drive, more composed, handle loads better. The TDCi I had was incredibly unreliable though, I only had it 5 months before replacing with a Vectra. The TDCi was a huge disappointment over my previously totally reliable 1.8 pez and that is what influenced buying a petrol Vectra!

 

I would have another vectra if I needed a runabout. Probably wouldn't have the early 1.8 again though.

[Hendry]

I've had my 1.8 Coupe for 10 years and whilst it's quite a sweet, revvy engine, a modest, mid-range diesel will easily outgun it.

My pal had a 1.8 C and he said it was very thirsty, however the next car he had was an unspeakably foul Astra Mk5 with what appeared to be a 1.6 8v engine so all things considered etc.

Mustve had an engine swap at some point, all mk5 Astra 1.6s were 16v, the earlier ones were Twinport, I think Z16XEPs, and the later ones were VVT, but all 16v, although I don't imagine chucking in a 8v from a mk4 would be difficult at all.