Sold Vectra SRi 2.2 Litre Beater £150

[RobT]

Yes I know I've only owned it a few weeks, but attention deficit syndrome means imminent buyage of something else is on the cards.

 

Billy was punting this on in December at a mega barg price, and JohnK bought it, MoTd it and did a few jobs, so hopefully the price is a reasonable reflection of this.

 

So MoT is until January 2017 and it's a stonking drive apart from a knocking from the front that John told me about. I've got new droplinks to fit this weekend so hopefully that'll sort it. I also spent £50 this week on a replacement key fob as the old one didn't work - 36 quid of that was just to get the flippin' code from Vauxhall!

 

Bodywork has a couple of surface rust spots, one on the OS rear arch and another on the rear door, and front bumper and trim are a bit misaligned in places, but is otherwise presentable enough.

 

 

 

[MarvinsMom]

how come these vectra's, and the vectra model that followed it are hated like they are/must be?

 

even when pretty new these could be bought for buttons, surely poxhalls aren't that shit?

[warren t claim]

how come these vectra's, and the vectra model that followed it are hated like they are/must be?

 

even when pretty new these could be bought for buttons, surely poxhalls aren't that shit?

I take it you've never owned one then?

[Split_Pin]

F all wrong with them, owned one for 5 years, 2.0, pulled like a train, great on motorway, cheap to sort and tons of room.

[Rusty_Rocket]

It's the Clarkson affect, Jo- they're no better or worse than anything else of the time, but sheeple will be sheeple 

I don't mind it at all because it means the cars are cheaper for those of us who can see past the BS.

Good luck with the sale Rob, it'll fly at that price!

[JohnK]

Bargain this. It really is an ace car.

[colino]

Thank goodness for Jeremy and his contrived throw away remarks.  Vectras are ridiculously cheap, handle, drive and sip as well, if not better, than their contemporaries and you know the fun you will have for the purchase price is the same as the monthly payment for the, "knowledgeable neighbours" current eurobox.

[Cavcraft]

Brilliant cars. Roomy, pull well, reliable, nice place to sit in and surprisingly good on juice. Whilst the fan boys and badge snobs listened to Clarkson, a lot of people found out they aren't as crap as some would say.

[RobT]

Feels a solid old thing too, the Mondeo felt a bit flimsy in comparison.

 

There's a few niggles such as the EML comes on randomly and the temp gauge is intermittent, but it drives fine, and when the gauge works it sits at the quarter.

[Jazoli]

I like these, I thought they were crap to begin with then did a lot of miles in my mother's lhd 2 litre sport, they don't handle at all but there's plenty of grip, there's a dead spot in the steering on the straight ahead, they are brilliant on the motorway and go like the clappers.

 

Where is the car located?

[laser wheels]

I also seem to recall EVO thought very highly of the sporty version of these back in the day and ran one as a fleet car - possibly an estate?

[RobT]

I like these, I thought they were crap to begin with then did a lot of miles in my mother's lhd 2 litre sport, they don't handle at all but there's plenty of grip, there's a dead spot in the steering on the straight ahead, they are brilliant on the motorway and go like the clappers.

 

Where is the car located?

 

Oh yeah forgot that bit, it's in SE London.

[sierraman]

I aka ford man, always have been. But for £400 it's a fine steed! Can't go wrong!

[Jazoli]

Oh yeah forgot that bit, it's in SE London.

 

As always, the other end of the country

[trigger]

It's only a small country, see it as a road trip day out!

[Tamworthbay]

Feels a solid old thing too, the Mondeo felt a bit flimsy in comparison.

 

There's a few niggles such as the EML comes on randomly and the temp gauge is intermittent, but it drives fine, and when the gauge works it sits at the quarter.

They all do that sir, seems a standard problem with late 90s/ early 2000s Vauxhalls.

[Jazoli]

It's only a small country, see it as a road trip day out!

 

Alas I cant be arsed don't have the time and to be honest once you've added train fares, fuel costs, overnight stay etc it isn't that cheap for me, if it was local ish I'd be on it like a tramp on chips

[RobT]

Fair enough. I spunked 90 quid on fuel taking the Mondeo up to John's and then driving this back, but I wanted a road trip and that's what I got! On most occasions I'm the same and can't be arsed going huge distances.

[JohnK]

I've been down to London on two occasions to collect cars from Rob - one was an £8 megabus special and the other was delivering a car to PBK on the way!

[warren t claim]

Brilliant cars. Roomy, pull well, reliable, nice place to sit in and surprisingly good on juice. Whilst the fan boys and badge snobs listened to Clarkson, a lot of people found out they aren't as crap as some would say.

I had a three year old one. Two seized gearboxes, fractured pas pipe that was on backorder at Vauxhall, snapped handbrake cable, failed brake light switch and an alternator that shat itself in spectacular style at a funeral frying the electrics better than the furnace at the crematorium could possibly manage. All this in just a few months.

 

Rumour has it that the police will seize any Vectra B insured for pleasure use only because driving one can never ever be described as a pleasure.

[warren t claim]

Oh and the window regulator fucked up as well.

[Cavcraft]

Handbrake cables, brake pipes and Vectra window mechs are common failures. Never had a gearbox problem, but that slave-cylinder-in-gearbox thing is a stupid idea at best.

If I wanted a cheap, comfortable, reliable family battleship to hack round in it'd be my first choice still though.

[Alexg]

I haven't driven one in years. I used to think they were alright, although everyone I drove had an annoying creaky dashboard. I'd happy lick a 2.2 version.

[warren t claim]

I'm going to have my phone set so it has "TRAFFICMASTER LICENCE EXPIRED. TELEPHONE 08......" whenever my ex wife texts me just to remind me that her and buying a Vectra B were two most misery packed experiences in my life.

[JohnK]

Traffic master used to do my cunt in when I had my T reg SRi.

 

Don't think it's a thing anymore though and even if it is - it doesn't work in this one of Rob's!

[AnthonyG]

I remember an actual Vectra TV ad were a rep beats his rival to the sale by judicious use of his Trafficmaster. How they thought this would help the image of the car I can't imagine, maybe they had given up by this point.

 

Looks a smart motor for the money Rob, I don't want to buy it but GLWTS!

[RobT]

Any takers at £350 before I brave gumtree?  I imagine this sort of motor will attract all sorts of penniless mongs, so I may well end up roffling it instead if there's enough interest (once the recent run of roffles are done).

 

Oh and the window regulator fucked up as well.

 

Annoyingly, both front windows are dicky on this.  Passenger one only opens a tiny bit before giving up, and at the weekend the driver's window stopped seating properly so it has to be guided in place to avoid a gap by the door frame.

 

However, on Monday I used it for a 180 mile round trip and it was flippin' marvellous on the motorway, and fun on the fast twisties.

[sierraman]

SWAPZ 4 laptop and lawnmower pick up2nite plus cash eiva way. Giv u £30 pik up 2nite I kno wot these r worth m8 im ur last chanc.

 

Either that or people thinking you are Arnold Clark... 'Does the car come with a fully stamped service history? Are all the tyres matching with at least 5mm tread? Would you agree to an inspection by the ADAC in Düsseldorf?'

[CortinaDave]

RobT automotive LTD is a fine purveyor of vehicles, and I've no doubt this would be worth a jaunt.

 

I've strangely come round to these Vectras... They're actually not a bad steer at all and at £350 what's not to like?

 

If mine hadn't combusted on my way to work and vanished in a sea of flames I'd have kept it quite a while I think.

 

If it goes to roffle I'm in

[Pete-M]

I hated these Vectras from new. I wanted to like them as the Mk3 Cav wasn't a bad thing but the Vectra ain't good.

 

The SRi is about the best of the bunch as SRI models have working suspension and slightly less terrible steering.

 

The standard Vectra is about the only car available that makes me car sick. There's this horrible spring / damping mismatch which results in a strange wallowing motion which makes them pretty much unbearable for me to be in. The terrible standard spec seats don't help - SRÃ models again don't seem as bad.

 

I mainly drove these when they were new, the facelift on a T plate was an improvement over the earlier ones to drive, but they all got that stupid centre armrest which is in exactly the wrong place.

 

The SRi is the only one to have, and at this money it's a better car than a Laguna Mk2. GLWS etc