Hi,
I'm going to be clocking up thousands of motorway miles driving to my new job, so the rusting remains of my 1988 Renault 5 (1.4 GTS) have to go.
Reading the posts on here, and of course CBCB, I'd kind of settled on a diesel Cavalier. However, the oldest Vectras are comparably priced to the newest Cavaliers, and I can be pushed up to £1000 if I must.
So, should I go for a Cavalier, or a Vectra?
How much do you think I should pay? I was thinking 500-700 and 700-1000 resp.
Also, I get 38mpg from the Renault (I drive carefully), so I'd consider a petrol Cav/Vec if you think I could match or beat this. (My dad had a 94 Cav 2.0 GLSi and it drank like a fish.)
Cheers,
Richard.
|
Well I did 100k over three years commuting in my 1990 1.8 petrol Cavalier, and averaged 44 mpg on a mixture of 60 mph motorway work and cross country B roads. That was a pre-cat example, mind you. My current 2.0 Omega manages 35 mpg on the same run.
In general I would say a late model Cavalier would be a better bet than an early Vectra - they had fixed most of the faults on the Cavalier by then; but introduced a whole new set with the Vectra.
Having said that I suppose that both cars are lumbered with the same crappy ECOTEC engines, in petrol form at least.
|
|
I thought only the very last (and few) 1995 year 2litre Cavaliers, badged 16v, were Ecotec? They were used as a test bed for the Vectra. All other 8 valve petrol engines were Family 1 or 2 revamped from the days of the Mk2 Cavalier and very reliable. I agree that plus 40mpg should be averaged even by a petrol Cavalier unless you thrash it.
|
ive been told cavalier diesels are good upto 120k
vectra diesels are good upto 180k
what exactly was wrong with the vectra?
|
Simple - Cavalier. (because its simpler !)
Better made than its succesor especially the early ones. Family 2 engines are non-destructive on Cam belt faliure. Clutches can be changed without dismantling the front sub-frame. Our company have run a 500 quid 1.8 "pool-car" for 18 months and 17k without any big cost, this one is about to be retired with 98k on the clock (and passed its MoT this week BTW with a replacment windscreen washer pump !), Original cat. Its replacment is a bit more of a gamble another 500.00 special, his time a 2.0 litre 16v M plater with nearly 150 000 on the clock ( yes - 150k). I sourced it, it had been owned by the same guy for 9 yrs of its ten, a barrow full of bills and receipts, recent engine re-build, pulls like a train and even has the original windscreen on it. Everything works (all electrics) the interior is like a 12 month old car with not a single rattle and a pair of beautiful Recaros, happy to run it until its MoT runs out. What makes me laugh is that the first Cav was to be scrapped if it failed its MoT, now its passed we're going to have to sell it!Phenomenal cars far better than a Vectra on a P that SWMBO ran a few years ago as a Company Car.
|
|
Oh and the new Cav has its original Cat with very low emission values on its last MoT, airbag also works as does the accursed "vehilce check system" (which are both weak points if trivial on a banger) and a lovely set of original alloys....
|
|
|
|
|
You say the ecotec is crappy, yet you run one, i'm confused.
|
I run two ecotecs ;-)
Why do I think they're crap?
Combining a dodgy batch of GF50 cambelt idler pulleys with extended belt changing intervals was not a good move, for the unfortunate owners at least.
Idle air control valve gets filled with carp from the cam cover & causes uneven idle / stalling at idle.
Camshaft & crankshaft sensors seldom last more than 80K.
cam cover gaskets leak & fill the spark plug holes with oil (V6 only?)
I much preffered the family series engines used in the cavalier Mk2 & 3; or even the 70's design straight six I had in my Carlton.
Having said all that...I still regard second hand Vauxhalls as a cheap gamble, 'better the devil you know' and all that.....Spam
|
|
|
|
|
I bought an early (N reg) Vectra 2.0 when 5 years old and 110k. It produced an endless sequence of faults and failures, requiring work on the traction control, central locking, windows, ecu, stereo and a new steering lock.
GM got the owners of these cars to do their development and testing. Read HJ's Car-by-car breakdown, then buy the Cav - or something equivalent and Japanese.
|
I believe the Vectra isn't much better than a Cavalier and with the price range your looking at your not really looking at value when you sell it on.
Therefore, better to get a late Cavalier. Probably slightly cheaper and would have more toys as standard.
|
|
I really don't think it matters which of these you get. Buy the best you can afford, on age and condition. Ten to one says that it'll be a Cav - I've yet to see a sub £1k Vectra that wasn't extremely ropey. By the same reasoning though I would buy just about anything competent in this class - 405 or Mondeo especially, the Laguna is probably a bit too fragile and tends to be optimistically priced, not many cheap Carinas around (though they're tough and very good).
|
I would use your current Renault for this until it is dead. During that time, you can look for the best examples of the cavalier or vectra. Personally, I would go for the cavalier since they are cheaper and depreciation will be less, but then you need a very good example with a caring owner and FSH since they are getting old.
Use the Car By Car breakdown to decide.
|
Agree with above, if you want a cheap car that can handle large mileage and give good economy, it can only be a Toyota Carina E, with 1.6 or 1.8 lean burn engines, which can give astonishing economy (reports of over 90mpg have been logged by careful drivers).
The Nissan Primera is another great underrated car that has a surprisingly sporting chassis, and as with the Toyota very economical (in 1.6 guise) and reliable.
If it really must be a Vectra or Cavalier, Vectras in your price range will be early models, which could be troublesome (especially cluch master cylinders and the various sensors such as cam)whereas the Cav was a tough car, especially in 2.0 litre 8V guise, which will run under 3000rpm at 70mph.
|
Consider a Ford Mondeo instead - the Mk2 Mondeo is a far superior car to the Vectra, but to be honest I'd not want to spend less than £1000 on either.
You'd be better off with a Cavalier, Mk1 Mondeo or a Citroen Xantia.
Or finding another 500 quid and getting a nice, tidy Mk2 Mondeo.
|
the Mk2 Mondeo is a far superior car to the Vectra,
Why do people say that? Especially Mondeo drivers.
Pray tell me, why do you consider the Mondeo far superior to the Vectra?
|
>>Toyota Carina E, with 1.6 or 1.8 lean burn engines, which can give astonishing economy (reports of over 90mpg have been logged by careful drivers).
Was that a typing error Sprice or is that figure correct ?
AI
|
|
No, not a typo, I remember reading (maybe by a motoring journalist)of a report where under careful driving (i.e. averaging 30mph, not realistic though!), great economy can be achieved with the lean burn Toyotas.
|
|
|
I've been thrashing an L reg Cavier 1.7td (with the Isuzu engine for the last couple of years, 55k miles and had very few problems with it, save for a new alternator and some hammerite to cover up the rust. Its now got 125k on the clock and I guess that it should run for the next 18 months, by which time it will either have died or fail the MOT due then. Still does 50mpg, cruises comfortably at motorway speeds and I'd recommend one to anyone for cheap, reliable motoring.
I don't know much about the petrol engined version, except that there are many out there that have astronomical miles on them and are still running strongly, every backstreet mechanic knows them inside out.
--
I read often, only post occasionally
|
|
|
|
Why do people say that? Especially Mondeo drivers. Pray tell me, why do you consider the Mondeo far superior to the Vectra?
I'm only a Mondeo driver becuase I thought that. I cant speak for others, but my reasoning is as follows:
It has a more solid feeling interior.
The interior is more asthetically pleasing
It has better handling
It has less body roll
The steering does not feel lifeless
From what I have seen, they are more reliable.
The various group tests where the Mk2 Mondeo beat the Vectra hands down did not do so becuase of some strange conspiracy against Vauxhall :)
I am comparing Mondeo Ghia X with Vectra CDX becuase they are the two models I was looking for. I looked at examples both and if I had thought the Vectra was a better car I'd have one on my drive.
|
If you're consiering a Diesel, try not to fall into the trap of getting a diesel at any cost.
There are plenty of good diesels out there but also plenty of good petrols.
When I was selling my Xantia, an excellent 73K example of the 2.0VSX 16v, I was competing and failing against a lot of 150K plus diesels.
If you play your cards right you could get a petrol 1.8 SX with air con and a few other toys for well under a grand. Don't be put off by the complicated suspension. It is really easy to fix actually, and a good citroen independent will know what he's doing and not charge the earth. However for a few hundred more you could get a high mileage diesel xantia with all the problems due to poor maintenance etc.
Hugo
|
|
|
|
|
Based on personal experience if I had to rely on any $1000 car I would choose a Cavalier every time.
Early Vectras were very ropey
Mondeos probably OK, but much more expensive to work on than Cavaliers.
Do not even consider a Citroen of any description. Basically they are nothing more than pink fluffy dice on wheels, held together with plastic and bent wire. If it were not for the huge subsidies the French motor industry gets from the French government, Citroen, Peugeot and Renault would long since have gone the way of British Leyland.
|
|
|
|
|
Errm, the Vectra IS a Cavalier.
The Opel version (After the earlier Manta) was always called the Vectra.
|
Errm, the Vectra IS a Cavalier. The Opel version (After the earlier Manta) was always called the Vectra.
Not quite. Until '88, it was called the Ascona.
The 88-94 model was the first Opel Vectra, except in the UK, where it was the last Cavalier.
I will now go and shoot myself, in shame at remembering such trivia ...
|
Sorry, forgot about the Ascona, but I'm glad to see you agree
with me.
|
|
Cavalier or Vectra? Neither. I have to agree with Mr Rodgers on this one. This is like asking 'root canal work or thumbscrews?'
|
|
Vectra. I'd go vectra. Its safer than the cavalier if nothing else.
|
|
|
|
