I would appreciate the views of anyone who has experience of this car as I am thinking of buying one (actually the wife has 'persuaded' me into getting her one).
My budget is about £8k and I have seen two locally that appear to suit. One is a 52 plate 1.8 Elegance with 18k miles and the other is an 02 2.0 DTI Elegance with 21k miles. Which would be the best buy?
Another point I am wary of is that the diesel one is a private sale and I have never bought privately before. What are the pitfalls that I should watch out for and would this influence anyones choice in any way?
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My Mum has one of these and I really hate it.
She has the 1.8 petrol version, and it guzzles fuel(as people carriers do). It's not a particularly stylish model and the brakes are really crap for a 1 year old car.
I wouldn't have one.
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Well we've had an 03 plate 1.8 petrol for a couple of years. The only fault has been the light switch being dodgy which caused the headlights to turn off intermittently . Fixed under warranty. No other problems with the car. In terms of m.p.g I guess mostly low 30's but mid to upper 30's on a decent run. Makes a big difference if you cruise at 60-65 rather than 80-85 ! Been happy with ours ... no promises about your two possibles though !
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If fuel consumption is a big issue go for the diesel. They have consistently been the best selling small(er) MPV in the UK, even during the run-out period before the new model appeared last July so they can't be that bad. My wife has also persuaded me to order a new one soon so it must appeal to wives in general!
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I,ve had a 2.0 DTI Energy since July 04, been back to the dealer twice for loss of courtesy lights, blown fuse, was sorted recently problem was with the gloves box light.
Other than that it gives about 35-38 MPG not bad since it's the Mrs's car so School/Tesco runs mainly.
Servicing pretty cheap local dealer Rowcliffes in Taunton wanted £160 for first year service, had a look around VX dealer in Street did it for £99 and gave coutesy car. No cam belts to change it's a chain engine so it's not being run on extended servicing schedule.
Tried a second hand 1.8 Elegence with 22K before buying, then a 1.6 Design, then a 2.0 DTI, would have bought a 1.8 but the Energy model came with only 2 engine options. 1.6 severely underpowered.Cost about £1000 more to have the diesel engine but it makes up for it with the extra torque and relaxed cruising.
Lot of previous complaints about 2.0 DTI engine using excessive oil, mines not used a drop since i bought it. Find the suspension a bit soft at times think it could be a bit stiffer,good ride comfort with 205/55/16 Continentals.
I would buy a 2.0 DTI Energy again it's got Aircon, EFW, Pracy glass, Alloys basically about the same with a higher spec model but not the cost.
Dealer on Ebay at the moment has 2.0DTI ( Ex fleet) 04/05 reg with less than 8K for about 10K, good cars IMHO
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I suppose the above person who thinks they are c""" wants his mother to buy a gti turbo or something similar,I drove a friends 1.8 125 bhp only for a short time and I was most impressed and it did exactly what it says on the box quiet ,smooth and economical.
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A colleague has a new Corolla Verso, had a Zafira 1.8 while it was in for a service and commented as to how much quicker and better handling the Zafira is, albeit a bit long in the tooth in styling terms compared to the Verso.
I would go for the 1.8 petrol instead of the 2.0 DTi, in a nut shell Vauxhall petrol engines are class leading where their diesel engines are simply not (the latest 1.9 CTDi's are better though).
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No, i don't expect my mother to by a GTI, or anything like that. She had a Renault Megane Scenic beforehand and it was a far better car in every aspect.
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A colleague has a new Corolla Verso, had a Zafira 1.8 while it was in for a service and commented as to how much quicker and better handling the Zafira is, albeit a bit long in the tooth in styling terms compared to the Verso. I would go for the 1.8 petrol instead of the 2.0 DTi, in a nut shell Vauxhall petrol engines are class leading where their diesel engines are simply not (the latest 1.9 CTDi's are better though).
The new cdti's are more refined, but they are belt driven and so far too new for knowledge on reliability or longevity, where the "old" dti is pretty reliable, has been known to reach 300,000 miles, and the newer ones ( 2002 onwards ) dont seem to use oil like the older ones.
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bikemade3 - If you are coming up as far as Street for main dealer VX servicing try Downside Motor Co in Chilcompton. A Vauxhall main dealer that is still small enough to treat you with courtesy and provides a free courtesy car if you book it.
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Noticed that the Vx dealer on the Glastonbury to Wells road has closed recently, I think it was a branch Uphill Motor Company who also have a Vx dealer in Weston-S-M.
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Noticed that the Vx dealer on the Glastonbury to Wells road has closed recently, I think it was a branch Uphill Motor Company who also have a Vx dealer in Weston-S-M.
Anorak on:
In fact Uphill come from Weston SM. Before they were on the business park thingy, they used to be on the main road in ... Uphill! Not far from the Dolphin pub.
Anorak off.
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bikemade3 - If you are coming up as far as Street for main dealer VX servicing try Downside Motor Co in Chilcompton. A Vauxhall main dealer that is still small enough to treat you with courtesy and provides a free courtesy car if you book it.
Thanks for the advice, i got it serviced @ "Purseys" between Street and Walton, not to far out of the way as i work in the area. It was just the fact i could get exactly the same service £60 cheaper, and they gave me coutesy car with no charges, unlike the town garage that wanted £10 a day insurance cover charge.
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"I have never bought privately before."
This is always a risk, of course, but assuming you've read HJ's comments, you should get a feel for the 'rightness' of the situation soon enough. You can always walk away.
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Thanks for all the advice guys.
I think I am going to go for the petrol engine as I believe it to be better than the Vauxhall diesel. As it will mainly be the wife's car, mileage will not be too high, thus fuel consumption is not a major issue. Also, with it being a dealer I don't have the problem of what to do with the old banger.
Will be going for a test in it tonight and then maybe try and thrash out a deal.
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Demand they fit a spare wheel lock if it's not got one already fitted, lots of reports about em being stolen from a standard cradle.
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