As others have mentioned the vectra-c.co.uk forum is a useful resource.
And the moderators are quite nice too!! :)
|
|
Can recommend the Signum Barchettaman. See above. I compare mine to a latterday Cav SRi. Quite a hard car if you know what I mean, whereas the Mondeo has more of a comforting / benevolent sort of feeling about it. A bit like your favourite Auntie as opposed to your slightly tough guy mate. Both handy to know in different ways.
|
|
|
And the moderators are quite nice too!! :)
:-x
|
And the moderators are quite nice too!! :) :-x
I think you're a close second ;)
|
|
Bet they wouldn't post a kiss though :-)
|
|
|
|
|
I have a 3.2 Vectra hatch - '04 with about 63k miles. It has the auto gearbox, which when you knock the lever to the left becomes a semi-auto. Mine is the Elite, and I suppose I'm surprised at just how "firm" the ride is.
As said above, it;s a guzzler when you push it. At 145+ the mpg doesn't bear thinking about (in Germany) - but it reached that speed very readily, and can stop fairly quick too. I'd hoped to hit the max (book says 155) but ran out of clear & safe road. (btw the speed debate is elsewhere!)
The MFD is a bit optimistic in that it usually shows somewhere around 30mpg, mostly motorway driving, but brimming it shows more like 28mpg overall.
I understand values have dropped like a stone mainly due to the high road tax in 2010 (there's still a chance this could get turned over though), and although £410 or whatever it wil be sounds high, you'd pay something anyway, so the premium for a bit of decent performance isn't too bad.
Although I wish I still had the barge-like but oh-so-comfy-and-predictable Omega MV6, the 3.2 is a really quick drive, and can be the source of a lot of fun, in the right conditions. I preferred rear wheel drive, and sometimes the 3.2 gets very light at the front end if you power off a roundabout too enthusiastically!!
Cambelt is at 80k, and I thought I was told it was 2 hours, which isn't vastly expensive (is it?)
However I had to replace the power steering motor in mine and (had I not got some assistance from Vx) the cost with labour was something over £700.
Otherwise it's been reliable even though somewhat neglected (well, a service is overdue). Funnily enough, last week I had the hots to change it and was looking at the 2.2 diesel Mondeos, which are pretty nippy for oil burners. A diesel-driving mate who has travelled in mine said I would miss the performance of mine (even though most of the time I don't really use it), so I am veering back to keeping it as I've already taken a large hit on depreciation.
I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend the car to anyone car hunting, not because it isn't good, but because it's not everyone's cup of tea. But I have nothing bad to say about it, so as you are already thinking of one, go for it!
|
Thanks for the input everyone. Much appreciated. Good to hear I'm (probably) not making a stupid mistake.
I'll take a look at the vectra-c site - sounds useful.
My Mondeo... in theory it's worth more than 2,000, but thanks to the, um, named driver it's liberally decorated in dinks and scrapes, so very probably isn't. Full main-dealer history, though...
I will miss it - still feels pretty tight, and is by far the most reliable car I've ever owned (nb - this is saying very little). An alternator, a couple of bulbs and six tyres in four years... the only big problem was down to the Ford dealer stripping the thread off the sump plug (their handling of this episode means I am unlikely to look back on blue oval service with fond nostalgia).
Those mpg figures for your 3.2 are actually pretty good, smokie - the Mondeo averages about 25 (though that's mainly down to a short daily commute).
Looking forward to getting one now - do they come up at auction a lot?
|
|
|
>> Cambelt is at 80k and I thought I was told it was 2 hours which isn't vastly expensive (is it?)
Not saying you are wrong, it may have changed, though my 2.5 V6 Vectra (same basic engine) was 60k miles and was a £600 plus job at the Vaux dealer, must be more than 2 hours even if they have made it more accessable.
|
|
I'm probably wrong! it was in recently for MOT and I'm sure the guy said 80k though...
|
Thought I would Google it, you are right re 80k though it seems that earlier is recomended:
forum.vectra-c.com/showthread.php?t=40934
Edited by cheddar on 23/09/2008 at 22:50
|
|
To drift vaguely back on to your topic Harvey, have you had a look at any V6 Mondeo estates as well ? Saw one recently with the 2.5 engine and all the toys, not very old and low mileage for about £5k.
|
Thanks, fellow Humph. Aside from a rather childish allergy to buying the same car twice, from the figures the Mondeo 2.5 didn't look to have the requisite incremental grunt - at 10.4 secs 0-60 it's only a second quicker than my 2.0, and you get a rather paltry 25bhp extra.
I do like Mondeos, but I like under 8 seconds and 208bhp rather more. Of course, there IS the 3.0 V6 Mondeo (weirdly, that's 2 insurance groups higher than the 3.2 Vectra...)
|
Thought I would Google it you are right re 80k though it seems that earlier is recomended:
Yep, official recommendation is every 80,000 / 8 yrs.
img168.imageshack.us/img168/2077/vectracde1.jpg
|
Never bothering getting one done early again - last time was the wife's Focus, got it done 20k miles early and the mechanic (not Ford) didn't change the tensioner. It collapsed just a few hundred miles after the change = quite expensive and very inconvenient
Thanks for confirming 80k though. And this has remidned me to book a 60k service (late!)
|
|
|
|
