Why do you think they are so cheap?Its because they are rubbish.

They are cheap for a reason so i'd look for something else.

Can't agree with this. I'm into my 4th year of running a 1.8 petrol Elegance which is on an 02 plate. It had done only 13k when I picked it up from J & G Bland in Haverfordwest who had supplied it to the original owner and serviced it throughout his ownership. They continue to do so. It is now coming up to 63k and I can honestly say that it has proven to be a great car. I love driving it especially on long hauls when it just eats up the miles effortlessly. It is supremely comfortable, handles like a dream and seems to thrive on neglect. By this I don't mean that it is not properly serviced or checked regularly but that it is never garaged, gets cleaned irregularly and is used primarily in "4x4 country" ie rural, coastal West Wales, an environment that is a rigorous test of any car. Problems? Not many, and those have been resolved quickly and efficiently by Blands( I have no connection other than as a satisfied customer). As I recall these were a water pump at 14k, a clutch spring at 40k, a thermostat at 50k and two coil springs at 62k. None of these rendered me immobile. In short, I love this car and will definitely replace it with a similar model when the time comes. Can't comment about diesels. Never had one and don't want one.

Okay, you have , with HJ, convinced me. It's really just as well as the missus has been rubbing my nose in the fact that in a a couple of years time I may not be able to climb out of a normal car. Anno domini and all that.

So I'll have to start researching MPVs or similar. Trouble is that I'm long and lanky and can't sit comfortably in many cars of any sort. And petrol engines will be thirsty on this heavier sort of car......

I've been happy with my Vectra, a 53 plate 2.0T SRi, bought at six months old with around 4k on it. Car now has 86k on it. It replaced an 01Y Mondeo 1.8LX.

As well as brakes and tyres I've so far had to replace rear shocks, front springs, wiper linkage, one caliper and the entire exhaust.

It's fast, comfortable and returns about 32mpg average.

It's on 'ecoflex' servicing which works out at around 16k/18 months between services with Castrol longlife oil. IIRC this is no longer offered and the usual time/distance servicing is now the norm.

SRi and GSi spec have lowered/stiffened suspension with 17" wheels. Design and/or Elegance have standard suspension with 16" wheels. Elite is top of the range with standard suspension and 17" wheels. In retrospect I would have gone for an Elite.

The FIAT derived CDTi engine has had some issues apparently (as have most modern diesels it seems)

You should check out this website :

http://www.vectra-c.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=8

Edited by Marc on 01/04/2010 at 01:27

Just to add some balance, I drive an Astra with the 150 CDTI engine and I've had no problems with it over the last 2 years and 19K miles (mostly urban). I drive spiritedly and give the car no special treatment.

Dont forget that most people on the internet complain about cars, very few satisfied people actually post anything so you dont get to hear about the good cars which vastly outnumber the lemons.

Just returned a Vectra 1.8 (not the VVTi) after 4 years and nearly 60k. I've also driven the CDTi 150 and VVTi on hire. I never thought I'd find myself leaping to the defence of the Vectra!

The good stuff is that they are very practical, cheap and pretty comfortable to drive over long distances. Seat goes back a long way so good for tall drivers. CDTI 150 seemed rapid, 1.8 VVTi a bit better than the older 1.8, but seemed to have more engine vibration at motorway cruising, certainly not a giant leap for engine-kind over the old model. I think they're much quieter than some of the smaller cars the OP was thinking of, particularly Focus II.

Bad stuff - clutch is juddery when cold, occasional error from coolant sensor, a few bits of fragile trim. The big one is that they (for me) appeared to be engineered reasonably competently but with absolutely no passion. I can't imagine that somebody sat in the prototype in Russelsheim, looked at the dash and thought, "Yes, I'm really happy with that so I'll sign it off for production".

Would agree with the comments about internet reviews... because it is a known problem does not make it inevitable, or even that common - there are a lot of vectras about, mostly 1.8 petrol or 1.9 diesels too, and the internet tends to get comments from vocal minorities (particularly the extremely unhappy!) - although that's not to say for a moment that people shouldn't report the problems they have.

Because they're common, it does mean that you can shop around, and I think that at auction, an ex-fleet vehicle that's spent its life on the motorway could be an excellent buy.

Lastly, you do get used to the indicator stalks. Trust me.