Well that just about wraps it up for Vauxhall !
Discussion
Having driven many vauxhalls and vags I cant beleive anyone thinks Vauxhalls are better! And as for them beating bmw/merc for quality thats just insane. The only people in Bedfordshire who buy vauxhall are ex factory workers friends & family who get massive discounts upto 50% off list. Vauxhalls are painfully dull (excluding vxr) and have a definate chav image. The service from stealers is amongst the worst in the motor trade.
Edited by dm46 on Friday 4th May 08:42
Clivey said:
..............and a Haldex-equipped car that's able to oversteer (Insignia VXR) on demand and drive with a nice neutral balance and excellent ride quality the rest of the time, whereas all the VW / Audi Haldex stuff is so one-dimensional and uninvolving that it's not worth having over FWD.
But that was Saab's chassis engineering team working with Haldex that did that, not any from Vauxhall or Opel dm46 said:
Having driven many vauxhalls and vags I cant beleive anyone thinks Vauxhalls are better!
Whereas I can't believe that some fall for VW's "quality" image. Not all Vauxhalls are better than all VWs, and vice versa. As for equivalent models, it depends on which ones you're comparing. What Vauxhalls aren't is miles away from being competitive.dm46 said:
And as for them beating bmw/merc for quality thats just insane.
You haven't owned an early 2000s Mercedes, have you? You obviously believe that a German badge and a soft-touch dashboard means that the car will outlast time itself. I own a German car and am not under any illusion - in fact, We've had more trouble free miles out of a "useless" Vectra than all of the other cars in the family put together (including BMW & Mercedes). The other point I'd like to make is that when Vauxhalls do go wrong, they're usually a lot cheaper to repair than the equivalent vorsprung durch vermarkten.dm46 said:
The only people in Bedfordshire who buy vauxhall are ex factory workers friends & family who get massive discounts upto 50% off list. Vauxhalls are painfully dull (excluding vxr) and have a definate chav image.
Whereas what you want for excitement is a Golf SDi or Polo Bluemotion, right? As for chavs; you see many more driving Polos and Golfs fitted with Audi wheels, DUB stickers, Halfords LED DRLs and car bras than you see in Corsas and Astras any longer.dm46 said:
The service from stealers is amongst the worst in the motor trade.
To be honest, that depends on exactly where you go. I could give equal examples of shocking "service" from BMW, Mini, VW, Audi and Vauxhall. The difference is that the German brands give you a leather sofa and a latté in the waiting room then charge a small fortune to change a headlight bulb because they made it so difficult to access (Audi A6) or cause havoc by not reconnecting a fuel hose properly (Mini).HeatonNorris said:
I looked at Vauxhalls before ordering (yet another) VW when I last changed my car - mostly because VW know how to make quality interiors, whilst the Vauxhall interior was full of 'Matsui' grade plastic.
You wanted quality...so you bought a Passat. According to Warranty Direct, it's rated as worse than the old Vectra even though the average age of the Vetras concerned is greater. Not only that, but the Passat's dash plastics aren't exactly renowned for their solidity. JD Power is nonsense and is mostly opinion based - owners seem to be able to forgive major faults if a car has damped grab handles. The hard facts are in contrast with their "findings".aeropilot said:
But that was Saab's chassis engineering team working with Haldex that did that, not any from Vauxhall or Opel
Saab? Oversteer? Now that's a culture shift! We could go into the specifics of which GM engineers are responsible for what (and why shouldn't GM share the fruits of the engineers' labour? - They should do it all the more IMO), but that doesn't change my feeling that the VXR range are generally a more exciting proposition than front-biased AWD VWs. People are entitled to their own opinion of course, but reciting the same old bks about VAG cars being more solid and reliable just shows ignorance and stupidity.
Agem said:
Toast!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/mar/01/vin...
There is a parts factory in Kirby that feeds Ellesmere-port, they said yeaterday they closing in April.
Mike
Appears they are not toast at all....http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18098657http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/mar/01/vin...
There is a parts factory in Kirby that feeds Ellesmere-port, they said yeaterday they closing in April.
Mike
Stu
dm46 said:
Having driven many vauxhalls and vags I cant beleive anyone thinks Vauxhalls are better! And as for them beating bmw/merc for quality thats just insane. The only people in Bedfordshire who buy vauxhall are ex factory workers friends & family who get massive discounts upto 50% off list. Vauxhalls are painfully dull (excluding vxr) and have a definate chav image. The service from stealers is amongst the worst in the motor trade.
We had an Astra 'H' Twinport. The build quality was good, handled well, but I didn't like the gutless engine and the road holding was poor.Edited by dm46 on Friday 4th May 08:42
She has had Vauxhall's from the same garage for the last ten years. We were going to replace it with an Astra twintop. Unfortunately the last time it went into the dealership they tried to rip us off, they also spoke to us like dirt.
I had to go into the showroom and shout a few home truths at the manager.
We bought German.
Still receiving mail and text messages from the dealership about special offers etc. lol.
I have a Passat Estate, I used to have a Vectra Estate, the Vectra was a better car in every department. I switched to VW because I fell for the hype, Girlfriends dad rabbiting on about superior build quality blah blah blah.. It's been back to the dealer more times than I'd care to recall, is uncomfortable, the dash rattles, the load space is ill conceived, the push button hand brake is a nightmare, I could go on. The Vectra it replaced had 220,000 trouble free miles on it and I truly regret the change. I would rather still be driving the Vectra with all those miles (on an 05 plate) than the new Passsat.
Don't believe the hype.
Don't believe the hype.
I've just seen this posted on a club's page I admin:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-sn...
(link for page and other for anyone bored/curious) - I don't get anything out of it either.
80K miles 1.2L 8months TAX, years MOT = 3K.
I don't think that's the worst deal in the world.
Also the Insignia comments, after spending 6months driving them I can only recommend trying a 2.0+ L Deisel - see if your mind changes about handling, responsiveness and economy
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-sn...
(link for page and other for anyone bored/curious) - I don't get anything out of it either.
80K miles 1.2L 8months TAX, years MOT = 3K.
I don't think that's the worst deal in the world.
Also the Insignia comments, after spending 6months driving them I can only recommend trying a 2.0+ L Deisel - see if your mind changes about handling, responsiveness and economy
I had a mk2 astra. I loved that car. Then a mk3, slow horrible bag of scrap metal. I thought it could be just a lemon, so a bit further down the line I bought a Vectra B and it was the most unreliable, piss-poorly made car I have ever owned. That is why I will not buy another Vauxhall. I have driven Vauxhalls since and they are just, in my opinion, pure st. I for one will not mourn the passing.
Zerotonine said:
I had a mk2 astra. I loved that car. Then a mk3, slow horrible bag of scrap metal. I thought it could be just a lemon, so a bit further down the line I bought a Vectra B and it was the most unreliable, piss-poorly made car I have ever owned. That is why I will not buy another Vauxhall. I have driven Vauxhalls since and they are just, in my opinion, pure st. I for one will not mourn the passing.
So what do you know that noone else does then about vauxhall passing ?Zerotonine said:
Then a mk3, slow horrible bag of scrap metal. I thought it could be just a lemon, so a bit further down the line I bought a Vectra B and it was the most unreliable, piss-poorly made car I have ever owned.
Tha Mark 111 Astra and Vectra B were from an era when all manufacturers got it wrong. The rubbish Mark 111 Golf, the Mark 5 Escort and the E36 BMW cardboard interior. The early Vectra B had plenty of issues, mostly resolved in the '99 facelift.Gassing Station | Motoring News | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff