While the Vauxhall Monaro may have lacked some of the style and pizzazz of rivals from Audi and BMW, its cabin is well laid out, comfortable and offers seating for four adults. It's also well equipped with climate control, CD stereo, leather upholstery and electric front seat adjustment, and cruise control.
It's functional rather than flash, like the car itself
Some of the plastic trim is not as hard wearing as you might hope, so look for where the finish has worn through to the plastic beneath or for scratches. The leather seats are generally tough, but the stitching can start to come apart on high mileage cars.
A clear, simple dash design with white on black instruments is easy to read, but there have been cases of the dials not working properly. The usual fix for this is to turn the car off and restart, but it's still worth making sure every switch and button works as it should.
The only other point to bear in mind with a Monaro is most car built in 2005 have a much smaller boot. This is due to the petrol tank being repositioned to meet with North American safety regulations. Otherwise, the Monaro is a superb long distance machine for four-up touring.
PHer's view:
"Interior wise the car isn't great, but it's comfortable and good for long drives as reasonably hard wearing. Mine has 88K on it and the steering wheel has quite a lot of wear, so any cars with a worn out steering wheel and only showing 30,000 miles should be treated with caution. The seats will not show this wear. The leather tends to wear well and is not heated as standard."
Vincent Miller