what do you guys think about Vauxhall Meriva?

[Cliopetrolhead]

Hello guys what do you guys think of Vauxhall Meriva 1.7 diesel? I will be buying this hopefully nothing goes wrong. I just wanted your guys opinion is this car reliable? I will be doing parcel deliveries with this and also it will be my everyday drive. I know i have posted asking about other cars but they didnt work out for me so i decided to go with this. I also got a discount the price now is £1050


https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Edited by Cliopetrolhead on Friday 25th May 00:32

[slipstream 1985]

Looks ok for the job but it is a white good by car standards. Do you have something more fun for weekend duties?

[Cliopetrolhead]

slipstream 1985 said:

Looks ok for the job but it is a white good by car standards. Do you have something more fun for weekend duties?

Well this car is going to be the money maker then i will be buying the money waster for the weekend

[Prinny]

The cynic in me asks why you’d need a steering wheel cover at <80k miles.

The (possibly wrong) bit of vauxhall knowledge in my head says that the 1.7 lump is an old Isuzu unit you could get back in ‘95 in the vectra, etc - I don’t think it’ll be the most refined dag-dag ever.

[Mr Tidy]

Good luck OP - you may need to change your user name though!

Maybe "cheap old tat because I couldn't give a sh*t" would work better!

[rallycross]

Take it for a test drive on the open road before buying,

Then put your foot flat to the floor in 4th/5th/6th at low speed and see what happens eg 40-60 mph and see if the engine light comes one - this is v common with this stty 1.7 cdti engine.

Due to carbon build up on the variable vane turbo you might get the over-boost code and the car goes into limp mode, the only way to find this out on a test drive is a dual carriage way or motorway with a clear road.

There are two stages to the limp mode, the first is the VX tool kit sign on the dash which goes out after a few miles or after a stop/start.
The second stage is the EML which stays on all the time, either way a new turbo is expensive.
These are really crap you'd be much better off to buy a cheap Jap or Korean car if your budget is £1k or less.

[DanielSan]

Prinny said:

The cynic in me asks why you’d need a steering wheel cover at <80k miles.

The (possibly wrong) bit of vauxhall knowledge in my head says that the 1.7 lump is an old Isuzu unit you could get back in ‘95 in the vectra, etc - I don’t think it’ll be the most refined dag-dag ever.

Unfortunately it isn’t, the Isuzu diesel engine is tough as old boots and actually surprisingly easy to tweak the fuel and boost on to turn into something pretty quick, the 1.7 CDTI engine in these doesn’t have quite the same bomb proof level of reliability.

[Second Best]

Can't you just keep this st to a single thread? This is the fourth one you've made in as many days.

[Loyly]

DanielSan said:

Unfortunately it isn’t, the Isuzu diesel engine is tough as old boots and actually surprisingly easy to tweak the fuel and boost on to turn into something pretty quick, the 1.7 CDTI engine in these doesn’t have quite the same bomb proof level of reliability.

I thought all the 1.7 CDTi models were Isuzu engines? We used to have them in our old Astra H estates at work. A rough engine, but far better than the awful 1.3 CDTi we had in the Astra hatchbacks.

[jkh112]

Second Best said:

Can't you just keep this st to a single thread? This is the fourth one you've made in as many days.

And can you put them in Car Buying where they belong instead of General Gassing?

[warch]

rallycross said:

Take it for a test drive on the open road before buying,

Then put your foot flat to the floor in 4th/5th/6th at low speed and see what happens eg 40-60 mph and see if the engine light comes one - this is v common with this stty 1.7 cdti engine.

Due to carbon build up on the variable vane turbo you might get the over-boost code and the car goes into limp mode, the only way to find this out on a test drive is a dual carriage way or motorway with a clear road.

There are two stages to the limp mode, the first is the VX tool kit sign on the dash which goes out after a few miles or after a stop/start.
The second stage is the EML which stays on all the time, either way a new turbo is expensive.
These are really crap you'd be much better off to buy a cheap Jap or Korean car if your budget is £1k or less.

Except that isn't a unique problem with this engine which is Japanese incidentally, although built under license in Poland, and used in amongst other things the pre spaceship Honda Civic, which is also Japanese. My Golf suffered exactly the same problem with the turbo carboning up, result, 1200 quid for a new turbo.

The 1.7 is a pretty old hat engine, and the car is white goods but then I doubt the OP is looking to use it for trackdays.

[Prizam]

13 year old Vauxhall Meriva.... life. For £1,250.

No bloody chance.


Dented boot and bumper where it was reversed into a pole.
Steering wheel cover, hiding a shagged steering wheel
Ignition barrel is shagged, suggesting a lot more than 80k miles
Gear leaver "leather" is shagged, suggesting a lot more than 80k miles. Whilst the knob is new, ish.
The clutch pedal is worn down to metal, suggesting more than 80k miles.
The light switch is knackered, suggesting more than 80k miles.

Drivers bolster on seat, rubber door seal, Both suggesting more than 80k miles.

MOT runs out in a few weeks.