VXR8 as everyday car
Discussion
Hi guys
My first post, so please be gentle, ha, ha.
I'm considering a VXR8 auto as an everyday car and would appreciate some comments from you guys who have experience of them. I was fortunate to borrow one for a weekend and loved it (some few comments below) and despite initial indifference, Mrs M-J loved it too.
I propose to use it as perhaps the only houshold car (may also get a small runabout that's easier to park in local town).
What I loved was the performance (quelle surprise), the interior space, the comfort and the brakes :-)
Some things not so happy about (even when compared with my existing Omega Elite):
Fuel consumption:
* I got 15.5 mpg over a couple of hundred miles - not bad as I drove harder than I would normally, pain if I'm stuck in traffic with the economic cars :-(
Steering seemed very light at highish speed under acceleration.
* Visability (of course I was not used to the car and was very cautious reversing out of parking spaces):
* Small wing mirrors (compared with other cars I've driven).
* rear wing is large (did I read on here that a smaller one was avaialable?)
* Sat nav expensive (is there a 'reasonable cost' upgrade route?)
* No RDS on radio
* Rear mirror not automatic
* No heated seats
Does some of this sound familiar? Your comments are appreciated.
Steve
My first post, so please be gentle, ha, ha.
I'm considering a VXR8 auto as an everyday car and would appreciate some comments from you guys who have experience of them. I was fortunate to borrow one for a weekend and loved it (some few comments below) and despite initial indifference, Mrs M-J loved it too.
I propose to use it as perhaps the only houshold car (may also get a small runabout that's easier to park in local town).
What I loved was the performance (quelle surprise), the interior space, the comfort and the brakes :-)
Some things not so happy about (even when compared with my existing Omega Elite):
Fuel consumption:
* I got 15.5 mpg over a couple of hundred miles - not bad as I drove harder than I would normally, pain if I'm stuck in traffic with the economic cars :-(
Steering seemed very light at highish speed under acceleration.
* Visability (of course I was not used to the car and was very cautious reversing out of parking spaces):
* Small wing mirrors (compared with other cars I've driven).
* rear wing is large (did I read on here that a smaller one was avaialable?)
* Sat nav expensive (is there a 'reasonable cost' upgrade route?)
* No RDS on radio
* Rear mirror not automatic
* No heated seats
Does some of this sound familiar? Your comments are appreciated.
Steve
Alright Steve,
Not sure what you're saying.
6L beast for mid/upper 30k.
So it's got small mirrors, less to get hit by other people when you're parked!
If you don't want the plumbed in sat nav, get Tomtom.
15.5mpg, sounds like a good average. Try motorway cruising and you WILL be pleasantly surprised.
Doesn't it go 'beep, beep' when you go backwards. That's a good indicator of what's behind. You think the VXR8's bad, you should try the Monaro with the spoiler (not sure it would be much better without actually).
The whole point of these beasts are 'no frills' so no, no heated seats, but they should be programmable for the important things like changing position between you and the missus at a touch. To be fair I listen to the old iPod so can't comment on RDS, not my 'ting'.
I use my VXR Monaro everyday, forget the 'small run around' you'll hate the compromise!
I have to say my only gripe about the VXR8 was the wibbly front bumper/spoiler. I thought it was a bit 'plasticy' but hey as I say a lot of motor for beans.
Have a nice day.
Oh and please do watch the low profiles on the kerbs, terminally frustrating!
Not sure what you're saying.
6L beast for mid/upper 30k.
So it's got small mirrors, less to get hit by other people when you're parked!
If you don't want the plumbed in sat nav, get Tomtom.
15.5mpg, sounds like a good average. Try motorway cruising and you WILL be pleasantly surprised.
Doesn't it go 'beep, beep' when you go backwards. That's a good indicator of what's behind. You think the VXR8's bad, you should try the Monaro with the spoiler (not sure it would be much better without actually).
The whole point of these beasts are 'no frills' so no, no heated seats, but they should be programmable for the important things like changing position between you and the missus at a touch. To be fair I listen to the old iPod so can't comment on RDS, not my 'ting'.
I use my VXR Monaro everyday, forget the 'small run around' you'll hate the compromise!
I have to say my only gripe about the VXR8 was the wibbly front bumper/spoiler. I thought it was a bit 'plasticy' but hey as I say a lot of motor for beans.
Have a nice day.
Oh and please do watch the low profiles on the kerbs, terminally frustrating!
Welcome to the forum, from another noobie 
To be fair I listen to the old iPod so can't comment on RDS, not my 'ting'.
Is this using the iTrip, or have you fitted an after market stereo?
I use my VXR Monaro everyday, forget the 'small run around' you'll hate the compromise!
In the beginning I told people that if I could afford it, I would get a small run around to save petrol, but the truth is, I don't ever want to get out of my 'ro. I've been driving a small engined 57 plate astra around for two days and I can't wait to get my car back. I agree with Groutie. Just accept the fact that you're gonna be spending on petrol and enjoy the car. You could get a smaller engined performance car that's cheaper, more economical and faster than a VXR8, but lets face it, there's a reason your looking at a VXR8
Groutie said:
To be fair I listen to the old iPod so can't comment on RDS, not my 'ting'.
Is this using the iTrip, or have you fitted an after market stereo?
Groutie said:
I use my VXR Monaro everyday, forget the 'small run around' you'll hate the compromise!
In the beginning I told people that if I could afford it, I would get a small run around to save petrol, but the truth is, I don't ever want to get out of my 'ro. I've been driving a small engined 57 plate astra around for two days and I can't wait to get my car back. I agree with Groutie. Just accept the fact that you're gonna be spending on petrol and enjoy the car. You could get a smaller engined performance car that's cheaper, more economical and faster than a VXR8, but lets face it, there's a reason your looking at a VXR8
I live in London so only used my R8 for commuting out of London and trips. It compared very well with most cars with close to 30mpg at cruise.
My other half has a grocery getter so that is used around London.
Live everyone else said, if you bought a run about you wouldn't want to drive it. Plus Im sure if you worked out what it cost, plus depreciation, road tax, maintenance, repair, lost interest on your mortgage payments etc, you would see that its false economy unless you are doing serious mileage.
(eg) £50 fuel every 2 weeks is £1300 a year. Figure total worse case 50% more than an ecobox. So thats £700 a year you save from the ecobox.
Can you tell me your ecobox isnt going to cost more than that? Whats the annual service cost? Let alone tyres, brakes, tax, etc, etc.
Dig out your pen and figure it out. Sure it will cost more, but buying 2 cars to save money is not sensible IMO.
My other half has a grocery getter so that is used around London.
Live everyone else said, if you bought a run about you wouldn't want to drive it. Plus Im sure if you worked out what it cost, plus depreciation, road tax, maintenance, repair, lost interest on your mortgage payments etc, you would see that its false economy unless you are doing serious mileage.
(eg) £50 fuel every 2 weeks is £1300 a year. Figure total worse case 50% more than an ecobox. So thats £700 a year you save from the ecobox.
Can you tell me your ecobox isnt going to cost more than that? Whats the annual service cost? Let alone tyres, brakes, tax, etc, etc.
Dig out your pen and figure it out. Sure it will cost more, but buying 2 cars to save money is not sensible IMO.
* I got 15.5 mpg over a couple of hundred miles - not bad as I drove harder than I would normally, pain if I'm stuck in traffic with the economic cars :-(
It's a motorway cruiser and can get 30mpg. Around town though it does fall considerably.
* Steering seemed very light at highish speed under acceleration.
The standard suspension is a bit squahsy so under acceleration the car pitches up onto the back wheels lightening the fronts. If it's a major prob there's adjustable suspension coming out soon that should be able to help.
* Visability (of course I was not used to the car and was very cautious reversing out of parking spaces):
Yeah, the A-Pillars are massive (not uncommon on new cars today though). I reverse into parking spots now and trust the parking sensors.
* Small wing mirrors (compared with other cars I've driven).
Yep - tiny. I think you can get convex mirrors to help but if you set them "just so" I find there's no blindspot.
* rear wing is large (did I read on here that a smaller one was avaialable?)
He he - yeah. But it's ok as you get used to it. There is the senator spoiler from Walkingshaw but it loses some of the charm. Incidentially the big spoiler is set "just right" to stop glare from headlights behind you.
* Sat nav expensive (is there a 'reasonable cost' upgrade route?)
It's shocking for what is in effect a 50 quid (if that) gps receiver and a DVD rom (also it's not supposed to be that good either). I use my mobile (O2 XDA Stellar) that has bluetooth for the car's handsfree and built in GPS. Works a treat.
* No RDS on radio
Absolutely f'ing annoying beyond belief. But Ipod saves the day :-)
* Rear mirror not automatic
As above - never used it due to the spoiler.
* No heated seats
Never noticed them. anyway, heated seats give you piles
The only negative that would prevent me from buying as a day to day car (as ours isn't) is the size.
the VXr8 is one of the largest on the road - longer than a Bently Conti, Merc S class etc. Even longer than a Jaguar XJ220 (and that alwasy looks massive).
Generally it's fine - you just take a slightly wider line round bends. no big deal.
However multistorey car parks are a nightmare. Out of all the carparks in Cambridge only 1 is "easy" to get out of without worrying about the £850 front alloys and £950 rears.
there's another 2 carparks that are doable but you will tip toe in and out of them. 1 of them I tried I couldn't get out at all (on my own) - even with two people guiding (and causing saturday shopping chaos) it took 15 minutes of going forward and back to get out safely (even got a round of applause from the crowd who'd gathered to watch the prat in the big car)
If this isn't an issue for you then it's great.
the VXr8 is one of the largest on the road - longer than a Bently Conti, Merc S class etc. Even longer than a Jaguar XJ220 (and that alwasy looks massive).
Generally it's fine - you just take a slightly wider line round bends. no big deal.
However multistorey car parks are a nightmare. Out of all the carparks in Cambridge only 1 is "easy" to get out of without worrying about the £850 front alloys and £950 rears.
there's another 2 carparks that are doable but you will tip toe in and out of them. 1 of them I tried I couldn't get out at all (on my own) - even with two people guiding (and causing saturday shopping chaos) it took 15 minutes of going forward and back to get out safely (even got a round of applause from the crowd who'd gathered to watch the prat in the big car)
If this isn't an issue for you then it's great.
ads_green said:
The only negative that would prevent me from buying as a day to day car (as ours isn't) is the size.
the VXr8 is one of the largest on the road - longer than a Bently Conti, Merc S class etc. Even longer than a Jaguar XJ220 (and that alwasy looks massive).
Generally it's fine - you just take a slightly wider line round bends. no big deal.
However multistorey car parks are a nightmare. Out of all the carparks in Cambridge only 1 is "easy" to get out of without worrying about the £850 front alloys and £950 rears.
there's another 2 carparks that are doable but you will tip toe in and out of them. 1 of them I tried I couldn't get out at all (on my own) - even with two people guiding (and causing saturday shopping chaos) it took 15 minutes of going forward and back to get out safely (even got a round of applause from the crowd who'd gathered to watch the prat in the big car)
If this isn't an issue for you then it's great.
A local to me, we should get a Eastern meeting going! Are you up for a hoonage around the wilds of South Cambs?the VXr8 is one of the largest on the road - longer than a Bently Conti, Merc S class etc. Even longer than a Jaguar XJ220 (and that alwasy looks massive).
Generally it's fine - you just take a slightly wider line round bends. no big deal.
However multistorey car parks are a nightmare. Out of all the carparks in Cambridge only 1 is "easy" to get out of without worrying about the £850 front alloys and £950 rears.
there's another 2 carparks that are doable but you will tip toe in and out of them. 1 of them I tried I couldn't get out at all (on my own) - even with two people guiding (and causing saturday shopping chaos) it took 15 minutes of going forward and back to get out safely (even got a round of applause from the crowd who'd gathered to watch the prat in the big car)
If this isn't an issue for you then it's great.
ukvoyager.info said:
ads_green said:
The only negative that would prevent me from buying as a day to day car (as ours isn't) is the size.
A local to me, we should get a Eastern meeting going! Are you up for a hoonage around the wilds of South Cambs?
Sounds good - I'm basically on the doorstep of addenbrookes
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I think the old saying goes: "If you cannot afford to buy it new you can't afford to run it".
The VXR8, like the Monaro is a lot of car for the money if you are in the market for car like an M3 or M5 but it will cost considerably more to run than something like a similarly priced diesel Audi A6. The Audi will have better residuals and do twice the MPG, it has just as much space as a family car, costs less to tax (£400 for the VXR8), less to insure and will eat fewer tyres.
Admittedly, the Audi will won't set your hair on fire but look at the Vauxhall as a cheap M5 and assume the same running costs (albeit with cheaper servicing).
Having said that, you will really love the big V8!
The VXR8, like the Monaro is a lot of car for the money if you are in the market for car like an M3 or M5 but it will cost considerably more to run than something like a similarly priced diesel Audi A6. The Audi will have better residuals and do twice the MPG, it has just as much space as a family car, costs less to tax (£400 for the VXR8), less to insure and will eat fewer tyres.
Admittedly, the Audi will won't set your hair on fire but look at the Vauxhall as a cheap M5 and assume the same running costs (albeit with cheaper servicing).
Having said that, you will really love the big V8!
Got mine last july, smile on face every time I use it. Its not big to drive, the wife uses it for school run and sainsbury's shopping trip every week.
Mirrors are small but you get used to them,(they do need to be heated though) and rear spoiler blocks boy racers flashing their lights to give you a burn, you know you have nothing to prove, that being said, I put a R34 skyline in his place last sunday,
Great Feeling!!
ads_green said:
ukvoyager.info said:
ads_green said:
The only negative that would prevent me from buying as a day to day car (as ours isn't) is the size.
A local to me, we should get a Eastern meeting going! Are you up for a hoonage around the wilds of South Cambs?
Sounds good - I'm basically on the doorstep of addenbrookes
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V2RAC said:
ads_green said:
ukvoyager.info said:
ads_green said:
The only negative that would prevent me from buying as a day to day car (as ours isn't) is the size.
A local to me, we should get a Eastern meeting going! Are you up for a hoonage around the wilds of South Cambs?
Sounds good - I'm basically on the doorstep of addenbrookes
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Well my Wife works there drilling holes in peoples heads using power tools...
ads_green said:
The only negative that would prevent me from buying as a day to day car (as ours isn't) is the size.
the VXr8 is one of the largest on the road - longer than a Bently Conti, Merc S class etc. Even longer than a Jaguar XJ220 (and that alwasy looks massive).
Generally it's fine - you just take a slightly wider line round bends. no big deal.
However multistorey car parks are a nightmare. Out of all the carparks in Cambridge only 1 is "easy" to get out of without worrying about the £850 front alloys and £950 rears.
there's another 2 carparks that are doable but you will tip toe in and out of them. 1 of them I tried I couldn't get out at all (on my own) - even with two people guiding (and causing saturday shopping chaos) it took 15 minutes of going forward and back to get out safely (even got a round of applause from the crowd who'd gathered to watch the prat in the big car)
If this isn't an issue for you then it's great.
Came up last weekend to Cambridge for mothers day parked in the multistorey by the Round church easy in and out unlike some.the VXr8 is one of the largest on the road - longer than a Bently Conti, Merc S class etc. Even longer than a Jaguar XJ220 (and that alwasy looks massive).
Generally it's fine - you just take a slightly wider line round bends. no big deal.
However multistorey car parks are a nightmare. Out of all the carparks in Cambridge only 1 is "easy" to get out of without worrying about the £850 front alloys and £950 rears.
there's another 2 carparks that are doable but you will tip toe in and out of them. 1 of them I tried I couldn't get out at all (on my own) - even with two people guiding (and causing saturday shopping chaos) it took 15 minutes of going forward and back to get out safely (even got a round of applause from the crowd who'd gathered to watch the prat in the big car)
If this isn't an issue for you then it's great.
Got some good feed back on the R8 Mainly People"Didn't realise Vauxhall made a car so big"had to put them right and tell them its an Aussie motor.
ads_green said:
V2RAC said:
ads_green said:
ukvoyager.info said:
ads_green said:
The only negative that would prevent me from buying as a day to day car (as ours isn't) is the size.
A local to me, we should get a Eastern meeting going! Are you up for a hoonage around the wilds of South Cambs?
Sounds good - I'm basically on the doorstep of addenbrookes
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Well my Wife works there drilling holes in peoples heads using power tools...
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