Why do people buy vauxhalls?
Discussion
I’ve got a new shape Astra for a company car
It’s quite good really, nothing remarkable but it’s 140bhp Diesel and it’s a really quiet and smooth engine for a diesel.
The radio crashes all the time and when it rains the central locking stops working
It drives better than the mk6 golf I had and feels the same as the focus I had before it. Thst was nothing special either
Good standard kit for the bottom of the range model including front and rear sensors, Apple car play, alloys etc
No arm rest though. I can’t see why you would buy one with real money though, unless you really liked Vauxhall’s as it’s no better than the Kia I had as a hire car. Better than a fiat tipo tough.
It’s just a car, refined enough, quick enough. Like a unbranded polo shirt it just does the job.
It’s quite good really, nothing remarkable but it’s 140bhp Diesel and it’s a really quiet and smooth engine for a diesel.
The radio crashes all the time and when it rains the central locking stops working
It drives better than the mk6 golf I had and feels the same as the focus I had before it. Thst was nothing special either
Good standard kit for the bottom of the range model including front and rear sensors, Apple car play, alloys etc
No arm rest though. I can’t see why you would buy one with real money though, unless you really liked Vauxhall’s as it’s no better than the Kia I had as a hire car. Better than a fiat tipo tough.
It’s just a car, refined enough, quick enough. Like a unbranded polo shirt it just does the job.
covert said:
in 2018 the reliability of them have gone up, Vauxhall is in the TOP 10 most reliable car brands
Ah, but have Vauxhall become more reliable or has everything else just become less reliable due to overly complex stuff that you don't really need ?My experience of Vauxhall is that they are pretty reliable ("work"vehicles, I haven't owned a Vauxhall for over 25 years - Astra GTE 16v understeer monster was my last one).
Red 4 said:
Ah, but have Vauxhall become more reliable or has everything else just become less reliable due to overly complex stuff that you don't really need ?
My experience of Vauxhall is that they are pretty reliable "work"vehicles, I haven't owned a Vauxhall for over 25 years - Astra GTE 16v understeer monster was my last one).
Yes, the GTE 16v really put me off Vauxhalls. My experience of Vauxhall is that they are pretty reliable "work"vehicles, I haven't owned a Vauxhall for over 25 years - Astra GTE 16v understeer monster was my last one).
That, along with the fcat that my father once had a lemon coloured Victor FB and didn't like it. I thought it looked cool.
Prior to that, I had owned a Viva HC1800 with a "half inner wing rusted away" feature and it never went right after the cambelt snapped. I also had a 1986 Astra 1300 which was dull and clonky.
On holidays, I have had the joy of two modern Corsas and have been left emotionally unmoved, especially by the urine coloured dash lights. More recently, I was left indifferent by the new Insignia Turbo D, infringed as it was by annoying lane control and stop start crap. Not a bad car at all but not one I would buy.
The one Vauxhall I would buy would be the petrol Adam (in a non-garish colour combo with no chrome) as that went very well, was very quiet and I liked it (Woo).
I test drove an Astra GTC 200hp recently and while I liked the space within and the way it drove, handled and looked, the engine just felt a bit slow and the VXR was a bit too "council" for my eyes so I bought another Fiesta ST.
I had a 1988 Vauxhall Cavalier - good car, very reliable, but typical 80's rust bucket.
I had a 2003 Astra mk4 GSI turbo - an excellent car at the time. 100% reliable, well made and very corrosion resistant.
2 years ago, I deliberately down graded, sold my Audi Quattro V6 diesel and bought a 2005 Astra mk5 1.7cdti estate as a run around shed (I got a big dog). Well what a surprise, as a product to take me from A to B this car is absolutely remarkably good! It cost me £1000, has 130k on the clock, everything still works including the A/C, the bodywork although a bit scuffed is 100% rust free. Its proving 100% reliable, costs bugger all to tax, insurance and service.
The tyres are cheap - less than £300 for a set of Cross Climates and full brake kit cost me £100 including fluid.
It does ~ 600 miles to the tank, build quality is spot on - not a rattle or squeak! Performance and handling are acceptable, ride comfort very good with its tractor profile tyres and soft suspension. And because its an estate its incredibly versatile. Its just breezed its MOT, with only one small advisory.
To top it all off, its still worth a grand 2 years later! Cheap, reliable motoring. Worth its wait in gold to me and I intent to run it to 200k then see how its holding up. Considering how tight it still feels I don't think another 70k will be too much of a problem. And some of you may call this BS, but comparatively I genuinely feel its more reliable and at least as well screwed together as the Audi I sold.
And not that it matters, but I could afford a substantially newer and more upmarket car, but choose not to. Lost thousands over the years in depreciation. Not doing it anymore. If people want to spend £300 a month renting a new car or loosing £300 a month in deprecation that's totally fine by me. That's the cost of the new car privilege, I'll put it on the mortgage and retire earlier.
Are Vauxhalls the best cars in the world, no of course not, but they are perfectly good cars for the masses that don't require an ultra focused drivers car with a flash badge.
I had a 2003 Astra mk4 GSI turbo - an excellent car at the time. 100% reliable, well made and very corrosion resistant.
2 years ago, I deliberately down graded, sold my Audi Quattro V6 diesel and bought a 2005 Astra mk5 1.7cdti estate as a run around shed (I got a big dog). Well what a surprise, as a product to take me from A to B this car is absolutely remarkably good! It cost me £1000, has 130k on the clock, everything still works including the A/C, the bodywork although a bit scuffed is 100% rust free. Its proving 100% reliable, costs bugger all to tax, insurance and service.
The tyres are cheap - less than £300 for a set of Cross Climates and full brake kit cost me £100 including fluid.
It does ~ 600 miles to the tank, build quality is spot on - not a rattle or squeak! Performance and handling are acceptable, ride comfort very good with its tractor profile tyres and soft suspension. And because its an estate its incredibly versatile. Its just breezed its MOT, with only one small advisory.
To top it all off, its still worth a grand 2 years later! Cheap, reliable motoring. Worth its wait in gold to me and I intent to run it to 200k then see how its holding up. Considering how tight it still feels I don't think another 70k will be too much of a problem. And some of you may call this BS, but comparatively I genuinely feel its more reliable and at least as well screwed together as the Audi I sold.
And not that it matters, but I could afford a substantially newer and more upmarket car, but choose not to. Lost thousands over the years in depreciation. Not doing it anymore. If people want to spend £300 a month renting a new car or loosing £300 a month in deprecation that's totally fine by me. That's the cost of the new car privilege, I'll put it on the mortgage and retire earlier.
Are Vauxhalls the best cars in the world, no of course not, but they are perfectly good cars for the masses that don't require an ultra focused drivers car with a flash badge.
Edited by Lincsls1 on Tuesday 18th September 21:36
I've never had an issue with Vauxhall personally, and always found their cars to be fairly reliable. I only just traded in my 2006 Astra that I owned for 8 years. The longest I've owned any car.
My second car when I was 19 was a 1.3 1986 Cavalier that I got from my dad. He had run it from 40k miles, gave it to me with 74k miles, and I then traded it in with 93k miles on the clock. It had needed a few bits and pieces starter motor, fuel pump and distributor. (It was miles ahead of the mk1 Fiesta I had as my first car).
I traded the Cavalier in for a 1.6 1989 mk2 Astra which had no issues apart from a sticky brake caliper. I was also in a shunt in that car too, and ended up with a new bonnet, lights and bumper. It actually looked better than when I originally bought it once fixed.
After owning a Ford, then a Citroen , I bought an 1995 1.4 Astra. I commuted every day in it for 3 years. The only issue was a sump gasket failure and a faulty oil light switch.
My dad owned 2 Cavaliers, the 1986 one I ended up running, and a 1992 1.6 that he ran for 5 years with no issues. He has also owned a 2001 reg and an 2005 Vectra. Both these were run to fairly high mileage with very little in the way of issues.
He then bought a 2010 Astra 1.4. He had that for 5years,but wasn't as keen on it due to issues with constant misting up that could never be solved, and a faulty radio display that would just blank out. It was also quite slow compared to other Vauxhalls we had both owned in the past.
I've never really got the Vauxhall hatred at all. I've always found them to be reasonably priced cars.
These days people go on about how great Dacia are, because they are cheap. But then seem to slag Vauxhall off for the same reason!
My second car when I was 19 was a 1.3 1986 Cavalier that I got from my dad. He had run it from 40k miles, gave it to me with 74k miles, and I then traded it in with 93k miles on the clock. It had needed a few bits and pieces starter motor, fuel pump and distributor. (It was miles ahead of the mk1 Fiesta I had as my first car).
I traded the Cavalier in for a 1.6 1989 mk2 Astra which had no issues apart from a sticky brake caliper. I was also in a shunt in that car too, and ended up with a new bonnet, lights and bumper. It actually looked better than when I originally bought it once fixed.
After owning a Ford, then a Citroen , I bought an 1995 1.4 Astra. I commuted every day in it for 3 years. The only issue was a sump gasket failure and a faulty oil light switch.
My dad owned 2 Cavaliers, the 1986 one I ended up running, and a 1992 1.6 that he ran for 5 years with no issues. He has also owned a 2001 reg and an 2005 Vectra. Both these were run to fairly high mileage with very little in the way of issues.
He then bought a 2010 Astra 1.4. He had that for 5years,but wasn't as keen on it due to issues with constant misting up that could never be solved, and a faulty radio display that would just blank out. It was also quite slow compared to other Vauxhalls we had both owned in the past.
I've never really got the Vauxhall hatred at all. I've always found them to be reasonably priced cars.
These days people go on about how great Dacia are, because they are cheap. But then seem to slag Vauxhall off for the same reason!
Edited by CH2 on Tuesday 18th September 21:37
covert said:
in 2018 the reliability of them have gone up, Vauxhall is in the TOP 10 most reliable car brands
Those surveys aren’t really accurate, they all rely on people filling in the surveys, and people with kias love to shout about how great they are so they come out better than BMW who only have the disgruntled few repling It’s the same as when you go out for a meal 9/10 times it’s great but you don’t tell people about it, but the 1 time it’s awful you tell everyone all the time it’s mentioned
Vauxhall is responsible for some pretty crap cars but then again, also some absolute stormers. Same could be said of all mainstream manufacturers. I also thought that
Vauxhall bashing was based on the usual, narrow minded antiquated views of a select few... much like most motoring based stereotypes. Volvos... safe and boxy, 911 turbo... widowmaker, French... s
t electrics etcetera repeat to boring fade.
In fact an old uncle of mine once said 'never had a Vauxhall, they were always seen as ladies cars' when I arrived home with a Cavalier GSi2000 way back in 1999 abd he wasn't being smart. I asked why he thought that, he didn't know... probably heard a bloke in a pub say it once and being a tad narrow minded and a convert to Japanese cars after his Talbot Solara died, figured he'd repeat that morsel of enlightenment at every opportunity. Ironically, that's a trait many use to think day.
"Vauxhall mate... would rather crap in my hands and clap mate" Oh really, owned any? No... OK, well what's that based on? Ahhh, brothers mates cousins had a Mk1 Astra in 1987 and it snapped the fanbelt on the M6 one night and so you've since decided everything with the same badge is rubbish, driven by poor people and you'd never own one. Riiiiight...
Frankly, what's not to like... huge range, massive dealer network, good value for money (some) cracking looking cars in the range and some properly brilliant cars. Granted the brand lacks the racing pedigree of Ford and perhaps isn't as quirky as the French efforts and for those desperate to get one up on the neighbours, the Vauxhall badge won't bring as much kudos as something German but for your every day motorist, what's not to like?
That's before you consider the VX220 turbo, Lotus Charlton, Chevette HSR, Nova Sport and the Fronted 2.2 petrol... no... wait... but thetes also their BTCC campaign which was top drawer from 1989 to 2005 sort of era and this was also the company who decided bringing V8's in from Oz was a good plan and their understated performance was easily on par with the best of them.
It's just badge snobbery most the time and probably the fact that they didn't turn out much in the early 2000's worth writing home about, at a time when buyers were waking up to the Germans and we started being driven by cheap finance and bling so they were out gunned but of late, they're pulling back and producing some pretty decent cars. Granted, some less than decent cars too but then again, BMW produce the 116D...
Vauxhall bashing was based on the usual, narrow minded antiquated views of a select few... much like most motoring based stereotypes. Volvos... safe and boxy, 911 turbo... widowmaker, French... s
t electrics etcetera repeat to boring fade.In fact an old uncle of mine once said 'never had a Vauxhall, they were always seen as ladies cars' when I arrived home with a Cavalier GSi2000 way back in 1999 abd he wasn't being smart. I asked why he thought that, he didn't know... probably heard a bloke in a pub say it once and being a tad narrow minded and a convert to Japanese cars after his Talbot Solara died, figured he'd repeat that morsel of enlightenment at every opportunity. Ironically, that's a trait many use to think day.
"Vauxhall mate... would rather crap in my hands and clap mate" Oh really, owned any? No... OK, well what's that based on? Ahhh, brothers mates cousins had a Mk1 Astra in 1987 and it snapped the fanbelt on the M6 one night and so you've since decided everything with the same badge is rubbish, driven by poor people and you'd never own one. Riiiiight...
Frankly, what's not to like... huge range, massive dealer network, good value for money (some) cracking looking cars in the range and some properly brilliant cars. Granted the brand lacks the racing pedigree of Ford and perhaps isn't as quirky as the French efforts and for those desperate to get one up on the neighbours, the Vauxhall badge won't bring as much kudos as something German but for your every day motorist, what's not to like?
That's before you consider the VX220 turbo, Lotus Charlton, Chevette HSR, Nova Sport and the Fronted 2.2 petrol... no... wait... but thetes also their BTCC campaign which was top drawer from 1989 to 2005 sort of era and this was also the company who decided bringing V8's in from Oz was a good plan and their understated performance was easily on par with the best of them.
It's just badge snobbery most the time and probably the fact that they didn't turn out much in the early 2000's worth writing home about, at a time when buyers were waking up to the Germans and we started being driven by cheap finance and bling so they were out gunned but of late, they're pulling back and producing some pretty decent cars. Granted, some less than decent cars too but then again, BMW produce the 116D...
Davie said:
Vauxhall is responsible for some pretty crap cars but then again, also some absolute stormers. Same could be said of all mainstream manufacturers. I also thought that
Vauxhall bashing was based on the usual, narrow minded antiquated views of a select few... much like most motoring based stereotypes. Volvos... safe and boxy, 911 turbo... widowmaker, French... st electrics etcetera repeat to boring fade.
In fact an old uncle of mine once said 'never had a Vauxhall, they were always seen as ladies cars' when I arrived home with a Cavalier GSi2000 way back in 1999 abd he wasn't being smart. I asked why he thought that, he didn't know... probably heard a bloke in a pub say it once and being a tad narrow minded and a convert to Japanese cars after his Talbot Solara died, figured he'd repeat that morsel of enlightenment at every opportunity. Ironically, that's a trait many use to think day.
"Vauxhall mate... would rather crap in my hands and clap mate" Oh really, owned any? No... OK, well what's that based on? Ahhh, brothers mates cousins had a Mk1 Astra in 1987 and it snapped the fanbelt on the M6 one night and so you've since decided everything with the same badge is rubbish, driven by poor people and you'd never own one. Riiiiight...
Frankly, what's not to like... huge range, massive dealer network, good value for money (some) cracking looking cars in the range and some properly brilliant cars. Granted the brand lacks the racing pedigree of Ford and perhaps isn't as quirky as the French efforts and for those desperate to get one up on the neighbours, the Vauxhall badge won't bring as much kudos as something German but for your every day motorist, what's not to like?
That's before you consider the VX220 turbo, Lotus Charlton, Chevette HSR, Nova Sport and the Fronted 2.2 petrol... no... wait... but thetes also their BTCC campaign which was top drawer from 1989 to 2005 sort of era and this was also the company who decided bringing V8's in from Oz was a good plan and their understated performance was easily on par with the best of them.
It's just badge snobbery most the time and probably the fact that they didn't turn out much in the early 2000's worth writing home about, at a time when buyers were waking up to the Germans and we started being driven by cheap finance and bling so they were out gunned but of late, they're pulling back and producing some pretty decent cars. Granted, some less than decent cars too but then again, BMW produce the 116D...
Oddly enough I owned a Cavalier and two Vectras a few years ago now. I’m not trying to spout Clarkson here but of the three, two were absolute sVauxhall bashing was based on the usual, narrow minded antiquated views of a select few... much like most motoring based stereotypes. Volvos... safe and boxy, 911 turbo... widowmaker, French... s
t electrics etcetera repeat to boring fade.In fact an old uncle of mine once said 'never had a Vauxhall, they were always seen as ladies cars' when I arrived home with a Cavalier GSi2000 way back in 1999 abd he wasn't being smart. I asked why he thought that, he didn't know... probably heard a bloke in a pub say it once and being a tad narrow minded and a convert to Japanese cars after his Talbot Solara died, figured he'd repeat that morsel of enlightenment at every opportunity. Ironically, that's a trait many use to think day.
"Vauxhall mate... would rather crap in my hands and clap mate" Oh really, owned any? No... OK, well what's that based on? Ahhh, brothers mates cousins had a Mk1 Astra in 1987 and it snapped the fanbelt on the M6 one night and so you've since decided everything with the same badge is rubbish, driven by poor people and you'd never own one. Riiiiight...
Frankly, what's not to like... huge range, massive dealer network, good value for money (some) cracking looking cars in the range and some properly brilliant cars. Granted the brand lacks the racing pedigree of Ford and perhaps isn't as quirky as the French efforts and for those desperate to get one up on the neighbours, the Vauxhall badge won't bring as much kudos as something German but for your every day motorist, what's not to like?
That's before you consider the VX220 turbo, Lotus Charlton, Chevette HSR, Nova Sport and the Fronted 2.2 petrol... no... wait... but thetes also their BTCC campaign which was top drawer from 1989 to 2005 sort of era and this was also the company who decided bringing V8's in from Oz was a good plan and their understated performance was easily on par with the best of them.
It's just badge snobbery most the time and probably the fact that they didn't turn out much in the early 2000's worth writing home about, at a time when buyers were waking up to the Germans and we started being driven by cheap finance and bling so they were out gunned but of late, they're pulling back and producing some pretty decent cars. Granted, some less than decent cars too but then again, BMW produce the 116D...
te and constantly had numerous problems that cost me a fortune. I swore then to never buy another Vauxhall.Don't forget the Vauxhall VX220, they are a true gleaming diamond (assuming you measure a car's worth by the driving experience). In the UK there is a small but strong owners club with plenty of people tracking and driving them hard on the road. They are quite high maintenance (both in money and time) and are usually a second/track car. They offer genuinely amazing performance (particularly in the corners) and regularily embarass many other "Fast" car owners. I've had mainstream fast cars in the past, but ownership (and driving) this particular Vauxhall is genuinely different to just about any other mainstream car. I've had mine for 10 years now and made numerous changes (as do many owners) over the years.
Some pics from this summer:
Some pics from this summer:
Edited by nevcontractor on Wednesday 19th September 06:56
I had a 96 plate 2.0 vectra Sri and an A3 Audi 1.8 turbo at the same time a few years ago, the vectra would piss past the Audi on the straight but just wouldn’t go round corners at speed, much more fun to drive, I told my kids one of the cars had to go, they said keep the Audi, I kept the vectra, sulked for weeks when my Mrs wrote it off.
Nickbrapp said:
Those surveys aren’t really accurate, they all rely on people filling in the surveys, and people with kias love to shout about how great they are so they come out better than BMW who only have the disgruntled few repling
Is that what it is?! Couldn't possible be that a Kia is simply on average more reliable than a BMW. And I would bet they are!FWIW, the only time I bought a new car it was a Hyundai (5th in chart). Had it for 6 years, put 70,000 on it and not one single issue. Being new with 5 yrs warranty I hammered it somewhat too.
I would imagine that those tables will shuffle around a bit, but those at the top will generally be in top half whilst those at the bottom will often reside in the bottom half.
kambites said:
Sorry to go off topic but what have you actually attached that wing to?
It has steel struts that go through the bodywork and attach to the subframe in the boot with 8 bolts. It's very solid, so much so I could tow the car backwards on it if I needed to. The wing is strong enough to have a moderately light adult lie down on it too.Had an Astra GTE 16v - brilliant hot hatch - wish I had kept it. Expensive to get a decent one now.
Had a Manta GTE which I also enjoyed immensely.
Would have liked a Nova SR when I was younger, also a Vectra GSi/ST with the LSD and AP brakes ( very rare )
Recent ones I really like are the Corsa Nurburgring and a VXR8 ( even though it's a bigger car than I usually go for )
For me they've made a fair few items on my want list and the ones I've had I've really enjoyed
Had a Manta GTE which I also enjoyed immensely.
Would have liked a Nova SR when I was younger, also a Vectra GSi/ST with the LSD and AP brakes ( very rare )
Recent ones I really like are the Corsa Nurburgring and a VXR8 ( even though it's a bigger car than I usually go for )
For me they've made a fair few items on my want list and the ones I've had I've really enjoyed
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