If you HAD to own 3 Vauxhalls

If you HAD to own 3 Vauxhalls

Author
Discussion

hutchst

3,696 posts

95 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
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I'd have 2 that I did own, '85 Cavalier SRi (the 115BHP manual one, not the 130BHP special), 87 Carlton CDi, and one that I didn't, the Monaro.

morgrp

4,128 posts

197 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
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Let off some steam Bennett said:
16v astra gte
Lotus carlton
Chevette hsr
This - ^^^^

wormus

14,509 posts

202 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
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CX53 said:
Vauxhalls do the job most of the time, parts are cheap, it gets you where you need to go, I don’t quite understand the level of hate for them.
That’s because people on PH love their German leasemobiles over normal Fords and Vauxhalls. Not so much a forum for enthusiasts as badge snobs. I think the love of Vauxhalls is a generational thing.

Jasey_

4,823 posts

177 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
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irocfan said:
Jasey_ said:
Only one I'd consider now is the 6 litre super charged vxr8 but not brave enough smile.
why not 'brave enough'? I'd imagine that the reliability of the Corvette V8 would assuage most reliability issues
I'd kill myself wink

Byker28i

58,831 posts

216 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
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Is the right answer 3 insignia's, stacked on top of each other and set light to them as a service to drivers?
Horrid cars

droopsnoot

11,810 posts

241 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
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AC43 said:
I seem to remember Wayne Cherry did the droopsnoots
Wayne Cherry was head of design, but of course there was a team of people. For example Geoff Lawson (later at Jaguar) did some of the styling work on the Sportshatch, and I'm not sure it isn't him that I'm talking about. Can't find the reference to it, unfortunately.

The biggest problem with the HP Firenza was the build quality. The coupe shell wasn't built in big numbers, so when it came to picking the best-made ones for the prestige model they didn't have a great deal of choice. This, along with the manual work involved in fitting the front end, meant the build quality was awful and there were quite a lot of complaints. There are memos floating around suggesting that the second-generation car would be based on the estate shell, partly because it was considered to be quite a good-looking car at the time, and partly because they made a lot more, so had a bigger pool to pick the good ones from. Wayne Cherry drove around in "Silver Bullet" (which still exists), a Magnum estate with six-headlight nosecone, nicer Getrag box and a fuel-injected 2.3 slant four.

RazerSauber

2,262 posts

59 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
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wormus said:
CX53 said:
Vauxhalls do the job most of the time, parts are cheap, it gets you where you need to go, I don’t quite understand the level of hate for them.
That’s because people on PH love their German leasemobiles over normal Fords and Vauxhalls. Not so much a forum for enthusiasts as badge snobs. I think the love of Vauxhalls is a generational thing.
But aren't Vauxhalls just Opels with a UK badge? Opel are German. But owned by the Americans before the French took over.. I'm confused by it all now.

Bobtherallyfan

1,262 posts

77 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
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RazerSauber said:
But aren't Vauxhalls just Opels with a UK badge? Opel are German. But owned by the Americans before the French took over.. I'm confused by it all now.
Seems strange that people don’t say the same about Ford who haven’t built a passenger car in the UK for 17 years

chris4652009

1,563 posts

83 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
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CX53 said:
Vauxhalls do the job most of the time, parts are cheap, it gets you where you need to go, I don’t quite understand the level of hate for them.
+1
I had a Mk1 Mokka (small cc petrol turbo variant) for a few weeks, it was surprisingly pleasant and capable to spend time/miles in. So much so I'd not be against owning one if push came to shove.

pozi

1,723 posts

186 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
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8 pages and most of the posts list pre 2000 cars if not older. VX220, Astra Coupe and VXR8 are the only noticeable exceptions which shows just how much Vauxhall have lost there way recently.

Before people think I am just bashing Vauxhall I was a full on fanboy back in the day having owned a Viva, Firenza, Cavalier, Vectra, Corsa and Astra Coupe but their modern cars are just a bit dull compared with other manufacturers.

Shakermaker

11,317 posts

99 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
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rallycross said:
A Mokka TURBO
A Grandland TURBO
Erm, I don't understand the problem... they have a turbo..

southerndriver

250 posts

73 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
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I had several Vauxhalls as company cars in the 90s. All good and would choose again. Plenty of Vauxhall love here.

My three would be:
PA Cresta
FD Ventora
Mk 2 Astra GTE

Deranged Rover

3,316 posts

73 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
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pozi said:
8 pages and most of the posts list pre 2000 cars if not older. VX220, Astra Coupe and VXR8 are the only noticeable exceptions which shows just how much Vauxhall have lost there way recently.

Before people think I am just bashing Vauxhall I was a full on fanboy back in the day having owned a Viva, Firenza, Cavalier, Vectra, Corsa and Astra Coupe but their modern cars are just a bit dull compared with other manufacturers.
I think this is a fair point - the current range seems to have a selection of crossover SUV things, whatever they are, plus the Corsa, Insignia and the Astra. Even the latest Insignia doesn't even have a fire-breathing turbocharged V6 variant to smake it a bit more interesting

My father owned nothing but Vauxhalls throughout his life, from an early Wyvern right up to an Insignia SRi 2.0 Turbo, so I was brought up on them. Having owned both Vauxhalls and Fords myself, I think both companies have produced cars of equal merit over differing periods. In my opinion the Cavalier was better than the Sierra but the Mondeo was better than the Vectra, for example.

As to that SRi Insignia of my father's, I was genuinely impressed by it - he gave it to me when ill health forced him to give up driving and I tooled around in it for a few months before selling it (and buying a Range Rover, much to his annoyance!). I would have kept it had it not been for two things - firstly it was a saloon and, although I prefer saloons, my occasional requirements to carry big stuff means a hatchback is more convenient. The second issue was that this was an early model from the time when Vauxhall were still fitting concrete blocks instead of seat cushions.

Frankly people who dismiss all Vauxhalls are slightly suspicious, in my book.

Steve Maund

436 posts

230 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
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Torquey said:
Number 65... The exact Vauxhall I'd most love to own. By an awful long way. cloud9bow

Edited by Torquey on Monday 21st October 14:46
The only car I wish I had kept,.

RoverP6B

4,338 posts

127 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
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FD Victor was a handsome beast. A miniature '67 Impala with a decent OHC slant-4 or pushrod I6, or even a Chev 327 in some markets. Quite clever coil-spring rear suspension too, far better than the leafs under the Cortina of the era. Sadly, they depreciated as quickly as they rusted and an awful lot got wrecked on The Professionals.

LuS1fer

41,086 posts

244 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
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RoverP6B said:
FD Victor was a handsome beast. A miniature '67 Impala with a decent OHC slant-4 or pushrod I6, or even a Chev 327 in some markets. Quite clever coil-spring rear suspension too, far better than the leafs under the Cortina of the era. Sadly, they depreciated as quickly as they rusted and an awful lot got wrecked on The Professionals.
As a lad, my friend's father worked at Vauxhall, Ellesmere Port.
I remember him coming home with a brand new L reg yellow VX4/90 (2.3) which he promptly took us out in and gave us our 100mph induction.
He changed it, the following year for a metallic blue one, like this.

Handsome cars, inexplicably overshadowed by the Consul/Granada.


irocfan

40,152 posts

189 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
quotequote all
pozi said:
8 pages and most of the posts list pre 2000 cars if not older. VX220, Astra Coupe and VXR8 are the only noticeable exceptions which shows just how much Vauxhall have lost there way recently.

Before people think I am just bashing Vauxhall I was a full on fanboy back in the day having owned a Viva, Firenza, Cavalier, Vectra, Corsa and Astra Coupe but their modern cars are just a bit dull compared with other manufacturers.
indeed - mine were from the 70's and 80's. If I had to choose modern...

VXR8
Maloo
Monaro

and in that order


Jasey_ said:
irocfan said:
Jasey_ said:
Only one I'd consider now is the 6 litre super charged vxr8 but not brave enough smile.
why not 'brave enough'? I'd imagine that the reliability of the Corvette V8 would assuage most reliability issues
I'd kill myself wink
fair enough hehe


RazerSauber

2,262 posts

59 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
quotequote all
pozi said:
8 pages and most of the posts list pre 2000 cars if not older. VX220, Astra Coupe and VXR8 are the only noticeable exceptions which shows just how much Vauxhall have lost there way recently.

Before people think I am just bashing Vauxhall I was a full on fanboy back in the day having owned a Viva, Firenza, Cavalier, Vectra, Corsa and Astra Coupe but their modern cars are just a bit dull compared with other manufacturers.
I quite like the GTC shaped VXR, and most of the VXR range to be honest. Even the new Peugeot designed Corsa electric thing looks good to me.

I've often thought about replacing the C25XE in my Calibra with one of the Z28NETs from the Vectra VXR.

thebigmacmoomin

2,796 posts

168 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
quotequote all
VX220
Lotus Carlton
Monaro VXR

If the Monaro doesn't count as a Vauxhall since its really a Holden, a Mk2 Astra GTE 16v.

Wacky Racer

38,099 posts

246 months

Tuesday 22nd October 2019
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RoverP6B said:
FD Victor was a handsome beast. A miniature '67 Impala with a decent OHC slant-4 or pushrod I6, or even a Chev 327 in some markets. Quite clever coil-spring rear suspension too, far better than the leafs under the Cortina of the era. Sadly, they depreciated as quickly as they rusted and an awful lot got wrecked on The Professionals.
My very first car in 1971 was a maroon 1967 FD Victor, 1800cc OHC with a front bench seat and three speed column change. MDB 932F.