If you HAD to own 3 Vauxhalls
Discussion
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.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.
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.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.
+1I 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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...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.
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 .
why not 'brave enough'? I'd imagine that the reliability of the Corvette V8 would assuage most reliability issuespozi 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.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've often thought about replacing the C25XE in my Calibra with one of the Z28NETs from the Vectra VXR.
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.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff