Why are Insignia's so cheap?

[gman88667733]

Not sure if I'm missing something obvious, but a chap at work has a 2010 insignia and other than a new clutch (he tows) it seems fine.
I've seen prices for 2010 estates as low as £2000 which seems crazy to me.
Are there some inherent faults that they all suffer? Or are they just bargain cars?

When my 1.9tdi Octavia throws any issues, I'd be tempted by one of those. Are the manuals better than the autos?
Cheers

[Wacky Racer]

No doubt you will get the usual Vauxhall haters on this thread , but I've had two Insignias and they have been fine.

A lot of car for the money second hand. (Mine were new)

[Mexman]

They are dirt cheap,
Sold plenty of them, a few observations.
The rear visability is appalling.
The engines, particular the CDTi is archaic and noisy.
Clutch action in a manual is awful.
Lots of spec for the money though.
Sold one 2 days ago, this afternoon it bounced back with ABS, Traction control lights and EML on.
But...they do sell well on the second hand market though.

[gman88667733]

Surely a well serviced example would be okay though?
If the manual isn't great, what's the auto like?

[gman88667733]

I can't find anything else for £2500-£3000 that seems like a better deal really.
Are the dpfs problematic?
Just had another look online and found a 2013 automatic that looks fully loaded, with full service history and 1 owner and 148k miles that sold for £2950. Even though the mileage is high, that is dirt cheap

Edited by gman88667733 on Friday 16th November 19:54

[Super Slo Mo]

We had one on our fleet some years back at the insistence of the guy who drove it.
After he left I drove it for a bit. My thoughts are that everything else in the class is better in some way or another, be it dynamics, ergonomics or whatever. They’re quite roomy though. Ours wasn’t particularly reliable either.
They are cheap though, even cheaper than big French cars.

[gman88667733]

For the money though, is it worth the compromise?

[Super Slo Mo]

I wouldn’t have another but don’t listen to me.
Go and drive one or two, see what you think. Some people like them, they can’t all be wrong.

[ninjag]

You can get a 2011 Honda Accord EX GT iDTEC fully loaded which is built in Japan and not Swindon for £3k. If I didn't need an SUV I would probably have bought an Accord instead, although it would have been the excellent 2.4 petrol model.

[gman88667733]

What is the fuel economy like on one of those?
Had a quick look and can't find any 2010+ for under 4k

[Jag_NE]

Loads of car for the money. Awful image in PH circles obviously but great low cost family car. Probably on the cheaper side to maintain and repair too. A diesel estate in elite trim would be a great all rounder.

[Deep Thought]

I'd a 2010 SRi CDTI 160BHP variant. Great car. I'd a tuning box on mine which took it to around 190BHP.

Would have another.

[Deep Thought]

gman88667733 said:

For the money though, is it worth the compromise?

What compromise??

[gman88667733]

By compromise, I mean the points mentioned above

Edited by gman88667733 on Friday 16th November 20:46

[HM-2]

I think if you want a car to be a car and nothing else they're probably perfectly fine. I've had a couple as rentals in the past, and they've been fine but entirely unexceptional and uninteresting. As already mentioned, the rear visibility is dreadful. My biggest gripe was actually with the ride, which managed to be bouncy, rolly and crashy all at the same time.

Can't speak for the reliability.

[Deep Thought]

gman88667733 said:

My compromise, I mean the points mentioned above

All cars at that price point are a compromise.

I dont see that theres any real downside. They are cheap because there are loads of them about, they are underrated and held in slight distain by many (wrongly).

No car is without faults either. Its not like buying say, a Passat for +£,£££ for the same year and miles is going to guarantee you something more reliable.

[was8v]

I only ever drove the vxr on a race track and it was awful.

But as a family hauler at half the price of its contemporaries it's probably a no brainer and probably better than anything else at that price.

Just don't expect it to be dynamically interesting.

[manmaths]

They dont have the best image as others have mentioned which helps suppress 2nd hand values. If you can cope with the badge on your driveway they make an excellent purchase. I piked up a 2016 1.4t sri nav in 2016 with just 6k on the clock for under 12k which while not in your price point was still dirt cheap compared to equivalent specs from other manufacturers.

It looks good IMO, the spec is everything I would need (8 inch touchscreen, android auto, bluetooth, built in nav, front and rear parking sensors, really comfortable seats, cruise control etc) and I actually enjoy driving it. Eg it has hydraulic power steering unlike my wifes 2017 Tuscon which supplies no feedback whatsoever.

On the whole its been reliable except for a few niggles sorted under warrenty. Boot struts failed. Rear lense affected by water ingress. Coolant expansion tank split. Tire pressure sensor failed.

Someone above said 'built in swindon'. AFAIK the Insignia is built exclusively in Germany. UK Insignias are rebadged Opels. And of course the company is under American ownership.
Recent reliability surveys placed the insignia higher in its class than offerings from the Germans, albeit still with a score of 3ish out of 5.

I would have one again. Ideally a VX line estate.

[kieranblenk]

We've had 3 Insignia's in the family for years now, my grandad is on his second and my uncle has had one for about 5 years now. Grandads first one and my uncle's are both 11 plates with my grandads current one being a 65 plate. All three were bought at around 1-2 years old at less than half of list.

They all replaced a long line of big Vauxhalls (Signums, Vectras, Cavaliers and Omegas) but the newer post 2014 model is a much better car with a better engine, interior and sound deadening. My grandad has a Tech Line and it's stuffed with kit, but the Whisper diesel isn't particularly quick (130bhp). None have ever put a foot wrong but my grandads have been low mileage, although my uncle's 11 plate car is on around 95k now and has never put a foot wrong either. I wouldn't have one myself but they are great, comfortable and durable family cars. They do drop money like a stone but if you buy one cheap anyway then that's not an issue.

The new Grand Sport is a much better car but is of course still quite expensive.

[anonymous-user]

I’ve driven one many times. Far better satnav than bmw etc. Good solid car. I’d definitely trade “down” from a Jaguar to one. I really like them. Great value for money. I fancy one as my next car.