Faults:

Radiator went bad started leaking around 190,000 miles.

Oil leakage problem occurred soon after.

Hot starting issues (main relay problems).

ABS problems.

Keep in mind my car I purchased from a salvage lot that has a salvaged title, I am surprised I have not had more problems.

General Comments:

This car has been good to me even though I am not really a car kind of guy (more of a pickup truck person).

The Vigor has decent acceleration and good handling.

As far as the suspension is concerned this car is a stiff ride for my liking.

It does pretty good on gas even though it has to drink premium gasoline.

Some parts are more expensive and harder to find then other cars, due to the cars limited production.

Some of my biggest gripes about the car are mostly design flaws.

Like for starters no cup holders found anywhere in the car, I sometimes improvise by wedging my drink in between the seat and the door.

A small backseat that was not designed for large adults.

The side windows are frame-less windows when completely rolled up sometimes air will howl through them when hitting gusts of wind when going around 55+ MPH, very annoying to say the least.

And last but not least 4-speed automatic transmission does not shift very smoothly.

Faults:

I replaced the starter and the battery.

I love this car, because it is reliable, but lately, when I get inside and try to start it, the key just goes forward and I hear nothing. Can someone give me advice on this issue? I don't want to get rid of this classic!

Faults:

At about 240,000 km, it blew the circuit board in the distributor so I replaced it with a used one.

3 months later, it blows the circuit's in the distributor again, I replace it again with a used one.

3 months later, it blows the circuit's in the distributor again, I replace it again with a used one.

3 months later, it blows the circuit's in the distributor again, This time the car is sent to the scrap heap.

General Comments:

This was a great car for 10 years.

Changed the clutch once and the timing chain once. Only did oil changes and brake maintenance.

It is very unfortunate that the distributor circuit kept blowing. No one could tell me why so I was forced to scrap it. The car could have gone another 100,00 km I am sure.

Faults:

Power antenna failure.

Power door lock actuator failure.

ABS problems.

Alternator failure 3 times within 10 years.

Hot starting issues (Main EFI relay).

Fuel pump.

Squeaky suspension.

Noisy interior.

Intermittent rough idling problem.

Oil pickup clogs.

Master cylinder out at 60,000.

Sunroof stuck in open.

Ignition switch failure.

Driver’s side door lock seized up.

Radio display went black.

Engine coolant temp sensor out at 55,000.

Oxygen sensor replaced 2 times under warranty.

ECU replaced once under warranty.

General Comments:

Basically an Accord with a odd ball 5 cylinder engine crammed under the hood (and I do mean crammed). This has to be one of the most dreadful cars I have ever had the displeasure of working on myself. And unfortunately many things seem to fail frequently, and are expensive to replace (see below).

I am the second owner (first owner was my grandmother who stopped driving 3 years ago). The car has maintenance records an inch thick from when it was still under warranty. Currently has 65K original miles on it, of which I have put 15K of those miles, and I keep up on maintenance.

Honestly, there is nothing that appealing or extraordinary about the Vigor to warrant such good reviews. It gets relatively poor gas mileage (16 city, 25 highway). Really not that fast (8 sec 0-60), uncomfortable (non height adjustable seats), rough riding.

It is EXPENSIVE to fix (not a car for the do-it-yourselfer, as the engine compartment is overly crowded). For example, to change the oil cooler gaskets (common leak point); a 1 hour job in a regular car, takes 6 hours on the Vigor. As unbelievable as it sounds, you must remove the battery to change the distributor cap and rotor! Apparently the engineering team designing this car hadn’t considered that someone would actually need to repair it someday!

Problems that are the most uncommon on other cars seem to plague the Vigor. From electrical issues that are intermittent (main relay, A/C system, security system, etc.) and odd mechanical issues (oil cooler gaskets leaking at 60K?, master cylinder at 65K), this car takes the cake in my book as one of the WORST cars I have ever owned.

It’s not much of a wonder why this car was only made for 3 years. And to those who had such great things to say about the car, I wonder if they are up to date on repairs, or have ever attempted to fix the car themselves (it is a 14 year old car, and I would assume most of the current owners will be tackling most repairs).

There are FAR better used cars you can buy for the money, so if you still insist on purchasing one think twice, actually talk to some mechanics about repair cost, and consider other options.