Faults:

As soon as I bought the car I got the timing belt and rollers changed as some Ecotec engines were fitted with sub-standard belt rollers. Make sure that this has been done/or get it done on Ecotec engines, or risk engine failure. Needed 4 new brake/pads and shoes at about 78,000, expensive. Also had to get a new aerial amplifier fitted and a headlight lens.

General Comments:

The GM exhaust for this car is expensive at £350 otherwise most parts seem reasonable. Heating and ventilation seems quite poor on this car and I find the cloth seats a little uncomfortable. My car is in black and looks great, it is reasonably fast when pushed and handles much better than a Cavalier in my opinion. Looked after the car seems to be reasonably reliable, the challenge is to buy a 'good' one second-hand, not easy with private sales. I have found my local Vauxhall dealers to be pretty helpful, some Vauxhall dealers are very bad indeed, change dealers if you get bad service. I have owned many Vauxhalls and have had mixed experiences, they do make lemons so if you get one loose it fast, most of the problems are because most Vauxhall dealers don't know how to fix the cars!

Faults:

The 4x4 can break very easy on these cars and this happens often.

The fan. The water pipes have burst.

Etc.etc

General Comments:

Things can go wrong but that's only because we trash the beasts!

Faults:

When I first bought the car, it had done 10,000 miles. An immediate problem was that the radio wouldn't work (antenna amplifier had to be replaced - £50). Since then, nothing major. There is an ongoing problem with the idle speed - sometimes idles too slowly, causing engine to stall but only a minor niggle.

An annoying problem is that a number of small rattles have appeared in the cockpit.

General Comments:

Overall, quite a nice car although an adjustable steering column would make it more comfortable to drive. Looks great and is economical to drive and maintain.

Performance is reasonable but to get the most out of the engine, you need to rev it to 5,000 rpm and above. The top end performance is most noticeable when cruising at 85 mph+ when touching the throttle gives a good response.

At the end of the day, it really is just a Cavalier in a different bodyshell but because of this, parts are generally easy to get hold of and aren't too expensive. Quite a practical car to own.

Faults:

Electric window packed up after 18 months - £300!

Head gasket after 65k - cheap to fix.

General Comments:

Great car - drop dead gorgeous looks even if it was released 1989 - cars still look great against anything else.

Eat your heart out if you paid more for a Peugeot 406 coupe!

Faults:

The timing belt snapped and destroyed 14 valves.

General Comments:

A very nice cruiser but be warned. Check the timing belt tensioner on these engines or you could end up with the expensive repair bills!!