1991 Vauxhall Carlton CDX 2.0L

Summary:

Needing more attention, but still a good car

Faults:

Cylinder head gasket starting to deteriorate at 168K.

Starter motor changed.

Ignition lock seized twice.

Rust is a big issue on these cars, and when remedied, the parts should be given lashings of wax oil or/and underseal - chassis legs, sills and arches.

Speedometer cable malfunctioned at 169K.

Driver's electric window repaired at 165K.

General Comments:

Quiet and very comfortable.

Good consumption for such a big car - 22 MPG urban, 30 MPG mixed, 40 MPG motorway.

Insurance is very competitive - £150 fully comp.

Tax is also cheap.

Keep on top of the car and it will probably serve you well. This is my second car in 22 years; both being Carltons.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th September, 2013

6th Sep 2013, 09:12

Cheap tax? It costs the same as any other UK car of this engine size and age.

1991 Vauxhall Carlton CDXi 2.0

Summary:

Rust happy

Faults:

The car used to cut out for no reason.

The starting motor was on its way out; it used to make a weird noise when turning left or right from the back of the car.

Have never known a car to rust like this one; all a round the back arches you could put your hand in it. And it used to pass the M.O.T. like this.

The back end used to be light, but wobbly at the same time.

And I think the auto gearbox was on its way out.

The car was not very quick and burned oil; may had been the rings going.

Very pricey on petrol for what the car was 22mpg; well that's what the computer said.

I would never buy a Vauxhall again.

General Comments:

The seats are comfortable.

I liked the computer on my car, and the dash looked nice.

Very hard to reverse.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 25th October, 2007

24th Dec 2016, 17:16

Clearly you had a bad example. A well looked after Carlton was one of the best and most reliable cars on the road back in the day. In fact I've yet to find a more modern car to this day that compares to the reliability of the Carltons I had through the 80s and 90s.

Hard to reverse? I had no problems, it had better vision than modern cars with their thick pillars and sloping curves making it harder to judge; older cars were easier to drive, simply due to better vision all round.

In reply to 24th Dec 2016, 17:16

21st Jul 2019, 15:53

Same, agree, had a couple of these back in the day, great cars. The reviewer also states that he got 22 MPG, but you should never trust the trip computer on older cars.

A well serviced Carlton 2.0 easily did low to mid 30's MPG, even the autos, which was above average for a bigger 2 litre car back in the day. Only the 3.0 or 2.6 straight six cylinder models got sub 25 MPG - but they were fast so it was worth it.

1991 Vauxhall Carlton CDi Estate 2.0i 8V petrol

Summary:

Quality reliable motoring at low cost

Faults:

Rear suspension mountings for M.O.T test.

New distributor cap and leads.

Nearside rear window tends to stick.

Sticking float on header tank.

General Comments:

Excellent comfortable cruiser, but wouldn't win any races.

Everything still works after 15 years except a problem with the Blaupunkt disc player

No rot or rust will pass anything on the road except a filling station.

Paid £395 for car, but no handbook, anyone got a spare?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th January, 2006

11th Jan 2012, 16:22

The Carlton is still owned by me, and 6 years on is still giving excellent service, having now covered 133,000 miles.

A re-tubed radiator and heater matrix, fuel tank, O/S front window motor, ignition switch and anti roll bar links, plus a bit of chassis welding, have brought the car back to almost its original condition.

I disconnected the header tank float, as the level is easily seen when lifting the bonnet. The only other problem is a sticking O/S rear window.

It has cost about £600 all in. But what could you get to compare for this price?