Faults:

Minor cosmetic rust here and there.

Exhaust back box fell off.

Erratic idle - Faulty MAF sensor, replaced very cheap, easy fix.

Central locking was inoperative.

Usual brakes and suspension wear and tear.

Cruise control stopped working at around the 100K mark.

I carried out the oil changes and timing belt as per schedule, never had any engine or gearbox issues.

General Comments:

An excellent car from times gone by. Bullet proof engine and gearbox were its strong points. Minor cosmetics and other annoying issues (that you would get with any car) were its Achilles heel.

Driving one of these is fun even with the auto box; fuel economy was not great at just over 30 MPG, but was acceptable at the time. Performance was decent from the 2.0, but definitely not a fast car, get the 2.6 or 3.0 GSi if you want speed. Avoid the 1.8, it was painfully slow.

The CDX is very well equipped with all the electronics you would expect. The only thing missing was leather, which was available as an option on some models. This car had the most spacious, nicest interior and well laid out controls; I've yet to see better since. On the outside it was good looking in metallic dark blue with the standard multi spoke wheels.

Mines was scrapped at 13 years old and just over 150,000 miles, due to needing too much work to justify keeping it at an MOT, but I found it a very reasonable car for the money, and I had it 6 years and still miss it to this day. Modern cars have come a long way, but there is something I miss about the simplicity and design of cars from the 1980's and 1990's.

Faults:

Cruise control stopped working alongside the air con.

Central locking worked only when it felt like it.

Very minor rust here and there.

General wear and tear - new brakes, suspension, oil changes and cambelt.

General Comments:

One of my favorite cars, and does not deserve its old man image. The press loved the Lotus Carlton back in the day and it got rave reviews, but ordinary Carltons were largely ignored and didn't garner much of a following till they got a bit older, then a cult following started.

Mine was the Diplomat, which was the top model, full leather and all the options. It was to this day one of the most well appointed cars I ever had. The interior was just as good as a top BMW or Mercedes from the same era. Electric everything.

The 2.0 engine was bullet proof reliable, but was not very fast. It did manage over 30 MPG though, not much by nowadays standards, but acceptable back in the day.

Given the fact the car was 9 years old when I acquired it, and the 5 following years I had it after that, it was very reliable, and the minor electronic failings listed above did not bother me too much, and overall the car was reliable and this is what these cars were famous for. I put serious mileage on it with not much else other than wear and tear. The car was excellent to drive and I reckon could give the premium German rivals a run for their money in all departments except performance. Mind you, there was a 2.6 engine available in this spec which I've heard were fast, and a 3.0 if you want to go all out. Take another step up and get a Senator - basically a slightly bigger version of this car. All models were great executive cars in their own right and it's a shame badge snobbery led most people to ignore these cars.

To conclude, I would love it if Vauxhall made similar cars again. They got everything right with this car, which its underlying design dates back to the 80s, so it's amazing it was not developed further. I sold mine at 14 years old and nearly 200K on it, still going strong. What a fool, I now want it back! There's probably less than a couple of hundred of these cars left on the road in UK now. Kind of makes me sad.