Faults:

Thermostat failed, cost £15.

Rear disks are corroded and will need replacing soon.

Exhaust downpipe is on the way out.

General Comments:

I bought this car for the princely sum of £350 (with 12 months MOT) and it has turned out to be my best car purchase ever.

The car is very easy to drive, the 4-speed auto box is very smooth, it changes up quickly, but this suits the tourqey character of the 8v engine so is not a problem.

Performance is good, cruising ability is excellent - quiet, comfortable and economical.

Standard equipment is good considering the age with a few nice touches such as self closing windows when you lock the car and electric headlamp adjustment.

Economy varies quite a lot, from high 20's round town to low 40's on the motorway.

The only bad points I can think of are a bit cramped in the rear for the size of car, and the ride is not great over poor surfaces.

I admit I was lucky with this car, most cav's of this age are past it now, but if you can find a good one you can't go wrong!

Faults:

Engine shed a connecting rod at 73000 and was replaced by a new unit.

Repeated failure of central locking system.

Failure on 2 occasions of fuelpump solenoid.

General Comments:

Fast, well made and practical car. Better on balance, than the Vectra I owned later.

Rapid performance, but the engine was always rough (the original and the replacement motors both felt the same).

Fuel consumption at 28mpg considered poor, though the car was always pushed hard.

Faults:

Rear wheel bearing replaced, air flow meter replaced - £25 plus vat at a scrappy!!

Windows wouldn't open or close properly, silicon spray fired into the window rubbers sorted it a treat!!!

Apart from that, very reliable, always started in the mornings.

The car is a late F mk3 fitted with a K reg SRi lump.

General Comments:

- Gearing far too short making driving a constant up and down the box affair which actually seems to make the car slower.

- Steering very vague.

- Driver's seat seams to wear heavily on the side supports.

- In short this is a good family hatch and is practical and reliable, but is by no means a sports car and I don't really give it hot hatch status either.

Faults:

In the eight months I have owned the car all I have needed was to have a rear wheel bearing adjusted to pass the MOT.

I found the boot did leak, due to the hinge-spring launching the boot lid up at high speed if not held tightly! Silicon around the rim easily cured the problem.

General Comments:

My 8-valve SRi has a full service history, and at 80,200 is low mileage and I feel that I have a brilliant family 4-door motor that pound for pound would be impossible to beat.

The performance, while not blistering, is certainly more than adequate for a family saloon, and if "poked" will easily beat off the majority of rep-mobiles around today. The SRi cannot be described as an exhilerating drivers car, but it is an easy and comfortable drive, corners well and has predictable and responsive steering.

Mine came with an alarm fitted, but I have invested in a top quality imobilizer (as all SRis are well liked by joy-riders).

With one this good I am unlikely to find a similar one in a hurry. TIP: If you do get the opportunity to buy a good one, snap the sellers hands off! I promise you, you won't regret it!!!