Faults:

Overheating, general cooling problems. Previous owner had a tow-bar fitted and said they would rear their ugly head after towing long journeys. The 2.5 engine's cooling system was a bit inefficient for the car; get the 3.0 models if you tow caravans or trailers.

Electrical faults; locks fell to bits, heater was pretty poor, electric windows could be erratic.

Usual wear and tear, suspension and exhaust parts replaced as needed. I did service it on time and did every oil change, and the engine and auto-box generally never gave any major problems. Rust in its final years, was what led to the death of it at an MOT, so I got rid of it.

General Comments:

This was an early basic Senator, not the CD model, but the base model with the 2.5 straight six cylinder engine. It was still a luxury car in every way, well equipped for the time, and a smooth and quiet ride, was one of my first bigger cars and I loved every minute of it.

Loved the look of the car. The "chip cutter" grille was ugly when first released, but nowadays every car has a big grille. I fitted the alloy wheels from a CD model and spoiler, looked much better. Base model did not have leather, but the seats were still comfortable and made of nice material, it did not feel cheap. Analogue dash is better than digital in my opinion.

The 2.5 with the auto box was not a patch on the much sought after 3.0 and 24v models, though I wouldn't exactly call it slow. Kick-down resulted in acceleration that could keep up with modern traffic no problem. Dated by today's standards, and the fuel consumption was poor even back when it was new (25 - 30 MPG at very best, less than 20 if you drove fast) but the torque and general feel of the car was powerful.

At 17 years old with over 150K it went to the scrap yard and I miss it very much. I definitely got my monies worth out of it though. Would love another, to buy today however they are rare cars, most likely all you will find is 3.0 24v or 12v models that are very expensive due to being so rare now. But the 2.5 and 2.6 are worth considering.

Faults:

ABS Sensor failure.

It failed it's last 2 Mot's needing repair work to rusted Chassis.

Had to repair rust hole in the bulkhead behind the dashboard on the drivers side. This was caused by a build up of leaves in the drain hole. It seems impossible to to clear them all out!

Rear electric window motor failure. (Not bad though as the car had done 140,000 miles at the time)

The Slide mechanism of the sunroof gave up in sympathy 52 miles later! Even a main dealer would not attempt to repair it.

The starter motor solenoid caught fire taking out half the HT leads and bonnet lining.

General Comments:

Despight a few minor problems (to be expected after such a long time on the road), she still drives as well today as the first time.

The car is still very comfortable and easy to drive.

I've had massive amounts of fun and enjoyment owning the car. Nothing really major has gone wrong.

The upholstery is so plush, it's like sitting in an armchair. The interior looks and feels better than many cars around today.

Mechanically sound and very easy to work on. It's great to have the space under the bonnet to turn a spanner.

Sadly the lacker is peeling and rust is taking it's toll. It will be a sad day when I have to part with it.