A pile of junk
Hole in the sump - £70.
Exhaust - £500.
Headlamp - £70.
Rear ABS sensors - £370.
Mystery misfire - £300, still not running.
Handles like a house, and a house must be cheaper to run, I wish I had kept my BMW.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 31st May, 2001
Incredulous bargain
Nothing wrong after 1000 miles.
G reg picked up at auction for a bargain £375.00, with nearly a years MOT.
Still looking for that major fault, and haven't found it yet (previous owner from 1995, disabled driver, so possibly a main dealer part exchange).
Offer me around £2000 and it's yours.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 4th March, 2001
A luxurious, fast, safe motorway cruiser
Cruise control ECU.
Air conditioning radiator.
Starter motor failed.
The items listed above were all easily cured by the nation's expert on Vauxhall Senators (Paul Spence 0850 693141). The Vauxhall main agent was unable to sell me the right sparking plugs and distributor cap for it (as indeed they were for my 24-valve Senator and 1.6 Cavalier).
For servicing and repairing a Senator, I personally DO NOT recommend Vauxhall main agents; and MASTERFIT will not even look at it for exhausts, MOTs, servicing, etc "because it's over 10 years old"! Are they saying they consider 10-year old Vauxhalls to be not worth maintaining, then?
The repairs were a bit expensive, but then the car is high-mileage, it was relatively cheap to buy and is still a better, feather-bed motorway cruiser than all other prestige saloons in which I have ridden, including BMW 7s.
PERFORMANCE - 132MPH, but I have only given it 9 instead of 10 because it is not as fast as my 24-valve 5-speed manual Senator (149MPH).
RELIABILITY - Only 9 out of 10 because I had to call out the RAC when the starter jammed (can happen to any car).
ECONOMY - Not as good as the 24-valver, but not much worse than 1.8 Carltons and 1.6 Cavaliers I have owned.
COMFORT - Luxurious, armchair, relaxing.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 12th November, 2000
A superb car
Waterpump at 80k (warranty).
Two rear gearbox mounts due to a leak from the speedo drive, I should have fixed the leak first time, seals were only £4.
Alternator exchange from auto elec specialist £45.
Threw away viscous fan & fitted Kenlow, R/H/R electric window motor £25 from breakers.
ABS problem, eventually found to be sensor wires to the front wheels with an internal break.
Normal wear & tear - discs, exhaust.
Love it. Performance, character, grunt and class.
I have just bought a 1991 H at 80k, will miss the cruise control (never had a problem with mine) and heated seats but I can live with that.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 13th August, 2000
Head gasket, distributor, air conditioner, cruise control, water pump, thermostat You name it !!
What a pity -- it's a great car!!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 25th April, 1999
Recently bought it at 181,500 miles.
Air-con does not function.
Active suspension fault.
Headlamp adjustment does not work.
Knocking noise under acceleration from drive-shaft, diff, not yet diagnosed.
Areas of rust caused by earlier life on the coast of Scotland.
Incredible value for money.
Very fast and comfortable and will hopefully prove to be not too costly to run.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 18th October, 1998
Exhaust, brake pads, some trim loose, electric aerial, fan, power steering.
A very good car. Mine has got 157k miles on it and drives wonderfully especially on motorways. Most electrics have lasted the course and the engine, apart from some earlier fuel injection leaks, runs fine.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 31st March, 1998
Mechanical
-----------------
Heater.
AirCon.
Shocks at rear.
Water Pump.
Brake Disks warped.
Electrical
-----------------
Heated seats don't any more.
Various shorts causing fuses to blow.
Headlamps really poor, not up to performance.
Starter motor.
Brilliant performance and generally superb to drive, the electronic suspension is just a toy and means that new rear shocks cost £220 ea.
The Engine is prone to overheating and the cooling system really is useless, the air con radiator is very prone to stone damage.
Overall a great car, just not as good as a Merc E280 ! Oh and GM dealers are the worst there is, rating of 1/10 is generous.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 1st March, 1998
17th Jul 2001, 15:35
Interesting review, and the first adverse comment I have EVER seen about the Senator. I have had five and would not swap any of them for a Merc, Lexus OR BMW. Did you buy the car second hand? If so, perhaps you got one which had been maltreated and not maintained (all makes suffer from this now and again, unfortunately). I would recommend the Autobahnstormers Club (on the Internet) for support and advice, either to put this one right or to get another - good - one.