Faults:

Tyres needed replacing pretty soon after I got the car. Should have looked into this a bit more and knocked the seller down on price; the big chunky 18" tyres don't come cheap, over £350 to replace all four, and they were only mid-range tyres.

The wiper linkage seized whilst driving along the motorway whilst it was pouring down with rain, a very dangerous fault, which could have had severe consequences, and it cost me £350 at the main dealer to get this fixed. Apparently the wiper linkage is a common fault on Vectra C's and Signums from 2003-2006 from what I've read up. Vauxhall did a recall for a period on these models, so it's worth asking if this job has been done if you're looking to buy one of these cars.

I lost use of all the electrics in the driver's door, switches, window, central locking. Cost me £50 to have sorted out at a local auto electricians.

The exhaust middle and rear sections had to be replaced within 18 months of me buying the car, and these are ridiculously expensive considering my car is essentially a Vectra. It cost me just shy of £500 to have the exhaust replaced, and these are just standard exhausts, not even the nice stainless steel twin outlet exhausts you get on the 2.2 or V6 models.

General Comments:

Very comfortable to drive, and has got all electrics, aircon, built in satnav, and was quite a good bargain at the time I bought the car.

The 1.8 engine is economical on fuel, but a little underpowered for a car this size.

There are plenty of well-specced Signums on the market, but choose one carefully, check all the electrics and gadgets work as they should, check tyres, exhausts etc, as parts don't seem to come cheap for this car.

Next time round, I think I'll go for something slightly smaller and more mainstream, such as an Astra, as parts seem to be cheaper and more readily available.

Faults:

Until recently, a very reliable car.

However the car now has developed a dangerous lack of throttle response, especially at higher speeds.

General Comments:

A spacious, comfortable, well screwed together car, and a great second hand bargain.

However, the recent fault of no throttle response is a very worrying problem, and one visit to the local Vauxhall dealership resulted in a short term improvement, but the fault has returned again.

Faults:

Fuel pump failed at 40000.

General Comments:

Very comfortable inside. I previously had a Vectra and was attracted by the cabin environment.

It is pleasant to drive. I find I drive it less aggressively than my previous car. The cruise control encourages steady driving, and although it has more power than my previous car, the delivery is more steady and less peaky. I find it much less tiring to do long journeys in. The extras; self-dipping mirror, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control all make cruising less effort.

There are some irritations. I find the indicators annoying; some times they don't cancel and you end up indicating the other way when you try to cancel.

The rear suspension clonks over speed bumps.

My previous car had a holder on the fuel flap to hold the filler cap while you fueled - helping you remember it, this doesn't.

The finish is generally good, but some of the panels are prone to detaching and potentially getting lost.

Fuel consumption is reasonable for such a large car.

I'm not convinced that reliability will be good from reading other reports. I've already had the 2.2 petrol fuel pump problem. It seems running costs may well be higher than comparable cars.

However given that you can buy one of these second-hand dirt cheap, I don't think overall it is a bad buy.