Faults:

Air idle control valve - new part over £100.

Height adjustment on the headlamp system.

Handbrake cable snapped.

Can only fill the fuel tank to 50 litres due to an unknown blockage/problem.

Timing belt renewed during a routine service, but automatic tensioners were broken.

Radio/temperature display has pixels missing.

Vanity mirror covers in the sun visor snapped off.

Central locking refused to work from the remote control.

General Comments:

Previous owner was not as careful as he should have been.

I have spent a fortune on repairs/service and this shouldn't happen when running a mass market car that is a modern design.

Good economy and good acceleration are the good points of the car.

Don't buy an early one if you can stretch to a recent one which is much better made. In fact a very recent one would probably be a great buy.

Faults:

Had the car and serviced it straight away. Needed new pads all round and discs at the front with also new shocks at the rear... Cost £400.

Two weeks after that the cam belt broke. Mega mega expensive, £2500 for total repairs carried out at the main dealers.

No stereo when purchased. Dealers unable to fit one due to wiring complications, which I thought was pretty poor.

Also poor speakers all around... very poor quality.

Front spoiler chips very easily... just like someone else I know.

A couple of weeks after that, I needed new high tension leads, again from the main dealer at a very expensive price of £250. Even though only one was faulty they told me that they could not detect which one it was.

General Comments:

The car drives superbly.

Very very quick.

Reasonable fuel consumption for engine size.

Very comfortable... especially on long distances.. roomy.

Road handling is excellent, even at high speed.

Faults:

Idle valve went after 800 miles, fixed by the garage where it was brought from.

The first service I had cost a whiff over £400 due to the cam belt and various other parts needing replacing, was told by the main dealer that the car should be faultless from then on.

EMU light stayed on, was fixed by replacing a sensor.

Two new front tyres at £190 - I know that's wear and tear, but it is only a Vectra at the end of the day! And yes I did shop around.

New cam belt rollers.

One of the gaskets cracked and was letting oil leak.

Failed its last MOT, the fuel system had to be cleaned for it to pass.

Various other small problems, usually relating to a sensor!

General Comments:

The Vectra represents a bargain buy from the outside, you get a lot of car for your money and all the toys.

It can be a real joy to drive when it is running well, however the minor problems begin to annoy after a while. You tend to find yourself thinking that you're paying out a hell of a lot of money and you're still only driving a Vectra at the end of the day, a car which is losing money faster than you can drive it!

In the last year of ownership it has cost me 3 and a half times more to keep it running than my friends S500, whilst I know they are not in the same class, it does add some perspective to it.

On reflection, a German or Japanese car would have made a sound buy, but I was taken in by the toys and sporty body kit, and am now paying for it!

As a final word.. if you are still sure that you are going to buy one, I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a good warranty, although many parts are not covered. Read the reviews again, this many people saying about all its faults can't be wrong!