Faults:

Suspension, un-even tyre wear (tracking).

Exhaust mid section and rear, and brake pads replaced at last MOT.

All oil changes done on time, battery replaced.

Interior has serious wear and tear, was family used, many broken plastics, seem to be of low quality.

General Comments:

A dull car, but not as bad as others suggest. Bought this for a good price and had 5 years of reasonable motoring.

Design model is near top of the range with leather, very comfortable. Good car for motorway cruising. Handling is OK. 1.9 CDTi performs nicely. Fuel could be better for diesel though - really struggles for 50 MPG, mid 40's on average is more likely. This is poor because rival cars like the Ford Mondeo and Skoda Octavia did well in excess of 50 MPG. I can comment because a friend runs a taxi service with those cars. The Vectra has lower repair costs however. Insurance is cheap also, and they are cheap to buy.

I am approaching the infamous 100,000 mile mark and have not had any expensive typical diesel faults yet (DPF, injectors, turbo, etc) but will likely sell it soon just in case. Has been a decent car, will probably replace it with an Insignia next.

Faults:

Handbrake weak, common fault, replaced cables and discs pads and calipers all round, sorted.

Exhaust, mid section.

EGR valve needed cleaned.

General Comments:

A very nice looking car in black with alloy wheels, the Vectra on a 2009 plate is one of the last before they changed over to the Insignia. I like the look of this car better though.

At less than 2 grand purchase price, this is an excellent buy. Feels very modern and I cannot believe they stopped making these cars over 10 years ago. Handling is tight and acceleration from the diesel engine is excellent with about 150 BHP. You pay for this with slightly less economy though - only 50 MPG is possible out of these, most diesel cars from this time could managed slightly better. Tax isn't exactly cheap either, but repairs and insurance have been very cheap, so I am happy with the car.

SRi model is mid range, with air con and only some electrics. Comfortable spacious interior and the seats are holding up well, even after 100K miles. Stone chips on the front have cut deep into the plastic bumpers showing white undercoat, looks terrible and if I'm keeping the car longer I'm going to have it repainted at the front. Headlights still look good though (maybe replaced before I bought the car?), most Vectra's headlights you see have all fogged/faded away.

They will likely never be a collectors car and are still a fairly common sight on the road, but my advice to anyone thinking of getting one is to go for it, you can get the last of the better looking ones (2006-2009) for very cheap, so find a looked after one at a great price and keep it a long time, and you are on the road in a modern enough car for as cheaply as possible.