29th Jul 2006, 20:56
After a good few years I got rid of the MX-3 - great car, but expensive to keep going.
So I've now gone back to a 2001 1.6 Astra (i.e. a Belmont under another name ;) )
What goes around, comes around...
8th Aug 2021, 20:34
And I've now got another Vauxhall which I'll drive into the ground.
A 1.8 Vectra Estate. It keeps on going, is great on the motorway, and is cheap to repair if/when things wear out.
It's at 170,000 miles now, and I suspect it will keep going a lot beyond that.
13th Nov 2024, 20:25
And alas, the Vectra went to the scrapyard after doing thousands more miles. A major failure with the drivetrain put it beyond economic repair.
I've now got a 1.4t Astra K which is speedy and comfortable. But I'm waiting for something to fail and be expensive to fix. It seems very fragile. And expensive when things go wrong.
The unreliability and expensive bit is what has put me off Vauxhalls now. For a boring, quick, reliable and comfortable car I think I'll be looking for a Toyota Corolla next.
14th Nov 2024, 18:35
I don't think Vauxhall will be around for much longer, considering the dire situation that Stellantis is currently in. Two things will happen: Stellantis will close Opel, which consequently means the end of Vauxhall or... The Vauxhall name will cease to exist in favour of Opel, which is a German brand and to the younger Astra audience, "Gebaut in Rüsselsheim" sounds posher than "Built in Ellesmere Port".
Truth is that Vauxhall doesn't even build cars in the UK anymore. With the exception of the Vivaro built in Luton and the Combo built in Ellesmere Port, every other "Vauxhall" is an Opel imported from France, Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Spain.
14th Nov 2024, 21:29
"Expensive bits" are in all cars now, bar none. The Corolla is a fine choice for overall reliability worldwide, but just be aware that all modern Japanese cars also have those things that fail - and they are not cheap when they do go. Sensors, coils, even clutches, all go in time, and original parts cost a lot. And access to them will cost in labour, even if the part is cheap. No escape from expense with modern cars.
6th May 2004, 15:47
I think you will find that 'going round the clock' means that the car has completed 100,000 miles and not 1 million as the comment stated!!! DER.