1994 Vauxhall Calibra 16V 2.0 16V Ecotec from UK and Ireland
Faults:
As soon as I bought the car I got the timing belt and rollers changed as some Ecotec engines were fitted with sub-standard belt rollers. Make sure that this has been done/or get it done on Ecotec engines, or risk engine failure. Needed 4 new brake/pads and shoes at about 78,000, expensive. Also had to get a new aerial amplifier fitted and a headlight lens.
General Comments:
The GM exhaust for this car is expensive at £350 otherwise most parts seem reasonable. Heating and ventilation seems quite poor on this car and I find the cloth seats a little uncomfortable. My car is in black and looks great, it is reasonably fast when pushed and handles much better than a Cavalier in my opinion. Looked after the car seems to be reasonably reliable, the challenge is to buy a 'good' one second-hand, not easy with private sales. I have found my local Vauxhall dealers to be pretty helpful, some Vauxhall dealers are very bad indeed, change dealers if you get bad service. I have owned many Vauxhalls and have had mixed experiences, they do make lemons so if you get one loose it fast, most of the problems are because most Vauxhall dealers don't know how to fix the cars!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 16th November, 1999
5th Aug 2023, 14:43
Quite surprised you say a head gasket was a cheap fix in 1998, yet they charged you £300 for a broken electric window...
Anyways, the Calibra was a good looking underrated car. Guy where I live has a black one with 18 inch BBS alloy wheels. Still to this day looks better than every other car in the street.