1992 Vauxhall Carlton GL 2.0 petrol from UK and Ireland
Summary:
Old school reliability
Faults:
Battery + alternator replaced.
Fuel lines corroded, repaired at MOT.
Electric windows in rear were very slow to move.
Central locking worked only sometimes.
Wear and tear, new brakes, suspension, exhaust, oil changes and timing belt etc when required.
Cosmetically there was some rust on rear arches, but I repaired it early to stop it getting worse, still was passing MOT's easily in its final years.
General Comments:
This car was abut 10 years old when I bought it, and would go on to serve me well for another 10 years. The Carlton was always a car I liked, and was looking for a CDX with lots of equipment or a GSi for performance. Being younger at the time and could not afford the faster ones, I settled for this nice GL model that came up for sale in the Auto Trader in 2002.
Bought for a nice price, this low mileage car in wine red metallic was tidy inside and out. GL model was low/mid range, but it still had electric windows and mirrors, good enough for me, as my previous Audi 80 which although a nice car was not as well equipped. Interior was the best thing about this car, beige velour with dark grey dash, well laid out controls and very quiet and smooth. I purchased the multi spoke alloy wheels from the CD/CDX models and it looked much better.
To drive the 2.0 engine was a good all rounder, mid 30's MPG and reasonable performance. Avoid the 1.8's in these cars - they were unbearably slow. The gear-change was a little vague but the handling was very nicely weighted. Being rear wheel drive you had to be careful on roundabouts in the wet!
I sold it back in 2012. At 20 years old and with over 160K miles I could no longer keep it as an everyday car, it was still reliable enough but it was getting to the stage where a full restoration was needed and it was the type of car you keep as a second car for weekend fun. Would love another to do just that, but they rarely come up for sale these days, I do miss these cars.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 19th December, 2020
16th Jun 2021, 13:24
They are rare now; good news is when they do come up for sale it will likely have been enthusiastically owned. Check Car and Classic website, 1 or 2 usually on there. The Carlton (and Senator) still have a big UK fan-base, and as far as I am aware Autobahnstormers is still running as well.