1995 Vauxhall Cavalier CDX 2.5 V6 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A true sporting / luxury vehicle

Faults:

New Discs and pads required at 100000 miles.

New dampers all round at 102000 miles.

Replaced original exhaust at 107000 miles.

General Comments:

Excellent car, comfortable and fast.

Very good fuel economy for the performance of the vehicle.

This car has never let me down in 9 months and nearly 16000 miles.

Very comfortable cabin with every possible feature included.

These cars make an excellent secondhand choice.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th July, 2002

1995 Vauxhall Cavalier SRi 2.0 16v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A lot of car for the money - solid, smart, fast

Faults:

Front discs and pads needed replacing, cost £200.

Alternator packed up, cost £150.

Air-conditioning requires re-gassing.

Engine light kept coming one - changed the manifold sensor.

General Comments:

Nice comfortable car to drive, good acceleration on open roads, good ABS system (saved me from a few disasters)

Does tend to guzzle a lot of petrol around town. The brakes are not good enough for the speed.

The car has never let me down.

Insurance is very high.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th June, 2002

1995 Vauxhall Cavalier CDX 2.0 16v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A high performing, luxurious car

Faults:

New cam belt reader at 95000 miles.

I think it now needs a new brake calliper.

General Comments:

With such a variety driving positions, (steering wheel, back support, seat higher or lower etc.) it seems impossible to be uncomfortable.

The sports button, although consumes a lot of fuel, is a great asset on all journeys! Not just for the excitement factor, but for safety reasons too!

Being a heavy car, it sticks to the road very well.

I had a 1998 Vectra 1.8 for a few months and I don't rate it compared to the Cavalier!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th January, 2002

1995 Vauxhall Cavalier LS 2.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Nice to drive, but expensive maintenance, I was lucky - company car!

Faults:

The engine management light kept on coming on - the crankshaft and camshaft sensors were replaced many times.

Engine kept cutting out due to air bleed valve problems, a common fault apparently.

Camshaft rattles after 40K service - apparently the cam belt tensioner fell apart, but I think the dealer hadn't changed the cam belt correctly.

The camshafts were replaced.

Power steering pump leaked, required replacement (admittedly with 90k+ miles on it).

Rear door central lock packed up (intermittently - required a new motor).

Electric window wouldn't close intermittently - new control unit required.

Had 3 complete sets of disc brakes in 100k miles - discs wore out quicker than tyres!

Couldn't get an exhaust system from anywhere - had to have a hire car for 6 weeks!

General Comments:

A roomy family car with a large boot - useful for me as a service engineer.

Very economical for a large petrol car - 40mpg easy with town/motorway driving.

Quick from standstill, not so quick above 3000rpm, it seemed to flatten out.

Cornered well, held onto its given line, but rolls a lot, compared with my present SRI.

Good sound system.

Reliability was poor - it never went between services without a return visit to the garage.

Its biggest plus point was its fuel economy and performance.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 3rd September, 2001

24th Nov 2009, 13:30

Sounds like you tested the handling and performance often. No wonder you went through so many brake discs!

1995 Vauxhall Cavalier GLSi 2.5 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Performance car, budget price

Faults:

Knock sensors went at 92,000 miles.

Engine management warning lights go on and off, a common problem with Vauxhall's engine management system.

General Comments:

This car is seriously fast and not to bad at handling tight bends.

Fuel economy isn't good at around 27mpg to 36mpg, but what do you expect from a car that will do 147mph and 115 mph in 3rd.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th April, 2001

1995 Vauxhall Cavalier GLSi 2.0 16v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Great car apart from...

Faults:

Constant engine management aystem problems, started the day I took delivery! Problem always tracked down to faulty cam/crank sensors... these have been replaced 3 times but the problem is back.

New exhaust at 60,000.

General Comments:

If it wasn't for the engine management problems, I couldn't fault this car...quick, comfy and economical (40 mpg on a run).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 23rd February, 2001

1995 Vauxhall Cavalier LX 1.8 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Reliable and quick, but the build quality is suspect

Faults:

The front seats and the sun roof squeak and rattle. In fact, the sunroof was replaced after much insistence; the seats I have had to get used to.

The dash also makes some noise although I guess the car is showing its age. The main problem has been the vibration of the engine during idling with the gear in 'drive'. The garage has always tried to rectify this by increasing the idle speed.

General Comments:

The rpm at idling is now at 950. I intend to change the car before it needs any major (expensive) work.

I also complained initially about its hard suspension, but again I got used to it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 26th November, 2000

8th Nov 2008, 23:36

I have a 1994 1.8i Automatic which does the same thing, a lot of vibration through the car and steering wheel during idle. It gives me a massage! The problem is there in "N" and gets worse when you put it in "D".

It seems quite common problem, I have read on other forums that other folks have the same problem with vibration at idle, it goes away as soon as you accelerate above 1000RPM.

I think it could be either a problem with the balance of the engine or defective engine mountings that are not absorbing the vibrations of the engine as they should be.

I am having to live with it as the car is 14 years old now and I can't expect perfection. It's a damn good reliable runner otherwise - if a little slow off the mark.