1989 Vauxhall Senator Base 2.5 petrol from UK and Ireland
Summary:
Classic 80's luxury
Faults:
Overheating, general cooling problems. Previous owner had a tow-bar fitted and said they would rear their ugly head after towing long journeys. The 2.5 engine's cooling system was a bit inefficient for the car; get the 3.0 models if you tow caravans or trailers.
Electrical faults; locks fell to bits, heater was pretty poor, electric windows could be erratic.
Usual wear and tear, suspension and exhaust parts replaced as needed. I did service it on time and did every oil change, and the engine and auto-box generally never gave any major problems. Rust in its final years, was what led to the death of it at an MOT, so I got rid of it.
General Comments:
This was an early basic Senator, not the CD model, but the base model with the 2.5 straight six cylinder engine. It was still a luxury car in every way, well equipped for the time, and a smooth and quiet ride, was one of my first bigger cars and I loved every minute of it.
Loved the look of the car. The "chip cutter" grille was ugly when first released, but nowadays every car has a big grille. I fitted the alloy wheels from a CD model and spoiler, looked much better. Base model did not have leather, but the seats were still comfortable and made of nice material, it did not feel cheap. Analogue dash is better than digital in my opinion.
The 2.5 with the auto box was not a patch on the much sought after 3.0 and 24v models, though I wouldn't exactly call it slow. Kick-down resulted in acceleration that could keep up with modern traffic no problem. Dated by today's standards, and the fuel consumption was poor even back when it was new (25 - 30 MPG at very best, less than 20 if you drove fast) but the torque and general feel of the car was powerful.
At 17 years old with over 150K it went to the scrap yard and I miss it very much. I definitely got my monies worth out of it though. Would love another, to buy today however they are rare cars, most likely all you will find is 3.0 24v or 12v models that are very expensive due to being so rare now. But the 2.5 and 2.6 are worth considering.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 21st April, 2021
25th Apr 2021, 13:49
3.0 24v models in mint condition go for anything between 4 and 7 grand on auctions sites. I've not seen a 2.5 model in a long time; definitely worth less, but a mint condition one would certainly be of interest to fans of this car, and be worth a couple of grand at least due to rarity.