1994 Vauxhall Senator CD 24V 3.0 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Fast, luxurious, practical classic!

Faults:

After being stored away for a while, this car had pretty much a full rebuild recently (engine, gearbox and bodywork). Before that, looking through the history, it has had the usual wear and tear items and no real faults other than the air-con stopped working and the cruise control, all of which since have been fixed.

The timing chain has been upgraded to a stronger one when rebuilt, as the 3.0 24v engine was famous for weak chains.

General Comments:

What can I say, I finally bought a car I looked at as police cars going up and down UK motorways in the early 1990s. As a kid this car fascinated me and I don't know why. It's not pretty to look at, especially the grille (think of a chip cutter), but the back and side of the car stand out like a muscular executive car typically shaped of the era. The black square cut exhaust has nice look and sound.

White in colour but NOT ex police - this one had a sunroof and auto gearbox and full electrics. I loved being in this car, very comfortable and all the electronics you could wish for (for its time). Dated interior, but I still think it looks nice inside.

It is awful on fuel but who cares; I'm going to use it as a second car to play about in during the summer. I've heard 30 MPG is possible, but the best I had was 27, and the worst was 18. But the car makes up for that with great acceleration and top speed; the manual states a little over 140 MPH but I've heard they can touch 150 MPH, and 0-60 takes somewhere between 7 and 8 seconds. To be honest these performance figures are average by today's standards for an executive car, but remember this car was designed in the 80s.

What makes this car stand out when compared to rivals at the time like the BMW 5 series and 7 series and so on, was the price when new it undercut rivals by a large amount. Ironically, keeping a Senator nowadays would probably be as dear as you average BMW or Mercedes from the same era, but when new they were much cheaper to run. The only real rival was the Ford Granada Cosworth.

When considering a car of this type do your research and be prepared to wait for parts. Do not take it to a Vauxhall dealer - they will not have a clue what it is. Even back in the day I heard of people having trouble at dealers with these cars - that's not to say all Vauxhall dealers are bad, they are not, some are OK, but you need an independent specialist that knows these cars well to take care of them!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st December, 2017

24th Dec 2017, 08:47

I would not buy one; at this age it is a money pit. Far better off with an old Lexus barge; better reliability and performance.

In reply to 24th Dec 2017, 08:47

24th Dec 2017, 15:10

All 80s and 90s executive cars are money pits now :) And they were not exactly cheap when new either. Try looking for a mid 90s BMW 750i. V12 engine. Now there's a liability :) Nice cars though, I do agree I like Lexus's as well, I'll stick with the old Vauxhall for now though; maybe going to try a late 90s BMW 525i Sport next, or a Mercedes E Class (if I can find one without rust), who knows.

In reply to 24th Dec 2017, 15:10

16th Jun 2021, 13:22

Totally agree, they were underrated cars. And you are right - any executive saloon from this time period is a money pit. Any car for that matter. Best to buy a nice looked after one or completed project for summer cruising.

1994 Vauxhall Senator CD 24V 3.0i petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Please make them again!

Faults:

Not much, minor rust spots here and there, but nothing major, purely cosmetic.

The timing chain has been replaced - a weak spot on these cars and must be done. Hard to find parts for now. Usual consumables - tyres, brakes, exhaust, etc.

General Comments:

What can I say? It's now a classic. Over 20 years old and runs like new. Had it a long time and the previous owner took care of it as much as I do. Very comfortable, and fast. Popular with the police back in the day, and it's easy to see why. Fuel consumption? Forget it - if you have to think about it, you can't afford it (high 20s at best, less if you drive fast).

Luxury - electric everything. Leather seats. Automatic is the one to have, not much slower than the manual (about 7 seconds to 60mph and 150mph top speed). This was the 80s/early 90s remember, this car was way ahead of its time. Shame they didn't replace it after the Omega - BMW, Audi and Mercedes had the same stranglehold on the executive car market even back then, so why not make another contender now? Probably because the Vauxhall badge doesn't cut it in the cool kudos department.

Vauxhall, please make this car again or something like it. I know the Omega was good, but not as good as this, and even they are rare now. The Carlton was also great, and just about as rare as a Senator nowadays.

Values have went up in recent years - used to able to get one for £300. Now it's £700 for a rough one, and anything over £2000 for a mint CD 24V top spec. If you are looking for a usable classic you could do a lot worse than one of these. You will have to contact fan clubs for parts though!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th April, 2015

11th Jun 2015, 16:19

The 24v was the business, agreed, but don't forget about the 3.0 12v. It did not have the timing belt issues and was almost as fast.

The 2.6 and 2.5 aren't the fastest cars in the world, but are also worth considering since this car is so rare now, and the Carlton as well like you mentioned.

Fuel economy is rubbish, but no one buys a 20+ year old executive car for daily use these days; only as a second car.

Totally agree with your review, this car was the most underrated car ever, and only the BMWs and Mercedes of the last 10 years or so come close in terms of luxury and performance.

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1994 Vauxhall Senator CDI 3.0 24v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A wolf in sheep's clothing, no wonder the traffic police used them

Faults:

The exhaust system started to blow at the joint seals and the whole system (which I believe was the original) started to corrode.

I managed to save the catalytic converters (there are two) and replace the rest of the exhaust system at a cost of £330.

Both front tyres have needed replacing at a cost of £80 the pair, which was reasonable.

I believe they wear due to the weight of the front of the vehicle and power steering use while stationary.

General Comments:

This vehicle offers 204 BHP and a top speed of 150 MPH. 0-60 in 6.9 seconds.

It is a very powerful quick vehicle for £1200.

As an ex-police vehicle, it lacks air conditioning and other creature comforts, but most are gimmicks which could go wrong.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th January, 2002

1994 Vauxhall Senator CD 24v 3.0 petrol from UK and Ireland

Faults:

Alternator, High miles at 182k hence required power steering box (quoted £900 recon/exchange or £2000 new + £300 labour from main dealer). Breaker charged £250.

Manual gearbox is still original and okay.

General Comments:

Very comfortable, lots of performance at motorway speeds. Averages 30mpg with mix of 30/70 motorway/urban.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th May, 1998

25th Aug 2001, 18:01

Superb car, but timing chains are a problem on the 24v, only they break. Some as early as 60000, some have over 200000 and are still OK. Costs around £250 if done yourself, main timing chain and guides only. With a few gaskets if the sprockets etc bad. you are looking at £600. If Vauxhall do it, they take the engine and gearbox out and remove the cylinder head, this is not needed and they charge up to £3000. Do it yourself and save a bomb, remove the cam cover, water pump and timing cover, drop the sump and it's easy. Also remove the radiator. Hope this is helpful as this is well worth doing.