1995 Vauxhall Tigra 1.6i 16v from UK and Ireland
Summary:
Don't buy one if you want a sports coupe, but do buy one if you want some light hearted fun
Faults:
Engine management light has come on twice. Once was a false alarm (no fault found and reset successfully), the other was when the speedo stopped working. This meant that every time I took my foot off the throttle, the engine cut out. This was quickly rectified by my dealer.
Outside temperature sensor stopped working. Fixed free of charge in less than 10 minutes.
Clonking noise when going over bumps such as sleeping policemen was traced to worn rubber bushes.
Dead lock on the driver's door became stiff and eventually failed meaning the alarm could not be set. Rectified by the dealer for about £60.
Mine is in Apache (gold) and the bonnet has suffered quite badly with stone chips taking the paint down to the white primer. Other panels unaffected.
General Comments:
I've had my car for nearly 6 years and have loved every minute. After my previous car (Alfa Romeo Sprint 1.5 Green Cloverleaf) it was so refined! Not as much fun to drive, but a very good compromise between practicality, comfort (unless you're in the back) and convenience/cost of ownership.
Still washes and polishes up well after all these years.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 17th April, 2001
5th Feb 2001, 06:53
I bought my Tigra new in 1995 and experienced similar problems for 4 years. Various parts of the car were replaced. The valves had to be continuously cleaned out. They were eventually reamed to make them slightly bigger.
Touch wood - the car has been permorming much better ever since. But I also moved away from the Vauxhall dealer as soon as the warranty ended which also helped.