2008 VAUXHALL Zafira reviews

Vauxhall Zafira Petrol 2008

I have had two zafira’s, the older version (2004 diesel) and the new shape (2008 petrol). My wife had a head on car crash in the older model and although the car was written off there was no visible signs of damage in the cab and she got off without injury - unlike the other driver. I had a few problems with the 2004 version when it was only a few years old where the engine light kept coming on and the speed was limited. This is common and eventually means a new manifold needed, which is expensive and couldn’t be cured without this by the garage. Apparently the diesel engine needs to be thrashed occassionally to avoid this and a fuel additive is a good idea (fill up with the premium petrol once a month). Apart from this and excessive tyre wear there have been no major issues and I’m very pleased with it; it did 20k a year before being written off at 80k. The 2008 petrol version we got had only 10k on the clock at 8 months old. Fuel consumption is about 32/gallon. The only issues have been excesssive tyre wear, the inside fan broke, all the discs needed replacing as they had jammed on after heating up (going up the Alps towing with 7 adults on board) and there is a common fault with the wiring through the car along the seal, which causes the central locking not to work and the boot can’t be opened. This is about £300 to repair properly. The rear 2 seats (6/7) are adequate for short journeys and much better than the Galaxy, which are uncomfotable. I’ve given a 4 score as the layoutand safety are excellent, and I’m generally very pleased with both cars. I would recommend the diesel, just make sure you get the Network Q warranty, which means all repairs are done without quibble. I would buy another.