The fuel consumption is certainly not as advertised as I’m averaging about 32mpg driving very carefully. I am now having reoccurring problems, the fuel consumption goes through the floor, to an average of 18, but an absolute maximum of 24mpg. Once the ignition is turned off the engine fan comes on quite aggressively and the car is hot and smells of burning. I have opened the bonnet and found the engine bay very hot. Apparently the ECG is doing an emmissions system clean. The car has only done 900 miles. From reading on the net it effects the Captiva as well, which has the same engine the new 2.2d. This surely should not be happening with such low mileage? I Was not told that this would hapen when I bought the car. So be aware this will happen!

I purchased a 2003 Zafira and it runs lovely. I have done numerous trips to Queensland, which is around 900 or so klms from my home. The problem I have is the catalytic converter light stays on. I still drive it and it doesnt worry me. It doesn’t stay on all the time but evey now and then it will light up, I have been told it is the computer in the car that is playing up and not to worry about it. I hope this helps some people out there.

Ok, not as smooth a gear selection as I would like, but you can adjust your driving to get a smooth change, it just takes a while to get used to. On the whole I’m delighted with the quality of ride and very responsive steering, it feels fun to drive. I know there are better 4x4s on the road, but for less than 20,000 its brilliant. I have tried the Kia, Mitsubusi, Hyrudia i130 and none of these matched the ride quality and low cabin noise levels. None of these also give a lifetime warranty or 100,000 miles. Average mpg is 35 which is well below the government figures of 42.8, but I have checked with friends who own an Audio Q5 and they only get 37 mpg against the advertised 48 mpg. This seems to be the same story amongst most manufacturers and it’s about time we were told the truth!

I bought my combo in 2002 with 5000 miles on it. It’s been a good reliable van, I’ve only had to put a new oil pump on it because the useless dealer messed up when doing a cam belt. The only problem is they leak in water (common fault). Mine has the 1.7 diesel Isuzu engine, which is bullet proof and much better than the Fiat one Vauxhall use now. It has always started in the winter and has been spot on for me, having never let me down.

I have owned a Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 design for the last 5 years, which I bought on finance. I loved my car, it was nippy and drove well and suited me down to the ground. When the finance finished in March this year I decided to part-ex it for a new Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 Excite. This has been the worst decision of my life. I went to the dealers and they had a deal on 0% finance and a loyalty amount off of the cost of the new car. I was told that there was not a car for me to test drive, but that the one I was going to buy performed exactly the same as the one I was bringing in for part-ex. Having said this though I do not think a test driving it would have made any difference because I wouldn’t have taken it on the motorway or up a hill as I had just test driven a car for my son and we were taken a very short distance on the flat. The cars on this deal were also going very quickly so as I didn’t want to lose the deal I decided to buy the new car. What a big mistake that was since owning the car I have experienced lack of power up hills and on motorways, even to the point of being in a dangerous situation with a lorry! When going up steep hills, and I live on one, the car loses speed and you barely get up the hill at more than 35 mph and my foot is flat to the floor! It is dangerous, to drive when this happens and I am petrified of going anywhere near a hill or on the motorway, which is a big problem. I have been driving for 30 years and have driven many cars in this time and have never felt scared of driving a car! In fact I never let anyone else in my family drive as I enjoy doing it myself. I have returned the car to the dealership for them to test it out and their response is that there is nothing wrong with it and they have taken it out and had no problems on hills or the motorway. Even to the point of the service manager taking it out and saying that she got 66mph out of it up a hill and her foot was not even flat to the floor! I know that they are lying and have seen many reviews on here and on the internet about loss of power up hills and the unresponsive speeds on motorways. I am still in the process of fighting Vauxhall to admit that the car is underperforming.

I bought this as a second car as I own a Subaru Impreza, but needed something economical for commuting to work. I think it’s a nice looking car and I am able to get 600 miles to a tank if driven sensibly. I find the steering a bit vague, suspension a bit wishy washy, but overall a pleasent drive and economical, which is the reason I bought it.

I bought my Zafira 07 CDTi when it was a year old with 4500 miles on the clock. I thought it was just bad luck that in the 4yrs I’ve had it it I’ve had the EGR valve replaced 3 times, the alternator, 2 sets of tyres, aircon unit, internal fan unit and roll bar replaced. After having an MOT and service just 3 weeks ago it is back in the garage and I’ve now been told its the manifold with a price tag of £750. It only has 35000 miles on the clock. This is the final straw it has to go. I will never buy another Vauxhall or diesel engine car - I have made no savings whatsoever over the 4 years. Apologies to all the tree huggers. And to the person higher up the list, diesel engines all have EGR valves.

I bought mine from Evanshalshaw in January 2012 and the car is great. Full leather with heated seats. Automatic lights and washers. Satnav is a first for me and works great although I could do with a map update. So far the only issue has been with the climate control needing a software patch. All sorted now and very pleased with the ride, acceleration, brakes and general handling. Superb on the motorway where you get great fuel ecomomy; with mix or urban and motorway dirving I get 44mpg, much more on motorway driving and easily get over 500 mile out of a full tank.

I’ve had this car for 6 years and excluding servicing I’ve spent a grand total of £150 on parts. This has been the best car I have ever bought; the most reliable and the most fuel efficient. I am very reluctant to trade in, as it’s only got 116000 miles on the clock and is still going strong.

What can I say? Outstanding car! It’s the 1.4 petrol 140 ps. I’ve had it for just over a month and have yet to find fault with it, apart from some idiot dented the door while opening his! (if only i was there.) At a 5 star safety rating you know your in a safe car, this car is made for comfort and room which is handy if you travel a lot! I can honestly say those who don’t like the electric hand-break must be doing it wrong or something, personally I think every car should be equipped with it which is probably why Vauxhall has made it standard across all new Vauxhall cars! So if you are thinking of getting one I recommend it! And @ people who are reviewing and they don’t own one - that’s just silly and outrageous, those reviews should be removed!

Beautiful looking car and well built. I’ve experienced 20,000 trouble-free miles. Soaks up bumps well and drives great. Quiet and refined, a premium car feel. I drive many different cars as we have a car pool at work. I fell in love with the Astra after several weeks. Recently had the new over-rated Focus, although lighter steering it feels cheap next to the Astra. Only gripe with my Astra is the fuel consumption - I only get low 30s but I do love the powerful engine though so can forgive this.

I love this car, but after owning it for just seven months I discovered water on the carpet behind the drivers seat. I took it to a garage who noticed the roof about 1 mil out so hand pushed it back and that was it leak fixed...until now. The passenger side is now leaking! I just don’t know where to turn now. I often hear the fuel swishing about in the tank however after reading a few reviews I’m now concerned that this swishing could now be water within the sills of the vehicle. Gutted absolutely gutted.

I’m gobsmacked reading all the reviews on here, I also had major problems with the alarm and tonight all the dash has decided to stop working whilst I was coming into work. I know I’ve got juice in it to get me home but I’ll not have a clue what speed I’m driving at. What’s the bet that when I ring Vauxhall up tomorrow the warranty has run out and I’ll have to fork money out to get it fixed?!

Comfortable to drive, solidly built and excellent fuel economy. The cargo area is a decent size to. Great for multi drop work.

I bought this van with only 60,000 on the clock and very tidy looking. In three years it’s done an extra 22,000; it’s been off the road for over a year costing me a fortune in lost earnings. It’s had a new turbo costing £550, a new battery at £150, a new master clyinder at £150, a new slave cylinder at £675, a complete head rebuild costing £1300 (top) an engine rebuild (bottom half) costing £1400, a new clutch at £680 and now the gear box needs repairing at around £600 - £800! It has nearly put me out of business and so it’s now being sold for spares and repairs. Beware!!

Mine has experienced a failed EGR value a couple of times in its lifetime over the last 8 years of ownership (one previous owner). Cost about £100 a time to sort out, but it is unnerving when it goes, leaving the car sitting in the middle of the road! I’m now looking around for another car and it seems that the EGR value is a problem for new models and not only limited to Vauxhall. In retrospect, it has been a brilliant car, very comfortable and quite a speedy little drive. The automatic gear box is amazingly smooth. I still haven’t found any auto boxes that match the quality of ours. Fuel economy isn’t great (30-35ish mpg) on the auto however, but that is to be expected. The boot and cabin is fairly spacious although the back seat is a real squeeze for two kids in child seats and an adult.

I bought myself a low mileage Vectra Estate in immaculate condition and I’m delighted with my purchase. The usual criticisms are probably valid, yes it’s a bit bland, yes it’s not exciting; the throttle isn’t the most responsive, but the plus points outweigh the criticisms. Firstly it’s massive. I like a big car and this certainly fits the bill. The load space is huge especially with the back seats down. It’s a very comfortable drive in town and on the open road. It’s also particularly quiet. It feels well built with no rattles. I’d recommend one of these to anyone who isn’t too bothered about image but wants a big, comfortable, well built load lugger.

While this diesel version is not to bad on fuel I have found so far, owning it for only one year, that it is not as reliable as I hoped it would be. After taking this car on its maiden trip it broke down with only 203 mls on the clock. This meant the car had to be recovered to a dealership for repair. This was sorted, but it took about ten days. Afterwards, during the course of the year I experienced a few unexplained annoying problems. After the car had done only 4220 mls the oil change light came on. After this at about 4350 mls it broke down once again (blown fuse (fuel pump)) and had to be taken into the garage once again. The diagnostic test revealed nothing, so I await the next breakdown. I am not confident I can rely on this car. The most annoying problem I have is the braking can be very fierce at times.

I bought my Astra TwinTop 1.9cdti brand new in 2007. Every year, as regular as clockwork, within one month of having a dealer service and this year only one day after, it has had to have a new EGR fitted. This year at 56000 miles it rattles like a bag of bolts and I have been told by Vauxhall it requires a new dual mass flywheel and clutch at a cost of £2000. On speaking to the service manager, Vauxhall do not want to know. As well as this point I asked as the car has a trade in value of £4000, and requires £2000 of work what would he think about using Vauxhalls £2000 scrappage allowance? Scrap the car all together, and buy another model? To which he said "Well, you could do". So if your thinking of buying any Vauxhall, do not - at any price.

I’m pleased with my 1.4 Turbo Elite, with only a slight niggle trim caused by the rattle from front at 65 mph, which I can’t get rid of. Today its service cost £210 and mentioned a new whiring noise from engine, which I was advised means a new grear box is required at only 20k miles! Oh dear, this should be under warranty.

On the plus side the Astra sportive is quick (too quick at times), but if you are tavelling long distances the seats are terrible. The seat consists of a thin moulded layer of foam rubber resting on a steel bar which runs across the seat under your thigh. There is no polite way of putting this. Your bum drops into the space behind this metal bar and the bar cuts into the underside of your thigh. Obviously some drivers sit in different positions and some may find this seat cofortable. However, as a fairly average sized driver (5 ft 11inch and 13 stone) I find it a real problem. My workmates driving this vehicle all complain of the same problem. It is a shame that an otherwise good vehicle is spoiled by such a poorly designed seat.

Purchased at a reasonable price in 2009, I thought I had the answer to all my long distant high speed driving to and from France from the UK carrying full loads that my wife finds to fill it. What a disaster. The car has covered 53k now, of which I have done 41k, and has been returned to the garage seven times and has broken down four times, three times leaving me stranded in France. It has blocked its catalytic converter four times, broken three air conditioner units and had a steering problem causing it to pull to the left so hard that it was not possible to release the steering even for a moment. Vauxhall tested this car and said ’no fault’, but then I insisted their manager drive it and he was terrified as it nearly took him off the road. I will never, ever purchase another Vauxhall diesel ever. This is by far the worst car I have ever owned. I will be trading it in if I can get a dealer to take it. It has now broken down again, what a disgusting car.

Mine is a new company car. I picked it up with 19 miles on the clock and no fuel! I though oh well, new car, ok win win. I went to put fuel in and found out you have to remove the ignition key to open the flap. It wouldn’t start until 4 attemps later. I rang the garage who said "Oh it’s bedding in"! The stupid, stupid, stupid electric handbrake - I either roll into the car in front or behind, and setting off is not smooth. What the hell is wrong with a lever? The turning circle is rubbish and it handles like I am driving on ice, which makes setting off quickly to exit a junction near impossible. The door mirrors whistle when moving, to which vauxhall have said "turn up your stereo"! The seats - argh! I have an aching back after driving it for more than an hour or two. The fuel economy is rubbish and the CO2 is higher than my last car, so its costing me more for less. It feels vague to drive, and considering how big the thing is there is not much room inside. I would not recommend it at all!

This is the worst car I have ever had. It has needed nearly everything doing to it and has now just blown up whilst I was driving on the ring road; I thought I was going to die! There was no warning light or anything. Stay away from the worst car in the world.

An exellent car. I always buy vauxhall and the v6 are easy to work on, as are the timing belts. A smooth ride with plenty of power when needed.

I bought mine in April 2011 with 8.5k on the clock from a Vauxhall dealer. I have had no problems whatsoever, much the same as my last 2006 SXi bought from the same dealer, which I had for 5 years. A great looking car in sapphire black, it is also very comfortable and economical. I would not change it for anything.

I’m the second owner from new and currently have 160k on the clock. This car does everything I have ask of her, she can pull a large caravan at ease on motorways and will drag a trailer. I have moved house with it, carried railway coach buffers in it, dogs and pensioners without any problems. I love her as she is always fun, never boring to drive,  and is comfortable on a long run without stops. She holds the road and loves a good A road or motorway and is equally at home on a bumpy road. The fuel economy works out at roughly 10 miles per litre, a little more when on the motorway and A roads. On the motorway I won’t let her go over 85mph, as it’s then she starts to drink juice. In town she will drink the juice as anyone would expect on stop starting. The Astra G is the last of the pure breed of Astra and as such has the purity of the original design, with simple easy to reach and use controls. A good vehicle, in both modes of saloon and estate.

I only got mine yesterday, but so far I love it! I’ve been fiddling with all the buttons and took it for a good old drive and wow, what a fantastic machine. The accelerator is super sensitive and it all changes with sport mode. The handling is great and it looks great.

I upgraded from a mk5 Astra sxi, which was also a 1.6 last May. Since new there was something wrong with the suspension as it was making a knocking noise over bumps.I took it back over 9 or 10 times in the next 6 months for this problem and the dealer Evans Hallshaw, kept stating they had fixed it, but it just got worse. Eventually the car started feeling unstable, the steering felt loose and the whole body would shudder when going over even a small dent in the road. The dashboard started rattling and the engine sounded like it was cold even though the temp showed ok, the tyres also started wearing unevenly which nearly always points to a problem with the suspension or alignment, but they just kept saying nothing was wrong and refused to book it in. I had enough of the dealer fobbing me off and demanded a replacement, but instead they got Vauxhall to take it to their workshop to check. Over a month later Vauxhall returned the car to the dealer stating they had replaced the shock absorbers and lower arms and that there was a rattle that was interrmittent and temperature related. I thought, what does that mean? I tested the car and it felt a bit better, but still not 100%, which I knew as I had tested other Astras of the same model and they were a world of difference. The dash still rattled and to top it off the windscreen wiper was broken at the base. The car’s still at the dealers and I’ve started legal proceedings to get my money back. I’ve had 8 months of headache, driving a car with faulty shocks and God knows what else got damaged by driving it 5000 miles in that state, over a month at Vauxhall and not even an apology from Evans Hallshaw. Either their techs couldn’t be bothered checking the car properly or they should be packing shelves in Tesco instead of working on 15k+ cars, you decide. The bottom line is the new Astra is a good car, but be wary of where you buy it as my experience shows that a small problem, which should have been sorted the the first time ends up ruining your car due to an incompetent dealership. Good luck with your cars everyone.

Company car, new in 2009. At first it was like a breath of fresh air compared to the Vectras I had had. The Insignia felt and drove brilliantly, like a quality made car, however, after the first 1000 miles things started to loosen up and it quickly began to feel like the usual poor build Vauxhall. Shortly after there was a burning smell coming from rear of car. I took into local dealers who replaced the rear disks and pads. It seemed ok for a while then there was a smell of burning rubber coming from the rear. I again took it to the dealers who said they could not find anything wrong. The burning smell continued! The first year service came around (had only done 10k) and it had another set of rear disks and pads fitted. After about 15k the Automatic box started to randomly change gear and gave off a low grumbling noise mid change, so back to the dealers who as usual said they could not find anything wrong. The car still has this fault after a further 2 visits to the dealer. It’s now due for its first MOT, it has only got 30k on the clock and it drives like an old banger! Sloppy steering, rough ride and terrible fuel consumption. A friend has a 2009 Mondeo that still drives and feels like new, unlike the the Insignia. Also I have found that the customer service from the local Newcastle dealership is disgraceful, nobody seems to care or want to help in anyway. You just know that when you take your car in for a fault they are just going to say the usual "We plugged it into the computer and can’t find anything wrong". I would never get a Vauxhall by choice!

I hired one of these for a month when I was between cars. Was very comfy and roomy, which is quite amazing when you consider I’m 6’3 and don’t fit into many hatchbacks! Driving was very pleasant, although perhaps a little dull. Overall would recommend if you’re in the market for a reasonably priced family hatchback.

I guess you get what you pay for. Got this car in December 2012 for £8,250, so 15 months old, 10k lower than a new one. Since then I have had the horn replaced because that broke, and now it’s gone back to have the fuse board replaced because, I quote the dealer "you seem quite lucky, the worst that could of happened is that it caught fire". Thank got for the AA. Other than the problems I’m happy. I get on average 40mpg, not bad for a large car with a small engine. It’s comfortable, seems quite well built for the money and it looks great. Plus the whole family fits (2 adults one baby and a pug). So in summary: Good car, I just hope the few electrical problems I have are just that and no more. You can’t get much better for the money.

Too many faults to list, absolute worst 12 months of ownership.

I bought the auto 1800 astra club around a month ago. It only had 4500 miles on the clock so was virtually new. My overall impression is it’s over priced and pretty unspectacular. That said it has had no major faults, but loads of stupid things that really annoy me and a few that could be dangerous in my opinion. I will definitely ditch it for one fault though and that is the ride quality. If you’re only 20 ignore this as you can sit on the ground for 12 hours at a festival and be comfortable. Over 30 however, and you’ll struggle with the rock hard foam moulded springless seat, the rock hard suspension that basically uses your spine instead, and the stupid auto gear changes that leave you having to permanently have your foot on the brake in traffic as it has selected 3rd gear at 10 mph! Drive a lot in traffic and you’ll soon curse this car. Add to this the ridiculous indicators that re-write the rule that you signal left to turn left and if you want to cancel you push it back to the middle. No, on this it goes back to the middle anyway, but then continues signalling, then if you go to manually cancel the signal it then signals right instead. Thus explaining why I’ve seen so many Vauxhall motorists do exactly this on our motorways. You cannot hear the indicators on the motorway, over the noise of even a moderately pushed engine, and if you’ve adjusted both the seat and the steering wheel to the optimum driving position you then can’t see the indicators internal lights going either as the steering wheel obscures your view of them! Bad designing or what? It’s plain stupid! Obviously someone trying to justify his job by trying to ruin something that has previously worker perfectly well on every car since the Ford Anglia came out in around 1962! The paint comes off if you brush passed it in a light jacket, the radio is Marconi’s original I think, and it’s by a mile the most uncomfortable car I’ve ever driven and I’ve owned loads (20+). This car was to replace a 90,000 miles plus, old, much critcised by the press Hyundai Elantra, but this doesn’t come close to that car in terms of driving enjoyment. I think this car couldn’t be more painful if it had a park bench in it! If you get one and you’re over 30 find a good back specialist as you may soon need one! The manual gearbox will doubtless be better, but there must be a lot more cars better out there now. There seems a joint thing going on with Chevy as you’ll see both in the same showroom with the Americans dropping the name ’Astra’ from their range. I think I can see why. I would have been very disappointed to have paid the kind of money their asking for these new.

As with other reviewers mine had a DPF issue from 6 weeks after the 3yr service (Jan 2010). It’s had a full filter replacement, followed by an EGR valve replacement. It cannot be used as a family run around car, which it was bought for in the first place and it has spent the last 2 years in the service centre, every 6-12weeks when the filter blocks up and the car becomes unusable. The advice from Vauxhall is to take it out every week for a 50 mile run on the motorway! Makes it more of an expensive dog that I am running around, rather than it running me around economically. Oh and this advice doesn’t work. Although I can’t afford it, am trading it in as I have had enough.

Too many faults to list, absolute worst 12 months of ownership.

I had an Astra years ago, which I loved, so was looking forward to having another Vauxhall. I chose a Corsa as I just wanted a little economical runaround to get me to work etc. I couldn’t have been more disappointed and won’t be touching a Vauxhall again for a long time, they’ve seriously let themselves down. Firstly, I was surprised at the poor quality of the interior. Then I was slightly surprised at a recall from Vauxhall within the first few months, due to an issue with the handbrake. A few months later, it started slipping out of gear completely (it’s an automatic) and would just roll (the service light would come on too). This was frightening on a fast and busy road. The first time it happened, my husband picked me up and drove it to the dealers (as they refused to come and pick it up). They couldn’t find a fault so gave it back to me a few days later. Seemed fine for a few more months then the same thing happened again, accompanied by a serious shuddering. This time the RAC picked me up and diagnosed an electrical fault to do with the gear selector on the automatic transmission. It also needed a new ignition coil (within 18 months). The RAC took it to the dealership and they informed me that the RAC’s ’fault code’ was invalid to them so they couldn’t fix it!! The gear slipping problem still occurs, and the car does not feel safe. It has been through loads of brake pads and tyres (despite safe driving) and recently had a leaking shock absorber. It also leaks water into the passenger side footwell, but I can’t see where it’s coming from. It’s recently had another recall (the second in 2 years), this time for a problem with the brakes. It hasn’t been great driving in snow either as I found that it skids a lot, but that may be to do with it being automatic? I’ve had the car exactly 2 years now and it’s spent so much time in the repair centre, it’s ridiculous. I’m just about to get rid of it and I’m sorry to say I won’t be touching a Vauxhall for a very long time. I think they’ve seriously scrimped on the Corsas and are compromising safety.

My wife bought her when she was 6 months old and had a new steering rack plus steering motor fitted under warranty at Marshalls, Ipswich, who were fantastic (we bought the car from Thurlow Nunn in Diss). The car is as reliable as any Honda and apart from services, tyres and windscreen wipers she has cost us nothing in 60k miles. The engine could do with a bit more shove and the visibility on right hand bends and roundabouts is a bit hairy, but you get use to it. The car has a good seating position is fairly comfortable on a long run and is so versatile. Would I buy another? Yes! Without a doubt. What you see is what you get. All in all a good little barrow that costs peanuts to run.

Excellent workhorse/terrible comfort! I have the van 2.5 years now and started with 145k. I now have almost 200k on it. I have the non-turbo so it lacks power, but I will sit at 75mph all day once it gets there. Good: Very reliable, only one minor fault, it uses next to no oil between services and gives decent economy (50+mpg) Bad: Visibility is dreadful at junctions, very heavy on front tyres and possibly the worst vehicles for comfort.

The body panel is out of line. The petrol consumption is appalling at 30% less than advertised; I bought this car for its advertised economy, but it is worse than my old 1.6 zafira. Having decided to change the car I find in eight months it has dropped £8,000. I will never consider another vauxhall.

This is the worst car I have ever driven. Do not waste your money on this car!!! Mine, fortunately, is a company car. The mpg is poor, mine averages 40mpg with a mixture of motorway/town driving. I have had four oil leaks, new hydraulic pump, new speakers, new drive shafts, two new gearboxes, two new clutches, a new fly wheel and new gear selector rods. Despite the new gearboxes and clutch I still have problems selecting 2nd and 3rd gears when the engine is cold. The car has been rejected to Vauxhall and an engineer is test driving it next week so fingers crossed I can get a Mondeo, Passat or push bike.

I bought this car only a couple of weeks ago and it’s been a total nightmare! So far it’s needed new timing chain kit refit as I was told by the garage where I bought it that it was because it was "cold". I’d had it back for a day and then took it back as I was concerned about the noise it made as the engine got hotter. It took nearly 2 weeks to fix, thankfully still under warranty. It’s been one thing after another! I love the styling of the car and I thought would be an ideal run around car after owning a Subaru Impreza STi. I always liked the idea of the Corsa as it looked nice and seemed cheap to run, unfortunately hasn’t lived up to expectations and I would never buy a Vauxhall again.

I can’t say it’s been plain sailing with my Zafira. I’ve had a few issues with the DPF so I had to get it replaced and found an after market one for £375, when Vauxhall had wanted £1000. What a joke! The EGR has been changed once and the alternator has also been changed once, which seems to replicate what everyone else has been experiencing. A nice car, but just littered with problems.

The car is comfortable, but the visability is not great and fuel consumption is abysmal. My biggest gripe is the parking brake. I have found that if the car is in neutral and you rev the car over 1100 RPM when depressing the clutch then the handbake releases. This is not safe, but the dealers say it is normal. This parking brake is not fit for purpose! 

The engine compartment wiring caught fire and melted the clutch pipe, the fluid caught fire and now the car is in a sorry mess! None of the fuses blew, but a mechanic says the ABS block and pump were at fault; my Zafira had done 76,000 miles. I bought it Nov 2009 and it has been utter heartbreak from day one! GM Vauxhall have many duff cars in their range and they are keen to say they make the cars in the UK, but judging by the foreign parts on mine and the OPEL chassis plate, I know this to be a lie. The dealers are just not interested, maybe the electrics are too complicated and poorly made, but that fire just about wrecked my house, garage the contents. The wretched thing wasn’t even running when it caught fire and luckily I saw the smoke wisping from the left hand bonnet/wing gap and pushed it out into the drive then got the fire extinguisher from the kitchen and slowly lifted the bonnet. The next day a part-time fire brigade member who heard about the Zafira fire said he has seen Corsa’s catch fire too and found there is no fuse in the circuit to protect an ABS unit from shorting out! Vauxhall are worse than French cars for safety or the lack-of! No model they could bring out could ever tempt me or my family to buy, drive, hire or even park next to a GM/OPEL/Vauxhall flamin’ Zafira or Corsa!! And why no zero star rating?

Never, ever again! My first and last Vauxhall. They should hang their heads in shame. All the usual faults as mentioned elsewhere here. Incredible in this day and age that they can get away with it.

I have a Zafira diesel 1.9 life and have had it for about 2 months. I had to have the DPF changed costing me £1800 and after only a month the DPF warning light has come on so I’ll have to make an unscheduled trip down the motorway and looks like this will be a regular thing, as the car is for school/shopping etc. Also it is poor on MPG and consumes a lot of oil. Apart from a good, smooth drive I would not recommend this car at all.

The EGR valve gums up every 15,000 or so miles once the engine has a few miles on it with lots of town driving. I blanked mine off at 40K and now it does not stumble at all when driving off at low revs and now it has 188,000 miles on the clock. The only drawback is it puts the engine management light on and every time the particle filter kicks in it smokes for approx. 5 mins because of all the oily sludge being put out instead of it being kept in engine; this happens about every 1500miles. You can find the blanking plates on ebay for less than a fiver, you can also get a cheap code reader to erase the light when you take the plate out for selling or MoT issues.

Just swapped a BMW 116i sport for a Vectra Sri 1.8 vvti and must say, it’s a hell of a better ride than the BM and you get a lot more extras in it too, well pleased with it so far.

Very impressed with the car. It drives very smooth a bit different from my old BMW 116i sport that I swapped for it.

Just watch out for the DFP going as mine did at 80,000. How to tell it’s going? When you let the revs off it makes a grinding noise, then when you put the revs on again the noise goes. It’s not very cheap  at £715 for a reconditioned one fitted!

Just swapped from a BMW 116i sport and find it’s a totally different drive. The Vectra is so smooth and as quiet as the BMW which is very hard with no room. Very pleased with it so far.

This is my 4th Astra H and definitely the best. Astra’s don’t get enough credit for their handling, which the Stig said would be nigh on perfect if the power delivery of the vxr model was smoother. It’s up there with the Renault megane 225 - surprising? Well here’s where the 180 horse power Sri turbo comes in. Smooth delivery, plenty of power (quite a bit faster then the 1.9 150, which I’ve previously owned) and an exhaust note that sounds great. The good thing about this engine is if you drive very light footed you can get 33-35mpg around town and 40 max on the motorway, although when you use the power that will drop to 25mpg or less. One thing I must say is don’t run cheap tyres on the front as in the wet you don’t get much grip at all, but a pair of decent ones will fix this. Overall I believe the Astra is good value, has nimble handling even on 18’s, the brakes are strong, looks great with the xp kit and I enjoy driving it every day. If you can get past badge snobbery then you’ll enjoy it too!

I bought my Meriva 4 years ago and for the first 2 years it was great. In the last 2 years it has been problem after problem. First the ECU went, which was very very expensive to fix. Next the front shock absorbers went and now the engine management light has come on. I have taken it in for a diagnositic check only to find out No.3 cylinder has no compression. This, I have been told, could cost me a grand!! I am not happy with this car and would never touch a Vauxhall again, I would rather catch the bus!!

A Good looking car, but with quite a few faults. I have the excite model 3 door 1.2 I have had to have 4 trips back to the dealer for the following : Gear Linkage - jumping out of gear; Grinding brakes (no fault); New light switch - lights turning on and off on own; Brake pads - finally replaced and found to be faulty, which was causing the grinding noise. Now for the big one. The engine, which used to be quiet has over the past three weeks got louder until it now sounds like a tractor!! The Vauxhall dealer said it is normal, but the noise is still continuing to get louder. Vauxhall customer assistance have contacted me and they have demanded for the vehicle to be checked asap; when booking the vehicle in reception were very rude. So, if you’re thinking about buying one of these cars bear these things in mind. I wouldn’t mind but it’s a "61 plate", new from September.

I do not yet have a problem with the steering, but I am having problems with the notorious blind spot and windsreen wiper on the driver’s side. It does not clear the whole screen and further obstructs my vision. I am having to lean forward and follow the road round to keep myself and pedestrians safe. I too had a near miss driving in the snow because the wiper does not completely clean the windscreen. I have parked it and I’m desperately looking for a buyer.

This car is an absolute disaster. Please test drive this car in dry, wet and snowy weather before purchasing it. The thick pillars on either sides disrupts periferal vision. The right windscreen on the right stops 4-5 ins from the edge therefore a film of water/snow forms, further obstructing the driver’s vision. On many occasions I have had to get out of the car and use a squeegee to clear the windscreen. I have had two near accidents due to the notorious blind spot and I cannot wait to sell this car.I have been told that the windscreen wiper was designed not to clear the whole windscreen and has passed safety checks. Is anyone else having a problem with their wipers? Can we all send a petition to Vauxhall?

A nice looking car, but there is a problem with engine noise as it sounds like a tractor. Mine also has noisy brakes at slow speed. I’ve taken it back Vauxhall, but they say everything is ok. I don’t agree and I wouldn’t buy one of these again.

I note all the references to issues with the DPF and EGRV on diesel variants. Unfortunately, the emissions and particulates mitigation measures on modern diesels (of all makes) render them less suitable for short journeys and town driving than the old soot blasters. Consequently, if most of your driving is as above, you may be better off with a petrol model. However, I bought my car as a Network Q vehicle when it had done around 19k miles, and it is now almost at 145k miles! Most of this mileage has been on long, A-road or motorway journeys, avaraging >40mpg, and whilst I have had a few issues, these have been no worse than other cars I have owned, on lower mileages. In summary: My Zafira is the best car I have owned and one of the best I have driven. It is safe, roomy, comfortable, reasonably economical, reliable, not a bad looker, and it handles pretty well too! Finally, has anyone driven their Zafira in deep snow? Who needs 4WD, when you can breeze past BMWs and Mercedes embedded in every ditch and snowbank!

I’ve had this corsa for nearly 4 years and all I’ve had to do is buy 2 new front tyres.

My car is a Vauxhall Zafira Diesel 2ltr and is less than 6 years old, but has just had to have it’s 2nd alternator fitted after doing less than 30,000 miles. This shouldn’t have happened and has caused me great expense and inconvenience. Vauxhall customer care has been totally unhelpful. I certainly would NOT recommend anyone purchasing a Vauxhall vehicle based on my bad experience!

I own a 57 plate Vivaro and the only problems I have had was with 3 injecters that needed to be replaced at 28,000 miles at a cost of £1,500. Perry’s of Canterbury, Kent paid 90% towards the repair even though I was 1 day out of warranty, I was a lucky person. Just complain and say you will protest outside and show some courage and they soon sort it out. They earn loads and don’t want any bad publicity.

I have owned this car for 4 years and it is now on 60,009 miles. It is the worst car I’ve ever owned. It drinks oil and has poor MPG. The new parts fitted so far are: discs, x2 Lamba sensors, the cylinder head, gaskets and bolts, the M.A.F. sensor and the exhaust manifold/catalitic convertor. It has also required a reprogramming of the E.C.U. and the heater only works on No.4. I will never buy a Vauxhall again! I had to place a 1 star rating because there was nothing lower, but a -10 rating would be more fitting!

I own an ’04 2.0t sri and have had the car for just over a year now with no trouble whatsoever. I average 30 mpg on combined, but I have had 40+ mpg on motorway runs a few times this year. The only thing that was a slight niggle was the gearbox that felt notchy when cold so I changed the gearbox oil and refilled it to 2.4 litres, as recommended by a specialist and the problem was fixed. It is a spacious, comfortable, fast and reliable car and I still enjoy driving it daily. Apparently the z20net engine, which is a Saab block, is the most reliable in the range, all the problems reported on here seem to stem from the GM ecotec engine range. I owned an Astra previously with the ecotech engine and I did have numerous problems with the throttle, body, etc.

A nice little car, but with no spare wheel it can be a pain in the neck.

I had alarm problems from day one. A brand new vehicle (July 2011), but as soon as I parked it on the drive at home the alarm went off. After it going off another 3 times within the hour I called the Crawley branch and I was advised to leave the vehicle unalarmed or unlocked!! Yes seriously. Needless to say it went back to the Crawley branch and I said they could have the alarm going off on their forecourt until it is fixed. I picked it up on the Monday allegedly fixed. Wrong. I took it back again and they found a fault with the interior sensor and the siren so replaced them both. I have had no alarm problems since. The fuel consumption is certainly not as advertised as I’m averaging about 33mpg driving very carefully. I am now having reoccurring problems with the ECG; every so often (I think I am pinpointing this down to when the car has been in a heavy downpour) whilst driving, the fuel consumption goes through the floor, to an average of 11 but absolute maximum of 20mpg. Once the ignition is turned off, the engine fan comes on quite aggressively and the car is hot and smells of burning. The vehicle has been back 4 times to be looked at (no problem found) and it was only on the 4th occasion that they said they had looked at the ECG log, which could explain all the symptoms. Apparantly the ECG is meant to do that and routinely does a emmissions system clean. It will use more fuel and cause the fan to go etc. So, yesterday my car did this 8 times!!! Has anyone else had anything similar? This surely cannot be whats meant to happen?!

If there were minus figures it would get -5 stars. Where to start? 1). The car leaks water into the passenger side footwell when it rains. 2). There’s a rattle from the front of the car that the Vauxhall garage cannot locate; the car sounds really unsafe. 3). The timing slipped so I went to vauxhall and paid over £800 only to find when I went to pick the car up it now had a flat battery. Vauxhall tried to charge me for new key but I lost my rag and demanded that it be resolved. I went back the next week to pick up the car and the battery is now running flat if the car is left for over 4 hours (this didn’t happen prior to going to Vauxhall). 5). The car is not running right and the front engine mount requires replacing. 6). The car is leaking fuel from the pressure pump, the ECU’s light in on and now it won’t start. I will be going back to an independant garage now as Vauxhall have the worst customer service and must employ monkeys instead of proper mechanics. Conclusion: I will never buy Vauxhall again, even though I have had a pre-1995 Vectra, Cavalier, Nova etc., with no issues what so ever. The new Vauxhall’s are not up to the same standard and this one car has put me off the company for life. My car has less than 30,000 mile on it. A total joke!

I’ve had the car 5 months now and have had nearly 9,000 miles of untroubled driving. Having previously owned numerous Fords, my last car being a Mondeo Estate I was looking to downsize, but not compromise on looks and quality. I just love my Astra, great car inside and out, great handling, good build quality, very quiet around town and on the motorway. There are only two negative points: When driving up a long, but not necessarily steep incline in 6th gear and it wont make it (unlike my Mondeo). Also the fuel economy, manufacturer claims close to 48mpg, but the best I have managed driving at or around 56mph on a long run (200 miles+) is 44mpg. Normal daily commutes of 32 miles to work average around 40-41mpg. I would definitely recommend though.

This was the second Omega I owned and it was a joy to drive. Despite being an older version of the MV6 I owned before, it was just as good. The interior felt a little dated, but everything worked and nearly everything was electric! It put newer cars to shame. The engine was fabulous and despite not being the most potent by todays standards; (it was used in the Carlton) it was more than enough to despatch the wannabe boy racers. Never had a moments trouble with it and it was rarely cold; it was used everyday. I could not have asked for a better car. It looked great with the Irmscher kit, it went like hell and never caused me a headache. I loved the heavy body and the rear wheel steering as it made you appriciate the joy of driving a powerful car such as this. Such a shame I had to sell it due to my other half not liking big cars. They really do not make them like this anymore. Pity.

I bought this three years ago with 68K on the clock. It needed a new spill valve on the day I bought it and a new gear linkage at 90K, which cost £10. It’s now got 120K on the clock. It is full of heavy gear all the time and is by far the best investment I have ever made. I’m now looking for a newer one; as much as I need a larger van I’m sticking with a 1.7 Combo.

I have a 2002 long wheel base Vivaro. Where do I start? I have had the van for two years now and it’s going on the 7th of Jan 2012 and good riddance! It has always been serviced, oil levels checked etc., etc. In the two years I have owned it I have spent £1000’s repairing it. To start with the gearbox failed, traditionally third gear first and then totally failed. It was recovered to Vauxhall for repair, then three weeks later the brand new box failed. It was again recovered back to Vauxhall who tried to blame poor driving for the failure (but that’s another story). After the gearbox problems had been sorted, the clutch failed. The van had only done 60,000 miles at this point. After this everything ran smoothly for a while, until one afternoon, the turbo started to over run. In stand still traffic, the van started to pump over 6000 revs and the key wouldnt shut it off. The only way was to stall it, but by this time the turbo was cooked. I thought that this was the end of my Vivaro, however I had it repaired by a small company and not Vauxhall with their astronomical bills. 6 months plain sailing, shortly followed by the power steering pump failing. Re-booked back into Vauxhall, 3 days later and £400 lighter my van was returned to me. Not even a week later, I pull off the motorway slip road to be surrounded by white smoke and a very rich burning smell. All the oil from the power steering had leaked through the alternator, leaving it to slowly cook itself. I was told by an independent garage that this could and should have been cleaned to prevent it after the leak. Now the speedometer has packed up. ECU light comes on as you go over 50mph. This was the straw that broke the camels back. I will never own another Vivaro, or Vauxhall/Renault for that matter. Not only do the vans appear to be poorly constructed, not much can be said for the Vauxhall/Renault service centres. Back to Ford for me!!!

Bought mine new in 2005 (last of the old body shape for only £10k). The mileage is now at 87k with no problems so far. Maybe I have just been lucky?

I’m now on my 4th Zafira! They’ve all been 1.6 Life models. I’ve had one ’A’ (2004) and three ’Bs’ (2006, 2008, 2011). The difference from the ’A’ to ’B’ was day and night. So much so, that I’d recommend to anyone thinking of buying the earlier model to save a bit more and go for the new shape. They’ve all been very reliable and are ideal as a family car, which is why you see so many on the road. The ’Life’ is an entry level model has the basics so it’s not very plush. Only the 2011 model has the piano black treatment on the centre console, steering wheel mounted controls and a leather type steering wheel, which does wonders to lift the interior ambience compared to the 2008 model. The performance is what you’d expect of a 1.6 petrol. It’s fine for motorway cruising, but on city streets/dual carriageways you do need to use the gears and rev the engine to make quick progress. The diesel would be better in this respect, but they tend to suffer expensive problems. The handling is good for the type of vehicle and it can be hustled down country roads surprislingly quickly. It won’t have you grinning from ear to ear, but it won’t throw you into a ditch either. The ride is fine, a little firm, but no worse than most cars. I did have an Astra SRi a courtesy car and it was noticably harsher. No doubt due to 18" wheels and sports suspension. Overall, I’d highly recommend a Zafira if you’re looking to carry loads or need a car which can handle family life, just avoid the diesel and you won’t have any unexpected bills!

A very nice car to drive with plenty of room inside. It looks good, but as with most modern cars it has common faults. The Duel Mass flywheel’s going (most powerful diesels have DMF now), the spring’s snapping, the EGR valve is going, but taking all this in to consideration this is one of the best cars I have had; the 150BHP is nippy and very good on motorways. I would recommend.

A fab car. No leaks. A1 heater. 40 mpg and a proper little hot rod through the lanes!

I have had several problems with this car: 1. Coil springs snapped (a common Vauxhall problem) 2. Four different engine maps needed (this should have been sorted before the cars were released on the market) 3. Brake discs worn down in only 30k, so obviously made from too soft a material. 4. Three rear wheel bearings needed. 5. Engine goes into limp home mode quite frequently and the dealer can not trace the problem. 6. New glow plugs needed, but this is probably wear and tear. 7. 39 MPG on a long run from a diesel? The most unreliable car I have ever had the misfortune to run.

I bought this car in April 2006, when it was it was 1 year old with 4k on the clock. Ok, where do I start? Overall I think the world of the car, it`s quite rare to see a 1.8 these days and it does attract a few stares. I have it serviced every 20k and I had the cam set changed at 60k. It also had a recall a couple of years ago due to a problem highlighted by the BBC, but that was sorted with no problems. However, everytime it rains the driver’s footwell is soaked. It’s had a new screen fitted and this that and the other checked, but it’s still leaking. It must be a design fault, but Vauxhall won’t admit to that will they? Last week the n/s mirror lens fell out at 70mph so I went to my local dealer to get a replacement, only to be told "Sorry sir, Vauxhall have stopped making the lens or housing for that model". Great! So what do I do? "Sorry sir, I don’t know, have you tried a scrap merchants?" Yet the car is not even seven years old yet!! There is lots of road noise at 60+ and the handling can be a bit hairy, least ways ’til you get used to it’s funny little ways. If you drive like Miss Daisy’s older brother then you will squeeze 350 miles to a tank, if you drive like you have just nicked it you will get about 300. The ride is hard and bumpy, but I like that it feels like a go-kart. I also like its understated looks, red calipers, not much to give away it’s pedigree. I must like it as I have had it 5+ years although I have been looking at A3`s lately, 2.0 turbos.

I bought the car new. It needed a new turbo when 2 years old. Then at 3 years old, after being washed, water ingresss into ECU caused many problems; this is a fault on 1.3 CDTi Corsas. It now keeps fading almost cutting out and when I fill up with diesel it is even worse. Other than these problems the car is not too bad. It does need break pads every year and discs every 18 months.

I bought a low mileage van with full service history. The EGR valve went, then the power steering pump went and next the injecters played up (but they get seized so new head). A great drive and comfy, but such a shame as they suffer so many silly problems. I have just changed it for a Toyota Hiace, which is a bit basic but a lot better. Would I have a Vivaro again? No!

This is for all the people that have wet carpets: I found the leak in my car was the seal around where the steering column comes through the bulkhead (behind the screen wash bottle). Vauxhall wanted £600 to fix it, instead my mechanic did it for £60. All he did was pull the old seal out and paint on a new flexible seal and my carpets not been wet since. Hope this helps.

These cars are the biggest load of rubbish! Mine’s had three clutches in one year and all of a sudden the car won’t recognise the key. I have spent £500 on moduals. Now the blowers just work intermittently; they only work about once a week.

I have been a Vauxhall owner for 20 years, but never again. I have always bought second-hand and have never had any problems, so when I retired from work I bought a new Insignia 2.0t. The first year saw no problems, but after that things went down hill. So far it has needed three steering racks and two steering pumps; the steering is still moaning and pulling left all the time making the handling very bad, even scary at times. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve had the steering checked and aligned, paying for this every time. The dealer has told me the steering needs to be aligned often because of the size of the wheels. Funny, a lot of Insignias have the same size of wheels?! If I manage to sell this car I will never buy Vauxhall again.

I’ve never had so many problems with a van in all my life! I bought it 2 years ago with 44k’sh on the clock and as clean as a whistle. The first thing to pack up was the turbo, then the alternator, swiftly followed by the clutch cable snapping, which incorporates the brake master cylinder costing roughly £320 to be supplied and fitted (but I think I was stitched up!) It has a very noisy thrust bearing now after all that and it seems the tensioners have snapped and the chain has skipped a tooth. Whilst on the M1 and 7.30am I had a loss of power with an artic up my proverbial. It now sounds like a bag of nails and won’t start. I have just been told it’s highly likely to be severe engine damage!! I have looked after this van and given it a full service twice a year! The biggest piece of rubbish I have ever owned!

Previously had a 2002 Berlingo, which did the same mpg. I missed the height for a while, but not any more. This van is fast and the 2011 model has a sound liner in the back so it’s pretty quiet. All the kit works really well and it handles too. No mods needed on this van, but may go for a bit of dynomat at some point for a bit more peace and quiet. A leather gearknob would be nice too. I bought the load liner which is ok if you tie everthing down, otherwise the load slides around on it. It’s also really tricky to get out as its a tight fit. Over all the best small van out there and I looked around at them all. 

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.

I loved the car the moment I took it for a test drive at the dealership. I still love it 9 months on. There are a few niggles: The gear box can be very clunky and sometimes you feel you are forcing the change; visibility is slighlty restrictive when reversing due to the wide sides between front and rear doors; it’s been back to the dealer due to a faulty thermostat and a recall regarding the tailgate. Despite these issues I’m still very happy with it.

My car was delivered with 98 mileson it, brand new. Day 1 the service light came on so I went to the VX garage and was advised 2 sensors needed changing, but I had to wait for parts to come in stock. While waiting for a date to go back in the car went into limp mode and was basically un-drivable. The Car went into the garage and everything was fixed after 2 days, with an additional over boost valve changed also. The same day I collected it from the garage the service light came back on and so I took it straight back. After approx. 7 days I was told they couldn’t find the fault and the car is ok. They advised me to take the car back and continue driving with the service light on!!! The Vauxhall mechanic, however, argued with the service staff that the fault relates to a mechanical problem and that there must be something wrong, but it just hasn’t been found yet. My god what kind of customer service is this? How am I to tell the difference from the service light to a genuine fault on the car? No answer. I refused to drive the car even though I was told by Vauxhall that they wanted it removed from their premises. After almost a month I have been offered a demo car until they fix the issue, which they say is a software fault, but they have no idea when a fix will be available. On another email I’ve had they have contradicted themselves saying it’s an easy fix. If so why have the garage had it longer than I have had it, almost a month? Poor MPG, 39-41mpg on the eco flex stop start model, which I was advised was because it’s a new car. The oil seems to be burning at a rate of 1-2% per day, as the computer tells me it’s dropping. I noticed in 1st gear I sometimes get an extra boost of power even when my foot is off the gas causing the car to jump forward. The last Vauxhall I will ever own!

Very good on fuel, driving at 60mph it achieves 47 to the gallon. Mine is a 1.8 LS.

First of all I have had many many cars over the years and touch wood have had very few times when I have needed to take a car back to the dealers for warranty work. Previous sum total after owning 8 new cars is just one rear hatch lock. So reading reviews on here am I to be visiting the dealer more now I have a Corsa? I hope not but ownership so far has been fault free. I bought my Corsa used just over a year old with 8k miles on the clock as an ex lease car. It still looks and feels brand new despite me piling 7k miles on in only 3 months. Perhaps the first owner did the toing and froing with the dealer to get the car sorted, but as mentioned in a busy three months I have not had a single issue. Now lets mention I am no Miss Daisy when it comes to driving and have raced cars and go karts for many years so I was not looking forward to the 1.2 engine I had picked purely for its fuel economy because I have to finance my own fuel on my commute to work. This car is actually totally schitzophrenic. Underpowered and lethargic when aiming to get good mpg and using little throttle the bonus being the 45mpg I get on my daily 100 mile round trip to work. Sometimes you wonder if there is even an engine in the front. What I did really appreciate though was the fact that this mpg is just as easily reached whether driving on a motorway or using a mixture of A and B roads in fact ironcally motorway consumption can be marginally worse than an undulating B road, which did surprise me. Oh yes I said schitzophrenic didn’t I? - well take the car by the scruff of its neck and keep the throttle down until you have 5000 rpm on the rev counter and no you don’t have a Ferrari, but you do suddenly have a car whose engine sounds as if it enjoys revving and is smooth and not gruff, a muted but roty engine note and a chassis that will not let you down. In fact this is the only car I have ever had where grip on the road is not an issue at all. It has stacks of grip and with the modest engine power little likelihood of upsetting things with clumsy pedalling. Unless the road is very uneven and bumpy you have a very faithful and willing car, which will propel you to speeds that offer driving enjoyment with ironically a lot of safety and your licence still intact. So what am I saying here is how does that make sense? I have had many fast cars over the years and still own one now in the shape of an A3 tfsi sportback with 200bhp and yet I really enjoy pushing the Corsa with its benign handling, masses of grip and roty engine because I am getting the experience of pushing a car to extract its performance, but without reaching speeds that would lose me my licence. Of course when driven this way the fuel consumption plummets to 33mpg instead of 45mpg, however, the irony is that to get 33pmg out of my 2.0 litre turbo Audi I have to drive it on egshells and freewheel down all the hills. So here is someone who has masses of racing experience actually finding fun in driving an underpowered ecomomy based shopper who is also getting to work and back economically. So what of the car itself. Other than liking its appearance from all angles with the exception of the view from directly behind I have been extremely impressed with the quality and finish of the car. The panel gaps in the metalwork are appalling and all over the place, but the paintwork is good and the panel gaps are simply not an issue to me who expects to run this car up to 100k miles. What matters to me is a comfortable interior and a workable driving environment and the Corsa in SXI form provides far more than I expected of it in that department. The interior design and layout is simple and straightforward, but that is exactly what I like in a car. Far too many car interiors these days look like they have been designed by someone who used to design Ghetto Blasters in the mid eighties. Masses of silver painted plastic and hotch potches of 3d geometric shapes with no functional reasoning just don’t float my boat. The seats and the adjustments for both the seats and the steering wheel are first rate, making finding your perfect driving position easy. As someone who has suffered from back problems all my life I am happy to report that the seats have proven to be one of the best I have encountered regardless of car cost or specification. I have all the toys I could possibly need. Leather wheel and gear shift, cruise control, air conditioning, mp3 input, sports seats, split fold rear seats etc., etc. There is not actually one thing where I am finding myself saying if only it had one of those. Well there is one actually a water temp gauge, but hey ho I presume there would be a warning light should the temps get too high. There is also a little ’and’ and it is those infuriating indicators. Attempting to manually cancel them results in the traffic following you wondering if you have totally lost your marbles as you alternate between signalling to turn right then left then right again. It’s even an issue when switching main beam on and off where a slight touch here has your overactive indicators going off on their own merry way again. So to tick all the boxes of a car review I will just mention that the ride and refinement are perfectly acceptable for a supermini, not in limousine standards, but never wearing or intrusive. I am a happy chappy and the acid test is this. If someone told me today that the Corsa I am driving now would be the only car I would have for the rest of my life would I be depressed and the answer is no. I still have lots more driving enjoyment to come with this little but eminently practical car.

I fully agree with other reviewers, a nice car, but just made to use in dry weather. I got this car 7 month ago. The car dealer where I bought this car from is really far away from being honest, althought it is a very well known car dealer here in Co. Down. (First he sold me a defective car; breaklights not working and the roof made strange noises when it went down etc.) I went to him and told him about the problem of water behind the passenger seat in the Tigra. Nobody there was able to find the problem and they wanted to bill me £300 for stripping the interior with material costs on top of that. Pure robbery! I decided not to get the car fixed and instead our neighbour found the cause of the problem; water was getting in through the speakers. The problem is not completely solved, but we are at it and for less money.

A great car that is very economical, great to drive and has plenty of room. I bought mine at 3 years old with 68000 miles on the clock and it runs and feels new.

Generally I’m very pleased with mine. I bought it in Oct 2006. It achieves 40 to 43mpg around town and 50 to 55mpg on a run, depending on speeds etc. Whilst under warranty the gear knob came off and required a new stick and coupling to the gear box. Strange? Then in July this year the knob came off again. I was quoted £278 to replace it, which I had to pay. Because I was going to France the next day I had glued the knob on but forgot to look for the spring that goes under the knob. This was not really safe so resulted in this big pay out for a knob. I wrote to Vauxhall twice and they didn’t want to know or justify the need for a whole assembly. I don’t want to let it go and I doubt I will get anywhere. This is why folks buy Japanese etc. Comments welcome.

I have two Zafiras both with low mileage; one a 1600 the other a 1900. Both have clutch problems after less than a year. One is juddering and the other’s problem is the DMF. Help from the dealers and Vauxhall has amounted to zero. These should be ideal family cars, but are let down by unreliable mechanicals and hopeless after care. Lesson learned.

Mine had 56,000 on the clock when I bought it and is now on 146,000. I have had it 7 yrs and have found it to be the best all round purchase of car or van I have ever made. I have just bought a 4yr old 1.7cdti and I hope it’s half as good as last van, which has only let me down 3 times in those 7yrs. I would highly recommend the Combo.

I bought this car six years ago and it has been most reliable. It is cheap to run ie. 50 mpg in all conditions and a round trip of 700 miles on one tank full! Road tax is £30. Insurance is reasonable although I pay £400 with no excess and I have a full no claims bonus. I paid £8000 six years ago, now it’s worth £750, a little disappointing. Also I have been told some sensors aren’t working properly and the fuel pump. I’m told it may cost a maximum of £1000! This is more than the car is worth. I’m now trying to decide whether to buy another or spend the thousands pounds as it has been such a good car.

This has got to be the worst piece of rubbish I’ve ever owned in my life. My engine had done just 52k and was well looked after with full regulat services and cleaning then BANG! The engine has almost chopped itself in half. This comes after a new ECU set, sensors for god knows everything, the EGR valve replaced, repaired, plated up, tech diagnostics etc. Don’t ever buy a Vauxhall if you dont want to spend another 10k repairing it every week. oh I forgot to mention the fuel relay issues including having to bypass its earth since it decided to cut out at 85deg for no reason. I hate these cars so much i’ll never buy a Vauxhall again.

I have now owned this car, a Meriva B for just 7 weeks. When purchased it was just under one year old and had covered only 11400 miles. Pros: The doors are great and open to 90 degrees. They auto lock once you are traveling above 2mph. The six speed auto box is very smooth and being able to change manually is handy. The cabin area and instruments are well laid out and it feels a nice place to be. The moonroof makes the interior feel even bigger. The engine pulls smoothly and has plenty of torque. There is much more legroom for two rear passengers than previous models. Cons: The speedo seems to be more than the legal 10% above your actual speed. We have to travel at an indicated 79mph to be doing 70mph.(If the speed is miles out then surely the trip meter is wrong as well?) The computer states we are averaging over 40mpg but when refuelling I calculated 33.8mpg. The center console is a bit of a pain as it restricts the feet of any center rear passenger. No spare wheel; I bought a spare wheel, but cannot get a tyre as the manufacturers do not have any. My main gripe is fuel consumption and yes I know it’s an auto but 34mpg from a modern diesel engine is abysmal. Most of our driving is urban I would not even like to think how low the mpg would drop driving in town.

In March 2011 we decided to trade our Astra 1.4 SXI three door model which we had as new from Pentagon, Ecclesall Road. I have always been happy with what the advert says " Thrill to drive" and I always said to people that the 1.4 model always seemed to perform like a 1.6. My reason for writing this letter is that I feel that the vehicle we bought to replace this one from Pentagon, Ecclesall Road, which is the new Astra 1.4 exclusive with alloy wheels and DAB radio as extras, was mis-sold to me. The salesman in question, who left the company about a month after we made the deal, took us out in a Astra 1.6 which we wasn’t aware of!!!, bearing in mind that we was looking at the 1.4 model having had the 1.4 SXI. Due to the performance of the 1.4SXI I thought that there would not have been a problem with the new cars performance, but in the last six months we have had this car back twice to Vauxhall’s Technical Department at Pentagon Sheffield. The reason being is that this vehicle has a flat spot only to be informed that it is due to power to the weight ratio. The Astra we traded in was a 90 break horse power and the new one is 100 break horse power so I would have thought this would have compensated for the different weight if any, if we had known this we would have gone for the 1.6. I cannot believe that Vauxhall have made a car with a 1.4 engine which is underpowered, after the success of its predecessor. I have also been informed that other customers have complained about the same problem and I believe that the power performance is not only dangerous on motorways it is also embarrassing to have Heavy Goods Vehicles and smaller cars leaving you on hills and sometimes being left in the middle lane on motorways at about 60 mile an hour. Upon putting your foot down the car does not respond than faster vehicles which are coming up at 70 and 80 mph and the more you get up the gradient you can see the Speedo reducing quite quickly, we have been back to Pentagon and they seem to be aware of it, we have been back to the sales team at Pentagon Sheffield, Saville St who can only offer maybe a 60 plate 1.6 Astra with 7 to 8000 miles on it and for us to put down another thousand pound.

Awful car! Never again will I buy Vauxhall. It’s had problems from new; lack of power, lights faulty, brakes faulty, seats faulty. It’s a load of rubbish and I can’t wait to get rid of it!

I’ve only given a 1 star rating because there is no zero. My car was bought under network Q at 6 months old; it had been a dealership management car. Besides new alternator and air con problems the main issue has been the dpf regeneration, within 6 months was running rough and drinking fuel. Since then it has been to the dealer nearly ever 3 months with the same issue. We have taken it there while the problem is happening and after it has happened. The dealer has tried fuel additives, forced regeneration and denying there is a problem at all. They recently claimed there were no records of us having reported this fault before, even though we have it recorded on their invoices! In the last year they have manually regenerated the dpf a number of times and then 2 months ago stripped and cleaned the manifold and EGR, handing the car back saying "problem fixed, it won’t regenerate" at a cost of £300. We thought great, at last its fixed! We got the car back last Thursday with the assurance the problem had gone yet today, Monday, 4 days later, after driving appoximately 60 miles the regeneration problem is back. Having read a lot of information on this site and a few others, these cars seem to get through a lot of alternators (ours had to be recovered from the Hebrides when it failed) and have some form of inherent fault somewhere in the DPF or its sensor systems. The car has been a nightmare and is probably using twice the fuel it acutally needs because of the frequent regeneration. So tomorrow it’s back to the dealership for an interview without coffee.

Mine has only done 16,000 and had a recall from the dealer last month. The bearings were replaced yesterday and there is now a ginding noise when it is driven. There is also a noise when the steering wheel is turned. I have had Vauxhall cars for years and they have always been great, but this has little power at times when you try to accelerate.

The Insignia seems very good on handling, especially on high speed motorway cruising and takes corners very well when pushed. The engine is no more noisy than other engines. The driver’s side tweeter cover in the door keeps falling off and the left side wing mirror casing is not aligned and looks badly fitted, but the car has a solid feel to it and feels safe. I cannot say many bad things about it, apart from the fact that I am 6’ 2" tall and do get back pain when driving, which is why I am considering getting an Avensis; whilst not being the most sexy looking car it is soooo comfortable. I have just driven a loan 1.8 petrol Insignia and it is horribly underpowered and has no acceleration, so forget that one. One last thing, cars fitted with DPF’s now have appalling MPG, shame on you EU, which is contradictory because whilst filtering out diesel particles, they actually cause cars to use more fuel.

I’ve had the car 5 years now. I get 27.5 miles to the gallon combined although some people get far less (sub 20), it depends on how you drive. It’s very smooth and powerful, with plenty of airbags, GSI has lower suspension, ESP plus stability control, comfortable half leather seats, automatic windscreen wipers  and auto dipping rear view mirror. The only thing I would say is that the first gear is a little hard to get right without slipping the clutch and is a little jumpy, but this is meant to be the top of the range sports version so it doesnt really bother me.

I bought a Vauxhall Antara 2007 model and the car has been nothing but trouble! It went into Burnham garage on many occasions as it had a really noisy engine. vauxhall really didn’t want to know and now my Antara now stands in my driveway, where it’s been for over a year now, broken. I will never buy another Vauxhall!

I have had this car just over a year now and I find it nice to drive, very quiet and it has good acceleration for 1.4. It has also never let me down in any way. The only things needing replaced at its 20,000 miles service was the droplinks on the front. I bought it from Peter Vardy, Motherwell, and I had a few problems with the purchase due to human error; it took about a month of shouting to get to the right person to sort it out and as a goodwill gesture I was given a voucher for a free service. However, when the time came to use voucher I was a bit reluctant to take it to Peter Vardy, but times are hard and money is short so I thought I would use the voucher. To my Pleasant surprise I was treated very well and I was kept informed as to how long it would take (2 hours) and got coffee and refreshments while I waited. I could not believe that it was the same garage. 5 stars for the car and the service!

I bought two Zafiras at the same time, one with 20k miles and one with 30k miles and I use them as taxis. I had major problems with the DPF; I had diesel getting into the sump and mixing with the oil and the cars weren going into limp home mode. I was spending a fortune on oil and oil filters and the fuel consumption was terrible. After a few months of this nightmare I took a gamble and spent £300 on each car getting them re- mapped to stop the car regenerating. I also had to have the exhaust cut and the dpf drilled out. It was the best £300 I’ve spent, these cars now run with no DPF and no problems and far better fuel consumption. Remember having the DPF taken out will not affect your car for an MOT.

Nice to drive and looks good! Poor interior design, nowhere to put CDs, phone, maps, drink bottles, etc.. Buttons on steering wheel and on control panel do not work (trip computer etc). The Vauxhall garage could not change the program. Auto gearbox gave up in snow on hills, but only started in sports mode. It turned out to be leaking oil in the gearbox through speedo cable (over one week in garage). There’s a rattle in the engine on start up, but told this is normal for this engine! Leg room in back is like a 2+2 and load space small to access. I’ve got rid of it now and got an excellent Nissan Note 1.6 ntec auto.

I love my 58 plate Corsa! Nice shape, size, interior and an enjoyable drive. Having down sized I was worried I’d miss the space, but so far that has not been an issue. Love it!

An excellent van that has given 154,000 trouble free miles. It has been serviced every 3,000 miles. It is better and far more reliabe than a Ford Transit and parts are cheap if you stay away from Vauxhall. I would recommend this van to anyone. It also has excellent mpg, need I say more?

I researched this model online for size and economy, which are both great. It was an ex-Royal Mail model with a full service history and which hadn’t been kicked to bits, with a mere 44k on the clock. I gave it the usual oil and filter change expecting 12 months of trouble free motoring. The thrust bearing was noisy so I changed the clutch and dual mass flywheel to the tune of £1200. 4 months later I took it in for an MOT and it wouldn’t start. I called out the AA and he diagnosed a problem with the timing belt. A timing belt which was supposed to be changed at 60k? No way! Yes way! Another mechanic changed the timing belt, apparently it took out the camshaft as well to tune of £1000, all within 6 months. Yep, she has had to go to auction. Never again, Vauxhall, you have been warned!

I got a 58 plate 1.6 Life Zafira with 45k on the clock after owning a 2000 1.6 comfort for 4 years. A great family do-it-all car with no problems; the older Zafira has done nearly 120k and my mate loves it now! The 58 plate is a big improvement on looks and drives very good and was a bargain at £5k.

Great to drive, fast and handles well but... The gearboxes on these vans are rubbish! Just google M32 gearbox and see how many have bearing failure; mine went at 40000 miles. It starts with a whine on 6th gear and then disintegrates. An expensive design fault that lets down an otherwise great van.

I bought my 1.4t sri Astra 10 months ago after being told by the dealer, from whom I have bought several cars over the years, that this was a very good model; 6 speed gear box and very good on fuel. Well lets just say I will not be bying another car from them! The car I bought drinks petrol even though its a 1.4, the noise inside whilst driving is terrible and the turbo went after 7 months. I get 350 miles on a full tank, which is terrible. I am also fluffed off with the service you get from the after sales staff, which is not helpfull at all. I will never buy a car from Cwmbran Motors again. The Astra turbos are complete rubbish.

No problems to date. I’m very satisfied with the performance and the petrol consumption is good. It does need wise use of the gearbox but cruises at motorway speeds smoothly and quietly, with very little road noise from the Firestone tyres. Steering and roadholding is excellent. An attractive car that’s well finished and has all the neccessary accessories. I do have one complaint; why do they put in a cd30 radio that won’t play MP3 discs?

I had a Meriva before and the latest model is a vast improvement on the last one. I am extremely happy with the SE and found it very comfortable compared to the previous model. It takes a few minutes to get to know the various switches etc, but it is very stylish and a joy to drive. I am particulary impressed with the parking warning signs, it is a little larger than the older model and it is a lot better for it. Overall I cannot find any faults whatsover and I am very happy with it.

I bought this in May 2011 and am fairly pleased with it. There was an early problem with the dealer over paintwork and spare keys and I had to pay half so just over £100 out of pocket which was abysmal dealer service. (non Vauxhall independent dealer) The car had done 15000 miles when I bought it. I did not want features like air conditioning and alloy wheels and heated door mirrors, which is why I chose the Life model. However, I did think it came with adjustable steering wheel and the handbook says it does but it does not have that feature, which is a great shame. The handbook should be corrected, there is no asterix to denote it’s an option. The car itself drives well and I am averaging over 40 mpg in mixed motoring. The lack of an engine temperature gauge is a penny pinching disgrace in this day and age though. The seating is fairly comfortable and I find the car has enough power for my needs. The gearing is good for a 1200c supermini with 3000rpm only at 70 mph. I thought I might have problems with the indicators and the thick A pillars affecting visibility, but I havent. Nor have I had any problems with reflections in the windscreen. I have experienced problems though with the clutch from cold starts, it is horrendous and I had to take technical advice on it. I now keep the engine speed up for this and Vauxhall should hang their heads in shame over this, its very poor. I like the boot capacity and I like the fact that I have a full size spare wheel. It is reasonably spacious for 2 adults and the radio is easy to use and tune. I only give this car 3 stars because of the awful clutch when the car is cold and because the handbook is so unhelpful on so many things. If Vauxhall could have addressed those points the car would have been so much better and would have merited at least a 4 if not a a four and a half rating.

I bought mine with about a month left on the three year warranty and 33,000 on the clock. The timing belt broke, but Vauxhall did not want to know and it cost me £1700 to put it right as the head has to be replaced as you cannot get steel injectors out of a aluminium head. Guess what? It had to have another new head at 55,000 miles on the clock; the same problem steel injectors aluminium head the first garage had put an after market head gasket on instead of a genuine Vauxhall head gasket. It fell apart and started overheating. Disappointed? Yes! If it’s going to go wrong it’s expensive.

I bought this car when it was 3 years old with 22,000 miles on the clock. I kept it for 7 years it never used any oil between services. I towed a 4 berth caravan and trailer with it drove to the south of France and did Lands End to John O’Groats in it. It never cost any money for repairs and went though all its MoTs with no work required. I had it serviced by my mate every year and bought 3 sets of tyres, no brake parts, cambelt changed at 8 years. The brake light bulbs don’t last long. I traded it in for a 1.8 Astra Estate design auto at 3 years old with 17000 miles on the clock. My mate will service this car too as he is a self employed mecanic.

I bought my van as a camper conversion with one previous owner at 6months old. It had been used as a day van, selling electrical parts up/down the country and I picked it up with 39k on the clock. I have never had any trouble with it and it is still on the original tyres at 49k. It passed its 1st MoT with flying colours. On its 2nd MoT it needed front pads, but the 3rd MoT it again passed with flying colours. Although I dont use it every day like most of you guys on here, I have never had any squeaks etc., from under the bonnet. All in all it is the best van I have ever driven and I have been behind the wheel of nearly all of the vans on this planet! Luckily for me, I think by looking around most of the online forums the 06 registed vivaro`s have all escaped with very little mechanical issues. I think this van will see me out until I take that first step to my grave lol!

I bought my 2008 Zafira 1.6 petrol Life in May 2011 with 45k on the clock and have done over 3k in it so far without any problems whatsoever and I love it. I have done school runs, shopping trips, motorway runs and even used it as a builders van when needed. I opted for the basic model as there is less to go wrong and so far nothing has. I get approx 35mpg just plodding around town and approx 45-50mpg on a motorway run, but that is probably just my style of driving. The build quality is excellent and it is a comfortable car to drive even after a non stop 190 mile motorway trip. I did check out a lot of reviews on the internet before buying a petrol Zafira and decided against a diesel because of the problems that so many seem to have with them, but it would appear that you shouldn’t buy any newer diesel engined car if you are only doing short trips. I am quite happy that I made the right choice. Would I have another? Hell yes!!!

The Astra is not as economical as I was hoping for. Averages 43-46mpg combined but has served us well on a recent trip to Cornwall. The big 18" wheels do tramline a bit and the ride is a little harsh. This is my second Mark 5 astra and I have been very disappointed with this high spec model. It has only done 70,000 miles and already the radiator needed replacing. I am going to be replacing this car soon with something more reliable.

I read the reports, read the reviews, stuck with my gut feelings and placed my order. Sixteen weeks later I got my car. I got the dealer to fit mud flaps and colour coded side door protectors; they make the difference. I have had the car two months. The biggest puzzle? What planet are the professional motor critics sitting on? If I had taken any notice of those people I would never have bought this lovely car. Its comfort, build quality and especially its performance surpass all my expectations. Somehow, I get the feeling those critics have never heard of using third gear to reach the higher plateau (probably stuck in Fifth or even Top Gear for that matter). What choice petrol or diesel? For urban miles and occasional motorway work - petrol. For high mile motorway work - diesel. My previous 4 cars; lovely Zafiras. My Meriva B? Icing on the Vauxhall Cake.

I bought my car new in March 2009 and loved the shape. I still love the shape, but the car is the biggest heap of junk I’ve ever owned. Since the day I picked it up at the dealership the roof has constantly jammed halfway through its operation and has only worked off the remote once in two and a half years. I’ve had lots of bother with keyless entry and every other week, it won’t start when I press the ignition button. I’ve spent weeks and weeks driving a courtesy Vauxhall Agila while my TwinTop has toured Vauxhall garages all  over the North East looking for an answer to no avail. Vauxhall’s customer service department have been no help whatsoever and would not even entertain replacing my car when it was only weeks old. On one occasion I was stranded 55 miles from home with a car that would not start,so knowing my car was still under warranty and that the dealer knew all the problems I’d been having, I rang them and told them of my plight. I was put on hold for about ten minutes when a lady came on and told me "If you can get the car down to us,we’ll have a look at it" PRICELESS!!!!!!!! I’m now looking to get rid and am being quoted trade in prices that are less than half of what I paid for the car. These cars are not fit for purpose.I bought mine as a treat for myself and it was to be my last ever new car purchase before retirement.I certainly won’t be buying another Vauxhall.

It’s a beautiful car and drive smoothly. I never had any problem and it has been a good runner for years.

This car has been made into a bad buy by Vauxhall’s after care people, who could not care less about guarantee work. After you have bought the car their slogan should be "Do one" as they have a clause to cover everything and about the only thing covered is that the paint won’t change colour. I would advise anyone to steer clear of Vauxhall.

Sloppy poo off a polished shovel! I love my car and defend it down to the ground against my mates BMWs, Audis and MINIs. The only thing the VXR lacks is a slightly better interior. Other then that it’s awesome! Not lost to anyone yet and I’ve done 160 in it (on a track of course). Oh and it’s quite a job to keep it in a straight line in the wet but that just adds to the excitement.

I have a love/hate relationship with this car! I love to look at it, the noise it makes, the go-kart handling! The things I hate are the pretty poor mpg - it struggles to average over 35mpg on the motorway, I’m driving like a pensioner and I’m 24 years old. Reliability has also been pretty poor, had a wheel bearing and brake disks and pads replaced under warranty within three months of owning, another wheel bearing went nine months later which I had to fork out £200 for. The heating system is all over the place making the engine light come on and off when it wants to! The car only has 35k miles, pretty disappointed really with reliability! But would I buy another? Probably yes, because it still puts a smile on my face!

I’ve just bought a Meriva and thought I was getting a bargain when I saw it had 12 mths mot on it. Ha ha! What a joke. I’ve had it just a week and the EPS light has appeared, with loss of steering. By reading previous reviews this appears to be a common problem. I didn’t buy it from Vauxhall, but it’s booked in for a free diagnostics and if a certain error code appears, they are going to repair the problem for free, so I’m playing a waiting game at the moment. Hopefully there will be light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s put me off the car completely.

I bought this van 1 year ago. It had been well looked after before I got it and that’s the key with these vans. I’ve had a few now and apart from usual wear and tear items they are a good van. The only thing that lets them down is the gearbox. I’ve had the Master Vivaro and Nissan vans and their boxes always go; it starts with 3rd gear normally then just gives up. I’ve found a company in Hertfordshire that exchanges or recons yours called Abbey Auto Transmissions. I have had a few of these vans now and would recommend them, you just have to make sure it’s been well serviced.

Further to my earlier review the van is now on 196K miles and about to be serviced. All I have had to replace is tyres, pads, front discs, one wheel bearing, nearside track rod end and rear door lock-under warranty. Van still travels 1700 miles a week on a mix of country roads and motorway-over a period of 2 years. Van still returning 34 mpg average and uses no oil between services. I have been told to expect clutch failure at 220K miles. I plan to replace it next Summer when it is on 250K. Of course one can only speak as one finds.

I bought the car at 6 months (6000mls) old. So far it has needed 3 egr valves, 1 alternater and 1 clutch with trimmings. As for dpf filter I had a quote for £1300. I got a friend of mine to cut it off, soak it in caustic soda and weld it back on again; it seems to be working fine now. As for the Zafira I’m never ever going to buy another.

I agree with Norman, not sure why the ad men at Vauxhall have decided on the dreadful "Sports Tourer" name. It’s an estate. End of. We all know it’s an estate. It looks and behaves like an estate. I’m with the people who are looking to drive an estate and don’t need to pretend that they’re buying a "Sports Tourer".

Vauxhall customer services have not responded after 4 weeks of collecting the car. The faults are: No day running lights, front door lights and radio fuse incorrectly fitted. The car drives very well, but I would not buy another one due to Vauxhall customer service and its dealership not being capable of carrying out a PDI correctly.

A great little car, although I do have a few complaints: The radio comes on automatically when the ignition is turned on, there is no indication light on dash to show side/headlights are on and is now starting to get problems with E.P.S, which seems to be an expensive problem to correct (£500).

Had my van re-mapped to 180 bhp and it now goes like the clappers. It is a bit loud inside, but has a nice interior with DVD and sat nav included. It’s done 14000 miles, driven hard no faults!! You don’t buy the 1.9 16v to save fuel matey! It handles well with sport button on and is a good all rounder!

I have had nothing but trouble in the 2 years of having this car. First the front tyres needed replacing at 15000 miles, rear brake pads and shoes needed replacing at 25000 (not covered under warranty) and now at 35000 I am experiencing loss of power. I can’t wait until my new car is ready, which is a Nissan. My first and last Vauxhall. Vauxhall head office Customer Service did all they could not to provide any customer service.

Having bought the car 18 months ago whilst it had 23,000 miles on the clock (now 29 k), I have been impressed by its looks, comfort and power. However, in the last 18 months it has spent nearly as much time on the back of a recovery truck as on the road. The 6 speed auto box failed after 26K and its replacement is also on its last legs. Vauxhall know a about these issues but frankly don’t give a damn. The fault appears to be an oil cooler in the radiator allowing water to mix with the transmission fluid hence killing the auto box. Obviously a major design fault. In all other respects the car is excellent.

I’ve just rented this car and I must say I find it very bad usability wise. The electric break is bizarre and makes me feel unsafe, the dashborad is a mess, the gears don’t work too well and the great door system does not compensate for any of that. Plus I have to duck down to see the traffic lights. Glad I will only have to drive the thing for a week. I hope to be able to return it in one piece and never to see another one of these again.

I have owned my Zafira from new since Oct 2006. The honeymoon soon ended after just a few months. In the first two years the EGR valve and alternator had to be replaced. Recently the starter motor and now somethig serious is wrong with the DMF flywheel judging by the vibes from the steering wheel. The car was in the Opel garage for 3 days and they couldn’t diagnose the problem. The car has only done 89k miles with full Opel Garage servicing. I’m very unhappy with the overall build quality and I would warn anyone to stay away from diesel engine, especially 150bhp models. The paintwork is bubbling under driver’s sill now too! Shame, because it drives and behaves lovely (when working) for a 7 seater Soccer Mom Bus. Please stay away from diesel engines, they will break your heart and your wallet.

Being the 2010 model it’s had the tweaks to improve its handling and ride comfort. Has it worked? Most definitely!  It corners very well and inspires confidence, though a Fiesta has slightly better handling there isnt much in it and the ride of the Corsa makes up for this. The new 1.4 100bhp engine is pretty fizzy. Loads of grunt and brisk performance are available while the fuel economy is good at 49mpg and tax is only £90. The SE version has replaced the Design, but it comes with a heap of equipment and it’s forever being complemented as a very posh car. I’ve had some fun with the heated seats on unsuspecting passengers :-) A great car that can easily cruise on motorways whilst feeling nimble around town!

The first thing I noticed was the road holding, after my old Vectra C it apeared to be on rails, great! The seats hold you well in place and the steering is light and presise. At present the fuel (petrol) consumption, according to the read out is 43.2 mpg with a mixed bag of driving but take into account that I live in the country with little traffic. The 1.6 vvt engine seems to have enough power (115) to suit the car, but then I am not a "boy racer". Gear box ratios are ok with top gear usable along most roads. The dash layout did take a little getting used to with the driver having to setup a few options on the two screens, but it was after all a new car. I found several of the options very useful enabling you to activate or deactivate across a whole range of settings. The inside was well laid out with all major controls within reach, at last I have rid myself of that awful indicator stalk on the Vectra. I am still getting used to the electronic handbrake so I’m reserving judgment for now; I cannot say that I like the so called "hill start" system, in particular when you are instructed to drive off with the hand brake still on, it does work but I do not like the noise that comes from it. I cannot say that the false floor in the boot is of any great advantage,I  took mine out! Would have rated five stars but the audio system reduced that to four along with the hand brake. But on the whole I am satisfied with my purchase, but only time will tell.

I will never buy another Vauxhall so long as I live. The Vivaro is rubbish. I would rather catch the bus, atleast I would get some where.

I bought a second-hand Meriva from my local Vauxhall dealer. It’s a 2006 Plate. I’ve had it 2yrs now and recently had a problem with my power steering. I was told by the service centre at Vauxhall that it’s a problem with the Meriva of that year but reading what others have written this isn’t the case. It’s dangerious. I was driving round town when mine went; what if you were driving on a busy motorway? Even though my car has had a new steering system I have lost all confidence in driving my car. Lucky for me my car was covered under warranty, not everyone is that lucky. I intend to change my car and it won’t be a Vauxhall.

This car has some very good points, plenty of space etc., but the electric handbreak, initially, was badly adjusted; safe hill starts were impossible, without ’heal and toe’ footwork. Vauxhall must have taken leave of their senses to fit a clutch which needs a 20kg (44Lbs) push, and operates at the top of its travel; a new one was fitted after 1300 miles, with a marginally lower bite point, but still very heavy. The engine, at 130ps, has plenty of power, and tows a light caravan without blinking. The dashboard is hopeless; the radio controls take preference over heating, AC etc.etc.; the controls aren’t tactile, and the tiny white on black lettering is ridiculous. The speedo is barely legal, to achieve 70mph needs 77-78 mph on the clock. If you complain to Vauxhall you’ll get nowhere, their customer service people work to their scripts and suggest all problems relate, not to the car, but to the driver. This is our 5th Vauxhall and it’s certainly the last. Vauxhall have tried to do something good, with loads of bells and whistles, especially traction and cruise control, but haven’t paid enough attention to the fine details; even the handbook has some glaring errors in it; perhaps I shouldn’t have read it.

I can’t understand why one review is awful and the next praising the vehicle into the sky. Please accept the fact that just about all products, including the entire car and van industry are now produced using components that are the cheapest, shoddiest, ultra low quality garbage you can get, and no matter what the make, its going to be c**p. If you get away with having only a handful of problems from new, then you’re the lucky one. My advice is buy new on a 2 year cycle and have all major cost items covered by the 2 year warranty. Then you can thrash it into the ground and have the company pay for parts and labour.

A good little car. I’ve had mine 2 years and have driven to my daughter’s in Scotland in it. It’s good on petrol and I love it.

To follow on my review of 2 years ago. I am still ’very’ pleased with this van! I use it daily in the construction industry and it has yet to let me down. I’ve had it 4 years now, and it has been the most reliable commercial vehicle I’ve had in 20 years of driving them! The residual value is very good as well. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another.

I have finally just sold my Vauxhall Meriva..phew! As other reviewers have stated, the steering kept switching off and the only way you could sometimes fix it was to switch off the engine and restart it. The amount of scary moments I have had driving it when you can’t turn the wheel, the worst was on a roundabout! Add to that it always kept veering slightly to the left (yes the tracking was checked). The other design ’fault’ is the mpg, I just can’t work out how a 1.6 8v vehicle was only getting 27mpg!!! It was costing a fortune to fill it up, and yes 2 garages checked it out and there was no leak or problem... apart from the design! Put it this way, I have just upgraded to pure luxury in a Chrysler Grand Voyager, which is massive with electric sliding doors and boot, a dvd player with a screen in the back with wireless headphones. Heated leather seats, heated electric folding mirrors, 6 cd/dvd changer and another slot for 1 more cd in the sat nav. Dual zone a/c, cruise control. Seats in the front and middle row with arm rests, and all the seats fold into the floor easily with loads and loads of room, etc. It weighs over 2 tons and is bigger than most parking spots yet does more mpg than the tiddly Meriva I used to run about in. It just doesn’t make sense. I pity the fool who purchases the car from the dealer as it’s an expensive to run death trap that should have been recalled.

I’m disappointed that there is no jack brace or spare wheel supplied. Otherwise this car is quite good and quiet running.

I bought this car with 18k on clock and it now has 116k and maintenance is starting to cost! It’s had a new inlet manifold costing £1000, egr valves at £180 each, the condenser £450 on the air con and I’m now just about to change timing belt costing a further £250. All in all I have probably spent nearly £2k on fixing all these problems. I do a lot of motorway miles and it is comfy, fast and good to drive, but it is just not reliable enough. Would I have another? Probably not. It needs to be a bit more robust in the engine department! I feel this lets Vauxhall down.

’Sports Tourer’ might sound like a silly name for an estate, but let Vauxhall call its estate model anything it wants; this is a brilliant car nonetheless. I considered an SUV but decided a estate model offered all the space I needed without compromising on the handling like some taller models do. Top marks.

I bought a brand new car last June. I have had ridiculous amounts of problems with this so called energy saver vehicle: It does not accelarate properly; The engine management lights keeps coming on and I have to take it in everytime. I get told by Vauxall that this is why they give a warranty because the car can have problems. Ridiculous excuse again! If anyone is looking to buy a Corsa please don’t, its c**p and it will cause you more grief than anything else. Also since its first service last month there has been a beeping noise from the brake and I have been told it is the "characteristics of the Corsa". What on earth???

This car should average 44 mpg, but this is proving difficult to achieve unless driven very lowly. Over the last 3000 miles, I have found 40 mpg is more like it. The manual gearbox is OK for a Vauxhall, but it’s not that slick and can baulk. Selecting reverse can be noisy and crunchy unless you really dip the clutch to the bulkhead and also give it time. The car is a good cruiser with a supple ride and reasonably quiet. Easily its best feature. I’m not keen on the non adjustable washers nor do I see the point of permanently lit warning lamps to tell me the passenger airbag is OK. The 1.6 engine is fine for most overtaking situations and one finds that you think you are doing 40mph but the speedo says 60mph, such is the quietness. To me the engine mounts allow too much rocking when starting and this is negative. The finish and detailing are not quite at VW levels; gearbox action nowhere near Honda slickness.

Just bought this car and drove it home 70 miles with no problems. It cruised on the motorway at 65/70 mph; on tick-over it’s a bit funny because it’s a 3 cylinder and sounds quite throaty at low speeds, but saying that it is very economical. The spec on the life is good, for example it has electric windows, air con, pas, and a nice factory fitted Cd player and feels to have good build quality.

I bought this car with one previous owner and 13000 miles on the clock. It was an ex-mobility car from down in Durham and came with the full sevice history. The first problem was an electical fault which came up on the diagnostic computer as 37 faults. At 20000 miles I would have expected better and my local Vauhall dealer were not helpful; it took 3 attempts to fix the problem and cost me £285 as it turned out to be a SIM card in the steering column. The next problem was a big one; the easytronic gearbox got stuck in fourth and I had to get it recovered to another dealer. This time the gear selector had jammed and that burnt out the ECU, which I was informed it goes hand in hand with this fault. Again the dealer was not very helpful and with a £1800-00 bill I would have thought they could have at least cleaned my car before returning it. This was at 27000 miles and to be honest all my previous cars, which have been a lot older were a lot better.

Bought mine new in Nov 08. Everything was all right until 14000 miles, when it got a bad clutch rattle and a sort of tinkling noise from engine under accelleration. I took the van back from where I bought it from, and all I can say is I would not give them a push chair to look at! This went on and on for several months. Milage now at 21000 and still no joy although the tinkling sound was cured for a couple of weeks, but that was it. I’m completly disgusted with the service from the dealer and customer support. A work colleague advised me to take it to another dealer and within 1-5 hrs they said the gearbox had to come out and the clutch was noisy, which was done under warranty. They are still trying to find the source of the tinkling noise on accelleration, but I can’t complain as they’re pulling out all the stops at the mo. All said and done this is an excellent van for what it does, I just wish Vauxhall customer care was better.

I bought a Zafira because my wife needed a 7 seater for our 4+2 family car. I bought one second hand with 80,000 miles with full service history. Soon realised, it was a mistake, DPF problem, fly wheel plus clutch kit, starter motor, central locking, windows wouldn’t open are the only problems found during 20,000 miles. Got everything fixed by a specialist mechanic who knew all the usual Vauxhall issues. Had it chipped and the fuel figures have improved dramatically from 38mpg to 48mpg on a combined cycle, which is not bad but it’s always an unknown issue to surprise you every so often. Would I buy another one? NO!

Lovely looking van but rubbish; auxilary belt went after a few months, back door lock has broken twice, the air con is still trying to be repaired after three weeks and the alternator has gone.

Had the car for about 4 years now, only problem we had was that the drop links needed replacing. There was a clunk coming from the front of the car when going over small bumps etc. Obtained new drop links for £17 on ebay. The drop links support the suspension and are just behind the front wheels. The bar is plastic with t-ball joints either end. I used a 3/4 spanner to undo nuts. The bottom nut is not easy to get at and once you have broken the nut is a slow and tedious job to undo. Jack up the car so that wheel can be removed. Place axle stand under car. Remove wheel. You will need another jack to raise suspension to remove link. Between the joint and the arm is a flat nut. Use this as the joint will turn when undoing lock hut. About 1.1/2 hrs each side. Good luck!

Big and tidy, great economy and I do use the cruise control. Very good all round car and cheap to keep on the road.

I have owned my Zafira for two years and found it to drive well. The main problem is with the waterbased paint as I have had the sills re-sprayed, due to water lying under the rubber mouldings inside the sills of the door making the paint bubble up and rust appear.

I have given this "NEW" car just 3 stars so far. I bought this car brand new with just 6 miles on the clock. I am going to call it "TITANIC", if I keep it. On its maiden journey, only 1 day before we were due to go to the south coast for a week’s holiday, on a return journey from Morton in Marsh, the engine just stopped. This happened at 2:30PM, at 12:00 Friday midnight, we were finally towed into the dealers garage in Bristol from where we bought it. This happened about 10 days after buying it with only 203 miles on the clock. The dealer who suplied the car loaned me a replacement and then a second one and maybe there will be a third, but at this stage a week after they attempted to rectify the fault, it has still not returned it to me. They say its to do with the electrics, on the injection system, awaiting spares from the planet Mars considering the time it is taking.

I am very pleased with the van, it does everything it says on the tin!!

All in all I’m very happy, two and a half years down the line after buying new. A couple of small issues with the computer that controlls the roof and windows which was sorted under warranty. And recently a wobbly and rattly drivers window cost me 50 euros. The car is absolutely water tight I jet wash it all the time without any leaks. Fuel economy really good on long runs dissapointing around town. For the money I thinks it’s great. We also have a BMW 318ci convertible 2005 and to be frank there isn’t a lot to choose between them they both rattle a bit roof up, the BMW handles better and has a fab auto box but the Opel was 20k less and is a little quicker. I also love that you hardly seen any where we live, I think there are less than 10 on the island! I would buy again depending upon the new version to come in 2012.

Cannot fault this car, big family sized 4 x 4 estate, smooth powerful engine, cheap to buy and returns 25mpg all day, everyday. Fantastic for towing caravan, very torquey engine and fuel economy not really affected by the additional weight. when the right pedal is pressed with gusto, this car will out run various hot hatches and will certainly make the sporty boys blush with embarrasment. This car does not get the praise it deserves, irrespective of the engine it has. We are so impressed with the cars, we have 2 the second is a 2.2 16v Sport 3 Door model. Again a great little 4 x 4 with plenty of go and looks the part. The Sport is a convertible too, it returns about 28mpg and is cheap to insure. If you get one that has been looked after and serviced regularly, you will have a reliable workhorse thats worth every penny.

Nice looking van, but boy oh boy, when they go wrong they go wrong!!! Purchased the van when only one year old, so still under the 3 year warranty, only 30,000 miles when purchased with service history paid £9,995 in 2006, had 3 years almost with no trouble! but when the van reached just over 3 years old and the warranty ran out my trouble began!! At 43,000 miles the timing belt snapped, costing around £1,500, then at 47,000 miles clutch went costing,£700, then at 50,000 miles the timing belt snapped again, on 24-05-2011, so another £1,500 to be spent!! Two timing belts gone. Wont go back to the garage who did all the work with the first timing belt, as only lasted 7,000 miles and it snapped again, but out of their one year warranty. It’s the van or a string of bad luck!

Bought our van from about 6 months old, back in 2003. It’s a 1.7, non turbo. It’s known in the family as ’the Pocket Rocket! What an awesome little vehicle. Carries the two dogs adequately, used as the family workhorse by everyone, and is so cheap to run. Sadly it’s got to go, as the insurance premiums keep going up, because it’s a van for some reason :-(

Nice looking van, but the 2.5cdti has a major flat spot that made it dangerous pulling out onto roundabouts. Got a chip that has helped, but it is still there. Would not recommend.

I brought mine second hand from a dealer in 2008 and I loved it from the first time I drove it! Problems: 1. it has been recalled 3 times for roof, steering and back brake light (cost nothing and was out of warranty.) All in all i love it! My baby is only a 1.6 and it everything I wanted. Woman’s view: It looks good, it’s an excellant car and very good on the petrol, I use it every day and I don’t like my husband driving it :0) Family: We are a tall family height starting from 5ft 6 to 6ft 4 and we can all fit in the car comfortly.

I have been very pleased with the vehicle for 3 and 1/2 years until I experienced a DPF failure. This needed replacing at a cost of £1200. I wrote to the Vauxhall Customer Care Centre requesting the company consider assisting in the payment under warranty goodwill because the vehicle was still very new with low mileage. Vauxhall stated they would not assist in the repair cost because I had ignored the DPF alarm light that indicates Regeneration is required. I have responded that my Zafira does not have this indication and has never been seen. I am now considering taking the matter further so therefore would not recommend a Zafira diesel.

Bought the car (Feb 06) new and followed good driver practise by getting services and recommended belt changes done on time. Mileage now (May 2011) 262,000. One Turbo at 213,000, recently had EGR cleaned out. Average MPG 48. I do a lot of motorway miles in sixth gear at 2000 RPM. Respect and care for the car and it will reward you with reliability.

My car feels very heavy, my previous car (the much bigger) Ford Mondeo 2.0d Zetec felt a lot lighter to drive and was considerably more comfortable, it’s not that fast and the economy is terrible! The only thing I like is the mp3 jack for my iPod!

I have had a steering problem with my 53 plate Meriva; intermittant loss of steering. I took it to a Vauxhall specialist and they quoted me £1500+ steering column and motor! I couldnt afford it so decided to do some research on the internet and found it was a common manufacturing fault so rang Vauxhall head office who told me I had to ring Vauxhall customer services. I spoke to a polite gentleman who told me I had to book my car into a Vauxhall main dealer and would have to pay for the diagnostic test, if the result was a manufacturing fault then they would repair it free of charge! Which I have done and yes it was a manufacturing fault so I am now waiting for Vauxhall to ring me when they have ordered the parts and will book the car in to be fixed. I am very relieved otherwise I would have a car with a MOT failure, which I wouldn’t be able to afford to pay for it to be fixed and left with a car that was worth less than the cost of the repairs!

I’ve had my 150bhp sportive se van for 8 months now and had a few problems. Firstly it needed a new gearbox at 35000miles!!! Luckily just covered by warranty (only had 8weeks left). It has recently gone through its second egr valve, I wonder what will be next?

Nice car, reliable, I use mine as a taxi cheap to service and run. The car does have a dpf filter problem, as you will need to regenerate them by driving the car on motorways at 3,000 revs to clear the filter or the car will go into limp mode and could block the filter. I have now found out how to clear this problem permanently you can buy a product called cataclean, just add it to your fuel tank at quarter full, drive for about 10 miles then top up your tank to full, job done. You must repeat this process every 3 months to keep the car clean, good luck.

Yes the Bluetooth is great when you need to call the AA out again, and the nice CD Radio to listen to while your waiting for them to rescue you! I have had two of these vans, a 2002 model and a 2006 model. Both have had problems, gearbox, 3x clutches on this last one, Exhaust manifold, turbo, air mass meter, suspension, brakes. I have a roof rack on, it averages 30mpg over the past 70,000 miles. Mine looks fantastic with chrome bull bars all round, and alloy wheels, and very comfy to drive, but too much time off. Would I buy another one? No.

I bought my Star Silver 54 plate 1.4 Tigra in March 2007 with just over 8,000 miles on the clock and I can honestly say I’ve never had a major problem with it. I’ve recently just had a little problem with the passenger window not going back up fully, but sorted that out just now by taking out the fuses, cleaning and replacing them. I bought it initially after previously having an N Reg Tigra and loved the fact that you don’t see many of them on the road. I do wish I had waited and got one which had the same colour targa bar (i.e all black or red) but I was so desperate for one I bought the first one I saw and test drove!! Although I love the uniqueness of the Tigra, I will be looking to change it in about a year as I need something with a bit more power and better petrol consumption as I drive round more in my job. Overall, I love my car and will be sad to see it go next year, possibly getting a Nissan Juke or Qashqai.

When the is car not in the garage getting fixed, it is a lovely drive but I have lost all faith in the car and vauxhall. I spent close to £3,000 last year on a long list of problems.

A very good family car. Good ride, spacious, huge boot, very good value but..... Minor teething problems (Ignition failure three times) and the car battery went dead last week (replaced with new one immediately by Vauxhall under warranty in Woolston, Hampshire) They knew there was a problem with car batteries in Insignia’s and have offered to try to diagnose the problem to ensure it doesn’t happen again. The dealer I bought the car from in Lymington "Pats Garage" were worse than useless - they offered no help, no advice and "we can look at the car in 10 days time if you can get it to us". "we have no knowledge of such a fault on the Insignia" "The car battery is not covered under warranty"

Needed a second car to cover family duties and motorway commute. I went for a facelift CDTI Design with 44k on the clock. The car is great inside with half leather sports seats, which are great for long trips and give good support. The car is nice to drive and the CDTI engine is a good match for the cars size. On the Motorway the car see’s around 52mpg. Only had the car a month but love it. I had a 2006 Renault Megane estate as my second car before and I hated it. This is far, far better in all respects. Only down side is I had to fit a new alternator after 2k of ownership.

I have now had my Zafira 1.6 club for 5 years and have had very few problems. In fact this has been a wonderful car and now it has done 110,000 miles and feel I should be thinking of trading this one in. I am very apprehensive as my Zafira is very reliable.

Possibly the worst vehicle I have ever had the pleasure of owning! Bought it with only 2500 miles on the clock and it’s been nothing but trouble starting with jerky throttle response, which no dealer’s garage has been able to rectify, there is not enough leg room for the driver, the turbo was leaking oil so the seals had to be replaced, the seat gives me back ache. Bad enough that someone else has to take over the driving, and now with only 19k on the clock the steering rack knocks whilst working and rattles over bumps. My conclusion is I’ll never buy/touch a Vauxhall again!!!!!

I love these vans. This is now the second one I have owned. The first was an 03 plate 1.9dti. I ran this for 2 1/2 years (and 95000 miles) without a fault - just the servicing costs. The second is a 55 plate 1.9cdti which has now done 220000 miles. It ran perfectly upto 190k then blew the slave cylinder - £800 bill, but after that many miles, you have to expect something to go wrong. The only other faults I have had since have been a faulty MAF sensor (£39 from ebay including the postage) and the fuel pipe between the filter and the injector pump rubbed a hole in it - £5 from the local motor factors to fix that one. Over the 320000 miles I have done in these vans I have averaged 40MPG and I have a heavy right foot (love scaring porche owners who can’t drive!). It’s just been written off by the insurance company, so I am on the look out for another one.

While there’s only ever me in it and I live in a Cul-de-Sac with no driveways, wouldn’t change it for anything. Have wanted one for over 4 yrs (13th car in 12 years of driving). All my driving motorway and dual carriageway despite my low annual mileage. Maintenance peanuts, unlike all other cars ever owned the faster you go, the noise level doesn’t change. Quick, relaxing. Cruise control wouldn’t be without, heated mirrors big safety feature in bad weather. My previous Diesel supermini saved me around £10wk but Vectra not affected by high winds like that was. Economy not overly bothered about. Worst 34.5 mpg, best mid 40’s judging by last tankful that’s about to run out. Do drive quite hard though (should avoid DPF and EGR valve faults this way) but wouldn’t surprise me if car had these replaced in first 3.5 years of it’s life. Only car I’d replace with same again. Still makes me smile 9 months on. Recommended.

Bought the van new in 2008. It has to be the only small vehicle that I find a pleasure to drive; performance is great and handling superb. I’ve covered 25,000 mls to date and van is as new.

Mine is a 2010 model, completely satisfied with build quality and every aspect except the ride is sometimes a little firm. Handling is very precise. The automatic tailgate opening is fantastic, and the cabin layout is smooth, clever and prestigious. Auto box is faultless and smooth. There are more features than I can describe or use, and most importantly my wife likes it. There’s seems to be a big difference between the 2009 and 2010 cars from the reviews I’ve read.

Just thought everyone out there would like to know my Astra Sportive 150 se van has been a bit of a pain for the last 30 months: 3 x EGR valves, 1 x condenser unit, several electrical problems all on a van that’s only done 65.000 miles, yes really 65.000 miles. Yes I am lost for words as well. But on the up side it’s very comfy and quick. The moral of this story is I won’t be buying another Vauxhall van again whilst I’ve got a hole in my wallet!

Own a 51 plate early 2002 vivaro di 1.9. Am second owner of the van and was bought off a friend. Gearbox went 2 years before I bought it for the first time. But at my expense have only had to replace track rod ends, break sensor, tyres, pads and disks and servicing. Has served me very well for the last few years. Drives like a dream. Can’t really fault it.

I think this is a great car and I use it for work and family holidays in Europe. I bought mine in 2009 and it was a year old with about 11K on the clock. I had a problem with the engine light last year and it was fixed under warranty. It has now come on again, but off course the warranty has expired! I took it to a garage that I used before. A vehicle engineer with years of experience on loads of vehicles and not just certificates on the wall. Tested on his computer and it is indicating the air flow problem that so many other appear to complain about. Getting it checked when he has spare slot and hopefully it will get fixed. Price? Who knows??

I think that Vauxhall know about the juddering when reversing, but are denying it because of the cost of the rectification. If enough people contact them they must respond to our concerns.

Exclusive 1.9 CDTi Auto 2010 bought it in August with 900 miles on the clock, first reg’d May 2010. Comfortable drive, bit sluggish on exeleration, brakes very sharp, Diesel consumption very poor. Like the car overall, but the poor fuel consumption would deter me from buying another one.

I bought this car new, and paid significantly extra for the Ecoflex version, which allegedly gives an average 7mpg more than the standard version. I was assured by the dealers that I could expect at least 48mpg - slightly more than the 46 mpg I had averaged with the three year old Vectra 1.9 CDTi I traded in. The Vauxhall brochure itself claims 41.5mpg (extra urban), 67.3 mpg (Urban) and 54.3mpg (Average). What absolute rubbish! In practice, and with almost 2/3 of my driving done on motorways, my average to date is just 38mpg - and that’s driving as efficiently as I can. The dealer doesn’t want to know, and Vauxhall themselves don’t give a damn (their response was that anything between 41.5 and 67.3 is acceptable to them, but they won’t accept the fact that I am actually getting less suggest something is not right). That apart, the car is great in most respects, but with an attitude like Vauxhall’s, never again!

When my Vauxhall car is running it’s fine, unfortunately it is plagued with constant faults. Suprisingly the auto box is fine (which was my worry) so best just with a list of the fun time I’ve had with my Zafira b 150 diesel: All wiring towards back doors breaks in two, dealer had it twice, independant once, now I’ve just taped it together - common fault. egr valve been at dealers 3 times, egr cooler broke but here a commendation as dealer did a temp repair, which works. dpf filter, yes all to be replaced, alternator now gone too,must be nearing £3000 in 2 years! So summing up, do not go anywhere near this model. I will never ever entetain Vauxhall again. Best fun was when dealers told me after I spent £1200 pound on it it was fine and road tested etc, I got 50ft before hitting limp mode. Run run away from this car, well at least you know it’ll not catch you cause it’ll be broken.

Not impressed with the van, had nothing but trouble with it. First altenator, every lock has failed and now belt chain has broke. My advice? Don’t buy one!

This van is fantastic, best van I have owned. I travel from Suffolk to Newcastle and back every night 6 nights a week, 44 mpg no prob. Just fitted new clutch etc, tyres last 50k rears and 25k fronts, 100 per cent reliable after 264,000 miles. Just ordered my new one to replace this one. Brilliant vans!

Have had this 1.9 Diesel for nearly 3yrs now and as a Mobility vehicle I have been very pleased with it. Had no major problems with it and have covered 43000 + So may have been lucky reading all the reports on here. We get about 34 mpg at the present. Like the practical loading, could be improved a lot but hopefully the new one may do that. Over all pleased with it.

I bought this car in October 2010 for the very good advertised fuel performance, comfort for driver and passenger and slightly longer wheelbase means there is more leg room for the back seat passengers than in the Renault Megane for instance. The car provides a comfortable ride, good gearbox and controls layout. Driver forward visability slightly compromised by roof piler shape and thickness. However, almost immediately aware of fuel performance well below the expected 62.8 mpg combined. First fuel check was 52 mpg and after 6,000miles is averaging 48 mpg. The garage has examined it twice, saying that there is no problem with the engine. This fuel economy is less than the Urban figure of 55 mpg and overall is less than the previous Astra models combined figure of 55 mpg. As a result I am returning the car for a full refund and going to buy another make of car.

I have gave this car a star rating of 1 only because you don’y have the facility for a zero. This has been the biggest waste of money that you could possibly buy. Do not touch this car with a barge pole. This car is now onto its 3rd alternator, the diesel particulate filter had to be replaced, the engine failed, the rear door got stuck and would not open. The central locking failed and needed to be completely replaced oh and its also a guzzler of diesel. So much for a good old British made car, it’s foreign all the way for me now.

I love the look of the car, but it’s been in the garage 5 times since purchase and going back tomorrow. I have had no leaks but the windows have dropped, the boot jammed shut, the rear windscreen stopped working and needing replacing then the guy who did that reported that my car didn’t have the harness fitted correctly, it was missed in manafacture. Now, yesterday, whilst the enging was running the roof was coming off and I had a violent jolt, which I was aware of but my passengers thought nothing of it, as they dont know how the car feels when this happens, I stopped put the roof back on and found my boot won’t close and the trim around the back of the boot area has been forced up. Seems the boot didn’t open until it was forced to! There was no sound or cut off of the operating boot so now yet again I’m without a car! So disappointed in this car, which I was so excited to be owning!! Has anyone else had this recent problem?

I have had this van two weeks now. I’ts the most uncomfortable van I have ever had, no leg room, pedals too close together. The seat is too small and is like sitting on a church bench all day. Awful for storage in the cab. I’ve had Astras, Berlingos and a Kangoo and they were miles better. Those with back problems, my advice is to stay away from this one.

I bought my brand new 60 plate from Evenshalshaw. After 430 miles my rev count shot up and the car shot away from me. After performing an emergency stop the car started jumping like a kangaroo and the fault light came on the dash. The car was recovered to Evenshalshaw where they had the car for 7 days to call me and say not faults were found on my car!! 24 hours later I was driving my car with my 3 year old son in the car and the same thing happened, I manged to prevent myself from crashing by performing an emergency stop. This time the car was recovered to Arnold Clark for repair. They established several fault codes and were instructed by Vauxhall to wipe the computer clean and up date the software. After 14 days I was given my car back. Last week with only 1100 miles on the clock the fault has reoccured this time I almost crashed at a set of traffic lights! Vauxhall, Evenshalshaw and the finance company are all refusing to replace the car as they cannot fix the fault. This is now heading to court in the next few weeks, if anyone else has experienced the same faults please put your complaints on.

Tiptop, what a machine.

NO STARS! I purchase my car in Jan 08 having previously had the Comfort 2.0 DTi 2003 (52reg) had that since 6months old my father still drive it and has never had any problems!! Hence no EGR or DPF. Anyway, my car was great at first then in may 2009 we noticed the car very sluggish and loss of power we put the car in for an early service and ask the garage to check out the problems we were having. The EGR valve needed replacing (milage 14344) so this was done a few weeks later as the part was on back order! No problems after that then April 2010, same again orange exhaust emissions, light on and stayed on, car losing power and very sluggish. I called the local Vauxhall dealer and was told by the garage and Vauxhall that the car was safe to drive, but would be in limp home mode, which I totally disagreed with as the car could stop at any point and you could find youself seriously injured or worse. I did use the car while waiting for the garage to be able to take it in a week later, but the car broke down and I had to have it towed to the garage £50 cost to me, and again EGR Valve and this time also the DPF this was done under the warranty. I asked for an extended warranty from Vauxhall as the warranty was nearly up and the car had only done 24100 miles, but they refused, they did hire me a car as the parts again were on back order and it took over 3 weeks to repair. They also had to replace the air-con condenser, I had to pay £60 to have that regased. You don’t get any paperwork or warranty for repairs that are done under the manufacturers warranty, I wonder why? Car ran fine after this until 24 february 2011, then again exhaust emissions light on and stayed on, called the garage and was told they couldn’t take the car in for a week but not to drive the car until they could see what was wrong incase it wasn’t safe!!! Safe enough last time though? Again it was the EGR valve and the DPF. I was furious, why after only 10 months and the milage at only 31100 this had to be done again? And this time the car was out of warranty and the repairs were going to be in excess of £1000! The garage contacted Vauxhall to see if they would offer a goodwill gesture towards the repairs they offered to pay 50% of the DPF and 70% of the EGR. I still had to pay £669 to have the car repaired and they couldn’t give me a courtesy car for 5 weeks at least so I had to hire myself a car as I needed a car to take my disabled son out and about. The car was repaired after loads of phone calls to get the parts as the garage said they were on back order and Vauxhall said they weren’t. Eventually I got the car back. I’ve called Vauxhall and complained also I called Trading standards and they advised me to contact the finance company that I got my car through and tell them about the problems that I have had with the car and ask for a refund for the car or the money back for the repairs for the car as the car hasn’t been of good quality and hasn’t lasted a reasonable time; it comes under THE SUPPLY OF GOODS (implied terms) ACT1973. I have done this and I am currently waiting to see if this can be resolved but I will not be backing down on this!! I have had my car back just over 2 weeks and now the battery light has come on. I took it to an auto electrician and it needed an Alternator another bl**dy £237! It’s never ending expense.

I bought an 08 plate Antara last August and had exactly the same problem with the fuel gauge as described by Paul of Rotherham. The Vauxhall dealership identified the problem as a faulty sender unit in the tank and replaced this part, which fixed the problem. I have now sold the Antara, although apart from the problem specified I found it a fairly competent, if not terribly exciting car.

After driving numerous cars and all being different manufacturers, I decided to try the Tigra, mainly for the way it looked, what a mistake! It drives like a bag of spanners, the back end is way too heavy (due to the mechanics for the convertible roof) for a smooth pull-off with a 1.4 engine. The handbrake sticks after being parked up for a while. The car leaks on drivers side, even after being very careful to keep the seals clean and free of debris, I have just opened the boot to investigate where the water is getting in, only to find the carpets covered in mildew and sodden in the boot too. I am absolutely furious after spending the last 2 hours trying to dry it out and remove the mildew. I will never again buy a Vauxhall, they have blinded me with a car of good looks, but in reality I’ve got a very expensive skip! Vauxhall, you should be ashamed of yourselves, yet again the great British public are being ripped off.

What a car, and after owning the 3.2 Mv6 before this. All I can say is if you want pure luxury, this is the one with extra possible including sat nav.

I bought this at 39k miles and it has now done 63k. The flywheel has been the main problem I have had with the car and also a few minor problems like springs and the wheel bearings which have been replaced twice. Generally, it is quite a good car with decent handling and great power. It will leave most cars in its class standing but it lets in a lot of road noise. Overall, I dont think I would buy another Vauxhall after this one.

This car is excellent, built like a 3 series and very good value. It has full heated leather, AFL xenon, sensors and 3D sat nav. The only thing that lets it down is the terrible 1.8 vvt engine. I strongly urge you to choose the diesel variant. I was averaging 26.9 mpg! I now get more from my Vectra VXR auto, madness. But truly one of the best built VXs I’ve ever owned.

Nightmare car! Familiar story.....In the last year it has been back to the garage 6 times. New EGR valve, turbo, radiator, alternator, DPF etc. Total cost of repairs 4K. All this from a 3 year old car!. Broken down 4 seperate times. We can’t bare to drive it not knowing when it is going to fail next. The DPF was replaced at Christmas, 10 weeks later we are towed back to the garage and the new one is apparently blocked. How is this possible in 10 weeks?? The family car that is not for local driving, what a joke. Do not go anywhere near it!!!!!

I have a 56Reg 1.4 LPG model. It has been a big disappointment. I have done just over 90000 miles in it and I can’t see it doing many more without another major fault. I had not had the van for 3 months when one of the rockers in the engine snapped, I have never heard of that ever happening. Over the years, I have had several oil leakes due to broken sensors and seals. Clutch packed up around 60000 miles and gear box was just replaced at 87000 miles. I have always had traction problems, never mind what type or make of tyres. Vauxhall servicing is a joke, twice they were caught out by our local machanic. I asked them to check if the van had been serviced, a few days after taking it to Vauxhall, it had not. I personally own a Vauxhall and my wife has one too. They have both been great. What has gone wrong with my Van? Don’t think my boss will get me another Vauxhall after the trouble we have had.

Bought 57 plate vauxhall Zafira 1.9 diesel From Vauxhall dealer August 2010 (26,000 on the clock), but after only four months and 4,000 miles broke down, ems light been on for 2 days had to replace diesel particulate filter and egr valve at a cost of £911. Then six weeks later had to call out AA again. As soon as he saw it was a Zafira he immediately diagnosed alternator without looking under the bonnet. Another £288 for new alternator. As someone mentioned earlier Vauxhall need to fully recognise this design fault or make the dealers give specific advice on the precise driving conditions reguired to keep DPF "servicable. Feel gutted and let down by dealer and Vauxhall very poor customer service

The car itself is very good, I have the 2.0ltr diesel. The fuel consumption claimed by Vauxhall are very much inflated, I only get between 29 and 31 mpg.

Bought my Antara from new, I have never experienced any faults or problems. Only downside is fuel consumption it is a gas guzzler. Brilliant in snow, 4WD is great.

Love my car! Excellent performance, great looking car, fast and furious! Love it!

Rented one of these and felt strongly about it, keen to share with others who might look to be buying. Used this fairly heavily for a week. Plus points: Spacious and light with good rear visibility, good smooth gearbox and easy displays. Loads of space inside. Nice skylight roof. Minus points: Annoying, fiddly unlock mechanism for keyfob and tailgate drove me mad. Pointless electric handbrake a step back from manual in every way. Flashy light on dash every time electrics think I need to change gear. Gutless engine, cant see how it would cope on an incline with fitted cruise control. This would have to be a cheap buy to make it worthwhile. Gimmick rear doors don’t amend for gaping weaknesses.

Ah, but it doesn’t return anything like a whopping 62.8, the combined actual is 45, 13% lower than the advertised urban! I know ’cos I’ve got one and been driving diesels for years, always got circa 55mpg, the drive is the same, the driver is the same it’s only the car that is different! No chance of Vauxhall putting it right, the chappie in the garage was getting 38-42 in the estate version and seemed to be quite happy with that. My advice, BUY THE FOCUS.

Good car lots of room but boy are they thirsty! getting about 340miles to a full tank when I was getting 500 plus from my 307 hdi, so maybe not such a good choice for me! Lucky me and the misses gave up smoking, spending on petrol now. :(((((

What a pile of rubbish! Had mine a year and I have had nothing but trouble with it; new turbo, new timing chain, and now the garage want to change glow plugs and they have snapped inside head (apperently common probs with these vans.) The only good point is it’s got lots of room in back and the little 1.3 engine is quite pokey. My advice is don’t buy.

The fuel gauge is inaccurate which affects the fuel consumption computer. The gauge will read half full after the fuel tank has been filled up. It sometimes corrects itself and other times read a quarter full after travelling 100 miles from a re-fuel. When the vehicle is stationary it will show different readings when the ignition is switched on. It is definitely faulty. I was told by the service manager at the Vauxhall dealership that there is no fault and that the gauge will give different reading when the fuel is disturbed by movement in the tank. He told me instead of relying on the fuel gauge, perhaps record mileage on the trip to work out when a refuel is required? Utter tosh!!! I believe this may be an inherent problem with the Antara which GM are aware of? Perhaps they don’t want the expense of a re-call. Same as the faulty handbrake on the 2006 Vectra - took Ann Robinson on BBC Watchdog to get GM to take responsibility. Other problems I had with the Antara include faulty fog lights and electrics not working properly on tow-bar fitted by the dealership. Vehicle has gone back to dealership 4 separate times to try and sort out the problems. On one occasion the Antara was sent to GM’s technical centre. In fairness to the dealership, they did provide me with a loan vehicle whilst I was without the use of the Antara.

I think that the Meriva looks great but it’s a whole different matter driving one. I have had the car a year now and can’t wait to get rid of it. It lacks power, it’s noisey, feels quite tinny like it needs to grow a back bone!!! On the plus side the space is great inside, it’s just a shame that Vauxhall didn’t put more thinking power in to the engine and mechanical workings of the vehicle. Vehicle cut out on me twice on the motorway with a car full of small children ...had the problem fixed free of charge but only because my Husband threw the keys at the dealer and was prepared to walk away from it and leave it there!! My advice...NEVER BUY ONE...go for a good old reliable Ford!!!

I’m now on my third Zafira. The first was a 2006 sri 150, fantastic car but I wanted cruise control. I then purchased a 2008 Elite 150, even better, no sporty looks, but with Cruise Control as standard, an amazing car especially having the cd30 mp3, which saved me a fortune in cd’s; burned my own 10 albums on a cd great! My next zafira was the VXR 2008 CD30 mp3 standard. Even better to drive, it didn’t have cc on it but I knew the wiring loom was there to fit it! It’s there on ALL VXR, Designs and SRi`s (150 version). The only let down on the VXR is Fuel, 19/23 mpg if I’m lucky and the tyres are £210 each. Admittedly I could get budget tyres at £100 each, but with kids in the car...hhhmmmmmm NO! To sum it up: VXR is the best to drive, I’ve had them all so I’d know! But if money is a problem then KEEP AWAY!....and £410 road tax.

Worst buy ever!! Van has had so much work on it since it was bought brand new. 4 fuel pumps (every 20k miles!!!) gear linkage x 2 now in for a new gear box and clutch, would never bother again.

So I purchased My twin top brand new in march 07, since then the seals for the roof have been replaced, I have mould from water coming into the boot when it rains. I spoke to Vauxhall who are not interested, even though I have had to hold tissue up to the seal whilst driving. The other day I got the car washed and ended up getting wet too when sitting in the car!! This is ridiculous!!

Had my basic 07 1600cc for 16 months and apart from it having a lot of road noise I can’t fault it and I have used it like a van for a lot of the time.

I love my sporting vicar. Only one problem, the fuel gauge is electronic blocks! Almost impossible to know when one will turn off, and not very accurate, if this van had a needle for a gauge then it would be perfect.

Had the car approaching 4 years from new as a company car. Dull but worthy car with good road manners and economy on the motorway but handles like an elephant in a shopping trolley on the twisty bits. Reliability not bad but some very weak points including 3 wiper motors, failed DMF flywheel, AC matrix positioned for maximum stone damage, indifferent Vauxhall service depts and numerous electrical gremlins only surpassed by an 80’s Alfa 33. It’s a car but thats about it...watch for escalating service costs over 100k.

Very nice car. Drive nice to. I have the 1.8 bertone model in sliver. It looks really good with the roof down. +I have my son in the back so loads of space.

Overall a good car but it is juddering when reversing and having only done 37’000 miles the coil pack has failed which is going to be costly even though it’s a 5 minuite job, it’s the parts that cost.

This is a fantastic car, I can not fault it in any way but it all depends on what people like. I like it because I go back and forth to uni and for shopping, it’s roomy. It fits in any little spaces and can carry loads of stuff. I put about £20 petrol in and don’t have worry about it for a month. It seems that it just runs on air. Very good car indeed.

There was a terrible van clip on the bit under the bumper which was stupid because if you touched the kerb, it fell off. The doors would lock while you were getting something out the back. The build quality was poor, the seats fall apart and vision was poor. This was the worst vehicle I’ve ever had.

Bought the car new in 2008. So far it’s had new discs and pads all round, new wheel bearings, problem with the alarm, an annoying rattle, poor offside rear visibility. The mpg however is about 40mpg. It is certainly very nippy! Absence of jacking points is annoying. No spare wheel hasn’t caused a problem to date. I have had several other new Sports and SRi models in the past but I think this may well be the last!!

I have owned this car for around three months now and it is absolutely fantastic. It drives superbly well with only minor wheelspin and torque steer in first and second gear. It picks up speed even at top end with huge agility and precision, I have a few minor issues with bits of trim coming loose but it only needed resticking and was fine. The interior of the car is brilliant with nice recaro bucket seats and leather steering wheel and everything is where you expect it to be. The boot is quite small but still okay. I fit all my shopping plus my mates in so suites me fine, the only downer is the insurance, which for me being 20, is almost £2,000 but come on, it is a 1.6 turbo after all. So all in all, I give it 5/5 on driving, 4/5 handaling, 4/5 trim, 5/5 interior, and 5/5 on looks.

I’ve had my vivaro coming up to 3 years looked smart and quite nippy paid £5,800 and every year I’m paying for it. Had it 3 months and the gear box went which cost £1,600. Then the timing or cam belt with all other parts that goes with it needed doing the following year which was another £400. Now last week the fan belt broke wrapping itself round the timing belt and knocking all the engine out, which means it’s going to cost between £700 -£1000. So in the time I’ve had the van I’ve spent a small fortune if you add up all the time off work the hired vehicles. You see these VW ralleys with the old vans up and down the country, I’ll bet you won’t see any Vivaro ralleys around in a couple of decades. I should of leased a new one or spent more on a decent van.

I was satisfied with the appearance of my car (bought it brand new) and the interior etc. I just have the plain version, only extras I have really are electric side morrors, however I find the boot very small. My old P reg was much bigger. I find that the acceleration is sluggish, especially between 3rd and 4th gear and sometimes it struggles to get up even a slight hill with just me in it (I’m small!). If I have passengers, it’s embarrassing! The car barely moves with my foot down on a hill. I have also found an ongoing problem with the clutch control and handbrake ..and NO ! I do not have problems getting the biting point! I have been driving for 20 years, and drive around ten different vehicles via my job. I have no problem with clutch or gears thanks, but this Corsa is a nightmare. It seems to change it’s preferred bite point everyday and as such ends up Kangaroo-ing off at lights or hills. My partner drives it and also finds the same. I would recommend this car for a first car, but I will NOT be buying another when the warranty runs out this year. I’m disappointed.

I bought this 57 plate (registered 08) with 5k on the clock for £13.5k (almost half price) 2 years ago and its the mutts! Good torque, good speed and acceleration with a great 6 speed gearbox, smooth, quiet (as quiet as 18" alloys with ultra low profiles on shall allow lol), no leaks; had a little trouble with coolant level warning but since Vauxhall Approach (Andover) updated the software no repeat warnings. I regularly silicon grease (spray) all roof joints and seals and to date, touch wood (No not Catweasles toad); no hassles whatsoever. Its a great car and would recommend to anyone. My only quibble is why Vauxhall stopped at 150bhp? Would have much preferred it up to the 200bhp, which the diesel tuning kit would have provided but Vauxhall have stopped selling them :-(

Bought this car in December with it just being over 3 years old. Found out to my cost that the roof and boot leaks really badly. Almost a swimming pool on wheels! As it was just outside of Manufacturers Warranty I got hold of Vauxhall HQ to see if there was anything they could do, ie good will gesture. Unfortunately, the young lady I spoke to in the customer relations dept explained that as it was a convertible, the roof seals were only covered for the first 12 months. This is very disappointing that Vauxhall take this attitude, I have since found out that this leaking is common place and badly lets the car down. What makes it worse is the price Vauxhall place on replacement seals as each seal is horrendously priced, you need very, very deep pockets to replace all the roof seals outside of warranty! Vauxhall must be making a mint! Not for the faint hearted, stay well clear unless you want extra swimming lessons as you drive. Additionally, the roof has a habit of sticking whilst half way up then you need to flick one of the motors to make it go up or down apparently this is also a common fault. On speaking with a sales person at the garage, I was informed that due to the problems Vauxhall have had with a hard roof convertible they may be going back to a soft top when the new convertible model comes out so buyer be aware!!

WHAT A COMPLETE MISTAKE BY VAUXHALL!! I have had my 150 sri almost 2 years now and its out of warranty. 5 problems: 1) Flat spots 2) Engine management light on 3) Spanner light on 4) dpf fault 5) Air leak. Myself and the wife are not slow drivers and we do drive the car to its full ability and the way Vauxhall recommend to regenerate the dpf so why does the scanner bring up this fault? Yes it does have short trips to school and shopping but it is a family car. Being in the trade myself I have checked for the air/vac leak but nothing found. All the power is there when the spanner light goes off but the engine management light stays on. When I eventually get this bag of nails fixed I will be selling it and buying a different breed of car. Gang together and take it to watchdog!

I have an Insignia, it’s an excellent car, very comfortable, superb drive, average fuel consumption around 47mpg. would definitley have another one!!

If it would have let me rate zero I would have. Wish I had never bought this car, what a heap of c**p. EGR valve failed, cleaned it out and code went only to bring up code for dpf. Had this changed, car was ok for a couple of days but seemed a little sluggish. Then the spanner light reared its ugly head again, EGR valve again. Had this replaced but car is still in limp mode. How Vauxhall have the cheek to say this is not a recall issue as they don’t deem it a safety issue is beyond me. The car broke down on my wife with my 2 children in the car on a busy intersection where anything could have happened. When a car puts your family at risk like that then in my view it is very much a safety issue. I am going to contact the trading standards and see what they advise. Don’t ever buy one of these dogs they are a death trap!

Clutch cylinder failed inside the gearbox. £1000 bill. Just got the van back tonight and now the power steering is juddering when turning the wheel on idle engine. Never again will I buy this make. Customer service at Vauxhall sucks too for commercial drivers. They didn’t even wash it...

I have a Corsa 1.2 sxi. I agree with people when they say it’s a bit underpowered. I fitted a performance chip, £7.00 off ebay. The performance now is much improved. Acceleration and hill climbing improved too, fuel economy really good. This is a really good car, I’ve had no problems with it at all in the 3 years I have owned it. The electric power steering takes a bit of getting used to at high speeds, but other than that it’s a great car to own and drive. Fit a chip, only two wires to connect so easy and you will notice the difference right away, trust me.

I got a Zafira 1.9 about 6 months ago and basically I got a pain in the neck! 2000GP put on it, EGR went off 6 times, alternator, battery, breaks, oil consumption up to 2ltrs every 400 miles, this to mention only a few. DO NOT BUY A ZAFIRA, UNLESS YOU ARE A PAIN LOVER!!!!

I have a Zafira SRI diesel, (150psi) which was just under 3 yrs old when I bought it. Took it to Scotland on holiday and thoroughly enjoyed the performance and made Inverness on 1 tank which was pleasing. However, I had just had over 1 yr when I noticed a drop in power. Someone at work used his computer and diagnosed a problem with the dpf which is part of the exhaust and suggested thrashing it up and down the motorway for 30mins. Booked it in to local garage anyway and attempted to clear it on the local M5 but it died. Had to be towed to garage who thought they may be able to "regenerate" the exhaust but it was too badly blocked. New dpf, £800 fitted. Stilldidn’t feel right and engine management light came back on. Back to garage! The back pressure from the blocked filter apparently blew the swirl valves on the inlet manifold which can’t be repaired and the replacement, £500 fitted. They couldn’t get the engine management light to go out and had to take it to a Vauxhall specialist for a Technician to look at. Bacause the dpf and inlet manifold had been replaced the ecu had to be remapped. This highlighted a fault on the egr valve, new valve and remap? £400! I am now led to believe this is a common problem now coming to light on the model. My recommendation, unless you do A LOT of motorway work, don’t buy one. 6 months later, last Thursday evening on the way home from work, faint burning smell and slight whistle, then BANG! Still waiting for garage report but, the man from the AA noted the slackness in the cambelt so, either it’s snapped or a cog broken or both! Dread to think what it’ll cost this time but it’s history once it’s up and running!

Bought it 12 months old in October 2010, excellent road holding and performance getting aroung 52mpg on a motorway, which I’m very pleased as I average around 20,000 miles per year. Had to take it back as the rear lights were letting in water. As a convenience to me I didn’t have to take it back to the dealer where I purchased it, but one closer to where I work. Both of them were replaced so may be best to check yours. Apart from this hiccup the car has been excellent.

Goes like a rocket and guzzels fuel. It’s faster to 55 mph than my 1.8 16 v Focus! At 80K miles I paid £2.5K three months ago. Fuel guage lies. Roof ladders make a racket. The front is way too low and catches on the slightest bump. The driving position is very low and the windscreen very tall so even though the visors are massive they don’t reach low enough to shield the sun. It takes about 8 miles to warm up from cold. The turning circle is too big and I don’t trust Vauxhall’s, but the paintwork is good, the payload is excellent and I am still drawn to the little begger in a perverse way.

Got this disgraceful heap on the Motability scheme as my daughter is disabled. I should have felt alarmed when we picked it up and the sales man handed me what looked like a cranking handle from an Austin 7. "Just in case" he said. After ten days, it had to go back as the roof got stuck half way down. Seven days later it was back in the workshop for the same reason. Over the next few months it was in and out of the workshop on every week to 10 days. On one occasion we finally got the roof to work and parked up locked the car went to the vets came back and tried to unlock the car and it would not respond but the roof took on a life of its own going up and down several times we began to think the car was haunted until we heard other people’s troubles. I’m often tempted to leave with the keys in the ignition but I would probably have pay someone to take it. I want my golf back. I HATE this car it wallows round corners, drinks petrol like water, it rattles, leaks and is heavy. The back windows now have a life of their own, when you start it up they go up and down for at least five minutes and finally stop and stay open. I’m sick of taking it back to the garage. When the roof is down the fumes from the back of the car are drawn in as you go along.

Well my car at 18,000 needs a new steering rack and it’s very disappointing and Vauxhall couldn’t care less!!

I had my 09 plate Anatra 6 days and was enjoying every minute driving it when one evening after finishing work I got in the car to find it would not even turn over. I called the AA they diagnosed the alternator. The garage has has it days and say it’s the battery and most definitely is not the alternator. I have ordered a new battery - let’s wait and see.

This car is a 2.2l manual hatch somewhere in the mid range for the British public, and while it drives well and uses little fuel, it loves to sip oil. Even from new, surprisingly I have had to put a litre of oil in the engine at 10,000 kms twice in 30,000kms of driving. It has ended up using close to 5 litres of oil every service interval in country driving, and in the city 2.7 litres of oil - only 100,000kms on the clock. Holden who buys these cars, would not rectify the problems. It’s a real problem if you travel the vast distances in Australia and cannot find the right grade of oil at a service station in a small town. This is a real pity because the car isn’t as bad as some UK reviewers have it out to be. I have bought 6 cars in my life - all Opel inspired cars - never again thanks to the excessive oil consumption. One thing - Astras and Vectras have plastic driving lights that yellow and craze terribly - better materials please - if Holden decides to import Insignias and the new Astra.

Bought this van in November, had more days off with van not working costing me a fortune in parts and days out of work. Something else goes every week, doesn’t start, engine mgt gave a list of faults 3 mile long. Alternator packed up today, been a sole trader since November and its killing me and my livelihood.

I had a combo years ago, sold it to a mate when it had 250,000 on the clock! Bought a second hand 04 plate combo some 3yrs back. It has given me 3 days off work in 3yrs. Starter motor (which failed 3mths after fitting!) and road springs. Absolutely brilliant van. You get very unhappy when you can’t get to work or are stuck but then you realise how few times this has occurred in this van and happiness is restored. I’ve put 85k on this van in 3yrs and it is still going strong. Obviously it is a bit small but the up side of this is that it will fit in a garage without a roof rack. The deadlocks are Vauxhall’s best asset; this van is seriously hard to break into! Unlike the vivaro you dont need to buy a gearbox for it after 80k either. The astravan and combo are Vauxhall’s strengths.

Good Bits: Blisteringly fast, responsive, chuck aboutable, fun to drive, looks good. The power, just goes on and on. Mid bits: Fuel consumption but what the heck when the car is that much fun. Bad Bits: They made it out of plasticine and sticky back plastic. Too many rattles in the cabin and bits falling off. This is a superb car let down by the interior components and body build. It really is a star to drive.

Been a great car only had to have egr valve cleaned in the 2 years of owning it. Also great mpg.

Hi lads and lasses. I own a 2001 (old model) Opel Combo and I have to say it’s a great little workhorse indeed. I bought it back in May ’10 with 158k miles on the clock with a full test and it has ran like a dream ever since. It now has just short of 170k miles on the clock and I plan to spend a few quid on it to keep it tip top. I recently changed the oil and filter and air filter and was delighted to learn that the van had burned no oil whatsoever from it’s last service (of coarse I always keep an eye on the dipstick! :) ) Next I plan to change the fuel filter and glow plugs, one of which seems to have reached it’s sell by date. I have, however, a few issues with this particular van. First off, it seems to be particularly heavy on front tyres. The current set have lasted me just 4k miles :( Second, she seems to overheat at random times for no reason. I have had the radiator and head gasket checked, neither of which are giving trouble. If anyone can advise me on either of these matters I would greatly appreciate it. Other than that I cannot recommend these vans enough. Granted, they are much more basic than the rival Caddy and even Courier, yet brag more loading space and can match the most economical diesel engines mile for mile. They are also a much cheaper second hand buy and will reward you with equal if not better reliability. I plan to keep mine for many more years to come and advise anyone in the market for a small van/economical commuter not to overlook the faithful Combo...

I bought the car two weeks ago to replace my gas guzzling Honda Accord, I used to get 350 miles from a tank. This Zafira is even worse, I get at best 260 from the same amount of petrol as I put in in the Honda. I have managed to squeeze 104 miles from just over 1/2 tank. Not impressed, as this is after a FULL service and decent fuel going in. Avoid like the plague, but the wife likes it as its got plenty of space for the kids and buggys etc.

Vauxhaul Astravan 1.3 still in Southern Vauxhall after 5 weeks 50,000 on clock, ecu unit gone, turbo gone and it’s taken 5 weeks to repair. No discount on parts or labour. Well done Southern Vauxhall, Merthyr Tydfil, guess I’ll buy a Ford next time.

Vauxhall Insignia 2009 pre registered, purchased through "Network Q (Vauxhall)" on March 2010 and driven only 3886 miles. I have been driving for 49 years, driven over one million miles, and driven most types of cars. I have always treated my vehicles with respect. I suffered a breakdown on the road and the RAC informed me that the clutch had burnt out. Never have I burnt out a clutch. At 3886 miles this seems absurd. Towed to the local Network Q/Vauxhall dealership who stated that, unless a mechanical fault can be proven, the repair will be my responsibility as they take the view that it is driver error. This appears to be a general response by the company when this occurs as other low mileage Insignia owners appear to be in the same position. My local Network Q dealer has removed the clutch and informed me that it is indeed burnt out and I am therefore liable for the repair costing £1600. I contacted Vauxhall directly and they are refusing to accept any responsibility whatsoever.

When I test drove this car I was very impressed and now 2 years after purchasing and having covered 40K miles I can safely say it’s been a pleasure to drive. The seats in the SRI offer superb support for long journeys and the diesel engine has plenty of grunt when needed. I have had the car serviced twice and have replace the two front tiers but other than that no additional work required. When changing car I will definitely consider another Insignia.

Just got the car as a replacement for a crashed Fiat. I am 6’5" and space is often a problem for me - but not in the Meriva. Both my wife and I (and our four kids) are surprised how Vauxhall have managed to squeeze so much space out of what is a small car. Our other car is a Grand Espace so we are used to BIG, but the Meriva can hold its own without any problem. If I had to think of negatives, then the 1.4 engine is a bit weak and it really needs a 6th gear.... Good range of vision, nice driving position, ok fuel economy, good build quality, and the kids love the almost black tinted windows.

Had the car 4 months now and loving it. Coped well with the snow and ice and no leaks. Find it a bit thirsty ’round town, but no problems on a long run. Great to drive and what a head turner. Would recommend it to anyone.

Hi, I have a August 2010 INSIGNIA 2.0 CDTi 130 SE and it has undoubtedly been the WORST car I have had to drive! It is a company car and I’ve had so much trouble with it, it’s got to the point where a member from Vauxhall UK ended up coming to the local dealer in Belfast to look at the cars (Yes, CARS!, all 6 of the Insignias in our fleet are giving trouble!) I used to drive a 2006 VW Passat 2.0 TDi 140 S, which was also another bad car (The handbrake kept failing and the car rolled away lol) and the electrics were a bit unreliable. The Insignias are such a bad car our Company Director is implementing getting rid of the Insignias very soon due to the awful reliability and the MPG the cars are achieveing, nobody can crack 45 MPG and that’s driving her easily. Overall, this car is such a huge, huge, huge disappointment! Never buy an Insignia, save yourself the stress and bother!

Bought from new, done 19000 miles, oil changes only on services. Only complaint is the hub caps need cable ties to prevent loss. Would I BUY ANOTHER? Yes, ordered last week.

DON’T BUY, THESE VANS THEY ARE POO. I bought the 2007 2.0 cdti Vivaro with full main dealer service ’cause everyone said the gearboxs had been sorted and what happens? The gear shift has gone stiff, had oil change still stiff, so now have to get new gearbox. They don’t cost as much as the Transporter so every one thinks they are great but is it worth the down time? I’m getting a VW t5 130 Swb tomorrow and every time I pass or see a Vivaro van I will pitty the sucker driving it. DON’T BUY A VIVARO.

Bought this car from a Vauxhall dealer (Hartwell) in March 2010, with 21,500 miles on the clock and one previous owner. Just 2 months after I got it, things started to break, the steering became loose and unresponsive, also the horn stopped working. I took it back and they said steering rack had come loose. They tightened it, replaced horn buttons on the steering wheel and also found an oil leak which was leaking onto the breaks, it cost me nearly £150 just for them to tighten the steering rack. Then a couple of weeks later (now out of warranty) the steering came loose again. Took it back again and had a go at them so they fixed it again! And now the whole car creaks and bangs and doesn’t sound safe....then the suspension broke, one of the springs completely snapped. Now looking to sell it. Also fuel consumption is C**P! Not impressed!!

I have been given a 2008 Movano from my company. I had it at 50 miles and now it’s on 58k in 2 years. BAD BITS: Nightmare to park, power steering rack broke, uncomfortable seats, POOR steering wheel position causing stretched arms and bad back, heavy doors that ping back onto your legs in the wind nearly taking your legs off, sliding door has come off its hinges around 5 times, vauxhall dealers are utter utter poor leaving oil cap off once which nearly caused a fire, SLOW. GOOD BITS: the stereo is ok, the compartments above the head are great apart from the times my folders came out and whacked me in the head nearly knocking me out while driving (wait is this a good or bad bit?), mirrors are nice and big, Good space OVER ALL: I wouldn’t buy this van myself. If you want a big van get a newer shape Sprinter or a VW Transporter if you want a small van.

Just bought a ’09 Vauxhall Zafira 1.9cdti and could not remove the puncture repair kit from its holder as it looks like they have put it in first then put the trim on after, lol. If you own one check it out before it’s too late and take it back and see what they say as I got nowhere with my dealer. I have contacted watchdog so please do the same as this is a family car and any old person or women would struggle to remove it in a emergency.

My second Vivaro and yes, I would buy a third, it’s so so improved from the previous; CD, blue tooth, air con., love it! A little work horse.

Purchased 1.9 CDTi, 07 plate from main dealer, Network Q. This has to be the most unreliable vehicle I have owned. Was less than 3 years old when I purchased it. Since owning the car have had to have the alternator replaced. There is a knocking noise from the gearbox which I have been quoted £1900 to fix, taking into account I had had the car for less than 6 months before I noticed this. Dealer has basically refused to help. Now Vauxhall UK involved but yet to be resolved. Warning lights keep illuminating and the list continues. I have owned Vauxhalls in the past with absolutely no issues. What have they created in this Zafira ? My advice is DO NOT BUY ONE !!!!! Wish I could get rid of mine but unfortunately purchased it on finance and would need to pay in !!!!!

Having read all these negative reports on the Antara, I cannot understand why Vauxhall has been allowed to get away with such a disgraceful vehicle and customer service. I pray that someone from the media will read the letters sent to this site and come to our rescue by confronting Vauxhall on T.V. or somewhere they can be brought to account. Personaly I am sick to the teeth with the response I get from Vauxhall and my dealer. Please someone help us. Here’s an idea I’ve just thought of. If you are an unhappy owner of an Antara send in your complaint to G.M. tv. The sheer volume of mail should make something happen.

I purchased this car in March 2010, previously owning a 1999 Corsa for which I got the £2000 scrap part exchange allowance. I find my new car, which has just done 6500 miles, rather less than inspiring due primarily to the sluggish acceleration. Additionally I find that it is too easy to over correct the indicators when manually cancelling their operation and inadvertently indicate in the opposite direction! The front windows took to lowering themselves when parked and the software had to be investigated twice, and the remote door locking system decided to become confused for a few days. On delivery I noticed that there were small gaps under the front wing which would let road residue inside the wings which may result in long term corrosion - the response to this was to point out that it was a mass produced car and what else could I expect? One person in the dealership suggested that I seal it with bathroom sealant, another pointed out that such action would invalidate the warranty. All in all I consider that my previous Corsa was better - the performance was better and it was more economical. The new car is averaging about 45 mpg urban motoring and about 55 mpg on longer runs. I am glad that I didn’t pay the full purchase price for it - I enjoyed the 2k scrap allowance and the dealership was offering a further £1700 off the new price. Buy another? Probably not.

Bought my car new in 2007 after a short experience with a new Suzuki Grand Vitara which kept catching fire. I don’t appear to have had the problems that some people have, i.e. leaking roof, sticky roof etc., etc. (Fingers crossed!) HOWEVER, I have had SIX egr valves (inc a two week period where I had a loan car as there were no replacement egr valves in the country!!) Terrible fuel consumption figures (not always related to egr valve issues) and last week a failed alternator (on a dual carriageway in the dark; no lights, no steering, no hazzards, no power steering and finally NO ENGINE!) The car is out of warranty now. How much did Vauxhall want to repair? £395! I objected and got this down to £118. How many miles from new? 22,800!! Being a Vauxhall man from being 17 and also this is my fifth Vauxhall convertible of one type or another I assumed I would be rewarded for being brand loyal, but oh no! When I asked at a local dealership about changing for a new Antara (Vauxhall have said on their website that they are available to order from dec 2010 and its now Jan 2011) I was stared at in puzzlement by the rep who said "we don’t make them anymore!" Quite right if your talking about the old model, which does not now comply with euro emmission regs, but I was asking about the new 2.2 model. So to sum it up: VAUXHALL GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER; train your staff in the dealerships to be able to know what they are selling, fix what they are selling and stop acting as if they are doing you a favour for taking your money. As for me? A new Volvo xc60 on order, bye bye Vauxhall, good luck and do something with your Luton based customer services team; the woman, who shall remain nameless, who pretends she is the team manager and is disgraceful to customers is NO CREDIT TO YOU WHATSOEVER, give her the heave-ho and take someone on capable of doing the job in a courteous manner!!

Underpowered car with a very clattery diesel engine; have to keep radio on consantly or gives me headache, poor visibility; have to lean to the left when turning right just to see around bends, windscreen wipers knock on full speed, front screen demist takes ages to clear; started carrying a towel to wipe the windows it’s that slow! Gear box playing up when engaging 1st gear, poorly placed hazard warning button to close to radio controls, nightmare glare off the dashboard on the front screen especially in sunny weather. All in all bought this car to replace ageing Zafira based on lower tax £35 per year and smaller diesel engine. Really am sorry I bought this car beware with these newer Corsas they’re not as good as the older ones when you consider the one I own is just over 27 months old and already having problems with it especially the drop in fuel economy from 56mpg to 44mpg for no apparent reason.

I too am having problems with my 1.8 twintop, I’ve had it two years with no main issues but now I am having problems with the electric circut which opens the roof and the boot central locking and heated rear window. It’s been back in the dealership twice in the last weekand they can’t fix it . I can’t get in the boot the internal alarm is going off constantly and the heated rear window doesn’t work, which is no good in the winter. The clowns at the dealership seem cluleless and now they want to send it to a twin top roof speciast in Preston to see what they can do, they think it is a break in the wireing harness, which costs in excess of £400 to fix. I got a lift to work from one of the people in the dealership and he admitted they have lots of problems with twintops and they have had several in the last few weeks. Even a guy when I dropped mine off today said he got rid of his because he had loads of problems with roof and went back to a normal Astra DON’T BUY ONE - PILE OF JUNK

Just read all (yes all) the reviews and seems we have bought a second hand bundle of trouble. Last night at 3am then 4.30am car alarm went off. The car just came back from main Belfast, Vauxhall dealer after all electrics completely shutdown whilst driving along the road; no speedo, rev counter, clock, lights, lucky it was during day. It appears to have been rectified by a software update that was completed by dealer. The Antara has also got the wettest interior of any car that I have driven. During the bad spell of weather at the Christmas period it appeared that moisture had got into the lining of the roof, via the pollen filter being defective. Turning corners or braking caused a heavy downpour from the sunvisor and centre console to pour onto my lap soaking my trousers. With the replacement part now fitted I hope this is the last of the leaky problems (how long will I have to wait?) Love the comfort levels and driveability but one question DO I CHANGE?

Bought the car at the end of November and very pleased with the car with one exception. The fuel economy. For a car that is rated to do 70MPG extra urban and 61 combined with 51 urban to only be getting 43MPG when driving like a Sunday school teacher is a bit of a killer. Now done 2000 miles in the car but the economy, if you can call it economy, is abyssmal. Awaiting a check at the local vauxhaul garage to find out why it is so bad. However I was told that if nothing was found during the check the customer would normally foot the bill as Vauxhaul would not pay. Might have to think about getting Trading Standards involved if that is the attitude of a Car Comapny that advertises it’s cars on fuel economy.

Dreadful headrests cause blind spots, small buttons on radio and heater controls too low, cannot get comfortable in driving seat, jerky drive, gas pedal too sensitive, no temp gauge, do not like indicator and wiper controls, gearbox notchy, engine or injectors noisy, mpg very poor on 1.6, washer bottle in front of engine; cannot see level to top up and it freeze up, too much road noise, door pockets too small, hatchback opening too small, takes a lot longer to clean than my MK 3 Astra. I bought it from a Vauxhall dealer with full service full, mot and 12,000 miles on the clock. I would not buy another model of this car. I have owned around 16 cars from 1979 and I would say this is the most disappointing car. The one good thing about the car is it looks good.

Well folks my 2.5TD Estate has done 140,000 miles and is 17 years old. Never broken down once but of course it has been maintained through the years. So it has had a set of new wishbones and new front discs, 2 windscreens and new rear shocks and shock absorbers but that doesn’t add up to a great deal in 17 years now does it? It will easily exceed the speed limit in the UK and will turn over 100 miles/hour on the Autobahn even today. And generally on a long trip I get 37 to 38 miles to the gallon. It is a terrific car and my only beef with it is the build quality of the interior is not as good as the rest of the car and it does feather the front tyres no matter how many times I get the tracking sorted. However, I love my car and I have driven a lot of newer inferior ones. Great shame they don’t still make it. Great Engine.

I bought this car 5 months ago, I heard a blowing noise coming from the engine, I’ve had 4 engineers take a look at it and they all said that the manifold has cracked. I’ve heard its quite comon with this type of engine on this car, but the cars only done 30,000 miles. Everyone, including me, called Vauxhall and they are charging £1012.00 inc VAT and that’s just for the part not Labour.... as you can’t buy the manifold with out purchasing the turbo as well. The Boot leaks and there is mould inside it as it’s always wet and stinks, the roof gets stuck, it’s endless costly grief. All in all the car is made very, very cheaply. You would think a company as large as Vauxhall would know how to make a car that functions properly.

I own a 55 Reg Vauxhall Meriva. It was fine until a few months ago. I had a problem with my steering column. It would lose the PAS even sometimes on roundabouts. The Merivas had not been recalled by Vauxhall, but it seems is a common problem. A friend of mine had the same problem. I saw it mentioned on Watchdog and contacted the telephone number they gave. I had the problem sorted out no problem by a Vauxhall dealer near my home. Free of charge. Since then, I have had the Cam Shaft loosen and I have been told by another garage that I am lucky it did not do more damage to the engine. I did a search online and it seems this is also a common problem although the Meriva is not being recalled by Vauxhall. Apparantly Vauxhall are not helping customers as a rule with this financially, which I do not understand as they fixed my steering problem. Surely this is a dangerous fault and should be recalled?

Since I got my Vauxhall Astrvan 1.9cdti 2007 it has been a pain in the back side. All vauxhall do is replace parts and charge you loads of money. I have had a new EGR valve fitted, 4 new glow plugs, a new radiator which had bolts missing so that was rubbing and a radio which still has a fault on it which Vauxhall say they will not replace. I had a old Vauxhall Astravan and that was a very good motor. Vauxhall just take your money and then they don’t give a s**t about you. I still have this motor, I hope one day I can get it right again.

Bought van when 6months old. When loaded only does around 30 mpg (I do drive hard) already on third set of front pads and I take corners at 60 to 70 so not on breaks unless I want to stop. Like my VW the hand-break should be 6 inches higher, radio has a common problem going out of frequency, the fuel pick only being plastic breaks off from the tank if you go through water at speed and the seat belt is poor at rewinding.

For a modern car my Zafira Elite 1.9tdi disappoints in numerous ways. The fuel economy is 26 mpg, no wonder the book has it in litres/kilometer. The front screen demist takes forever. Screenwashers not working, to be investigated asap. To alter the rear seats the front seats have to be moved forward to give them room, my wife is disabled and then has trouble getting in the front. The sport setting just revs the engine by lowering the gear and I haven’t built up the courage to use it as the mpg would probably be in single figures. Will not be getting another.

I bought my Corsa in July 2010, had problems with the wipers, kept hitting off the paintwork when I had them on in fast mode. Took it back to the dealer, didn’t even look at it. 2 days later, I took it back again, bumping noise coming from front tyres. Dealer said that new brakes were fitted, needed some time to bed in properly. Returned 2 weeks later, noise still there, left it with the dealer for 3 days and they couldn’t find anything wrong with it. Went to a local independent mechanic, he took it for a test drive, told me that the cv joint and ball bearing on the left front tyre was gone. He valued the repair at £250 and that’s including workmanship. He told me to return the car to the dealer, he contacted the dealer and told them what the exact problem was. 3 days later, car was returned, no problem since. The cv joint on the right front is starting to go now. If you are looking at a new car, avoid corsas and Vauxhall completely.

Eps system is continually cutting out, definitely a manufacturing fault. I would not buy again.

I bought this car 2 years ago and being a Vauxhall fan love the car apart from having 2 new fly wheels put in and now it needs a clutch and has only done 28000 miles. It has a 6 speed box in it and am wondering if this is the cause of the problem.The last fly wheel was put in in October 2010 and also had a starter moter fitted as well. Ok it’s still under warranty at the moment but what happens when it runs out? Never had a problem like this on my other ones; 2x sri and a gls.

I waited for a long time to get my hands on a new Insignia with the right spec and when I found an Elite with 22000 on the clock within my price range I was a happy man. take into concideration I part exed my VW Passatt 2.0 TDI in for this 2.0CDI I was expecting good things. What a load of S**t!!!! in the 4 weeks I’ve had it it has been in Vauxhall’s in Swindon twice, the second time with a list of problem ranging from gear box to ipod not working, heated seats, which when fixed I drove off only to find the fitter didn’t put the seat in properly and I ended up tipping back, luckily I was not on the main road. Now I have mentioned gear box shudder at low revs, they have more or less said it’s in my head. Compaired to the ride of the Passatt I some times feel embarrased giving lifts because they think it’s my driving. What to do, oh what to do. I feel I’ve wasted my money and it’s hard work talking to Vauxhall. I should have listened to the Wife and stuck to VW.

Purchased Antara in 2009. All well for 4/5 weeks then drivers window refused to stay closed. Dealer repaired,then OK for 4/5 weeks then same again. Dealer repaired, OK for another 4/5 weeks then back to Dealers for same fault. Worst still to come. After 10600 miles and without any prior warning the clutch burnt out as I was driving on the motorway (frightening) RAC towed it to the dealers who stripped it and informed me that there was no evidence of a fault or faulty parts and therefore suggested it was the drivers fault. Having 50 years driving experience and not once having to have a clutch replaced I find this quite insulting. I would like to hear from anyone who has experienced similar problems.

I got a Vauxhall Zafira 1.9 tdi auto about 6 months ago and have had nothing but problems with it. First off the parking sensers were not working right as would only work when you first started the car. Next was an intermittent fault with the gear box not engaging right if at all; starts off driving ok then the revs get a little high and then complete loss of power. The first time the dealer had the car for one day and said that they could not find the fault. The car bust again yesterday with the same fault!

I have just got a 08 1.4 Meriva to replace the 1.6 8 valve. I had and the fuel consumption is 42/49 mpg, better than the 30/35 I was getting.

A very versatile vehicle which converts easily from car to van by folding the rear seats down, ideal for a family where DIY is of interest and bulky items need to be transported. Also, great for when we tour Scotland and need to take food supplies to remote locations. A comfortable ride and, with the 1.6 petrol engine it is reasonable lively for this type of vehicle. Downsides are the thick A post which you have to look round when making sharp turns. I also understand that the steering column switch which controls the power steering can fail at approx 40,000 miles (but I have paid for an extra 2 years Vauxhall warrantee - just in case). I would definitely buy this model again.

I am a qualified driving instructor and I used my Zafira for my advanced driving test and instructional exam. therefore I can categorically state that these cars are an absolute mickey mouse joke. DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT BUYING. I could never get a good driving position or see if my indicators were on (had to duck/peer over steering wheel), naff steering, a bite point that actually moves, slack brakes; at first there is no braking & next thing you know your licking your window. Anybody who gives this car more than 1 star is either very, very lucky or very, very drunk. I only gave it 1 star because I had to.

Vans with 250,000+ is common now. Our movano has 147,000 which isn’t bad but it costs a fortune every couple of months in repairs, clutches, gearbox, fuel pump, and loads of small problems; I have a fleet of 8 vans. I bought a 206 1.4 HDI 3 years ago on a 2003 reg on 67,000 its now done 206,000 all that has gone wrong is gearbox @ 193,000 and a small oil leak on a pipe which cost me £20 to fix, outstanding for a 1.4 engine returning 60MPG. A 2.2 engine should acheive a lot more in theory. I also have a transit connect 246.000 1.8 TDCI, only new clutch & alternator. The movano is a money throwing van and we are selling it soon and getting another transit.

This is my 3rd Meriva and I have been very happy with all of them. All cars were brand new, I only kept them about 2 Years.

DO NOT buy one of these cars! I bought one second hand with only 20000 miles on the clock. Love the look of the car but all the common faults that seem to occur on this car seem to have happened to me within the last year! Dents in the roof struts for not reason, leaking roof, horn only works intermitently, roof would not function so needed new wiring harness - £400. Then found out I had a faulty water pump - after nearly crashing at 70mph on the motorway when it sheared off straight through cam belt (at 30000 miles) £1500 and now...bearing gone in gear box cracking it and £1000-£2000 damage which I just do not have. Oh also could have exploded at any time! The car is a pile of junk and made of cheap faulty parts. I am gutted as I loved the car and thought I’d treat myself. The car is constantly in the garage and has left me broke. It is currently in the garage as they would not let me drive it home but I have no money left to get it repaired as I am still paying off the cambelt issue, As soon as summer comes will be rid of it like a shot...just feel sorry for whoever ends up with it! Vauxhall should be ashamed of the product they are selling cheap and nasty sorry to say not a good car. Will never touch Vauxhall again

1.9cdti 120&150 bhp have same problem, it’s a manufacture fault; they used Fiat engine, even Saab is same and there are lots of problems with the Vectra! All the following (DPF),(EGR), (ECU setting)( STARTING PROBLEM) all this common fault badly design. Never buy another Vaxhall that’s why on new Vauxhall they given you life time warranty for reason.....

Bought new, was ok for first 20000 miles then aircon went, terrible wind noise from side doors and stupid design seat belts that get trapped in the doors and get ripped also damage the locks, mid row seat very hard to get into rear in the dark, poor quality seat covers that come away from their bases. 28000 miles airflow meter faulty and abs fault. 57000 miles rear bearing and front disks and drop links front wishbones. 64000 miles clutch slave cylinder pedal to the floor no clutch rear door lock fault. 79000 miles steering rack ends and track rod ends worn out, also using engine oil like an old banger, also turbo pipe rubbed through on water bottle hose split apart so service mode 2000 revs max £259 +vat for a rubber pipe. Good points: Never left me stranded, alway got me home. 30mpg /45mpg good handling ride ok lwb tyres last for ever (Goodyear marathon). The minibus has now done 160000 in just over 3 years. Would buy a Sprinter next time, last Merc 208d did 340000 miles with hardly any probs.

I purchased my ’56 plate Signum from a Vauxhall dealer with @ 11k miles on the clock, and now 3 years later I have done 110,000 miles. It has been a brilliant car, and is a fantastic, effortless motorway cruiser. My version has the 6 spd automatic, and hovering just under 2,000 revs at 80ish mph (where this speed allows of course) makes for a quiet, comfortable cruiser. The on board computer tells me that in the last 14k miles, I have AVERAGED 41.7mpg. OK the bulk of that is on the motorway, but nevertheless very good. Definitley highly rate this vehicle.

I had my car from a dealer. Since I had the car had no problems at all. I recommend changing the oil, all filters in 20000 interval or even less(10000) as this will make the car run more smoothly. The manual mentions to change filters and engine oil miles). This may cost some more money but in the long term you will not have a problem with the valves,DPF..ETC Last thing, try to service your car with a Vauxhall Dealer, more expensive but more efficient.

Had the 1.7tdi for 4 years, drives like a dream I had an Escort before the Astra (load of c**p). This is the best van I have ever had. It’s a bit smaller than the Ford, I have to lay the cement mixer on its side to get it in the van, but that’s the only down side. I had to fit a new alternator, but that’s all.

Van is leased through work, had 32k when I got it and 3 months later has done 48k. Its a 2007 1.3 cdti, but the first thing that impressed me was the power, really pokey. I travel all over the uk in it and i love it. Cruises at 80 mph all day long and will return 55mpg. Nothing has gone wrong, and i find it comfy and has all the equipment wel except air con that I need. Lots of storage, and very usefull. Only negatives I have is the passenger seat is fixed so is a pain, and not a lot of dash storage. All minor though.

I love my car!! It’s fab in every way, only thing I would complain about are the pillars obstruct view sometimes and the car runs out of screenwash so fast! I hardly ever use it! Other than that wouldn’t swap it for anything :)

Great economy and performance on tap but woeful reliability. Been off the road three times this year; inlet manifold swirl flaps and egr valve (warranty), water pump and cam belt (Vauxhall goodwill contribution)and now alternator and battery (hoping Vauxhall will help). AC is also duff. Only done 52k miles so very disappointed and consider never buying another Vauxhall (wife’s Astra also had lots of unexpected failures - coil pack, ECU etc). Vauxhall dealers are inefficient and patronising and Vauxhall just do not get it.

I loved the test drive of my Insignia and thought, yes this is a nice car. Had 16000 miles on the clock when I bought it. Only bought my car in March 2010 from Peter Vardy in Motherwell. Was driving my 13year old son to school on Wednesday 10th November. When I arrived at his school I could smell burning and saw some smoke coming from the bonnet. I thought what’s wrong? I had to get to work so I thought drive to Motherwell and take my car to Peter Vardy to assess it. Didn’t reach Motherwell did I as my clutch went and I was stuck on a busy road. Contacted garage and they sent recovery vehicle. I was told they would not look at car until Monday. Got a call on Tuesday and I phoned back to be told I would need to authorise gear box to be taken off to look at clutch. Girl said you will need to pay £229 for this and I said "thats terrible what about warranty"? You have got to take gear box out to find out whats wrong. I said I only bought car 6 months ago and I am going to get a big bill. Are we selling dodgy cars Vauxhall??? I have authorised to take gear box out and the girl will phone me on Thursday to tell me the big bill and damage costs. This is not good enough Vauxhall who are advertising life time warranties on TV. It’s a bad day when a new car presents big problems. I am angry and will not be buying another dodgy Vauxhall car now... Will let you know how it goes. If big bill I am going to Watchdog, local newspaper to inform and getting legal advice...CAR WARRANTIES AIN’T WORTH THE PAPER THEY ARE WRITTEN ON... WHAT A CON

The Insignia inside and out looks good on the eye and it has a number of toys which make it more appealing than some other more expensive brands. However don’t be fooled from my experiences with 2 separate Insignia models the issues with this car far out way the looks and toys. 1. Leaking back doors - happened on both cars 2. Faulty Fuel Filter causing car to stall whilst in motion. This happened to mine on the motorway causing a serious incident whilst my wife was driving and my 2 sons 6mths and 3 yrs old where in the car. Mine was swapped out by Vauxhall Motors directors office due to this. 3. Front bumper comes away from driver side of car - happened on both cars 4. Information display fails - happened on both cars 5. 2 amp drain on battery when car not being used, requiring new dash wiring loom and fuse box. Due to this and parts in short supply the car is off the road now for 2 months! I would seriously recommend you consider another car...Sorry Even as a company car could you put up with these issues given the poor emissions and high tax band? I some ways I wish this was my company car instead of my A4 at least it would be going back soon :)

Nice to drive but an oil change after 9000 miles !!! When is the next one going to be ???? Previously had a Mondeo and a Passat and did NOT have that problem. Customer service not at all helpful, "it must be the way you are driving the car"!!! Looks like my first and last Vauxhall.

I use a Vectra Sri 150 Auto and cover circa 3500miles a month. I have got only good comments, well balanced, stunning acceleration, cruises at 2000rpm in cruise at 80+mph.(78 miles on £10), it’s always in the right gear. The brakes never fade, give it plenty of road on twisty sections and you have all the mechanical grip needed. In the wet a bit of self generated torque steer can be induced if using to much lock, feather the throttle and it’s glued to the tarmac. The only car I have encountered that’s quicker from a standing start is a 535 sport BMW. A true first by Vauxhall. Interestingly it’s my 4th example, I always get used one’s, when you first get in at about 22/25k miles they seem a bit tardy, once they have a good trial and the oil changed more than recomended they seem to fly!! I also tow with it, curiosly the economy improves while doing so. I am now looking for the next one, this has done 41k Thanks G.M. for a great company hack.

I bought my Meriva 2 years ago, and a couple of months after it starting stalling and juddering when driving, took it back to the dealer and he replaced a part and fault gone. Now 2 years later the same fault is back, took it to my local garage they say its the EGR valve; it’s been back twice for them to reset it with their computer. They expect it to go again. Upon reading stories it appears there is a fault with the ECU software. It appears this happens to a lot to Vauxhall cars and so I would not recommend buying this car.

Bought second hand, thought good van at first, had new clutch, gearbox and now 2 fuel pumps, yes 2! And all the other stuff cleaning pipes. Good looking van but I’ve lost a lot of earnings.

I’ve had my Vivaro nearly 4 years, it certainly seems like a good enough van. No probs. Nothing out of the ordinary for me to afford. I change oil @ 6000’s and happy enough at 109 000. Happy days so far! (54 000miles and no probs) Probably go for a transit next for a bit more power though.

Purchased twintop in or around May 07 have had ongoing problems with roof leaks. Car has been back so many times have lost count had extended warranty, which is just about to run out and hense car back again with leaks.  I was told that the concerns lay with a build up of moss on the seals and that the seals needed to be lubricated regularly to prevent the build up of any outide debris that could be causing a concern with the seals. Only had car back approx. 3 weeks after they lubricated the seals and water is coming in, worse now than ever, back seat soaking wet again, dampness and condensation again. This problem is not abaiting, to the point now that the car is not enjoyable anymore to drive. It is very frustrating when you think you have purchased something that was going to give me many years of nice driving. I am dissatisfied with they way this car is functioning and as this problem continues I am left with a car that is leaking, and who would want to buy a car with a leaking roof? I certainly wouldn’t.

3000000 Miles on the clock, still drives well, getting 90 miles on a tenner, no rust and pulls well, big thumbs up Vauxhall.

Bought a 2007 1.6 life Zafira with 30,000 miles on the clock just out of its 3 year warranty BUT a years mot. Two days after the purchase the break light was showing. Garage say stuck sensor, answer was no brake fluid. 3 month warranty just runs out, new disks and pads needed £300. The cherry on the cake, driving as normal, pistons gone smashed all the head, new engine needed on a 07 car, which has done only 36,500mls??!

Sluggish performer in larger diesel - god knows what the smaller one is like. Pull? Skin & rice pudding come to mind! I can’t believe anyone would design a car with suicide doors. They went out with the ark! Dashboard needs sorting. Driving position OK & roadholding quite good. But, oh, those rear doors ! I’ll never buy another!

Corsa C SXI look great and drive great, but after a while little things keep going wrong with them that become big things, had mine 3 years plus and it’s only properly broke down now with a throttle sensor fault. Ideal for 1st time drivers but high maintance cars, burns oil and poor for long distance. Put an Irmscher kit on a Corsa and it will look fab, just like mine, for that am going to give 3*

I have had my Vauxhall Movano 2.5cdti for 2 years now and to be fair I have found it to be a great van and never let me down. As far as the body work looks I think it’s also a great looking van. I have had a few problems with the van but nothing more then you would expect for a van doing a 1000 miles a week!!, The same as any van if you look after it, it will look after you.

I bought my Zafira new in 2006 and I would have to say there were some initial build problems with it. The demist flap did not work, which meant the entire dash had to be removed. A sensor on the exhaust manifold was faulty making the engine run rough and the clutch and flywheel was replaced under warranty due to severe judder. These problems were dealt with by the dealer in Brentwood in 2006 and since then the car has run brilliantly and returns high 40s mpg on a long run. It has done 25000 miles and I have just changed the tyres. I would recommend the 1.6 engine if you do mainly town work and short journeys, it is quite a refined engine and you won’t have the problem of EGR valves clogging.

I’ve loved my Zafira, but this year has started to have problems with steering rack, needing replaced. Now I have a leak from radiator, it has just had four new tyres, a new exhaust; I don’t really want to spend any more money on it. Think it’s time for a new one.

Had Vito dualiner before Vivaro. Purchased at 1yr and 8000 miles, goes better, drinks less diesel and rides better than the Vito. However, at 32000 miles the front suspension clunks, bangs,knocks- steering vague. If I could locate where its coming from I’d fix it myself numerous trips to dealer and all the usual excuses. "Can’t hear anything mate!" "They all do that mate!" to name but a few. High spot was last trip to dealer-vehicle on ramp, technician says "all tight here mate" as he does 360 degree circuits with a socket/bar on all subframe mounts! One stud has ripped the thread out of the subframe completely and been replaced with mild steel threaded bar secured at either end with m8 mild steel nuts. Allegedly an acceptable repair! Am seriously p----d off and consulting solicitor. Great van when working- if you are self employed and considering one, get the missus to kick you in the nuts- it’ll hurt less than the pain of the money you’ll lose when its in the garage.

Bought car from new, had no issues for 3 years, then trouble. The EGR Valve stopped working (45,000 miles), while abroad (nightmare to get fixed by Opel dealership). One month later red battery light comes on. Alternator needed replacing. According to websites will need to change cam belt, soon (at 4 years) Cannot risk another breakdown, so trading in for a Toyota. Would not buy another Vauxhall. I should add that car is roomy, great to drive but will breakdown after 3 years.

Bought my Zafira new in 2008 and I have experienced the same faults, and more ,as all other 19cdti owners but I think you are missing the point, yes these faults should be reported to watchdog but surely the Zafira’s fuel economy should be its foremost concern. For it having such high tech state of the art diesel engine technology it only seems to manage 34 mpg combined and 20mpg when the dpf filter goes into regen mode. I can’t see how using twice the amount of diesel to burn off soot is very eco friendly? Vauxhall should be made to refund our money as the vehicle is not fit for purpose.

Never, NEVER, will I buy another Zafira. 1.9cdti, its Fiat engine has several problems such as egr, dpf, and lot of smoke. Problem after problem.

I have been driving Japanese cars without a problem for 10 years. Having now bought a Zafira I have problems every day; engine light, water pump, timing belt, problems are still there. Never ever buy a Zafira!

Hi! I’ve just bought my first Vectra SRi 2.0 140bhp. I find it to be a fast car and a solid family sporty car. I’m not sure what the 0 to 60 is but it flies at 70mph with out a fault.

I have been getting a power steering intermittent failure. I took it to my local dealership and was told the power steering pump was faulty, they told me they would stump up 50% of the final cost. Which I thought was good, but when I was told this may not fix the problem as they weren’t really sure if this was the fault. I think Vauxhall should fit the pump FOC, as I am not being used as a ginea pig to find out what the fault is. When I asked if they would refund my money if this didn’t cure the fault I was told, NO. This is disgusting and shouldn’t use peoples hard earned money to guess at fixes for problems. The steering wheel buttons keep failing, so the buttons will do whatever they like, eg volume rocker switch, press it up, volume goes down (sometimes), does nothing, or may even turn the volume up (very rare). I don’t think I will be getting another Vauxhall, but they really need to deal with the common faults that they have and keep their customers happy.

I bought the 2008 diesel xp 1.9tdi model- It is great. Has excellent power for a diesel and looks great with the roof either up or down. I would certainly recommend buying one- Had no problems (touch wood) to date.

Powered steering has come out of action twice whilst driving and having to turn sharply. Almost impossible to steer when out of action. TV criticsized this action on many cars. BIG PROBLEM when driven by elderly persons. Is there a recall for modernisation or replacement? Would not recommend to any body because I consider it a very dangerous situation whilst driving and power steering comes out. I found by switching electrics OFF for two minutes power comes back on. Not very good on motorways. Have taken to a Vauxhall Garage and they have stated "Nothing to worry about, just stop and switch off your engine fo two minutes then it woks again" What are you comments on this situation, when you suddenly have no power steering and struggle to steer for stopping purposes whilst in traffic?

Well I had 30 thousand trouble free miles and then in a few weeks EGR, DPF and then air condition unit went up the spout, a very expensive few weeks! The thing is, it’s a great shame because it drove well and gave good fuel economy. I must admit I won’t be buying another Vauxhall DIESEL , I have always had Vauxhalls, the best was the Astra 1.6 PETROL 125 thousand goodmiles. Mr Vauxhall you have let me and several hundred drivers down, Shame on you !!!! Use VW diesel engines.

Got a 2007 5 door club full automatic 1.4. Seems ok, fuel economy not what I’m used to average 32-37mpg if driven carefully. Performance is fine, good city car and fine on m/way. Got 17500 on the clock & is ex mobility with full service history. Not had it long but it’s a good spec small car, parts etc cheap and service costs fine. Economy on my Renault Scenic 1.5 dci is outstanding at 55mpg plus and it’s much bigger motor but dodgy electrics! Will report further on Corsa in a month or two but quite happy with it, auto box is nice and smooth too.

Superb car, regular 52 mpg, even when driven hard, excellent finish, well equipped and a good looking vehicle.

Bought 2nd hand in March 2008. Within a few weeks a spring coil had gone in the engine. Had it fixed under warranty. Has been driving away perfect since until this week. Starter motor went in it, cost £250 to replace and have now been told that there is power steering fluid leaking and that the steering rack will have to be replaced at a cost of anything between £800 - £1,000. Am beginning to wonder should I trade it in but I love the car, despite there being very little boot space.

Bought new in early 2003, been a brilliant little car with nothing major going wrong with it. Serviced annually though a main dealer. My only complaint is the paintwork - it is flame red, which as it gets older the metalwork is turning pink (the plastic is still ok), only a good clean and waxing every month keeps it sort of like the original colour. I will never buy a red car again especially a Vauxhall.

Bought Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 Club and have ben very pleased with it. The wide pillars are ok when you are aware of them and compensate for them. No difficulty in climbing hills or on overtaking. You can’t expect the performance of a sports car from it. I liked the space. Seat 5 people comfortably. I would have liked a quick-clear system for the windscreen especially during the winter. I would buy another Corsa.

I bought my Astra Twintop in March 2010. Its an 08 plate. 1.6 sport. Within weeks I realised I had a locking problem. After several trips in and a few battery changes in the keys (which obviously I had done myself) They finally issued me new keys.... I also mentioned the water pouring in from the passenger side. Again, after several trips in and several water tests, door and window adjusting, the car was returned to me, still with the leak. Oh yes, and the power loss from the engine, the motor from the power steering needing replacing...maybe these problems distracted them from the more annoying water pouring into the car and soaking my children every morning after and during rainfall. Eventually, after 5 times in, the last technician has admitted to me there is some kind of design fault. The seals around the car are ’u’ shaped, hence they collect water like a gully. When you drive, the water drips into the car. It’s like having a dripping tap landing on the shoulder of the paseenger and the legs of the person in the back!!!!! This is why when they do the water test in the garage they can’t find the leak. The car has to be moving. The car can drip like a tap for a good half an hour....probably more but i don’t drive that far.. Now at last they are ordering me new rubbers, but if they are the same shape and style, I can’t see the problem will be solved...Looks like I’m getting them done and saying goodbye to the car I really looked forward to owning.....And now I can’t wait to see the back of it!!

Love my 09 Corsa Active, second one I’ve had from brand new. Did have prob with climate control dial jamming but Vauxhall fixed under warranty. Dash is big on this model and sometimes get reflections on front screen. All in all a nippy car with loads of room had it packed floor to ceiling and top box on with no problems with keeping up speed. Feels solid and doesnt look cheap inside like some cars.

My mum bought her astra sporthatch about 3 moths ago it was an 09 plate. I have driven it quite a few times, my usual car being a T reg Pug 306 rallye. I expected good things from the astra but was severly dissapointed. Its engine is boring and pithless. The chassis is very badly balanced, and the handling through fast bends is scary. Then onto handling in the rain, it doesn’t. Overall this is a terrible car and is only used for going to the shops.

Economical (55mpg average, £30 p.a. tax), and cheap to insure. After 77k it still looks good and drives perfectly. It’s special feature is the anti-stall, this means that it will drag itself over the deepest snow in 1st without the driver touching the accelerator, NO wheel slip. Looking forward to another winter like 2009.

Hey, I had a 2009 Corsa 1.3 CDTi SXI a few weeks ago (as a courtesy car) when my 308 HDi Sport went into a bodyshop to get a dent and few scrapes out of it... (I was pulling into a petrol station and the high sided kerbs around the pumps caught the door sill and wrecked it)... Anyway I had the car for about a week and a half, I didnt enjoy it one bit to be brutally honest.. It was slow and un responsive, the turbo took ages to kick in (I even wondered sometimes if it had a turbo) and just generally not pleasant to drive. I do alot of miles and the Corsa CTDI isnt the car for the job, also they highest MPG i got was 54 and that was on the motorway! I get 59 mpg in my 2L HDi 308 on the motorways with the cruise control on.. I woudn’t recommend a Corsa or Vauxhall to anybody, because they are c**p..

I’m disgusted in our Vauxhall Zafira, since January of this year its been in and out of the garage, with electrical faults, loss of power, egr valve, clutch failure, and accelerator pedal costing almost £2500. We are now in mid september and this car has left us penniless. Can’t sell it, no one wants it, Vauxhall won’t help because we took it elsewhere when it was out of warranty. Name and shame Vauxhall for their aftercare. We are at the end of our wits end!

I bought a 1.9 Vivaro (54) nearly 12 months ago, my only problems I have got since July is that the stop light and engine light flash intermittently the temperature needle zooms from min to max then after 7-8 minutes it goes off might not do it again for a few days theres also a whirring sound when I turn the engine off, secondly the airbag light stays on but usually if you stop driving then restart it goes out. I have had it checked out and the results say no fault found and no stored fault. I believe the stop/engine sensor is connected to the flywheel could it be a bad connection, damp and the airbag sensor is under the passenger seat could this be the same or is it more likely a fault in the engine management system. My mechanic says as it’s not showing a fault the vehicle is safe to drive but its quite annoying.

I have the 3dr version which comfortably accomodates me, hubby, 2 teenagers with the dog in the boot. It’s a fantastic little car and can easily take on the bigger engined boys on the motorway. The car has been with the family for the best part of 4 years and during this time we’ve had to do very little to keep it running.

I bought my three year old 40,000 mile Signum recently from my local Vauxhall dealer. I was looking for a diesel auto estate so had not looked at the Signum as it is classified as a hatch. My wife found it and sugested that I should take a look. Up until now I am very pleased with it. It is a very smooth, comfortable ride on motorways or A roads; get onto more bumpy surfaces then it is not so smooth, probably due to the low profile tyres. I am getting between 40 and 45 mpg which, for a fairly large car. I don’t think is too bad, although the dealer told me that it had a new engine due to it being driven through a flood six months ago, so fuel consumption should come down as the engine runs in a bit more. It is a lot of car for not a vast amount of money (compared to Audi, BMW, Mercedes etc...) and you are unlikely to find yourself parked next to another one at the supermarket on a Saturday morning. In three weeks I have only seen two others.

I was amazed at what you get for your money with a small car these days. This is a genuine 5 seater, OK you sacrifice boot space a bit but then as a second car, this car is superb. If you are brave enough try the orange or blue interiors to give the interior a bit of a zap. Get just short of 50mpg with a light foot. It easily handles the motorway speeds. This car will not disappoint.

I cannot understand all the fuss? I bought my Opel Astra at 15 months old and have put 20,000km on her without a problem and believe me, if it doesn’t leak here it never will. The only wetter place to drive it would be in the Irish sea. she is rock solid on the road and handles great at speed. I will agree it is quite slow on acceleration but I knew that when buying her. I was warned about roof problems so I am very careful in that respect. I never put the roof down or up without the engine running as any break in the power feed may cause the roof to jam but that is said to be true about the 207cc also. I am also very careful not to overload the boot as this will cause serious damage. I love my twintop and will definitly buy another one when the time comes.

Just purchased this car, no complaints except the manual covers to many models and I can not find out what is built into my 2007 1.8 astra auto estate design. Very pleased with my choice of car.

Good Performance, most comfortable car ever I can’t fault this car. Why don’t they still produce this car?!!!!!

Stride easily into the new Meriva and settle yourself - commandingly - in the driving seat. At the helm it feels cosy and manageable, but there is enough airy, comfortably spacious room to shame the plushest of cars in a class above: just normal curves and context and no bio cuddly excesses in a cabin that is so intelligently fashioned. From the outset you’re aware that this is a solidly constructed car with real depth of quality. With the Meriva, Vauxhall has broken new ground in space efficiency with interior packaging that offers enough permutations of transformability to confuse an Enigma Machine. And yet the class-leading inner space is matched with compact external dimensions in a particularly elegant and refined form, which is so much more attractive than the old ’boxy shape’ model. This combination of function and flair has been taken to new levels, defining a fresh perspective in logical rational car design and embodying key features such as rearward opening back doors just like your neighbour’s Rolls Royce - and all doors open to nearly ninety degrees. It’s the Flex Door System according to Vauxhall - which matches the Flex Rail System for the centre console. There’s probably even a Flex Biceps System too - but readers will be reassured to know that the new Meriva is simply - ’flexible’. Entry into and egress from the new Meriva just has to be the easiest of all cars. There’s even a grab handle on the B pillar to aid the process of easing yourself out if you’re not very flexible. My game warden pal on holiday from the Serengeti National Park assures me that, in his professional opinion, an inflexible hippopotamus in a state of rigor mortis could be gracefully eased aboard. ’Aha! The old ’suicide doors’, just like in the gangster movies when they pushed the ’stiff ’ out at speed. I wouldn’t put granny in the back of one of those!’. I hear you say. Well, I’m pleased to be able to reassure you that all is well, because you can’t open them at anything more than 2mph. - so if you need to bail out in a hurry, you’ll just have to slow down. Out on the road the driving experience is a good one. It’s not meant to be a drivers delight but by and large it’s an endearing car you can trust with friendly handling and good grip combined with a pliant ride - offering a complete feeling of reassurance and charming manners. A choice from petrol engines of 1.4, 1.6 or 1.8 - or diesels of 1.3 or 1.7 and prices ranging from £12,995 to nearly £20,000 means that there should be a Meriva to suit most needs. Probably the most popular will be the 120bhp 1.4 petrol turbo tested here. A singular pleasure is the way the little engine is flexible - but it’s no greyhound. It gathers speed respectably enough all the way to a top speed of about 117mph but the rather slow and heavy gear change makes you realise that performance considerations have not been at the top of the agenda: this is definitely a family car. Well designed, well constructed and - well - expensive, the new Meriva is light years ahead of the previous model - which is probably why the price is stratospheric.

I have had three Zafiras now but this latest one has problems similar to that already reported. The salesmen do not tell you about the inherent problems but it is worth noting that whilst my first two zafiras had the 120 engine the SRi has the 150 engine. I still work part time and thought top of the range this will do for me. Although I do use local motorways it is not usually for the lengths of time needed to service the EGR valve and DPF. I two have had two each of the aforementioned replaced albeit under warranty. I had the car serviced and MOT just before it was three years old otherwise it would have cost me £280 for an EGR valve. I took out extra years warranty for £280 just in case. I am now looking for another zafira with 120 engine as I still believe in the car. Also bear in mind on any make of car or model that a car with the 150 engine is usually badged on the rear with the Ti in RED!!

Awfully uncomfortable, rust bucket, under powerd, unreliable with an interior that is made from recycled plastic cups. Map light stays on permanently (resolved by removing the bulbs) power steering pump failed, diesel pump failed and failed its MOT on emissions. Brakes don’t do anything, passingers door won’t unlock (Vauxhall say its fine) only done 69,000 miles. All in all if you are thinking of one don’t, buy anything else. On the plus side the glove box is roomy. And the little door handles on the inside are really good for putting your phone in. That is about it.

Just come back from two weeks in Spain with a Corsa 1.2. This car was so bad I will need to ensure that I specifically request that I am NOT provided with another Corsa for rental in the future. The acceleration is virtually non existant and it screams round (cruises?!) at a minimum of 3,500 revs on the motorways. The model I had was fitted with cruise control but it was pointless enabling it because as soon as the car approached anything even resembling a slight gradient, it would lose power and I would have to change down into fourth, then third reducing my speed on motorways from around 75 to 50! This car had only done 5,000 km but it felt like it had been thrashed all over the place. Not surprising really, the amount of times I had my foot right to the floor in order to get anything out of it was ridiculous. I honestly thought the rental company had fitted some kind of limiter to it! Maybe it’s fine for people that only pootle around town and never go near the open road but the engines so flat,even the smallest amount of motorway driving just becomes a chore. Suffice to say, I won’t be buying one in the near future. Rubbbish.

We’ve had our Zafira 1.6 for 3 years and had no problems until about 18 months ago when almost every journey, when driving over 65mph, would result in the engine cutting out. But not immediately... no, it would wait until I’d slowed down at a junction and then without fail, evertime, cut out. Maybe twice its cut out whilst driving at high speeds on a dual carriageway, which is terrifying on your own, but when your entire family is in the car its a nightmare. Garage said it was spark plugs, but after changing them it still does it. Like other reviewers it does it on fast roads, not local, slow journeys. If I keep it under 65 we seem to be OK but in the last few weeks it seems to happen at 60mph and cut out when slowing to a junction. I’m so used to it happening now I can be prepared for it but occasionally my wife drives it and she is terrified to do so. After reading all these reviews about EGR valve or DPF replacements and then still cutting out I dont hold out much hope and just hope I win the lottery to afford a newer car and a different make.

My car has had a lot of battery problems at 5,000 kilometers then at 6,000 kilometers and at 19,000 kilometers. It has finally been resolved. My A/C problem has been there since 35 Kilometers when the car was brand new, they changed some valve or something and then it became ok, but now at 40,000 kilometer again there is A/C problem and it is in the dealership garage as I am writing this review; its been two days and they have not come up with an answer to why the A/C is not cooling. The head lights have been foggy since the day I bought it, after complaining alot the headlights were replaced but then after a week they started becoming foggy again. This car has made a lot of trips to the garage, I am not happy with it and would not recommend it to anyone.

No problems at all, apart from the flimsy aerial breaking, just replaced it with a Halford’s one. Only just bought a whole set of tyres and on 54,000 miles now. Lovely van to drive, very poky little engine. Just wondered why they didn’t use darker cloth on the seats?!? Best van I’ve ever bought!

Not a bad car as most have believe, but luckily I got the inlet manifold replaced under warranty (the swirl valve rod worn out) most warranty companies wont cover it as they say, if the inlet is choked up, warranty void. Mine was, but, ahem, a word with the garage to arrange a different story. Egr valves, yep, common problem with all euro4 diesels. Easy fix to remove and clean. . . if you are mechanically minded. Just don’t drop an allen/torx screw key down the back while you are doing any work...they tend to drop on the live feed to starter motor, and blow the heater speed control and starter fuse! When I saw the state of the inlet manifold I was shocked, reduced by carbon deposits to a third of its inlet port size. This causes the swirl flaps to restrict, wearing out the rod on top of the manifold. its a 600 quid job for new manifold, but the egr valve is easy for the mechanically minded. Just a fiver for two gaskets and bit of paraffin, and an hr work. Fuel consumption...erratic. Town can give between 25 and 35 in sport mode, but carefull 70mph constant on motorway has given me 62 mpg over 200 miles...not bad! looking at getting the chip from 150 to 170 bhp, it’s a fun surge at 2000rpm. Overall, I bought the ex lease car with fsh at 44000 miles, it had had gearbox, clutch, battery, starter, alternator new...but remember, fleet cars have non existent problems repaired when they go in for services...to fund the dealer! Also, front disks, rear disks, etc etc. Well, 20k miles I have done glitch free apart from warranty manifold, and egr valve 12000 miles ago. If buying used, go for 3 yr old ex fleet with fsh, yr warranty, they have everything replaced during fleet time by greedy dealers. Always have done, with every used car I have. I know cdti reps who covered 200k in 4 yrs with these engines no probs. Saabs have same engine, hundreds of thousands on the roads with the cdti. Just pick carefully.

I will NEVER EVER buy another Vaxuhall. This car has cut out on me three times on the motorway, in which one of them was a very dangerous situation. I’ve only had the car a year and half with 52,000miles (2006 reg). I’ve taken it to three different garages, including Vaxhaull but still no joy. This problem only seems to happen on the motorway and not driving locally. Any help would be appreciated.

Was an excellent van, bought at 23,000 and used it 6 days a week for work and then carried enduro bikes at weekends to different places. Serviced as required but fan belt wrapped around cam belt sitting in traffic and destroyed the valves. Had it repaired... now 2 months later it started missing so replaced the crankshaft sensor but still doing it?? Anyone with advice please let me know? Or is it time I got shot of it. It’s got 92k on the clock now.

I have my car 4 years now with 17,000 miles on the clock. I’ve had no bother with it at all other than a rubber boot that was needed when it was due its MOT. It is the 1.4 (Exclusiv) version and I’m sorry that they are no longer being made as I would buy another new one. I believe that the fuel consumption to be reasonable and although not the quickest car on the road it is suitable for my needs.

I’ve had mine for just about one year and not had any of the problems mentioned by other contributors. Nor have I experience the supposed handbrake problem. So I’m a happy bunny! Only problem I had was a broken front spring - but that’s down to the (allegedly A Class) roads here being allowed to degenerate to farm track status.

Had high hopes, but heater blower stopped working on 1-2-3 settings. Gear shifting hard work and heavy clutch. Quite a bit of road noise makes you turn up the radio really loud. Not very roomy up front, lots of space in the back. Now selling the car and will be pleased to see it go.

Having read some of the other reviews it seems that I have got away relatively lightly. The car was 15 months old when bought and for the first 8 months of ownership everything was hunky dory,then the engine started surging while holding the car on a constant throttle. Into the dealers it went "That will be the EGR valve",said the man "it’s a known problem". EGR valve replaced under warranty all ok again. Got an invite to take out a networkQ extended warranty, oh boy am I glad I did, alternator gave up the ghost, extended warranty paid for itself in one fell swoop. Near side rear coil spring snapped not covered by warranty £253 later new springs fitted, EGR valve on it’s way out again, dealer tried to get away with just giving it a software update probably in the hope that I would go away and stop bothering them. Car booked in to get EGR replaced AGAIN and then this dog is going to the pound, trading in against anything that doesn’t have a Vauxhall badge on it, any recomendations?.

I have had for three years without any issues, but now I have hit the problems mentioned here. For the last few months the emmisions light was illuminated whilst driving, I ignored it as I could not feel any difference in performance. Then all of a sudden the battery light came on, this needed a trip to local garage. I needed a new alternator and a new EGR valve. I still have to collect the car from the garage, but I am dreading how long it will be before I have to take it back in. It’s a very practical car, but I may have made the wrong choice.

I have had my Vauxhall for just over a month now and 3 times I have had problems with engine management lights, loss of power been told egr valve is faulty having it replaced at car dealers expense. After reading comments on website I am now terrified to drive. I have 3 children and take others out in car, bought a bigger car for this purpose. Should have kept my old one T Reg Renault had spent so much on it thought 4,000 on new car would get me something reliable. Have I been sold a deathtrap? Can any one instill any faith in Vauxhall?

Bought my Zafira in June 2010, It is a great car, roomy, does 30-32mpg around town, has loads of space and is great to drive - even in sports mode. It is much better than the Focus C-Max I previously had.

Car 5 weeks old, very noisy when ticking over and pulling away, gutless, hate to overtake, awaiting recall.

I have had my Vauxhall Zafira since Feb 2010. After the second week the window wipers fuse went, which didnt bother me too much, but a few days later my car would start shuttering and lose power. When I phoned the dealer I bought the car from about the problem they said take it back if the oil light came on. The engine light came on so I took the car back, they kept it for an hour said it was fixed so away I went again, the next week the car was back doing it again, light back on. Back down again to the dealer only this time they said that all I needed to do was when this happens, is to drive up the motorway in high revs for 25min and that should sort the problem, I don’t even live beside a motorway. So to cut a long story short that never worked, I was near killed while trying to overtake another car, I have been back and forth to the dealer 7 times and still not fixed. I have no faith in the car it is a death trap. And this week i AM SEEKING LEGAL ADVICE because my consumer rights have been breeched. And I have given the dealer 7 chances to sort the problem, and they can’t. IT MAKES ME ANGRY TO THINK THAT ITS ONLY WHEN A FAMILY IS WIPED OUT BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM WILL VAUXHALL SIT UP AND ADMIT THAT YES THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THE ONLY REASON I GIVE THIS CAR ONE STAR IS BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT LET ME SUBMIT THIS REPORT WITHOUT A STAR RATING.

The best van your money can buy, on my second one, 66 thousand miles no trouble john.

Bought new and built to order SWB with tailgate and twin doors.Fantastic Van. 78k and still on original discs and pads. Excellent handling, 44mpg, very cheap to run and service even at main dealer. Tows well but power out of 2litre engine a bit poor. Engine should pump out a few more horses really, especially as I also have a Zafira B 150ps which also has a 2 litre engine. Small problem with instruments due to dealer messing up ECU software load but replaced under warranty. No gearbox, turbo or timing problems as it is the new Euro 4 engine and box combo. Will buy again. Highly recommended.

I’ve had my ’old’ Meriva since new and - touch wood- its been a good workhorse, humping stuff here and there, which is what I bought it for. It’s just sailed through its 3rd MOT. Whilst at the garage I tested the NEW Meriva. Won’t be getting it though...biggest shock.NO HANDBRAKE! Call me old-fashioned but having a gaping hole where the handbrack used to be just for the gimicky sake of extra storage is mad.

I’ve had my Antara for a month now and have so far been very happy with it apart from a highly annoying intermittent alarm problem. The dealer had it back last week, told me that a problem was found and it had been fixed, but since then it’s gone off 3 times. I’m not very propular in my road at the moment. I’ve tried all sorts, am always careful about locking doors and windows, closing vents etc... all to no avail so far. I see some reviewers have disconnected it, my dealer tells me I can’t do that but obviously I can! Will someone tell me how to do it please, is it just pulling out the fuse?