Vectra CDXi - Good Car?

[sir-sri]

Hey Guys,

I haven't really been around since I sold my SRi Corsa, but now looking to buy a new car and coming in at the top of my list is a ~03 Vectra CDXi. Helped on of course by the many fond memories I have of the little SRi!! :D

Just wondering what people thinking of them in general, or the Vectra range in that era, I have heard some people say they are great, others that they are all lemons!!

The car itself in terms of spec (3.2, leather, stability control (very important to me) etc) is to me, fantastic, especially when they seem to be selling in the low $20k's, but I'm interested in whether there are any general probs with the car etc....

Thanks guys,

John.

[Tfer]

Hey Guys,

I haven't really been around since I sold my SRi Corsa, but now looking to buy a new car and coming in at the top of my list is a ~03 Vectra CDXi. Helped on of course by the many fond memories I have of the little SRi!! :D

Just wondering what people thinking of them in general, or the Vectra range in that era, I have heard some people say they are great, others that they are all lemons!!

The car itself in terms of spec (3.2, leather, stability control (very important to me) etc) is to me, fantastic, especially when they seem to be selling in the low $20k's, but I'm interested in whether there are any general probs with the car etc....

Thanks guys,

John.

Hey John, I have an 03 CDXI manual (built 10/02) and has so far done 132,000km (had a year off last year whilst I drove an AH Astra CD around in my previous job).

Things I like about the girl:

Very smooth power delivery
Very strong urge
Great fuel economy on the highway
Tracks well (ie. cross winds etc don't bother her)
Great firm ride
Great seats
Quiet when cruising
Nice engine note under power from inside the cabin
Lopes along on the highway
Really only need 1st (smidge over 60kph),2nd (around 110kph and 5th gears (documented elsewhere)
Great presence
Low stance
Debadged.... joe public doesn't seem to know what it is
Feels very solidSlight dislikes:

Replacing the timing belt every 60,000km
Machining of the discs every 60,000km and replacing every second 60,000km
Blown numerous brakelights and front foggies
Heaviesh on fuel around town
Holden dealers have trouble with them (not enough to be familiar with I guess)
Sometimes Holden dealers don't have the parts on hand or readily available
Servicing can be expensive
Really have to stay on top of wheel alignment, balancing and rotation to prolong tyre life
Very heavyMy 2 cents.... but overall.... I love mine to bits, and Holden do not have anything in their range I would replace her with (hmmm.... the twintop though is rather interesting) :D

[pred8r]

When I was considering one, this is what i was told from a service dept.;

His answer without hesitation was 'Auto's are known for failing' (something somewhere craps itself and pumps it full of water - this is VERY bad) He was suprised Opel hadnt fixed the issue as it was a know fault in EU.

I asked about the manual, near on bulletproof was his answer.

They sometimes have electronic 'niggles' that, at times, can be hard to trace. (Probably due to Tfer's point 5)

[ope126]

As above...well done Tfer! ;)

[Tfer]

Thanks Glenn.... the Veccy C CDXI's are just that... simply great :D

[stevedee3]

Yep, I agree with the above comments. To add to Tfer's list:

Things I like:
Engine noise and power at 4000-6000 rpm
Oddball indicators (I'm used to them now :) )
Stability controlThings I dislike:
Overly complicated climate control controls
A few rattles
Few electrical issues (sorted under warranty)Buy one!

[Tfer]

Yep, I agree with the above comments. To add to Tfer's list:

Things I like:

Engine noise and power at 4000-6000 rpm
Oddball indicators (I'm used to them now :) )
Stability controlThings I dislike:

Overly complicated climate control controls
A few rattles
Few electrical issues (sorted under warranty)Buy one!

Good points stevedee3..... and the last one is the important one....

Buy one! :)

[Oz]

Good points stevedee3..... and the last one is the important one....

Buy one! :)

Absolutely. I have had little issues with mine that have all been sorted under warranty.

Great engine & handles pretty well. Definately a solid car to look at & drive, which is important for me.

When looking be sure to look over the service history of the CDXi's you look at. Then you should get a good idea of which ones have been troublesome & which ones haven't.

[sir-sri]

Thanks VERY much for the input guys, other people I've talked to have said more or less the same things. Looks like I might need to start having a look at a few! :)

Thanks again.
John