Vauxhall Vectra C (2002 - 2008) - vectra estate fuel economy

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Mon 4 May 2009 20:00
vectra estate fuel economy - andyb77
Im currently weighing up whether to buy a Jan 08 Vectra estate petrol 1.8i vvt 5 speed gearbox, 16,000 miles on the clock. Its in fantastic condition and selling for £7,995 from a reputable used car dealership.

Im no car expert, and one thing I really need to consider is fuel economy and consumption. I wouldnt be going long distances on a regular basis. Whats attracted me to the car is the fact its a great price for a very young car, and the fact that my Wife and I plan to start a family in the near future and will need the extra room. We currently drive a Punto.

Some advice please folks.
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Mon 4 May 2009 22:07
vectra estate fuel economy - steveb
Have driven both this model and owned a 150 bhp CDTi estate. TBH you're unlikely to get over 30mpg with the petrol if only doing short distances with such a big heavy car. The petrol VVT feels underpowered - the diesel - either 120hp or 150hp are better with the torque to pull the car along. Also they will do 45mpg all day easily and up to 55 on a run.

The asking price also seems high for what is a now superceded model with the lowest spec engine - what is the model - SRi, Design, Elite etc ?

Hope this helps !

Edited by steveb on 04/05/2009 at 22:09

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Mon 4 May 2009 22:40
vectra estate fuel economy - andyb77
Thanks for your reply Steve. Its a Life model. I know the Insignias replaced the Vectra but I still thought 8 grand was a very good price for a 15 month old car, and the fact that its recently become a discontinued model makes no odds to me. Itd be a car that Id plan on keeping for maybe 10 years. I reckon wed get 30 or so mpg out of it, but yeah a 1.8 petrol estate is what seems to be a sticking point for more car knowledgable people than myself.

The dealers holding it for us til tomorrow. Decision decisions.
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Tue 5 May 2009 08:58
vectra estate fuel economy - Graham567
I drive a 1.8 vvti 07 plate vectra.I get about 25 mpg around town on very short journeys and up to 40mpg on the motorway.

A few things to look out for when test driving the vectra.

1. I find the tyre noise very bad on Bridgestone tyres.
2. The indicators are terrible.
3. The general ride around town over potholes is abismal.
4. The gear change from 1st to 2nd can be jerky if timed wrong.

Good points are:-

1. Massive boot.
2. Lots of toys to play with.Cruise control,electric windows etc.
3. Looks good.

My advise is to take it out for a long test drive(over an hour) and make a note of road noise,suspension give,indicators and gear change and if they are all acceptable to you then its a cracking buy.

Unlike me, who cannot wait for the 3 years to up and to get rid of it.(Been looking at a Mazda 6 tamura)

Hope that helps.
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Tue 5 May 2009 09:36
vectra estate fuel economy - Graham567
Just a side note.Pay no more than £7,695(book price)
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Tue 5 May 2009 10:26
vectra estate fuel economy - maz64
FWIW there are a number of 08 Life estates on www.trade-sales.co.uk starting at £7.6k for ones with 20k miles, and £7.8k for one with 15k miles. So to me your dealer's price doesn't seem too bad - I'm rubbish at haggling anyway.
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Tue 5 May 2009 13:07
vectra estate fuel economy - Ian71
I know its not exactly the same but we havea 2004 1.8 LS estate, with the non VVT engine. It can do about 38mpg on a long trip (not the 42 that the trip computer says...) and this is usually loaded with 3 people and a weekend/short breaks worth of luggage. However, hills do dent this - best I have got on the Kent to Devon trip along the A303 is about 36. In normal pootling around use - which we do try and avoid in the car - it can get down to about 32-33.

Despite all of the niggles, we like it as a car and for long trips it is great. Considerably more space in the back seat than the hatch.
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