Vauxhall Meriva (2003 - 2009)
Meriva Breeze 1.6i 16v
Cheap and functional
Sadly just died and sold for sc*** after 138,000 miles and cambelt failure resulting in bent valves.
That said I knew I was taking a risk as it was due a change having last been replaced at 60,000 miles.
I enjoyed owning the Meriva which I used for a 20 mile commute daily and found it useful as a van (fold down seats and flat bed) shipping stuff to the dump later in it's life and early on as a good family car with two young kids in the back with their own fold down tables. I did experience the dreaded sudden loss of power steering (EPS) but got used to reseting it on the go but restarting the engine and found the problem to occur occasional over the 10 years I used the car. The car never really let me down although it did manage to run on 3 cylinders to get me home due to a loose spark plug. Recurrent problems with headlight bulb failure and intermittent stop and rear indicator bulbs due to intermittent electrical connections in the bulb fitting design. Front tyres tended to wear quickly but turning circle was great. CV boot clips failed on outers, track rod ends, wheel bearing and CV joints at 130,000m. Anti rollbar droplinks regular MoT item. Generaly failed MoT's needing some work but nothing major. We were sad to see it go as it served us well. Most liked the sit up driving position.
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About this car
Price | £11,590–£18,660 |
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Road Tax | E–J |
MPG | 36.2–56.5 mpg |
Real MPG | 86.9% |