Holden vectra

[oosty85]

Hey, i'm going to look at and possibly purchase a 1998 JS CD 2.5L V6 Holden Vectra tomorrow and i've heard some bad things about them, in particular the durability of the engine..

can anyone just give me some feedback on what they know of them. If u have owned one, your thoughts would be appreciated.

I have searched a few reviews on them and they seem to get the thumbs up mostly.

cheers, Josh.

[oosty85]

sorry, i meant 2.2L engine.

[hwy747]

I had a 1999 JS Vectra, from new until 50,000km with no issues what so ever. For me it was an awesome car. However a friend that had the same model and the engine seized at 85,000km even with regular servicing and maintenance of the car! I have heard a lot of stories where people love them, and a few people hate them. Pot luck really. Apparently the JSII was worse than the series 1 that you are looking at! The biggest issue I have with them is the cost of the parts though! I had a 2000 CD Astra, front bearings were going to cost me $565 + GST + fitting for each side!!!!!

To drive, they are awesome on the road, plenty of power for a 2.2L, free revving engine (and decent sound too), good fuel economy, solid build but if things go south ....... not so fun forking out the $$$!

[oosty85]

cheers hwy747, i guess for $5000 i can't really complain if it dies..if i start hearing noises, sell it!!! haha.

hopefully pot luck is on my side though, because this vectra i'm looking at has EVERYTHING inside and out. really nice car, so hopefully it drives well.

thanks man.

[hwy747]

No dramas mate. Good luck with it!!

[neet_wagon]

DO NOT BUY IT.

Voted #1 in the dog and lemon guide ('tis a book on all cars faults)
My missus had one when we got together, and I had to drive it to work everynight (niteshift)
It lasted 2 months with non-stop issues before i traded it (gotta love a clean-swap) for my VR wagon I have now. Best thing I ever did!

[Asmodai78]

MY missus had a 2000 model, we traded it in early last year for a VY berlina, in the 8 years she had it she clocked up 58thou, in that 58thou it had 3 head gaskets replaced, 1 ecu and bcm replaced, all engine sensors replaced twice and the gearbox replaced 3 times,

so please DON'T BUY IT save your money there are so many better cars out there for 5 grand.

[oosty85]

asmodau78 holy..holy sh!t, that is alot of replacements!! like ridiculous amounts of head gaskets and gearboxes...

i have read that the 2.2L is australian made, where as the 2.0L and 2.5L is imported from belgium. so the model i'm lookiing at is built for australian conditions. I've heard that if your gonna buy one, to get this one.

[Asmodai78]

it was the 2.2L

[neet_wagon]

So was ours....

We also did 2 head gaskets and the gearbox was almost dead when we got rid of it

[wingwang99]

I was looking at the same model. I was told to run and not look back

[oosty85]

lol...seems like alot of bad experiences. so why do people say "get the australian built 2.2L" if they r just as bad???

[Asmodai78]

you gotta define "built"
all the parts come from all over the world, so its more then likely built/assembled/unboxed and put together here in Aus, i doubt any of the parts are manufactured here.

[neet_wagon]

Aren't they put together in Korea along with all the other Daewoo and 'Holden' small cars?

I wouldn't buy another vectra if my life depended on it.
I would steer clear, plenty of more reliable cars out there for the same money.

[hwy747]

Aren't they put together in Korea along with all the other Daewoo and 'Holden' small cars?

I wouldn't buy another vectra if my life depended on it.
I would steer clear, plenty of more reliable cars out there for the same money.

Vectra is made by Opel in Belgium and the 2.2L was assembled in Australia. The Astra is an Opel too. Only the Barina/Cruze/Captiva are Daewoo sourced.

[Dayvo]

My mate across the road has one and is nothing but trouble. The latest problem is when the outside temperature is above 37 degrees the auto goes into limp mode and he has to change gears maunally.

[vk.jonno]

i got a 2000 model 4cyl manual and its never ever broken down owned it scince new

[rleong]

I'm a bit late coming to the party but a few months back, I traded my VS commodore for a 2000 JS II CD V6 2.5 litre model.

paid $6K and spent over $2.5K in repairs. When it started leaking coolant after running faultlessly for two weeks ! , i bit the bullet and traded it in for $3K. I lost over $5K all up in the purchase and repairs of the car. I owned the car for about 4 months and drove for just over 2,000 K's.

I have owned many cars over the years but this has to be the worst I have ever owned. i was never confident about taking it anywhere because of all the various problems I've had with it.

If you look online, you will find a catalogue of horrors and my car had most of them and a few extras thrown in.

Hope this comment helps anyone thinking about going down that road to reconsider.

[v8oz]

I'm a bit late coming to the party but a few months back, I traded my VS commodore for a 2000 JS II CD V6 2.5 litre model.

paid $6K and spent over $2.5K in repairs. When it started leaking coolant after running faultlessly for two weeks ! , i bit the bullet and traded it in for $3K. I lost over $5K all up in the purchase and repairs of the car. I owned the car for about 4 months and drove for just over 2,000 K's.

I have owned many cars over the years but this has to be the worst I have ever owned. i was never confident about taking it anywhere because of all the various problems I've had with it.

If you look online, you will find a catalogue of horrors and my car had most of them and a few extras thrown in.

Hope this comment helps anyone thinking about going down that road to reconsider.

This is pretty much my experience of the Vectra too, haha @ never being confident taking it anywhere. Horrible thing to be thinking about when going anywhere at all

[imrtal]

I bought a brand spanking new 2003 Vectra CD Sedan, Saphire Black 5 speed manual and the baby still runs like the day I bought her. I've had her for 6 yrs now and she's got only 39500 ks on it and everyone who sees is amazed at the gorgeous vehicle. No probs nothing. I guess it's as I've always believed. 'A car is only as good as it's owner' Too much emphasis on the vehicle but no one states how shit that some vehicles get treated by their owners. I say the same with anything. Our goods are only as good as their owners!

[MR.HG]

my mother in law had a 97 astra which has the same engine/driveline...she just traded it in for a 2008 corolla after being quoted 2 grand to do engine mounts and spending 7 grand in 6 months in repairs.....i think holden fails in the small-mid class