Vauxhall Cavalier Hatchback 2.0i CDX 16V 5d (1994/M) Owner Review
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Economy
Value
Bad depreciation. Paid £3000 2 years ago, sold for £1000 now - good for the new buyer.
Costs
Fuel consumption around town is poor, not too bad on a run. Very poor maintenance costs with high mileage as Vauxhall built this car not to last much past 100k miles.
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On the road
Driving
Drives well, except for a VERY niggly hesitation problem which I could never resolve and nor could specialist garages either, including Vauxhall. Very poor performance when hot.
Performance
Excellent when cold, when engine warmed up or especially got hot through the summer or town driving the performance was abysmal. Constant hesitation under load or driving up a hill - felt as if it was a fuel starvation or electrical fault causing it.
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Living with it
Reliability
Starts every time. It was the running costs that crippled us, such as sensors, disks, engine parts and the like.
Image
I like Vauxhall designs and the Cavalier was no exception as far as I was concerned.
Comfort
Nicely finished interior and comfortable drive. No problems there.
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Security and Service
Security
Deadlock was nice. Factory fitted immobiliser caused loads of engine cutouts. Vauxhall dealer was poor as they suggested it was the immobiliser, but would not stand by their word if after paying £100 to remove it the fault continued!
Service
Vauxhall dealer is pathetic - very non-commital. They try to offer solutions at £50 per hour labour, but will not guarantee their advice to be trustworthy. I used several garages to fault find my problems, but found none that I was happy with from a big City.
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Problems and Ownership
Problems
Engine
Poor! Replaced idle air control valve twice in 10,000 miles. Electrical problems and sensors going wrong. Always something going wrong since I owned it and I only did 16,000 miles - ridiculous! Shame on you Vauxhall!
Other
I bought this car because it was a Vauxhall and it looked nice. I thought 16v meant fast performance - it doesn't. Very poorly designed from a mechanical point of view. Expect to go wrong as it gets older beyond normal expected running costs.
Ownership
Did you buy the car new?
Used
Would you buy the same model again?
No
Did you buy from the same manufacturer again?
No