Vauxhall-Opel is now part of Stellantis which was the merger between FIAT-Chrysler and Citroën-Peugeot.
I think it was sold to PSA about 5 years ago. Any older models are based on the GM global models.
I used to work for Avis car hire whilst I was studying at Uni - best part time job ever, getting to drive all sorts of cars as a young lad.
In terms of the smaller cars, in the range at the time were the 206/207, Clio, Fiesta, and Corsa.
Hands down, the Peugeots were the worst, always out of service with all kinds of issues, horrible to drive - this was the case across the range of Pugs. Renaults were the next worst, whilst the Fords were the most reliable. Vauxhauls were always okay - plastic, uncomfortable on long journeys, and generally a bit shit.
Hands down the most comfortable on a long drive however were the pugs - shite soft suspension but nice in terms of general comfort with comfy seats etc.
Last year someone rear ended the Missus’ car, and we had a Fiesta ST-Line (2021 plate) as our courtesy car for 4 months - other than the boring AF 1.0 eco-boost, a great little car. I’d get one of the more recent, bigger engine ones (STs) - but missus likes the JCW Mini’s that are much better but pricier too!
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when we visited italy in 2015, our rental was a Fiesta SE. I think it had a sewing machine under the hood. good enough for what we needed
Funny that you should mention the 206, though. I had one on hire when they first came out and liked the look of them.
I drove down (from Scotland) to a wedding in Newcastle and had the most horrendous back ache. It turned out that there was a design problem with the RHD models and the pedals were misaligned. I didn’t buy the car.
I once had a Peugeot 206 Plus as a courtesy car, I could here the diesel slopping about in the tank. It was quite frightening as I’d never heard that before. (The 206 Plus was manufactured well after the 206 had been replaced by the 207 and 208 (honestly can not remember if there was a 207 Lol)).
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Absolutely my experience of those brands.
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And you’ll be replacing the power steering pump every 20k miles.
When your car insists on being treated the same when you go camping, but wants its own tent :0)
Car Bubble - Approx £500
Well my 32-33 year old bus has come through another MOT. So good for another 12 months.of giving me a warm changing room for camping, surfing etc.
Hopefully will get some more tlc in the coming months with a repaint and a good clean up and waxing underneath. A couple of advisories to address too.
The hope and dream is to get it to MOT and tax free status.
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Wrong colour though…! :0)
Our Mitsi’s stay with us is at an end. Won’t charge now and the touch screen is goosed. Dealers have said they can’t diagnose the charging fault without the screen working (bullshit) and take a wild guess where the screens are made. Ukraine……. Cancelled the lease, back to Hyundai I think.
I’m staving off needing to buy another car but it is finding me! Will probably get a Honda CRV as we seem to be a Honda family.
I grew up on a council estate and my parents didn’t drive. Our life in America seems ridiculous by comparison, as we will have four cars for four people in our house. Part of me doesn’t like it. Part of me just goes with the flow.
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Had a 2005 CRV, lovely car. Way before it’s time with a nice V-tech engine, leather seats. Super comfy.
Got a Toyota Rav 4 2012 now. 4x4 nice drive. Been super reliable. Doesn’t get me noticed here in Guatemala.
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Meet Rhonda the RV. 40th birthday this year, still going strong. My great aunt bought her new in 1984, now with my family as her second caretakers.
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I’ve had a couple of Hondas in the past and liked them. I was thinking of getting one when we moved to Germany but they are like hen’s teeth. I see a few British made Jazz models but aside from that it seems to be exotica.
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I’m finding my vehicle choices are now driven by parts costs along with the associated labour that goes with it. I loathe the current direction of things that forces maintenance back to the main stealer along with the death of the old fashioned mechanic who just know how cars work.
That old van of mine just cost me £90 for 2 new brake calipers and hand brake cables. I fitted them myself. That will do. Give me that over some half trained technician being named as an engineer, swapping loads of parts over because the service manual on a computer says so.
I also had a little Mazda scrapper that was great. Sadly the cost of a new exhaust and some brake discs and pads came out to well over double the value of the car. Shame to be honest. I’d have another if it wasn’t for that.
I’ve heard too many horror stories of the main stealer not having a clue what to do because the computer can’t diagnose the issue and it becomes a lottery of swapping expensive parts etc. I will never buy a Renault having been screwed by them.
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It’s called the parts cannon. Just keep firing at the vehicle and sooner or later it will work, at your expense obviously.
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Yeah and I hate that. I have a mate that had a van constantly cutting out on him, or decided it wouldn’t start intermittently. Main Stealer were completely lost after several weeks and expense. Eventually he found a more traditional mechanic with a heap of electrical know how. Turns out the van has 6 ECU’s and it was the one controlling the ABS system. Yes, a system controlling the brakes and independent of the engine was cutting shutting it off. I cant remember the cost of a new ECU but I think it ran into 4 figures.
The refinement of new stuff is nice but I cant help liking the fact that I know every nut and bolt on something.
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best car I ever owned was that 1990 Honda Civic Si. 1.6L was peppy enough to drive, it was ridiculously simple to work on and source parts for. when I was done at 275000km, my brother and dad put on another 75000km. original engine, trans and clutch!
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My favourite car was a 2.0S Ford Capri 1981. Double carburretor. Went like the clappers in a straight line.
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