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Post by Tim on Sept 7, 2020 8:52:56 GMT
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Sept 7, 2020 9:20:08 GMT
When I first met my future wife (obviously the lucky girl didn't know it then) she had her dad's old, ex-company, R reg Mk1 Cavalier very similar to the one in the picture. It was quite a good drive, quite relaxing on long journeys, albeit with a long gearchange throw if I recall correctly. I'd only driven Fords up to that point but it did seem more modern than the equivalent Cortina. The Mk.2 pool car I drove for my first job was a great car and switched me onto Vauxhalls in a big way.
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Post by Roadrunner on Sept 7, 2020 9:37:56 GMT
My dad briefly had a Mk 2 Cavalier and it was a revelation after the Fords.
The stand-out car on the BBC list for me is the 30-98. A car which is quite rightly compared to the 1920s Bentleys and is one of the all-time greats.
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Post by Blarno on Sept 7, 2020 10:38:58 GMT
In my experience, Vauxhalls always had the better interiors and engines, but worse chassis and gearboxes.
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Post by Martin on Sept 7, 2020 10:51:25 GMT
My first two cars were Vauxhalls, a MK2 Astra and a MK3 Cavalier. I didn't have a huge choice as they were ex company car bargains through my Dad, but I had use of a couple of Sierra pool cars at the time I had the Cavalier and it was much nicer in every way. I then had a very early Mondeo 2.0i Ghia as a temporary company car for 2 months which was an unbelievable improvement. That's created the most interest out of any car I've had, it was on loan from Ford and was the only one I saw for several weeks after getting it.
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Post by johnc on Sept 7, 2020 11:19:11 GMT
My first two cars were Vauxhalls, a MK2 Astra and a MK3 Cavalier. I didn't have a huge choice as they were ex company car bargains through my Dad, but I had use of a couple of Sierra pool cars at the time I had the Cavalier and it was much nicer in every way. I then had a very early Mondeo 2.0i Ghia as a temporary company car for 2 months which was an unbelievable improvement. That's created the most interest out of any car I've had, it was on loan from Ford and was the only one I saw for several weeks after getting it. The first Mondeo really was a massive step up and a wake up call for the whole motor industry. I had a few track and extended driving days in the Mondeo when it came out, thanks to a friend who worked for Ford's marketing company. However I have always had a soft spot for Vauxhalls. My Mum had a Mk1 Astra for a while and it was so good my Dad kept using it. I also had a Nova that I raced very successfully and the engines were super strong even when significantly tuned - the basic cranks, bearings etc were capable of much more than the pressures the standard cars ever exerted on them. My lightweight Westfield also had the 2 litre 16V red top and it just kept going regardless of what was thrown at it. |
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Post by PG on Sept 7, 2020 15:08:49 GMT
The first Mrs PG has a Mk 2 Cavalier (a 1.6 L IIRC) as a company car while I had an Orion 1.6 Ghia at the time. As said above, better engine and interior in the Cavalier, but I also remember the incredibly sloppy long throw gear change. The Mk 3 Cavalier was a better every-day car than the Sierra, but the Mondeo really moved the game on and the Vauxhall / Opel Vectra was always totally outclassed by it. That said, the V6 Vectra was a great understated Q car in its day.
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Post by Tim on Sept 8, 2020 9:15:42 GMT
The only Mk1 Cavalier I remember being in was a taxi many moons ago. I do remember the long throw gearchange though.
My Aunt's stepfather had a gold Manta GT/E in the mid to late 80s. I loved that. In particular brown tinted glass seemed quite exotic compared with the non-timted stuff in the majority of cars.
My parent's Montego 2.0HL also had brown tinted glass.
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Post by racingteatray on Sept 8, 2020 10:33:17 GMT
I have never particularly wanted any Vauxhall, but there plenty around when I was a kid.
My grandmothers were partial to them. Dad's mother had one as her last car (she died in '95) - it was an H-reg silver 5dr Astra Mk2. That was very confusing as at the time my other grandmother also had a silver 5dr Astra Mk2, albeit on an F-plate. That grandmother went on to have a white Nova 5dr and finally a red Corsa 3dr. When she got the Corsa, Mum took on the Nova as a run-about for my sisters to learn to drive in.
Dad also went through a phase of Vauxhalls as company cars when we first came back to England in 1986. He had a black C-reg Cavalier SRI, which rapidly made way for a silver C-reg Senator 3.0 CD (uber-cool digi-dash), which he kept for a couple of years before upgrading to an F-reg E34 520i SE.
Then later after he'd moved back to Italy, whenever he came over to the UK, his bank would provide him with an rental car, which was almost invariably a Senator 3.0-24v CDX (also with the digi-dash). I remember when I was learning to drive, if he was in the UK, he'd come and pick me up for the weekend from school, we'd whack some magnetic L-plates on whichever Senator it was and off we'd go back to London via the A-roads rather than the motorway. Obviously they were automatics, but Dad felt it was all about time spent learning good roadcraft. The rental company, ahem, didn't need to know...
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Post by PG on Sept 8, 2020 11:54:03 GMT
I still think well of the red 16v Calibra I had when they first came out (1992). The 16v engine was a peach and the exterior design was really eye catching. It was a car that always drew lots of positive comment from people. Then Vauxhall fucked it later on up by sticking their awful corporate grille on it and failing to update the interior which was the car's weak point.
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Post by Grampa on Nov 12, 2020 14:34:21 GMT
I've always liked my Vauxhalls - Mk 2 Astra in 87, upgraded to an SRi (my first ever brand new car) on Jan 1st 88, followed by a Calibra (8V) on Jan 1st 1991 - it was a real eye catcher and a conversation starter wherever it was parked in those days - and Mk5 Astra VXR in 07. The new Corsa is quite special as small car to drive too - different league to a Polo and nicer than the last Fiesta (I haven't driven the latest one).
I've also driven the Cavalier in the link, a Mk1 Astra (but not the GTE) and a Bedford CA - by some margin, the scariest thing I have ever driven.
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Post by LandieMark on Nov 29, 2020 19:58:38 GMT
In my experience, Vauxhalls always had the better interiors and engines, but worse chassis and gearboxes. Pretty much mine too. Despite that, I nearly always preferred the Vauxhall over the Ford. I had two Corsas when I was younger. The first a 1.4SRi and the second a 1.6 Sport. They may not have handled as well as a Fiesta, but the engines were punchy and the styling a lot less pensioner. I would happily have a Mk1 Astra or Nova in SR or GTe trim today. |
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