Hi there i was just wondering if anybody knows anything about vauxhall
I know a fair bit, but wouldn't consider myself an expert by a long stretch!
I am in the process of buying 1............ a 2.0GL this car seems too good to be true for the money K plate £395!
It's a good price, but not desperately cheap - it's a buyer's market out there and Carltons really aren't worth that much in the grand scheme of things - superb cars though, and really built to last (apart from the rust problems, but if this is fairly solid then it should be good for a good few years yet). Definitely worth the money though. The 2 litre engines are pretty bomb proof, and will go on forever on little more than regular oil and filter changes.
new tyres ,exhaust, abs ,water pump and all the electrics work no blue smoke Engine sounds sweet and pulls well? SO what am going on about? Well i used to own the 2.2CDI Auto and that was a great car but..when things went wrong my pocket hurt Big time
Not too familiar with the older 2.2 engines, but the 2 litre ones are on the whole very reliable, and very straightforward to service etc.
I was just wondering as i am not too familiar with this model if there is anything in particular i should be looking for. Again the usual stuff like bodywork (sills ) etc are great the boot is clean the trim is not worn or burnt it has 116000 on the clock thats about the only thing i can see.
The only real failing point on these is rust, and the common points where they go, other than sills, are the rear chassis rails and the rear arches. Have a feel under the rear arches - if they're caked in mud (and they may well be) give them a good whack to loosen it so you can have a proper feel - if they're solid then you're doing alright. It's hard to describe exactly where to look on the rear chassis rails - basically right at the back - I know exactly where to look as I had a Carlton with rotten ones once! If these are solid, then there's a fair chance the rest of the car is fairly solid overall. My K plate Carlton CDX Estate cost me £800 just over a year ago, and I bought it knowing exactly where to look for the major weaknesses regarding rust. It certainly paid off come MOT time - all it failed on was emissions (because I'd de-catted it, flew through the test once I put the cat back on), one sidelight out and headlights needing adjusting. Not bad at all for a 184k-miler.
Peter
