388 replies to this topic

[kinnyboy]

Just sold today to DJ SL. Am already thinking about the next one but wont be happening for a while. Still have the Cooper S to bomb about in so not all bad. Not the same though. A VXR could be tempting in 6 months or so!! Let you know how my cold turkey goes in the coming weeks!

[Tuomas]

I sold mine a few weeks ago and completely forgotto post here Although I have still been lurking around on site Great forum I sold out to get a few quid for my new place and the fact that my licence wasn't going to last much longer!!! Great cars, handle brilliantly and a stage 1.5 NA was the car it always should have been in the first place. ABS a bit disconcerting when pushing along though. Can't complain about the rattles, expense of tyres etc; afterall it's not a ford focus! Great meets with some insane driving and good to be part of a real What have I got now, A Clio Cup Race Car, that I may race next season but at least now I have to drive on a circuit to get my thrills! Which I think is the better option. Another VX, I'd like one, maybe as a trackday tool but otherwise no due to all this bollocks with speeding.

[Tony_M]

I'd trade mine in for a Dodge Viper without a seconds thought, but that's about it...

[ajussi]

mine goes into lotus ribble valley for repair tomorrow - should be the last i see of her. she'll be collected by grimshaws and packed back off to vauxhall leasing - watch out for her at auction - she'll have a new front end on and will be an immaculate 03 rabiata. she's been in 2 minor accidents - one front, one rear. mobile 1 since 4k miles.

i loved her and all my driving experience with her. met most of you bunch in person because of her. it's been an absolute pleasure.

i say it's been a pleasure, but it's not all been plain sailing. vauxhall have been a total let down whenever it comes to anything relating to getting a damaged vx back on the road. because of this i decided i'd had enough that she'll be the last vauxhall i ever own.

£20K+ for a car and vauxhall think it's ok for it to take 3 months for parts is a fcukin joke that just aint funny.

on friday i fly to london to pick my new baby. i can hardly wait. titanium S2 exige here i come...

[jneill]

Make sure you keep the oil topped up Seriously Paul, it is a shocker the way Vx treat owners - I think we are all pretty much agreed that we are 220 enthusiasts rather than Vauxhall. Enjoy life with the Exige

[UKspeedster]

can't believe I forgot to post in here... Said goodbye to the Speedy last month What a cracking car and will be sorry to see it go - I've had to sell the Racing Puma as well this year and hence losing out on close to the best front and rear wheel drive cars... Plus points - the looks the drive, the handling, the feeling of the cold breeze on an open top drive at night a great group of owners and track day fun All in, it's a pretty reasonably priced car to buy and run and you'll be hard pushed to find something to give more smiles per mile (especially at legal speeds! ). Bad points - the visibility, other's visibility of you the heater/demisting could be better, but most of all the dealers although not all are as bad as each other. Whilst West End were the pits, Picador were great and Phoenix were reasonable. Not eve too much to complain about with storage - assuming you come in with your eyes open and don't expect to move furniture... The future? Currently I'm carless here in the US, although there is planning afoot. So many options, although I have to say, the Federal Elise is not one of them - I've seen 2 now and they are just so tiny and the roads so poor, that I can't see it being a pleasure. So that leaves me considering the best of US (Mustang, Corvette), Japan (350Z, NSX) and Europe (Boxster, SLK, Cayman, 911, AMV8....). Although I think the budget might be decided by how big a house Mrs UKSpeedster wants.... I'm sure I'll pop in occasionally to give some random words of advice in the Off Topic section I'm still struggling to find a good selection of US websites...

[speedyK]

Same old story over and over again: people love the car but are reduced to seething with rage at the mind-boggling incompetence, lack of care, interest or enthusiasm of GM dealers for what is, after all, pretty much the epitome of an enthusiast's car. Vowed mine would never be dealt with by GM again, except when there was absolutely no alternative, and that I would certainly never put myself at their mercy again by being foolish enough to buy another GM vehicle. Due to my involuntary loss of the car after we went over a mountain together, I too am now looking elsewhere for a replacement... Anyone who has experienced what GM dare to call "service" and buys GM again has either found one of the few good 'uns that apparently do exist, or has just been very lucky so far and will no doubt all too soon receive a rude awakening.

[ajussi]

lol, guess what? it is still in the bodyshop - replacement clam damaged in 3 places and the wrong radiator sent. so i have paid for another month so my vauxhall can sit off the road losing money - quality.

[jules_s]

lol, guess what?

it is still in the bodyshop - replacement clam damaged in 3 places and the wrong radiator sent.

so i have paid for another month so my vauxhall can sit off the road losing money - quality.

Jesus mate,

How can you possibly be paying for their incompetence?

Gotta be a deal struck there surely

[ajussi]

guess what she's fixed and ready for collection tomorrow - aug 13th to the october 24th for a 10 mph shunt. quality.

[Whiteboy]

I must say I miss driving my old car greatly, but I will never ever buy a bloody vauxhall again, they are the biggest wankers I have ever had to deal with.

[Smiler]

buy an old one and sort it elsewhere...?

[ajussi]

guess what she's fixed and ready for collection tomorrow - aug 13th to the october 24th for a 10 mph shunt. quality.

70 mile round trip and half a days work lost - my vx na still isn't acceptable as vauxhall sent turbo front headlamps.

NOT FUNNY. NOT FUNNY AT ALL.

[speedyK]

guess what she's fixed and ready for collection tomorrow - aug 13th to the october 24th for a 10 mph shunt. quality.

70 mile round trip and half a days work lost - my vx na still isn't acceptable as vauxhall sent turbo front headlamps.

NOT FUNNY. NOT FUNNY AT ALL.

And the worst part is, do you think anyone working there gives a toss about your wasted time? Do they fcuk – and if you tried to expain the concept to them, you'd just be wasting more of your time.

Have to say the Lotus dealer here in Switz. couldn't be better: the staff and him are knowlegable, friendly, competent, efficient, helpful, enthusiastic, offering solutions to problems instantly. Basically everything that GM are not. Like I said before, night and day. I feel so good knowing that I have real dealer support from people who live Lotus, rather than a bunch of wasters who normally work on shed-like GM family runarounds and repmobiles for the majority of their (normally* equally disinterested) customers.

* Though I have to say, when I was at the GM main dealer to inspect the bump repair they'd inadequately sorted (for the third time ), as I stood waiting to be attended to, the bloke on the reception was being verbally torn to pieces by a woman who was almost frothing at the mouth protesting at the dealer's incompetence – had the car to repair x times and still not right, etc. Typical and pitiful.

Glad I'm out of it!

Edited by speedyK, 26 October 2005 - 04:45 PM.

[stuntman]

My car got collected today, so now I am officially an ex-owner Well, in the 2 years and 2 months that I had my VXT I can honestly say that I have had the absolute best road drives of my life so far. The steering feel in particular was always just fantastic and I doubt that anything other than a VX/Elise/maybe a Caterham comes close. When I was fully dialled-in to the car's responses it was a truly sweet driving experience. When I learned that the best way to exploit the car was to relax, let the car flow, read the information that's being fed to you through the steering and the chassis and then progressively 'lean on' it, the car really did fly across country. That said, I don't think I'll miss it unduly now it's gone. Fairly early on into the ownership experience I knew it wouldn't be a long-term keeper. So I'm pleased I got the most out of the car and derived the pleasure from owning such a focused driver's car. For the money it's untouchable as a powerful nimble driving machine for the road, but it's helped me sort my priorities from a car - which include better braking, a more inspiring engine note, normally-aspirated power delivery and a bit more comfort than the VXT provides even in the hardtop-and-lots-of-options-configuration that I specced on mine! Stunters

[ajussi]

you missed :poop: :poop:

[stuntman]

I think that was Huntsman, rather than Stuntman Hope your car's fully mended now btw.

[ajussi]

ooops sorry mate. i got you mixed up - yours was the car that arrived the day before the first national or is my brain totally on it''s way out? yeppers picked her up this morning from lotus ribble valley. she looked absolutely stunning i have to say. they had done a beautiful job on her. the guy from my dealers followed me all the way back and i could bearly keep my eyes off my side and rearview mirrors. i'm a little sad she's gone i have to say - despite everything...

[simstim]

OK, so you've decided that the VX must go

Fair enough - time moves on and circumstances change, etc, etc...

So, what does the VX after-life hold in store? More extreme motoring? A sensible car? Or have you decided that driving simply can't get any better and you're going to quite while you're at the peak?

Let us know here.

Just sold my VX about 30 minutes ago

VX after life is an E90 BMW 320d for 2 years, then hopefully something more fun.

Thinking about it more, I think it would be something different to the VX, 'never go back' and all. 330d/335d is probable, unless they drastically change the taxation laws.