Opel Insignia

Shurwhynot

I have €12.5k to spend on a car, and am currently set on picking up an Insignia - I have heard mixed reviews, but then again you'd hear the same about most cars.

I was toying with the idea of going the UK route, but I would be left with no warranty whatsoever as far as i'm aware, as Vauxhall warranty doesn't cover Southern Ireland.

Has anyone heard any reviews on these? Or can someone change my mind as to what to spend my money on?!

road_high

Put 60k kms on one, SRI diesel the past 14 months, flawless. Excellent car, very solid. Economy approx 45mpg with a very heavy right foot ( and boy can she move, 160 bhp version )

George Dalton

With a budget of €12.5k you won't be buying anything with any manufacturers warranty remaining so that isn't really an issue.

I personally wouldn't import an Insignia because I don't like the Vauxhall badging, plus it will be worth less than an Opel come resale or trade in time.

Shurwhynot

And if anyone could recommend a good dealer, I'd appreciate it too!

ninty9er

3 of the 4 cars I've owned have been Opels, however having driven upwards of 30 Insignias through work, the only one worth driving is the 160bhp on TV sized wheels, however, for my money there's isn't a used Insignia on the market worth owning.

If you've your heart set on it, McChesneys in Monaghan were fantastic to deal with when I bought my current car, Hinchy's in Limerick were great when I was looking too.

road_high

ninty9er wrote: »

3 of the 4 cars I've owned have been Opels, however having driven upwards of 30 Insignias through work, the only one worth driving is the 160bhp on TV sized wheels, however, for my money there's isn't a used Insignia on the market worth owning.

If you've your heart set on it, McChesneys in Monaghan were fantastic to deal with when I bought my current car, Hinchy's in Limerick were great when I was looking too.

They appear to be still very expensive used. Not anything for under 10k still and they came out end 2008!!

George Dalton

road_high wrote: »

They appear to be still very expensive used. Not anything for under 10k still and they came out end 2008!!

They are a very popular car. Probably the best selling used car in the class at the moment in our experience.

Plus the whole Opel/Vauxhall thing means the imports don't have quite as much impact on the values of Irish cars as with the likes of a Passat or a Mondeo.

Autosport

We bought our Insignia in Waterford and never had any problems with it. New model coming out next year so the prices might drop.

ImDave

Had the pleasure of driving one for a few days the week before last. Absolutely stunning car. Feels very sturdy and the quality of the interior finishings was very high.

If I had the money I would certainly look for it as my next car.

L-M

Theres a 10L regged Insignia forsale on carzone in Cork.

It was my cousins car from new (Rep mobile) very very well minded!

road_high

ImDave wrote: »

Had the pleasure of driving one for a few days the week before last. Absolutely stunning car. Feels very sturdy and the quality of the interior finishings was very high.

If I had the money I would certainly look for it as my next car.

I love mine. Really couldn't fault it. Right up there with Audi/BMW imho. They are a very big car though, quite wide on the country back roads and in multi storeys.

road_high

George Dalton wrote: »

They are a very popular car. Probably the best selling used car in the class at the moment in our experience.

Plus the whole Opel/Vauxhall thing means the imports don't have quite as much impact on the values of Irish cars as with the likes of a Passat or a Mondeo.

The previous model Vectra dropped in value like a stone in comparison. Think the Insignia has much a better image, regularly in the top 10 sellers here, perception counts for a lot in the new and used market I guess...look at the Golf :rolleyes:

Marty McFly

Hate to be the only one to say this but I have driven two Insignias both rental cars at different times and absolutely hated them both times couldn't wait to get my own car back.

Found the handling woeful felt like I was driving a barge, I didn't find the interior much better either everything felt loose and flimsy.

Now these were rentals so probably the base models so better spec can be gotten. But personally I wouldn't go near one but each to there own.

road_high

Marty McFly wrote: »

Hate to be the only one to say this but I have driven two Insignias both rental cars at different times and absolutely hated them both times couldn't wait to get my own car back.

Found the handling woeful felt like I was driving a barge, I didn't find the interior much better either everything felt loose and flimsy.

Now these were rentals so probably the base models so better spec can be gotten. But personally I wouldn't go near one but each to there own.

Spec and engine transfrom this car. The S spec looks and feels cheap. Put that beside and Elite or SRI and it's like a different car.

ThisRegard

George Dalton wrote: »

Plus the whole Opel/Vauxhall thing means the imports don't have quite as much impact on the values of Irish cars as with the likes of a Passat or a Mondeo.

I don't think the Opel/Vauxhall thing is as big an issue as some people make it out to be.The only place I've ever seen it mentioned is here, and there's plenty of Irish reg'd Vauxhalls of all sorts out on the road for it obviously not to be an issue for many people. Resale time, it's not going to be all that much of a difference.

Pawwed Rig

George Dalton wrote: »

I personally wouldn't import an Insignia because I don't like the Vauxhall badging, plus it will be worth less than an Opel come resale or trade in time.

Why would it be worth less than the Opel? It is the same car right?

Is it possible to rebadge them as an Opel? I saw a Vauxhall advertised on autotrader about a month back that was rebadged. Seemed a bit perculiar to me.

I was considering the Insignia as I think it is a nicer looking car than the Mondeo or the Passat. The UK route also seemed to be preferable to me as there is a wider choice of car and all the Insignia I have seen here have massive mileage. I wouldn't be too concerned about a warranty for that price. There are mechanic services in UK that will do a good check on a car and give you a report before you even get on a plane.

discombobulate

Marty McFly wrote: »

Hate to be the only one to say this but I have driven two Insignias both rental cars at different times and absolutely hated them both times couldn't wait to get my own car back.

Found the handling woeful felt like I was driving a barge, I didn't find the interior much better either everything felt loose and flimsy.

Now these were rentals so probably the base models so better spec can be gotten. But personally I wouldn't go near one but each to there own.

Have one myself this week as a rental. 1.8 petrol engine which isn't great. My Dad has the 160bhp Diesel and loves it though.

One thing i'd definitely go for if I was getting one is rear sensors. Its a big old beast and visibility is quite poor. I was surprised with how little rear leg space there seems to be also. The boot is bloody massive though!

Marty McFly

discombobulate wrote: »

Have one myself this week as a rental. 1.8 petrol engine which isn't great. My Dad has the 160bhp Diesel and loves it though.

One thing i'd definitely go for if I was getting one is rear sensors. Its a big old beast and visibility is quite poor. I was surprised with how little rear leg space there seems to be also. The boot is bloody massive though!

The one I had was the 2.0 diesel the engine and power was quite enjoyable it was just everything else I disliked the handling made me nervous although the cheap ass tyres the rental crowd put on them had a big part to play in that.


But yeh rear visibility isn't great in them at all and the boot is huge.

Pawwed Rig

The back seat headroom would be my main issue with the car when compared to the Passat but I wouldn't be sitting in the back so not my problem:P

Interesting point about rear visibility

bazz26

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Why would it be worth less than the Opel? It is the same car right?

Is it possible to rebadge them as an Opel? I saw a Vauxhall advertised on autotrader about a month back that was rebadged. Seemed a bit perculiar to me.

I was considering the Insignia as I think it is a nicer looking car than the Mondeo or the Passat. The UK route also seemed to be preferable to me as there is a wider choice of car and all the Insignia I have seen here have massive mileage. I wouldn't be too concerned about a warranty for that price. There are mechanic services in UK that will do a good check on a car and give you a report before you even get on a plane.

People's perception of car brands and reputation dictates resale values. Apart from specs and badges Vauxhall and Opel are the same these days. However people's perception of the Vauxhall brand probably dating back when they were crap in the 1970s is a lot less than that of Opel, hence the difference in resale values of both. As Vauxhall's become more popular via importing then the perception will rise and resale values will fall closely into line with Opel.

Zubeneschamali

I've only driven a rental one for a couple of weeks. Rear visibility is atrocious, mirrors are tiny, and the blobby shape makes it hard to judge where the corners and even the sides are. I'm sure you'd get used to all that pretty quickly. I didn't like the interior, a typical German black plastic coalbunker.

But - comfortable, a good range of adjustments allows a perfect driving position, very relaxed on the motorway, massive boot. It's easy to see why these sell well to reps doing big miles.

Brake discs on mine were shagged - apparently a recall issue at the time.

Pawwed Rig

bazz26 wrote: »

People's perception of car brands and reputation dictates resale values. Apart from specs and badges Vauxhall and Opel are the same these days.

If I was selling a Vauxhall I would have advertised it as an Opel. It would never have occurred to me that someone would see a difference.
Jeremy Clarkson has alot to answer for on this one too:D

GavMan

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Opel/Insignia/SRI-2.0-/36513836596863720/advert?channel=CARS

Maybe a bit of haggling could get you in this. SRI model looks to be the one to have

George Dalton

That Insignia is a nice car. We tried to get it ourselves last week, bit disappointed not to get it.

MuppetCheck

OSI wrote: »

Could they not have cleaned the drivers seat a bit better

A shampoo wouldn't have gon astray there alright.

I had a loan of one for a few weeks and thought it was a great comfy cruiser and light enough on juice too. The basic spec interiors arent the nicest places to be though. My only complaint was that on back roads its not a nice drive and for some reason the engine is noisier than it is in the smaller Astra

L-M

Is there any car in basic basic spec with a nice interior?

MuppetCheck

Limerick man wrote: »

Is there any car in basic basic spec with a nice interior?

F458 isn't bad:pac:

colm_mcm

Opel Adam

MuppetCheck

colm_mcm wrote: »

Opel Adam

:eek:

Stoolbend

I've driven the mothers Insignia a good few times. Hers is the 130bhp Elite.
I didn't like the power delivery and the dash clocks reflect on the windscreen at night. That just drove me mad.

Zubeneschamali

Stoolbend wrote: »

the dash clocks reflect on the windscreen at night. That just drove me mad.

Yes, even the radio display throws an annoying reflection on the windscreen at night - amateurish design flaws.

ThisRegard

It's not something I ever noticed, did you have the brightness turned up to the max ?

Stoolbend

ThisRegard wrote: »

It's not something I ever noticed, did you have the brightness turned up to the max ?

You'll notice it now.

I couldn't tell you what the brightness was set too. It really shouldn't matter though.

road_high

ThisRegard wrote: »

It's not something I ever noticed, did you have the brightness turned up to the max ?

Same and drive one myself. You can adjust the brightness i think

Zubeneschamali

road_high wrote: »

You can adjust the brightness i think

That's hardly the point. The binnacle should make it impossible, but it's styled rather than designed.

Ded_Zebra

Never have a problem with the dash lights reflecting in the window myself tbh.

To all of the people who say that they're very fast, excellent handling and very comfortable what else have you driven They're adequate at best!

MuppetCheck

Ded_Zebra wrote: »

Never have a problem with the dash lights reflecting in the window myself tbh.

To all of the people who say that they're very fast, excellent handling and very comfortable what else have you driven They're adequate at best!

I only said the comfortable part but they aren't bad cruisers. Definitely more than adequate imo.

I wouldn't call the 130 I had fast, more than adequate for what it is mind but the handling was well below par on the basic model at least.

Ded_Zebra

MuppetCheck wrote: »

I only said the comfortable part but they aren't bad cruisers. Definitely more than adequate imo.

I wouldn't call the 130 I had fast, more than adequate for what it is mind but the handling was well below par on the basic model at least.

Over a long trip I get a sore back due to the awkward positioning of the clutch foot rest. They are quite in the front but very loud in the back. There is a lot of road noise from the back wheels. The interior plastics in ours have also all faded different amounts in the sun so the dash now has 3 different shades of brown, very nasty looking.

Power wise they are fine but certainly not amazing, we have a 160 and it's fine but not fast by any stench.

MuppetCheck

Ded_Zebra wrote: »

Over a long trip I get a sore back due to the awkward positioning of the clutch foot rest. They are quite in the front but very loud in the back. There is a lot of road noise from the back wheels. The interior plastics in ours have also all faded different amounts in the sun so the dash now has 3 different shades of brown, very nasty looking.

I find it very difficult to drive I'm the back so didn't notice the road noise:pac:

Never had any problems on the comfort front but everyone's different. Not getting plastics right though is basic stuff and shouldn't be happening.

knipex

the base model is horrible. rotten seats.

Sri is much much nicer to drive.

The 130 is poor to adequate but the 160 is perfectly fine. Steering is light and over assisted and the power curve of the diesel is weird but with the right seats a good cruiser and can be pushed on when required (its no sports car). I hear people raving about the mondeo but pretty much all the diesels are way under powered the interior is horrible and cheap looking and the spec is poor. very bad value for money. Plus I think their their handling is over rated..

Worst part of the insignia was rear visibility which sucks ( get the parking sensors) they eat front tyres but outside of thst I liked both of mine.. Go with the 160 and the hatch (HUGE boot) avoid the S (and to a lesser extent thr SE) and you will be fine. I hear the 09 ones had some issues (although the one I had was fine) so if you can go 2010. You will struggle to get anything but a very high mileage one on a 10k budget but some of the UK ones are cheap.

paulisagayboy

Interesting thread,

Looking at getting an insignia over in England just wondering if the OP ended up getting one or how the problems opinions have changed.....I was looking at a 2010 Sri 160 model.

Test drove a 130 2011 Yest and was lovely, just a bit slow....

Was in my local garage today and the owner
was saying that the insig was a poor car with loads of problems and it has put me off slightly...any weight to this claim??

George Dalton

paulisagayboy wrote: »

Was in my local garage today and the owner
was saying that the insig was a poor car with loads of problems and it has put me off slightly...any weight to this claim??

We sell a lot of Insignias and they do suffer from several small niggles but nothing too major either.

Issues specific to the Insignia that we have seen include:
Power steering pipes leak.
Glow plugs fail causing limp mode.
DPF differential pressure sensors fail causing limp mode.
Boost pipes split causing limp mode.
Front ABS sensors are prone to failure.
The boot release button often fails.
Had one back with a dodgy fuel gauge sender unit but that seems to have been a one-off.

All of the above are relatively easy and cheap fixes, nothing is going to break the bank.

We have also noticed that they are extremely hard on rear brake discs and pads.

Then add to that your usual modern diesel issues that you will get with any car such as DMF, DPF, EGR, Turbo etc.

paulisagayboy

George Dalton wrote: »

We sell a lot of Insignias and they do suffer from several small niggles but nothing too major either.

Issues specific to the Insignia that we have seen include:
Power steering pipes leak.
Glow plugs fail causing limp mode.
DPF differential pressure sensors fail causing limp mode.
Boost pipes split causing limp mode.
Front ABS sensors are prone to failure.
The boot release button often fails.
Had one back with a dodgy fuel gauge sender unit but that seems to have been a one-off.

All of the above are relatively easy and cheap fixes, nothing is going to break the bank.

We have also noticed that they are extremely hard on rear brake discs and pads.

Then add to that your usual modern diesel issues that you will get with any car such as DMF, DPF, EGR, Turbo etc.

Thanks very much for detailed response, I'd imagine this is a similar profile to any used car and wouldn't put you off reccomending the insig so???

George Dalton

Yes I could do just as long a list for a Mondeo or a Passat or whatever. If you like the Insignia than go for it.

edburg

I bought a UK insignia cdti 160 elite saloon 18 months ago absolutely brilliant car, so much so parents nabbed it lol, got it from north from garage that does most his business with south.

Had boot switch fail cost me 15e to replace that put a bit of silicone on back of it and waxed the gaps when changed it.

Plus a glow plug but didn't notice any performance issue's Greenhall dealer replaced it at a service again only 24e.

Car been up n down France, this country fair bit and as above brilliant car.

I personally would say you find a UK car better looked after, better spec from looking around South.