Help me feel better about my SXi (Long Post)

**silvermachine** · 15th July 2008, 22:48

Hi,

4 weeks ago I bought a Silver Lightning Sxi 150.

Great car, trouble is, I don't love it.

I can't pinpoint quite why, but there are a couple of niggly things about it.

Since I bought it, I have found a few things out about it.

1. It only has 1 key, stealers want £120 for a new one.

2. Most panels have been resprayed. I am very fussy about car paintwork, and didn't notice it at first, but on polishing it, the small amounts of overspray give it away. Very good job though, an untrained eye wouldn't ever notice (used to be in the trade).

No panels seem to have been replaced, so I think it may be vandal damage. All panels line up perfectly, and the spraying stops at the door shuts, so may have been keyed.

3. The car has done 80,000 miles, and has very firm suspension. It also follows the camber of the road, and doesn't feel quite "right" at town speeds, but is an absolute Beast (I love it) at 80 mph+ (on the autobahn)

4. It's a 1 owner, ex lloydstsb lease car, and has full service history (No stamped book, but a 2 page print out detailing every penny spent on it)

5. It squeaks from cold. Fan belt I hope. New cambelt was fitted before I bought it.

FYI the car is a Silver Lightning SXi 1.9 CDTi 150, 2005 05 plate, 80k miles, and cost me £5995. Reasonable?

What do you guys reckon, should I just stop worrying and drive it?

It looks fantastic, and one day I love it, the next I hate it, and wish I'd bought a Mondeo.

HELP ME!!!

**Big Sig** · 15th July 2008, 22:52

Nothing wrong with the SXi, Get it professionally detailed and corrected, that will make it look 100 times better. What sort of squeak? Probably the Aux drive belt, cheap to replace - pretty sure they have one. TBH it sounds like a nice car. Put a caterman box and you will love it even more!

Oh, the mondeo is not as good imo

**DennisTheMenace** · 15th July 2008, 23:00

I think i would feel the same , live and learn ! i should have paid an extra £5 a month and got the titanium x mondeo but the lure of 150ps engine dab etc and slightly cheaper running cost made me get the vectra . poor repair have just added to the frustration and i no longer care for the car , soooo if you see NL 06 DBO at an auction walk the other way (the dent in the roof at the top of a b pillar should make you do that anyway)

**DennisTheMenace** · 15th July 2008, 23:06

Originally Posted by Big Sig

Oh, the mondeo is not as good imo

Thas because you like vauxhalls , so do i but i have no brand loyalty , the mondeo wipes the floor with the vectra for driving every time , you can put an LX mondeo up against an SRI and the mondeo will feel sharper . The way the mondeo can eat corners without breaking a sweat is uncanny , the funny thing is GM fitted alloy wishbones etc to reduce unsprung weight and improve handling and still fell short by a huge margin . sill makes me laught when apparently a gm engineer told a weekly car mag they made the vec outhandle the mondeo , but chose not to and tuned it for comfort ! idiot !

**Big Sig** · 15th July 2008, 23:14

Originally Posted by DennisTheMenace

Thas because you like vauxhalls , so do i but i have no brand loyalty , the mondeo wipes the floor with the vectra for driving every time , you can put an LX mondeo up against an SRI and the mondeo will feel sharper . The way the mondeo can eat corners without breaking a sweat is uncanny , the funny thing is GM fitted alloy wishbones etc to reduce unsprung weight and improve handling and still fell short by a huge margin . sill makes me laught when apparently a gm engineer told a weekly car mag they made the vec outhandle the mondeo , but chose not to and tuned it for comfort ! idiot !

You say I like VX's? How do you know???? This is only my third. I have always been a ford man in the past. Orions, Escorts, sierras, mondeos...... Had most of the range from mid 80's. Just don't like the mondeo. They do drive firmer, but prefer the Vec/Signum this time round. Next, who knows.

**signumboy** · 15th July 2008, 23:18

You must have loved it at some stage as you did buy it ..you need to look at the best of the car not the worst, all the guys on here would say that there is one or two things they don't like about their motor. I myself only had my car for 3 days when some git thought the paintwork needed altering not bad for a 3 day old car and i can still see the marks on the roof even after body shop repair ..but hey i love my car now and all its imperfections

**silvermachine** · 15th July 2008, 23:34

You Mondeo Fanboys aren't helping!

**VectraV6CDTi** · 15th July 2008, 23:36

Originally Posted by DennisTheMenace

..... you can put an LX mondeo up against an SRI and the mondeo will feel sharper ......

Dont start me off!!! Utter rubbish!

I had a Y reg (new shape) Mondeo 2.0 LX and its handling and drive was dull and boring at best. Brakes were pathetic too. I agree, the Vec standard, non-SRi suspension can be a little wallowy but an SRi set-up will wipe the floor with a standard Mundeo

. My Mondeo was a company car and I was glad to see the back of it. The car I had after was a Vec 2.2 Direct SXi 04 plate. Sooooo much better than a dull Mundeo 2.0 LX IMO.

**VectraV6CDTi** · 15th July 2008, 23:38

When I had the Mondeo I test drove a couple of Vecs I and remember at the time thinking how better they were. Didnt want to get back into the Mondeo.

**Duncan** · 15th July 2008, 23:41

Originally Posted by silvermachine

Hi,

4 weeks ago I bought a Silver Lightning Sxi 150.

Great car, trouble is, I don't love it.

I can't pinpoint quite why, but there are a couple of niggly things about it.

Since I bought it, I have found a few things out about it.

1. It only has 1 key, stealers want £120 for a new one.

2. Most panels have been resprayed. I am very fussy about car paintwork, and didn't notice it at first, but on polishing it, the small amounts of overspray give it away. Very good job though, an untrained eye wouldn't ever notice (used to be in the trade).

No panels seem to have been replaced, so I think it may be vandal damage. All panels line up perfectly, and the spraying stops at the door shuts, so may have been keyed.

3. The car has done 80,000 miles, and has very firm suspension. It also follows the camber of the road, and doesn't feel quite "right" at town speeds, but is an absolute Beast (I love it) at 80 mph+ (on the autobahn)

4. It's a 1 owner, ex lloydstsb lease car, and has full service history (No stamped book, but a 2 page print out detailing every penny spent on it)

5. It squeaks from cold. Fan belt I hope. New cambelt was fitted before I bought it.

FYI the car is a Silver Lightning SXi 1.9 CDTi 150, 2005 05 plate, 80k miles, and cost me £5995. Reasonable?

What do you guys reckon, should I just stop worrying and drive it?

It looks fantastic, and one day I love it, the next I hate it, and wish I'd bought a Mondeo.

HELP ME!!!

1 - Tell them to take a hike asking that for a key. Should cost around £65 all in, including programming. £37.50 + VAT for the key. £10-15 + VAT for programming. If they charge more than that for programming they're taking the pee.

2 - As above, a good going over with an orbital polisher (PC) should sort that out. If it's just possibly been keyed and the panels haven't been replaced then even better.

3 - What size wheels are on it? The SXi/SRi suspension is a bit firmer than the other models in the range.

4 - Does it list where the servicing was carried out? If so, and it's feasible, go there (or post the book) asking them to stamp it all to date.

5 - More than likely the Multi-V belt/tensioner/alternator pulley. Affects the 2.0T, and seems to affect the 1.9 150 too.