Zafira - reliability?

frugglewump

Well, our car is dead - it is very much an ex-parrot. It's never good when you look in the rear view & suddenly see all your coolant coming out of the back as steam.

The local 2nd hand place has a reasonably priced Zafira (2006) in which we plan to get the AA man to come out & look at this weekend.

However, 1 of OH's friends at work says he has heard that the Zafira has reliability issues, but this may just be the 2011 model. Can anyone on here comment? I've looked on google, but I don't really know enough about cars to judge the comments for accuracy.

(Just in case anyone wants to know: mondeo 2002 - the head gasket blew which is the 4th thing wrong since june & the repairs are more than the car is worth)

Thanks

poppasmurf_bewdley

The Zafira is based on the Astra which I have always found to be a safe and reliable car. I ran one for eight years and my daughter is running it now.

fivetide

Big questions seems to be - is it a diesel and if so, are you going to do any real miles in it?

Big issues with blocked filters etc from short runs/sitting in town
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/vauxhall/zafira-b-2005/?section=bad

Apart from that, no real problems. Should be fine if well looked after. Getting a few years old now though so make sure servicing is up to spec and what the next service is (just in case it is a biggie). Your AA man should be able to tell you what the consumables like exhaust etc are like.

thenudeone

I ran several Novas from the late 1980s onwwards for many years and didn't have many problems but I have had two Zafiras in the last decade and both have had big problems;
diesel fuel pump (£1700!!), cylinder head gasket, steering rack, suspension.

Although I like the 7-seat design (they were the first true mini-MPV) I don't think I'd buy another without a good warranty. If you buy one new you get a 100,000 mile warranty, but I'm not sure how good it is.

Of course a few posts on a forum isn't a scientific sample. Someone here will have had similar problems with every other type of car. but that's my view FWIW

WestonDave

I've got a 2006 petrol 1.6 Zafira - its pretty low mileage for its age but I've not had any significant problems with - it gets too many short runs so needs the battery charging occasionally (but that would be the case with most cars used that way) and we had a key that stopped overriding the immobiliser so it would start and then immediately cut out, but that cheap to fix even at the vx dealer we use.

Watch out for a whistle at certain speeds - its not a problem, its down to the aerodynamics of the throttle assembly, and can be changed if its annoying you - but its irritation rather than actually a problem with the car. Oh and the fuse on the windscreen washer tends to be a bit close to the power used to operate it so it burns out if you use the washer too much (i.e getting rid of bird muck) - ours blew a couple and the dealer told us to swap it for the next size up as it was probably the wrong spec when they designed the car.

skivenov

Generally very reliable cars.

Dodge the 1.3 and 1.9 diesels (Fiat unit with Fiat electrics, so can be expensively problematic.

Don't get a petrol auto unless you really have to. Nothing wrong with the engine and the box, but they drink like fish!

Guys_Dad

Before buying any Vauxhall, just do this simple test. Over the next few weeks, see how many cars you notice with rear light problems, either brake lights or rear lights.

You will be surprised just how high a % of them are Vauxhalls. I have quite often warned Vauxhall drivers when their lights are faulty and they nearly all say that they are continually changing their rear bulbs.

Don't know why, but this has been going on for years.

Arfa__

The 2006 Zaffy will be the Mk2, based on the Astra H chassis/engine etc. I've heard a few having issues with the diesels and EGR valves.

I've got an older Mk1, 2005 1.6 DualFuel one (petrol engine, with extra LPG tank). Had it nearly 4 years now, had 45K on it and I'm just about to hit 70K now. In that time, only big issue was the coil pack dying, requiring recovery. Have also replaced Lambda sensor, which caused some unevenness, spurious error codes and occasional switching back from LPG to petrol. Otherwise, touch wood, been a great car, very practical and economical.

tanith

I've had two Zafiras the one I have now is a 2005 1.6 petrol manual , and I am happy to say both cars were and have been very reliable . I've had no problems with them at all apart from normal servicing and new tyres. Happy to recommend them.

mogchops

we have a 2005 1.6 petrol, had it for 5 years, no problems

System

I had a 2004 diesel from 2006-2011. In that time I racked up 170,000 with no major problems. Only major cost in that time was disc replacement due to wear.