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[Viral_Jim]

I'm looking for an mpv that will double up for moving a load of stuff out of my old house over the coming months. Zafira B seems good value compared to others (s-max for example) and I'm already ruling out anything french).

I know a few members on here run these and I was wondering what things I should avoid/look out for when buying.

I know that the 2.2 petrol can have expensive fuel pump issues and my personal view is that a 1.6 seems inadequate for moving a shed around. So I guess that leaves a 1.8 petrol or a 1.9 cdti. Of the two I guess the diesel would have more grunt, but what are the turbos, clutches, dmfs etc like?

Any advice welcome. 

[dave the builder]

If you are looking for a short term cheap solution then consider Zafira A ,MOTed for the time span you need it for .

We just dropped a Zafira B 1.6 petrol from the fleet because no one used it .
Zafira A 2.0DTI is used a fair bit .(astra G parts ,so cheaper than Zafira B/Astra H parts)
factory undersealing and rust proofing on Zaf A is much better than B 

however , don't dismiss the 1.6 petrol engine either way , if you are using it to transport many people or lots of junk then you won't be driving like a bank robber get-away driver anyway 

Zafira A 2.0 DTi whilst slow by TB's standards of driving  is robust 
1.6 petrol can return 35MPG 1.8 is more thirsty ,2.0 DTI near 40MPG

Zafira B 1.9 eat gearboxes
comon issues with 1.6 and 1.8 petrol is PCV valve (inside the rocker cover) failure ,causes rough running ,dipstick and oil cap suck air when removed if the PCV is duff.

ultimately though , finding the right car ,local, at the right price and CHECKING IT OVER WELL is the way to go

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Is it TB who is a Zaffy fan?

[Doctor Gollum]

If you're feeling nearly 40 then don't rule out a GSi/VXR 

[Viral_Jim]

I wouldn't say fan; he scarcely admits to being an owner of one 

Dave, thanks for this, I had noticed that there were a couple of diesels advertised with noisy 'boxes. Doesn't seem like many horror stories of these around.

[Viral_Jim]

If you're feeling nearly 40 then don't rule out a GSi/VXR 

There's that galaxy with the 2.5T focus ST engine in it too, that could be a wheeze 

[Doctor Gollum]

Not for Zafira money

But yes, a bit nippier than your average Mumsybus

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Its a 21st century Vauxhall. Run and dont stop until you see a Toyota for sale. 

[Doctor Gollum]

I wouldn't say fan; he scarcely admits to being an owner of one 

Dave, thanks for this, I had noticed that there were a couple of diesels advertised with noisy 'boxes. Doesn't seem like many horror stories of these around.

The 6 speed in the 1.9cdti 150 doesn't take abuse well in the Astra platform... The bearings aren't as robust as the Vectra because the casing is smaller for packaging purposes. Driven hard they get noisy within 50-60k miles.

[Marks DTM Calib]

So I ran a Zaf B 1.9 150 CDTi for 197k miles.

It was on original swirl flaps and gearbox (non modified type, there are many affordable upgrades and its a good bargaining point), had the DMF replaced at 59k miles under warranty (as a just in case and because I could).

I changed the turbo at 120k miles, it was not bad but I had one so seemed sensible.

Had to clean the EGR every 12 months (as part of the service schedule) and also repaired the DPF pressure sensor pipe a few times(they cracture by the sub frame.

It did have very regular oil changes.

Had one set of rear springs

Pretty good all round vehicle which owed me nothing.

[Marks DTM Calib]

I wouldn't say fan; he scarcely admits to being an owner of one 

Dave, thanks for this, I had noticed that there were a couple of diesels advertised with noisy 'boxes. Doesn't seem like many horror stories of these around.

The 6 speed in the 1.9cdti 150 doesn't take abuse well in the Astra platform... The bearings aren't as robust as the Vectra because the casing is smaller for packaging purposes. Driven hard they get noisy within 50-60k miles.

M32 was never fitted into the Vectra, it had the F28, it was also irrelevant which power plant it was connected to, it was not torque that was the issue 

[Doctor Gollum]

I wouldn't say fan; he scarcely admits to being an owner of one 

Dave, thanks for this, I had noticed that there were a couple of diesels advertised with noisy 'boxes. Doesn't seem like many horror stories of these around.

The 6 speed in the 1.9cdti 150 doesn't take abuse well in the Astra platform... The bearings aren't as robust as the Vectra because the casing is smaller for packaging purposes. Driven hard they get noisy within 50-60k miles.

M32 was never fitted into the Vectra, it had the F28, it was also irrelevant which power plant it was connected to, it was not torque that was the issue 

Do you mean the F40 box

[STEMO]

Its a 21st century Vauxhall. Run and dont stop until you see a Toyota for sale. 

Says the man who drives a..........

[Viral_Jim]

Not for Zafira money

But yes, a bit nippier than your average Mumsybus

Very true, and if I wanted to romp around at 20-22mpg I'd do it in something more entertaining than a ducking s-max 😂

[Keith ABS]

 I had an "A" 1.6 16V, good if you kept to a maxiumum 65mph after which it used a lot of fuel. Very sprightly for size with that engine.Did 60k in three years. Moved onto a "B" 1.8 XP 140 which has the button to get 138bhp.
Perfect to 120k when it then started using oil. So, started to put semi synthetic in it and that stopped the burn rate. 38 mpg for my style of mixed driving.Did 50k in three years with this one. Nothing untoward went wrong with either of them, just the normal maintainance items, tyres, brakes, exhaust etc