Carlton

Hi there i was just wondering if anybody knows anything about vauxhall
carltons?
I am in the process of buying 1............ a 2.0GL this car seems too good
to be true for the money K plate £395!
new tyres ,exhaust, abs ,water pump and all the electrics work no blue smoke
Engine sounds sweet and pulls well?
SO what am going on about?
Well i used to own the 2.2CDI Auto and that was a great car but..when things
went wrong my pocket hurt Big time
I was just wondering as i am not too familiar with this model if there is
anything in particular i should be looking for.
Again the usual stuff like bodywork (sills ) etc are great the boot is clean
the trim is not worn or burnt it has 116000 on the clock thats about the
only thing i can see.
Any help would be appreciated.
Regards Graham.

 

Hi there i was just wondering if anybody knows anything about vauxhall

I know a fair bit, but wouldn't consider myself an expert by a long stretch!

It's a good price, but not desperately cheap - it's a buyer's market out
there and Carltons really aren't worth that much in the grand scheme of
things - superb cars though, and really built to last (apart from the rust
problems, but if this is fairly solid then it should be good for a good few
years yet). Definitely worth the money though. The 2 litre engines are
pretty bomb proof, and will go on forever on little more than regular oil
and filter changes.

Not too familiar with the older 2.2 engines, but the 2 litre ones are on the
whole very reliable, and very straightforward to service etc.

The only real failing point on these is rust, and the common points where
they go, other than sills, are the rear chassis rails and the rear arches.
Have a feel under the rear arches - if they're caked in mud (and they may
well be) give them a good whack to loosen it so you can have a proper feel -
if they're solid then you're doing alright. It's hard to describe exactly
where to look on the rear chassis rails - basically right at the back - I
know exactly where to look as I had a Carlton with rotten ones once! If
these are solid, then there's a fair chance the rest of the car is fairly
solid overall. My K plate Carlton CDX Estate cost me £800 just over a year
ago, and I bought it knowing exactly where to look for the major weaknesses
regarding rust. It certainly paid off come MOT time - all it failed on was
emissions (because I'd de-catted it, flew through the test once I put the
cat back on), one sidelight out and headlights needing adjusting. Not bad
at all for a 184k-miler.

Peter

 

Also check out the electrics - I had two window regulators go on mine
and I know that problems with the dashboard can be an expensive pain.
Got rid of mine when the top end started rattling but that was over
110k on the clock. Aso had the neater matrix go - soggy carpets &
difficult to get at. Good motor otherwise - never let me down.

 

Also check out the electrics - I had two window regulators go on mine

Electrics can be a bit of a pain generally, but often (well, sometimes)
you'll be lucky enough to get one that's got all the electrics working, and
quite often if you find one of these, then they often stay all fully
working. I'd guess it would help if it's been garaged for a lot of its
life.

Peter