Used Vauxhall Frontera review and buying guide (1991 to 2003): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Vauxhall Frontera should you buy?

The one to buy is a Frontera that's spent its life on tarmac and never towed anything heavy. Underneath, it's little more than an Isuzu pick-up, crude and old-fashioned rather than refined, and years of off-road work or towing take their toll on the underside, the suspension and the drivetrain. Ask the seller straight out what it's been used for, then trust what you find over what you're told.

Several years were recalled, so check the paperwork for the car in front of you. Cars from 1998 and 1999 had their steering components checked, and a second recall in 2001 cured a pull to the left. The 1996 Sport needed a heat shield between the exhaust and the petrol tank to cut a fire risk, plus new catches for its removable roof.

Cars from 1995 were recalled for a faulty bonnet safety catch. Don't buy any recalled car without proof the work's been done. Don't expect much protection in a crash either: the five-door only scored three stars when it was tested in 2002, and it did a very poor job of protecting pedestrians.

Which Frontera engines are the safe choices?

The 2.2 DI 16v diesel is the engine with the most reported trouble, so it's the one to approach most carefully. Some burn a genuine amount of oil, blamed on cylinder bores that were finished too smooth. Be careful with the dipstick though: oil drains back slowly from the 16v head, so give it plenty of time to settle before you believe a low reading.

That same 2.2 diesel has also had injector seals fail. Air getting in past them causes hard starting and an engine that cuts out just after it fires, while fuel leaking past them ends up diluting the sump oil. Any diesel Frontera left parked nose uphill for a few weeks can lose fuel from the line and won't start until the system's been primed again.

The 2.2 and 2.3 petrol engines don't carry the diesel's oil and injector warnings, but they're thirsty, and the 2.2 petrol's ignition control unit is prone to burning out. The direct injection 2.8 Isuzu diesel was only sold briefly before it was withdrawn over emissions problems, so it's rare and there's little to go on.

What should you check when viewing a used Frontera?

Get underneath first and look for knocks to the underside and oil weeping from the engine or anywhere along the drivetrain. If there's a tow hook, find out what it's pulled: a sagging rear end, a groaning rear differential and rumbling wheel bearings all point to years of heavy towing.

On the test drive, check it runs straight on a level road without you correcting the wheel, and feel for slack in the steering and knocks from the front suspension joints. With the engine running, listen for a deep knocking from the bottom end or rattling tappets, both signs the oil wasn't changed often enough. The oil on the dipstick should look clean.

Ask whether the cam and crank sensor wiring has been moved away from the alternator. A 2001 service bulletin covered alternator voltage spikes killing the camshaft sensor, and the cure was rerouting those cables together in front of the airbox. Try the alarm several times too, since alarm trouble comes up again and again on these.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What does a used Vauxhall Frontera cost to run?