ESSENTIAL CHECKS
Charmed by one of these curvaceous Vauxhalls? Here’s what to look out for
IS IT GOING RUSTY?
Early cars can rust in the rear wheelarches and door bottoms; check the sills, too. Wheelarch corrosion is easily repaired because panels are available; doors rarely rust badly, but if they do it’s possible to source a decent used replacement for just £50, with the swap taking less than an hour to complete. The Calibra’s bodyshell was galvanised from late 1993, making corrosion much less likely; any signs of rust on galvanised shells suggest that a car might have been shunted then badly repaired.
HAS THE BELT BEEN CHANGED?
There were three different engines, all with overhead camshafts and a catalytic converter. All have a cam belt, tensioners and water pump that should be replaced every four years or 36,000 miles; it’s an easy DIY job for £100-150, or a specialist charges around £350. Check the service history to ensure the oil and filter have been changed every 9000 miles; anything less means wear is likely, and in the case of the Turbo the problems could be more serious.
LOOK FOR TIRED TRIM
All Calibras featured cloth trim until October 1992, when leather became optional. Hide trim brought heated seats; the base usually works okay, but the wire for the backrest element often breaks; repairs take all of ten minutes, though. Leather-trimmed door cards can suffer from bubbling, but these can easily be retrimmed or replaced with used items – much of the tri
