Test drive Opel Tigra 1994 - 2000 hatchback
Opel Tigra (years of release 1994-1999) $ 7500
The mass import of used cars from Europe led to the fact that in Russian open spaces a rare beast - Opel Tigra. Presented as a concept car in 1993, Tigra continued the tradition of Adam Opel AG, the founder of which is considered Opel GT. Then Manta and Monza appeared, and in 1994 - Tigra. The consumer, whose ambitions do not correspond to the thickness of the wallet, offered an extravagant car with a sports appearance, an ambitious name, but at an affordable price. The latter in the case of Tigra is simply explained: the sportkup is built on the Corsa B platform and, except for the body and the cabin, by and large it does not differ from it. The same transmission, suspension and the same motors: gasoline 16-valve with a volume of 1.4 and 1.6 liters and a capacity of 90 and 106 hp. respectively. The car was produced at the Opel plant in the Spanish Saragos and lasted almost five years on the conveyor. The biography of Tigra ended in 1999, when it, due to insufficient (on Opelian scale) demand, was discontinued. Shortly before that, an attempt was made to bring shape and content in line: they tried to install a V-shaped six on Tigra. It didn't go.
Skark and undercoat. The rigid design of the body of the coupe, the quality of the metal and its processing allowed the manufacturer at one time to give an 8-year guarantee from through corrosion, despite the fact that no galvanizing was discussed in this case. So even hints of shades of the red on the skin of Tigra can confirm the fears that the car had a close acquaintance with the tin. The welds and joints should be especially carefully examined - there the rust crawls out first of all.
Longitudinal cracks in the lower part of the windshield for six to seven-year-old cars are not a reason for despondency, just tell the seller that you know what it will cost: $ 170 per glass, $ 30 per set for gluing and about $ 40 for work. But with the glass of the rear door is more difficult: any cracks, chips, and especially damaged heating threads will cost $ 400. Shock absorbers of the rear door deserve attention - if they do not hold a heavy part, colitis of the seller of dollars for 200. We will not be satisfied with the work of only the central castle, but elementarily check the work of all locks with the key. Larvae have a tendency to sour over the years, and so that no super -burning keys help. And the repair will take you another $ 80. And finally, let's see if the doors sagged, for which it is enough to only shake them.
Beastal grin. Hunters have a rule: never look into the eyes of the beast - he perceives it as aggression and attacks first. With this animal, the situation is directly opposite. An inattentive look in the eyes of the bulbs on the dashboard can cause thorough financial aggression on his part. If, after turning the ignition key, the control bulb does not shine, then the generator is more dead than alive, and in numbers this is expressed as follows: $ 270 per new generator plus $ 50-60 for work. Everything on the dashboard should function, and any oddities in the backlight and behavior of the arrows of devices are likely to mean that the generator that has come out at one time became the reason for the burnout of paths-conductors on the board of the shield. Its replacement will require another $ 110 ($ 20 for a fee and $ 90 for rent-put). Pay special attention to the yellow icon with a schematic engine image. If it goes out synchronously with the oil pressure lamp, then the cunning mechanics fed them in parallel. And the malfunction in the motor remained. The airbags, which does not want to go out, should make the pillow of the airbag, as the options are possible: either $ 12 for zeroing an error code, or ten times more for restoring the SRS system.
Subcutaneous fat. We start the engine, best with an open hood, and carefully listen. Whistling and ringing, accompanying the first minutes of warming, mean replacing the pump. At first glance, it is not very expensive - $ 70 and $ 32. But keep in mind that at the same time you will have to replace the timing belt along with a set of three videos, and this work will make Tigra throw about $ 270 into the tigra feeder. This will have to be done so as not to replace the head of the block-$ 1400 and $ 630 for work-which will become inevitable due to the breakdown of the timing belt. The specifics of the design excludes the repair.
Pay special attention to the black item, similar to the patisson, which is located in the motor compartment. This is the pump of the secondary air system, and it serves to purge the catalyst. It turns on for five minutes when warming up the engine, but if its bearings make any sounds, urgent replacement ($ 260) is inevitable. Otherwise, the catalyst overheats and fails. And this is already three times more expensive.
The hydraulic compensators, clinging after the engine heated, scratch a tangible amount from your budget. For work it will be necessary to give $ 160. Plus you have to practice arithmetic: multiply $ 27 by 16 and add up with the above figure.
The sweaty pump GUR proves that the oil seal ordered to live long and will have to change the pump entirely. It costs about $ 440 with work. Excessive sweating in the upper front of the engine and/or at the junction of the motor and the clutch crankcase should also make you be wary. The front seals of camshafts and/or the rear oil seal are to blame for this. The details, in general, are penny, but the price of replacement works is quite adult-$ 80 and $ 380, respectively. Not to mention the fact that the current camshaft oil seals will pull after a more than $ 300 for replacing the timing belt complete with bearings. Tigra with a 1.6-liter engine requires increased attention. According to our consultants, produced at the factory in Hungary, this engine is less reliable and more moody than a 1.4-liter German. Its bulkhead in case of a malfunction costs $ 1.2 thousand. Therefore, it is better to pay at once $ 45 and visit a specialized technical center for diagnosis. However, even the procedure for replacing oil-removable caps with a 1.6-liter Hungarian production engine is able to introduce into despondency: with the price of caps of only $ 25, the works of mechanics cost $ 550!
A walk on a leash. By car with mechanics, first of all, we pay attention to the clutch. Its slippage with sharp acceleration means that you will have to pay for the sports ambitions of the previous owner - a set of clutch costs $ 200, and the replacement work is $ 330. Rarely, but found on Tigra 4-speed automatic. The methodology for checking its work is the most common, no different from many others.
Cossacks in the front suspension and backlash in the steering wheel will inform about the wear of the steering rods. Their replacement costs $ 45, the subsequent installation of the angle and collapse of the wheels will cost the same amount. And operation with broken rods gives rise to backlash in the steering rack. It can only be changed - $ 150 for work plus $ 1000 per part.
Hard strokes in the body mean that the joints of the supporting bearings of the front racks were struck by incurable arthritis. Treatment costs $ 10 per part and $ 80 - a doctor. The old tiger will almost definitely reveal the backlash of the rear wheels bearings. It can only be detected with a jack or on a lift. By the way, another characteristic malfunction - a broken round on the rear spring - can also be found only on the lift.
P.S. We add all the numbers given in the material. It turns out that in a rather cheap Opel Tigra, a real tiger appetite is cut out with age.
Text Andrey Timofeev, photo Alexey Ilyin, drawing Alexander Krasnov
Opel Tigra 1.4 1.6
Working volume (cubic meter) 1389 1598
Power (L.S.) 90 106
Maximum speed (km/h) 190 203
Acceleration to 100 km/h (sec.) 11.5 10.5
Fuel consumption (l/100 km)
city \u200b\u200b10.5 10.9
highway 5.5 5.9
Prices for A/M Opel Tigra in Moscow (for May 2002)
1995 $ 5.8-7.2 thousand.
1996 $ 7.4-7.9 thousand.
1997 $ 7.5-7.8 thousand.
1998 $ 8.7-9 thousand.
1999 $ 9-9.7 thousand.
Prices for consumables and some spare parts (dealerships)
Oil filter $ 2.5
Air filter $ 11
Fuel filter $ 15
Spark plugs (pcs.) $ 5
Brake pads, per./Ass. $ 30/70
Front brake discs (K-T) $ 120
Tip of steering thrust $ 35
Outdoor CHRUS $ 170
Hydracks (pcs.) $ 27
Shock absorbers, per./Ass. $ 60/45
Source: "Autopilot"
