What Car? Q&A - Have I found a good deal?

Q: I have found an X-reg Astra 1.6 8-valve Club with 18,000 miles, on sale at £3995 that I am thinking of buying. Is it a good deal? Also, there are eight-valve and 16-valve models available, what is the difference?
Harish Nair

A: The What Car? Price Guide shows that £3995 is a competitive price, taking into account the mileage which would typically be 49,000 for a car of this age.

Whenever buying privately, regardless of the price, we would advise you to exercise caution and have a vehicle history check done.

You should also inspect the car carefully. If you don’t feel confident doing it yourself, consider using a mechanically minded friend, or employing an independent company to inspect the car for you.

Consider also taking out a history check. This will not only give you piece of mind that the car you intend to buy has no finance outstanding on it, but that it is in sound mechanical order and has not sustained any major structural damage in an accident. Finally, make sure all the paperwork is in order.

When it comes to the number of valves an engine possesses, generally speaking 16-valve engines have greater efficiency and high-rev performance, while eight-valve engines offer better low-down pulling power.

The 1.6-litre 16-valve Astra has 15bhp more than the eight-value version and does approximately one mile per gallon more.

However, this added performance does attract higher insurance ratings, with group five for the 16-valve Astra versus group four for the eight-valve.