USED Vauxhall Astra Hatchback (04 - 12)

My car

If you look for a comfortable car, Astra is a good choice. I bought second hand Astra (25000 miles). I have driven 2000 miles during 2 months.Good points of this car are: - a lot of space for driver and passangers - good visibility from the driver position - boot is big ( there is no problem to pack a lot of luggage) - petrol consumption is close to manufacture data. - car is not loud during fast driving

There are two things, wich stops me to give 5 stars for this car. One of them is engine power. 1.4 liter seems a weak engine for this car. In mountains or if you have additional passengers, the lack of power. Secondly, in Hatchback version, the back seat can't be folded to full horizontal position.

My car

Recently bought an 07 SRI VVT for 7.5k!!And I absoloutley love it !! Great looks especially with the 17'' wheels, it's built well, excellent cabin - the audio steering wheel controls are great, excellent sound system (CD30 mp3 with 7 speakers), the engine is a very good one indeed and enjoys being revved. It's fast and handles superbly. The gearbox is excellent and very smooth. As it is an SRI the ride is a little firm (to be expected)but is smooth all the same. The 'SPORT' button is excellent and really does make a difference - those who say it doesn't plainly do not know what they are talking about!! It stiffens the dampers, weights the steering to give a bit better feel for when you give it the beans and quickens the throttle response - the car is a different animal with this switched on, which is excellent for when you want to have some fun, then you can turn it off for a steadier calmer drive.

I test drove a 1.6(115)57 plate Focus when looking to buy a new car and the Astra is far better inside and out. The Focus couldn't live with the performance of the Astra (neither can the 1.8 Focus) or for the overall value for money of the Astra. The cabin is far better in the Astra. The only slight negative on the Astra is the fuel economy - everywhere says 38/39mpg combined and i'm only getting about 33/34ish and i've not even pushed it yet. Overall though it's a great car and I can't reccomend it highly enough !! Well done Vauxhall

My car

I have had this car for about 6 months now and love it. It's pretty basic inside and the stereo is very average but, taking into account the cost of the car, the drive is fantastic. It's handling and grip very good. I've thrown it into many a corner at speed and found very little understeer and body roll. It struggles a little bit up hills or with the wife and kids in it but considering it's only 105bhp I can't fault it one bit. The looks are good too. The Chrome Exhaust pipe, Y shaped alloys and front fogs make it look the business. Running costs have been good too. Fuel economy is excellent (considering the type of driving I do), tax is cheap and insurance is very reasonable. I do have 2 main gripes (i)The Main Dealers - Don't bother. It would take too long to go into what a complete bunch of muppets they are. (ii)The seating fabric. Although the seats are structurally sound, the pattern has frayed at the edges and makes it look tatty. Vauxhall could do with reviewing the robustness of this particular pattern. I saw this as a design fault (rather than wear and tear) but the main dealer was less than sympathetic. I test drove quite a few cars before buying this. The Focus is underpowered, the Golf and Civic are overpriced and I will never buy a french car that is past it's warranty ever again! Overall this car represents great value for money and recommend it over ANY of its competitors.

My car

I brought one of these 2nd hand around 10 months ago and went for the sporty driving position and good handling encounted when I took it out for a test drive

The overall drive I rate as being of the very best out there. Its very responsive and the engine does an extremeley good job for a 1.6 - the 'throw you back in your seat' drive is there when you want it.

The few niggles I have though are 1. Fuel economy could be a little better although when driven sensibly its not too bad 2.The inside storage compartments/glove box and drinks holders are almost none existant, they are either too small or a very bad design meaning they arn't quite big enough or the right shape to fit everyday objects into 3. Reliability has been a little patchy although on the whole the problems encounted are around average for a car with 50,000+ miles and once these have been fixed, reliability has been very good.

The cabin plastics and overall quality is very high, with a very solid and high class feel to the car. Probably one of the best looking interiors out of other current hatchbacks out there. I also rate the exterior look although some of the lower models I have seen around, without alloy wheels and with a slightly different body kit look a little bulky and out-dated so choose the right model

Overall - Good, solid, sporty and on the whole reliable car with a bit of spark about it. You will definatly get more than your moneys worth buying one of these on the 2nd hand market