USED Vauxhall Astra Hatchback (04 - 12)

My car

started off as a good car but from then downhill.went back to the dealers for a faulty sim in the steering 4 times "made a terrible clicking when turning steering wheel,bits of the interior falling off.engine terrible had timing chain replaced twice and now sounds awfull makes a pinging sound all the time,fuel comsumption terrible vauxhall say around 45mpg im getting 30 -35mpg. changing it for a ford focus.vauxhall havnt cracked making a decent car yet.

My car

Not sure exactly which trim, but I have just hired a 5 door 1.8 Astra for a month while waiting for my new Golf to arrive... I am pleased I spent a bit more on the VW! I would have been very disappointed with the Astra: it's dull, except for when you are fighting the steering wheel pulling violently to the right when accelerating or braking. I agree with other comments about the indicators... and the wipers... how to make simple controls confusing! But the worst is that pull to the right, may be it's just a fault with my car, but it has to be felt to be believed. An emergency stop would be interesting... fortunately I hand it back on Saturday.

My car

I have just changed to this vehicle from a leased Audi A4 Avant.

I thought that I might be disappointed with the quality of the Vauxhall after driving a 'prestige' car. However, I am very surprised by the quality of the Astra.

Everything fits and works well, and the engine, despite being a diesel, is quieter than the 2.0-litre petrol Audi. Wind noise is very low, too.

Performance is brilliant - fuel economy is excellent (I drive a 120-mile-a-day commute to work). The XP pack looks great.

I love the indicator stalks and wipers (you really have to be stupid not too understand how they work - they are easier than conventional stalks).

I cannot understand how people can rate the Focus as a better car. The fit and finish on the ones I have seen are appalling (but then everyone loves Ford and hates Vauxhall).

I now prefer the Astra to my old Audi, and it is saving me a fortune.

My car

This car hasn't caused us any major problems. The only issue has been with the Alarm going off randomly which has not been fixed. The car looks fantastic with the Exterior pack fitted and with the 18" alloys it hold the road very well. Although the steering is a little lifeless so the feedback is not as good as i would like. Performance always feels a little flat but it was eager to rev and the gearbox was slick enough. It's not the easiest car to drive smoothly but then you don't really buy an SRi with 18" Alloys for that! We have averaged around 34mpg over fairly mixed driving so pretty good economy. Make sure you know how much the Road Tax is before you buy though - £210 for 12 months which is rising to £270 + after the budget!! We have now had a Baby and the car is not big enough for our needs, as soon as the pram is in the boot it is full (and the boot opening itself is rather narrow). We are now trading it in for a Focus C-Max TDCi which will be cheaper to run, have a bigger boot and the Road Tax is £140 for a year. Overall a nice car which looks great but i would advise you to look at the Diesel version as it would be quicker and cheaper for fuel / tax!