Vauxhall Astra Hatchback 1.7 DTi 16V Envoy 5d (2002/51) Owner Review
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Economy
Value
Reasonably cheap to buy in comparison to a Focus, but has depreciated heavily since I bought it in June '03, plus with my high mileage and the new model just out, it's been worse than I anticipated, but I'm not selling it for a year or two yet.
Costs
60 mpg every time and servicing every 20k miles. Main dealer servicing seemed reasonably priced, but the two dealers I went to in Haddington and Berwick-Upon-Tweed didn't do their job properly, so not such good value after all. Local garage next time!
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On the road
Driving
Middle of the road to drive, but it doesn't pretend to be anything else.
Performance
Not fast, but easily good enough to hold its own. Keep the revs between 2-3k and there's no worries.
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Living with it
Reliability
Car runs like a Swiss watch. Dealers are variable. Used a couple of good one, used a couple of absolutely appalling ones - Ian Glass Haddington, Blackburn & Price Berwick.
Image
You don't buy an Astra for the image. It's all about functionality.
Comfort
Most uncomfortable car I've ever owned mainly due to drivers seat causing lower back pain on even moderate trips. Not a patch on the old Astra.
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Security and Service
Security
Never had any problems. Deadlocks a good idea.
Service
Recent dealership experiences are what puts me off buying another Vauxhall. My local garage knows more about fixing Vauxhalls than the Vauxhall dealerships!
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Problems and Ownership
Problems
Engine
Coolant temperature sensor - dealer in Haddington took about 6 attempts to fix, and kept making a hash of things. Never again. No problems since though.
Other
None
Ownership
Did you buy the car new?
Used
Would you buy the same model again?
No
Did you buy from the same manufacturer again?
Yes