Faults:

Very good car when taken care of. Always service on time. Check oil and coolant at least every 2,000km in between. Top up where necessary. I have a faulty engine light that switches on and off, so don't be too alarmed, but be wary if you are in a situation like me.

Do yourself a flavour and get steel tyre caps on eBay and customize your cars. A sticker or two also to personalize it.

General Comments:

Radiator leak.

Needing to get new timing belt every 50,000km to 80,000km approx.

We bought the Holden Astra for approximately $3,500 from a private car yard dealer with his own mechanic onsite. The Astra was approx 142,000-144,000km on the dial or less. I spent more on fixing the car to my standard, and could have just got a better car straight up, however I chose the Holden Astra life.

The car is zippy and responsive. Warm the engine til the rev drops. Please treat the car with respect and the car will treat the driver and passengers with respect. She is an older beast; for what she is, she's got a heart of a soldier, stealth and low engine sound emissions, glides around corners, and has big boot space.

I got a transmission service which helped out with the Astra, as at times it can suddenly have power struggle and causing loss of acceleration power, and compromising the driver in certain driving conditions. I was on the highway from Mount Ommaney and the Astra would only go 60km/h, with a sudden power loss, then all of a sudden the car would kick on in power to 100km/h. Quite scary, made me look like I was some lunatic youngy on the street hoon rampage; it was my car, not me. Glad I got that fixed. I would also lose power uphill, and felt like I was in the wrong gear, not enough pull.

Sound system is good. I have bought on eBay a device that bluetooths my music and is handsfree, so I connect my music via a strong frequency that I find will have the least interference by other motorists and device blockers. I have 2 hands-free devices, one in landscape mode on the dash, and one in portrait mode on the side, on the vent closest to the door.

I went to the market looking for the most cheapest car, even though at the time I was able to buy a second hand supercar, and pretty much most vehicles. This vehicle is just to kill my km's to keep my other vehicles km's low. Driving in Brisbane daily can bring up km's quickly. Certain cars can be investments and retain value or appreciate as collectors choice and discontinuation , and the majority depreciate. Astras are good to kill time, A to B car, inexpensive, anti look at me attention seeking small man syndrome vibe. This car will do the job. No GPS either if you want to keep it o.g. Enjoy.

Faults:

I had to get major repairs done in 2009 when the water pump failed. I found out today that the head gasket needs replacing or I may need a replacement engine.

I really love my Astra, but I am not sure whether to get it repaired or not.

General Comments:

It drives well and handles all weather conditions.

Have travelled from Sydney to Gold Coast a couple of times and it was very good on petrol as well.

Faults:

Inside light falls out of ceiling.

Front drivers seats fabric unraveling.

Back seat seams pulled apart.

Head lights frosting over from the inside.

General Comments:

I purchased this car new and paid cash.

Got all extras; car care kit, electric sun roof, back windows, steel rims, rust proofing, extra air bags etc etc.

Had it serviced at the right time at the dealership I purchased it from.

Fabric in seats is faulty and has unraveled. Holden won't look at it, stating it's out of warranty.

Now they tell me I have to have a $1,000 service for a timing problem that they say WILL happen.