1983 Vauxhall Astra LX 1.3 petrol

Summary:

Overall a great first car - probably made into saucepans by now

Faults:

Used a lot of oil - started off treating it to Castrol GTX, but ended up using Asda's cheapest as it was using so much. As I remember I stopped bothering with oil changes as I conducting them bit by bit weekly.

Apart from that, a great first car.

Exhaust downpipes rusted - replaced and never a problem again.

General Comments:

Produced 75bhp, which made it good for 100mph, and it was much quicker than the 1.3 Fiestas of it's day.

Well equipped considering it's spec.

Prone to some brake fade.

Headlights were very large and had a fatal attraction for stones.

Some rusting by the front indicators when I sold it at 5 years old.

Nice chunky styling.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st July, 2006

25th Mar 2007, 13:50

My friend has just bought one of these cars. 1980, 1300s. Everything was OK with it until it back fired and blew the exhaust off. And it was surprisingly quick for a 1.3.

21st Apr 2010, 19:02

Yes, the power output for a 1300cc was impressive in the 1980s when Ford were at around 60bhp and it's not bad today. Surprised to hear that you can still find them for sale.

1983 Vauxhall Astra L Estate 1.6 OHC 8v

Summary:

Quick, comfortable and practical, it's a shame they rust so badly!

Faults:

Nothing major ever went wrong with it mechanically. The rust is the (very) big problem with the car. Doors, arches and even a small rust spot on the roof. The car was 21 years old when it moved on, however!

The alternator packed in at one point, but at £10 for a replacement (off of a mk2 Astra) from the breakers' it's not breaking the bank.

There was the mysterious water leak that I never sorted out, I could never find its source.

General Comments:

What a brilliant car - and a head turner to boot! How many Mk1 Astra 5 door estates do you see these days?

Takes big loads easily, with the rear seats folded it was a van. It has taken wardrobes, beds, the list goes on...

It's not a noisy car for its age, either and the cabin is very nicely appointed with chrome (nee stainless steel) trim. Much nicer than other cars I've seen of similar age.

Having the 1.6 engine it is relatively sprightly for a 5 door estate - sometimes to the surprise of other motorists.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd March, 2005

1983 Vauxhall Astra GTE 1.8 8v petrol

Faults:

Cylinder head, electrics.

General Comments:

Very good little motor. Very reliable and well built. No major problems with it except cylinder head going, but that was after 148 thousand miles and it still got me from Scarborough to Hull (45 miles). Normal electrical problems as any Vauxhall owner will tell you, hazards controlling the wipers, that sort of thing. But she is 16 this year.

Never let me down in the morning either.

Brilliant!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th February, 1999

1983 Vauxhall Astra L 1.3 petrol

Faults:

Basics, water pump, hazard lights act up a little, and drinks oil quite happily.

General Comments:

However, as this is an old car (16 this year) the marks are a bit higher for effort, this car is a tank, it shouldn't still be running after what I have done to it!

I love this little car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th January, 1999

1st Jul 2001, 16:34

'Tank' is exactly right. That is the same description I gave to my 1.2 1983 model back in '86. The bodywork is so solid and it takes so much stick. Used to drive it like a Go-kart!

7th Jan 2003, 08:06

Well what can I say! Mark 1 Astra. What tank!

I bought this car in 1999 and it finally went in 2001 after much screwing in a car park.

Massive car, loads of boot space when seats are down, ideal for my market trading.

A very dated look to these cars now, and because of the age its hard to find one that isn't a rust bucket. I paid £100 for my 1.3L, it was very basic inside, but room for legs and baggage was plentiful. Parts are now becoming a bit harder to get for you local scrapper, but in the yellow pages there are a few numbers you can try.

I was so sad to see mine go that I cut it in half and made the back half into a trailer, ideal really because I can keep my stock for the market in over night locked!!

I paid £15 to have the front half of the car removed, £25 for the sheet of steal, £2 for a box section of steal (to use as an A frame) £2 for wiring kit for the lights and £20 to hire a welder for a day. Then a couple cans of spray.

And now if you see a K-reg Mark 3 Astra pulling half a Mark 1 Astra, you know its me!!

1983 Vauxhall Astra GTE 1.8i 8V petrol

Faults:

Anti-roll bar link tube broken, rear window heater broken.

General Comments:

It's a 15 year old car so you can't be too harsh on it! Bought mine 2 months ago and no problems at all really.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd August, 1998

1983 Vauxhall Astra L 1.3 petrol

Faults:

Hydraulic valve lifters proved to be faulty after fitting new engine. Distributor fell apart, problems with water and oil leakage. Total failure of brake master cylinder, also seized front brake calipers. Mostly fixed now.

General Comments:

This car is very easy to work on for the DIY mechanic and parts are plentiful and cheap. For what it is, this vehicle is fast, quiet, comfortable, and handles very well when driven quickly.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th February, 1998