Faults:

Air bag light kept coming on. Went back to dealers on 3 occasions until they remedied it by cutting out the connector block under seat and soldering the wires-high resistance they said!

Also it kept stalling and it had to to have the air flow meter cleaned.

General Comments:

Seat creaks a bit which is slightly annoying.

Not always easy to select gears, it tends to be a bit tight.

It is quick and loves motorways.

Generally happy with it, but have decided to take out an extra dealer warranty just in case.

Faults:

Had a few problems with the braked

Cruise control didn't work.

General Comments:

This car looks Great nothing over the top just right. Its quick for a big car it will do 0-60 in about 8 seconds and I've done 120mph in it. It handles way and is nice to drive very smooth.

Faults:

Windscreen Wash bottle filter clogged up.

Water Temp sensor needed replaced.

Would not start for one week, towed to dealer where it started and ran perfectly. No fault found.

General Comments:

The Sri is OK. That's about as far as I can say.

It's a 2.0 and it's rapid. Good economy though.

The handling is excellent (Lotus engineered)

It has been reliable.

Interior is pathetic. It has cruise control and trip computer - don't know why.

The quality and finishing of the cabin is fit for the base model.

The seats are a nightmare to return to their original position (3 door)

It's a good looking car, but is too similar to cheaper alternatives like the Sxi.

I've owned VX for years, but it's time to change - unfortunately!

Faults:

New sump gasket was needed at 64000 miles.

Having problems at the moment with condensation causing the oil to mayonnaise, the vauxhall garage say this is common (i don't believe them).

General Comments:

Car drives well.

Handling is very good.

The interior is pretty comfortable.

Faults:

Front shock absorber leaked.

Needed new cam tensioner.

Needed new alternator tensioner.

Two wheel bearings worn on rear.

General Comments:

All the things what went wrong is understandable because its done a lot of miles how ever the engine still sounds like new.

If you can't afford a new shape Astra just do what I did and go for the high mileage, just as good, but a lot cheaper.

I was surprised how fast this car is for a 1.6 estate, I'm not proud of my self, but I have had this car up to 130mph on the motorway.

This car has room for the family and has a huge boot (on the estate).

Two things that I like most about this car is the anti-lock-brakes because it has saved me many of times and the air conditioning in the summer.

Faults:

Intermittent problem with engine management around 30k, lost power whilst accelerating. Fixed at service.

General Comments:

I had this as a company car, and put 38,000 miles on it in 2 years. Very economical engine meant I could do around 400 miles a tank, compared to 300 in petrol Astras I've driven. Downside was it was the early TD engine, not the best acceleration around, but not a bad motorway cruiser at all.

Handling is superb, can be thrown into bends and good fun to drive for what is just a small family car, and in this model not the 'sexiest' around.

This car was fitted with aircon, but only a tape deck, sadly for me CD players were fitted as standard just after mine was built. Seats are a bit hard, and didn't quite go back far enough for me, but I'm over 6ft so most people shouldn't have a problem. But be warned that if seat is far back there is seriously limited room in the back. Boot space is pretty good as well.

In short this rather dull looking company car was not bad at all, and I've driven a 1.8 Sport which was very nice. If you can't live with the looks of a Focus, but can put up with limited rear room, the Astra is a very good alternative.