Faults:

Fuel pump (EXPENSIVE!!!); common issue on the 2.0 DTi.

Wear and tear items.

General Comments:

Having bought the car for £1600 (in 2009) from a dealer, it was a great price, mainly because the incompetent dealer thought it was a 1.7. It still looked very tidy, and had plenty of history with it.

The 2.0 diesel has plenty of grunt, and whilst it will never perform like a 2.0 Impreza, it's still pretty nippy, and once you hit 2.5k revs, you can feel the extra push the turbo gives. Fuel economy wasn't bad either, but deteriorated over the last 6 months of ownership.

In the time I owned the car, I only had one major mechanical issue, and that was the dreaded fuel pump failure. The local dealership wanted to charge me in the region of £2000 to replace the pump. I managed to get a refurb with fitting for closer to £800; still a large sum of money for a £1600 car.

Tracking is another frequent issue (wheel wobble at speeds), and I must have had the tracking sorted every 6 months to reduce the wheel wobble.

Over the last 6 months of ownership, I had the EML light appear frequently, but the diagnosis system is pretty useless and gets you close to the engine, which I already knew that's where the fault lay LOL. Diag codes can be very misleading and not actually indicate where the real fault lies. The EML would come on and cut back the power, but would then disappear, restoring the power; very annoying.

All in all, the Astra estate is a basic car, even the CD spec with extras, but is a great workhorse. The extra boot space for a small-ish car is great, and I have lugged a fair bit around it. Having had a Rover 75 before, it wasn't as luxurious, but did what it needed to do. Seats were firm and were OK for a couple of hours, but much more it would be a little uncomfortable.

Would I have another Vauxhall Astra... well I would, but if I was looking to buy a BRAND NEW car, I wouldn't look at Vauxhalls. The reason for this is the poor service I had always received from the local main dealer. They have no interest in you WHATSOEVER unless you are there to buy brand new. Even when you do (as friends have from them), that's it, the slightest problem is a major headache to get sorted.

Faults:

Infamous cut-out problem where the engine cuts out. Since resolved.

Lights pretty dim and need a new line.

Power steering is slowly leaking fluid and will eventually need replacing (expensive as requires pulling out the dashboard).

General Comments:

I love this car. Its good to drive and proves to be a practical car for couples/small families.

It's not a drivers car (i.e. predictable and far from exciting), but aside from the aforementioned problems, proves to be a very reliable and functional drive.

Automatic is pretty good, but not quite as efficient as I'd like with today's high fuel prices.

The 1.6 has enough grunt when required (including the high revving sport button on the automatic gearbox).

Space wise it's tough to fit an adult in between two child seats, so it seats 4.5 people I'd say.

Faults:

Misfire caused by faulty coilpack - fitted new part.

Rear arches are now starting to rust - have just left it for now.

Standard alloys suffer corrosion - got them powder coated.

General Comments:

Car is a very good all-rounder. Doesn't excel in any one area, but is competent in all. The performance is there to easily overtake the 40mph doddlers or drive more conservatively and get 35-40mpg.

Now had the Astra for nearly 5 years with no major problems. All maintenance & servicing done by myself.

Interior is a bit dull. Functional, but dull.