Faults:

Squeaky breaks.

Sometimes won't start first time after a long journey.

Sometimes won't go in in 2nd gear first time.

Engine management light comes on and stays on till restarted (at least twice a week.)

Sometimes it has power then the next day its groaning when I put my foot down and there's not a lot of power.

It chugs in 2nd or 3rd gear when driving through town.

General Comments:

The main dealer was helpful and has fixed all problems apart from the reason why the engine management light comes on for no apparent reason.

It's a good car it goes well for a 1.6 8v and the handling is excellent.

The cabin could do with cheering up and electric mirrors would be a bonus too.

I'm now looking to change to an Astra 1.6 16v SXI in the near future.

Faults:

I have not really had much of a problem with this car although there has been one or two problems with oil consumption which I believe to be very high. However the dealer remains insistent that this is normal for ecotec engines so I will keep monitoring the situation until there is any change.

General Comments:

Apart from the problem with the oil this has been a brilliant car. I am exceptionally pleased. I am 20 years old and wanted something a little sporty that wasn't going to cripple my pocket. The Astra was the sensible choice. The 1.6 16V engine is very perky and quite efficient. The overall size of the car is good too. Much better value than a Peugeot 106 (which I owned previously) or a Citroen Saxo and so on. I would recommend this car to anyone. Another year or two and I think I might be upgrading to a GSi. Well done Vauxhall.

Faults:

Faulty speedo.

General Comments:

A fantastic, cheap to run car which not only looks good, has great performance. Has all the gear, and comforts, but actually looks like a cool car!

Well done Vauxhall, this is a great car!

Faults:

Throttle unit needed replacing at 40,000 miles. Cost £250 to replace.

On two occasions (parked 'nose up' on a slope after a previous very short journey) it has had serious trouble starting. Not a big problem, though.

Mists up easily; sometimes need the air-conditioning (in winter) to sort it out.

Otherwise, perfect over 3.5 years.

General Comments:

The first Vauxhall I have owned, this one has been a nice surprise.

The car is comparatively cheap to buy and my 1.8 does around 36 mpg overall.

Good fun out-accelerating BMW's.

The suspension is so firm, though, that you need to learn to 'ride' it. After my first long journey I felt as though I'd been beaten all over with a truncheon.