Faults:

Clutch judder.

Radio was intermittent.

Indicators faulty, had to get an auto electrician to sort it.

Usual wear and tear, I serviced it on time and drove carefully, and looked after it as much as I could; no major disasters over the time I had it.

General Comments:

What a boring car that got me through my student years. This 1.4 Astra on an 03 reg was the last of the older shape before the newer 2004 model range came out. I think this 98 - 03 was Vauxhall's dullest Astra. My father had very old Astras back in the day, said they were good cars, that is what made me get this one.

Vauxhall dealers were absolutely useless and uninterested, so since it was getting older I used local independents for servicing and repairs. Was cheap most of the time and reliable, so I guess that is this car's appeal.

The 1.4 petrol averaged 40 MPG. For an older petrol car this was as good as it gets. Performance was not awful, but definitely no racing car. LS model is pretty basic, no fancy features. Thought it was poorly equipped for a 2003 car though. Seats were comfortable enough for longer journeys, I put decent mileage on this car.

Looking back I guess it was a good first car. Perhaps the faster versions might be worth a look, but any average Astra is never going to be more than basic transport.

Faults:

Not much has gone wrong - which is the only reason it's been kept.

General Comments:

This car is dull and odd. Hard suspension, very hard seats, great on a sports car... but a sports car this ain't.

Strange, very long travel clutch, yet with an on off action. A weird, kinda choked off engine, which feels as if it's been limited. Gutless - don't try any B road overtaking jaunts. Cheap interior, poor rear vision, dull.

These odd cars have nothing apart from cheapness and relative reliability to recommend them. Modern diesels are quicker and more refined. Vauxhall in the '80s made unpretentious but fun cars like the Nova and Mk 1/2 Astra, but these are dire. Buy a Skoda.

Faults:

Nothing major has gone wrong with the car.

When I bought it, I had no cat converter, which made it sound a bit rough!.

So I bought a new cat converter, and it cost a fair bit, but in the end it needed it.

The car is good on fuel-ish! But maybe that's because I'm a delivery driver.

Another problem is the temperature gauge always is on zero, I think it needs a new thermostat, I think this is why it's not as good as it could be on fuel? Correct me if I'm wrong.

General Comments:

Overall, the car is very reliable; no any major problems.

The handling is awesome; the Lotus engineered chassis really makes a difference.

I would like a bit more power. Similar figures to the 1.8 16V, as they're really quick for a 115-125 bhp car.

Does anyone know how to get more power out of this engine?

Plenty of room in the cabin and for people in the rear, but it's sluggish with a full load!

Faults:

Power sounder/alarm fault would sound as and when it liked; very annoying at 4 in the morning.

Drivers side link rod failed twice in 3 months.

Leaking water pump.

Seemed to lose power after about 6 months of having it.

Very thirsty; best I could get at any time was 28 mpg. Thrashing it made no difference to driving it steady. Always seemed to get 28 mpg. Book says they're supposed to do 37 mpg, but never even managed 30. Fault was never found. Garage said no faults, and it was just the luck of the draw with this model.

Stereo very hard to turn on and off for some reason. Have to press quite hard on the button for it to work.

Heavy on front tyres, despite the tracking being set up several times.

General Comments:

Very comfy, excellent driving position.

Plenty of low down torque. No need to rev the guts out of it, but seemed to lose this after a while.

Big boot.

Plenty of passenger space, front and rear.

VERY expensive to maintain cambelt and waterpump. Came to £280 at a Vauxhall specialist, to diagnose alarm fault was £98. Main dealer isn't much more expensive, and it's the same story with other local Vauxhall specialists in my local area.

Even parts are expensive; £53 for a thermostat (did this myself to save some money).

Dealer and specialists seem very quick to charge you a lot of money, but quite unhelpful when I was trying to sort the fuel economy issue.

Final straw was when I was quoted £428 for a new sump after I cracked mine on a tall kerb, so I sold it.