Faults:

3 drivers seat frames.

2 new stereos.

2 air con compressors; 1 @ 37k, and 1 @ 38k.

1 alternator @ 37k miles.

Air con faults (wouldn't distribute air properly).

Pulled to left when bought, but dealer sorted...

General Comments:

Reliability of car was dire; it's just over 2 years old, with only 40k on the clock, yet I'm on first name terms with the dealership who are nice people, just have to deal with a below par product... On the upside - 30,000 mile services, pity I see them more often than some of my family!

It's extremely comfortable (I've done 600-800 miles in a day, from Bordeaux to Nice with only a trace of backache) with lots of toys (folding mirrors, climate, full leather, heated seats... the list goes on!) excellent on fuel (but thoroughly recommend a DTUK red box 40mpg without, at least 50mpg with!) and the performance when equipped with chip is eye opening (wheelspin in first 3 gears in the wet). Handling is OK in the dry (but very tyre dependent) in the wet DON'T lift off on islands unless you can catch oversteer!!!

Bought a 1 series diesel for some quality (I hope!) and before the warranty runs out!

Faults:

Engine-mount bolt came loose resulting in very clunky gear-changing.

Sometimes doesn't react when I turn the key; nothing happens; has never failed to start on the second attempt.

Stereo once refused to eject a CD for a few days!

Remote locking doesn't always work even after batteries changed in key.

General Comments:

When I first bought the car the first thing I noticed was that it was rather slow. It's slower than my previous car: a large Ford Focus 1.6 turbo-diesel, that seems quite poor for a 1.8 petrol engine. However, it's adequately fast and I wouldn't have chosen not to buy the car on that point alone. The 'Sports Mode' button improves performance significantly.

The indicator switch is crap: try to cancel it and you'll end up indicating in the other direction. Cancel that and the same happens. You do get used to it after a while, but you'll often find yourself swearing under your breath because you look like a prat indicating left, right, left, right when you turn a corner.

The car is perfectly comfortable. I'm 6ft2 and don't feel squashed, although space in the back seats is quite limited. Probably OK for kids, but adults may be uncomfortable.

The road-handling is good. Generally it feels very safe, confident and capable through corners. In my last car I'd have no idea the car was struggling to stick to the road until I was travelling sideways towards the nearest lamp-post, but in the Astra I find that the car communicates its intentions perfectly well and I'm given ample warning if the car is about to lose grip and slide. If it does begin to slide it's easy to oversteer and correct; I've only understeered once, which happened on black ice.

The car looks nice, but nowhere near as nice as the 3-door version, which I couldn't afford. Any car that looks so good it forces Jeremy Clarkson to eat a hair omlette is OK in my books :D.

The new Astra is nothing like the old versions, so if you've previously driven Astras and have been put off, don't let this dissuade you from purchasing this car. The whole car feels solid, well-made and is a genuine pleasure to drive.

Boot-space is good for a car of this size.

Fuel-consumption is not great, but it is an automatic with air-conditioning after all. Around town in my manual-transmission Ford C-Max diesel I'd average 60 miles for £5 (at £0.90 per litre), I get around 30 miles for every £5 I stick in the Astra auto.

The car seems expensive at £16,000 odd, but I don't feel disappointed with the purchase and I feel that the build quality, comfort and general 'feel' of the car justify the price.