Faults:

Wheel bearings, exhaust, coolant leak, etc.

The car was serviced on time, no major issues.

General Comments:

One of my first cars, loved the look. Sports hatch Astra with alloy wheels really stands out from others on the road.

Shame the rest of the car is not up to much - pretty average to drive and run. Not an exciting car. But I had the middling 1.6 petrol; that means average performance and about 38 mpg at best.

Interior comfortable enough if a bit small, and the ride was too firm, but you could live with it.

Overall I liked it.

Faults:

One month after the Vauxhall warranty finished, the starter motor failed at 17,000 miles.

The car failed every MOT from new.

It's had two front brake disks, two bottom ball joints, 6 track rod ends, two front springs, and at 30,000 miles the ABS pump failed (£1500).

At 35,000 miles, the flywheel went (£1,800).

And after I sold the car, at 46,000 the gearbox failed.

Yes it looked good with the Xpac on it, yes it was quick, but it's the worst car I've ever had; it ate tyres! Vauxhall have the worst customer care ever! Even after the starter motor failed, they did not want to know, even though it was only 3 weeks after the warranty finished! They wanted £380 for a new starter motor. Not fitted!! So I got a new starter motor for £120 and I fitted it myself.

General Comments:

The car is quick! But it was the worst car I've ever, ever had in my life! I will never buy Vauxhall again. I've got a Skoda Octavia vRS now; I wish I'd bought this instead of that Vauxhall! Please, if you have any sense, DON'T BUY VAUXHALL, read reviews on any car web page, I wish I had!

Faults:

Coil pack at 50,000 miles.

General Comments:

From the first moment you walk up to the car, you notice the beautiful lines of the car, the sporty stance, especially with the full exterior pack, which I have. The front and rear splitters, and the side skirts and spoilers, make all the difference. This carries on to the inside; from the second you sit on the sports seats that hold you firmly in place, you sit nice and low in the sport hatch, which just adds to the sporty feel. The steering wheel feels chunky in your hands, and the aluminium pedals are weighted brilliantly, and are perfectly placed for heel and toe changes.

The 1.6 Twinport engine moves the car well. Now being a 105 BHP engine, it isn't the fastest car in the world, but it is still quicker than the 1.6 Focus and Golf. It has DOHC, and to rev it up the rev range is to really drive it. It does respond well to being pushed, while also being brilliant and responsive at low town speeds.

Being the SXi edition, the set up is hard, which I love; it corners nice and level over all different kinds of road surfaces. It loves to be grabbed by the scruff of the neck and pushed into the bends; you can feel the front end diving into the corners through the brilliantly weighted steering.

The fit and finish of the interior is brilliant; no squeaks or rattles. The standard kit is very good; 8 airbags, air con, a fantastic 7 speaker sound system, one touch electronic stalks, and much much more.