Faults:

Clutch, oil and coolant leaks, turbo, various sensors, and so it went on.

The biggest issue was it needed a gearbox recondition. It started whining around the 90K mark. Gear lever was also loose and moving around in gear under acceleration.

General Comments:

Good points about this Astra? Good looking car, comfortable interior on this SE model, leather and electrics. Smooth to drive, 1.7 CDTi has decent power and is economical.

Bad points? Let me tell you that this has been one of the most unreliable cars I have ever had. I have had many cars, and they all lasted well over ten years and 150,000 miles with no major issues. This car however started coming apart early when I bought it back in 2019. The mileage was not that high either in my opinion. I have never had soo many problems with a car in such a short time. It was looked after well and in good condition when purchased, and all the problems started after the used warranty ran out!

Apparently very common, this terrible six speed M32 gearbox is fitted to many other Vauxhall's and other cars from this time period. Best avoided, it is a very unreliable gearbox when you do a bit of research, which I wish I had done before buying this car! I'm forced to keep mine now, I have spent too much money on it to scrap it. But at-least it seems OK for now.

Faults:

Gearbox! Gearbox! Gearbox!!!"M32" box - known problematic gearbox. Early bearing failure. Expensive to recondition or replace (over £1000 at any decent garage).

Clutch/flywheel.

Oil and coolant leaks.

The rest was just wear and tear. The car was serviced on time, bought used but apparently looked after with full history.

General Comments:

Wanted to like this car soo much, it was a major upgrade from my old Fiesta - the Astra in Vx Line SRi trim was sporty and fun to drive.

Interior well laid out, nice smooth controls.

Exterior styling very nice for a run of the mill hatchback. Mine was white with black alloy wheels.

1.7 CDTi was punchy and economical.

Loved it, just wish I had researched how bad the 6 speed manual gearboxes were on Vauxhall's from this time! If you test drive one of these with the intention of purchasing, and they have a moving gear-stick upon acceleration or metallic whine noise on the move (above 40 mph usually), walk away!

Sold mine last year - never again, will go back to Ford's!

Faults:

Oil cooler leaking oil - replaced for around £300.

Coolant leak (expansion tank - very common, reasonable to supply and fit for around £120 by local mechanic).

Interior plastics not holding up well, a lot has broken.

Climate control has seen better days.

Exterior looks OK for age, only minor marks, no major rust.

The rest was just wear and tear, the car is serviced on time and the cam-belt has been changed, was not too expensive to do, and well worth it if keeping the car beyond 100K miles.

General Comments:

The Astra may not be most exciting car ever made, but if you want a reliable no nonsense family hatch, look no further.

Exclusiv model is very basic - I had to do something about the awful looking wheel trims by getting a decent set of alloys and new tyres when I bought it - the car looks much better.

Inside the dash is quite stylish, and although a lower range model, there is plenty of electrics. Space is as good as any in its class. Seats are very comfortable, and the car is smooth and quiet on the move, great for motorways or A roads.

Good to drive, clutch and gears are smooth. 1.6 16v petrol performs well and manages 35 - 40 mpg.

Overall for a car I have had for a while and put around 50K miles on it since bought used, I cannot complain.