2002 Holden Astra CD 5 door hatch 1.8 petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Faults:

My car was delivered with the Holden by Design body kit and wheels and the wheels were not balanced which made the car vibrate badly at 100Km/hr.

Hatch door lock doesn't seem to be operating correctly with the key. Will have it checked at first service.

Drivers side rear mud flap not fitted properly i. e bracket almost hits the tyre.

General Comments:

Car handles surprisingly well.

Economy is very good. First full tank I got 660Km on 46 litres of premium unleaded and still improving.

Not sure yet if the drivers seat is gonna cause me back pain.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th June, 2002

7th Feb 2003, 03:28

The first time I saw an Astra, I knew this was the car for me, so no questions asked, I bought it!!!

The best decision I've ever made!!! And trust us on this one... the seats are real comfy!!!

2002 Holden Astra City 1.8L from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

The best medium car around

Faults:

Nothing as I have only done 450 Kilometres.

General Comments:

I would recommend this car to anyone, it is a smooth car to drive and handles well round corners.

I have not had any noises or rattles coming from inside the car.

I have a 1.8L engine and it's more than enough power for me.

I have not had any trouble with the throttle at all as I have heard that you have to get used to the throttle.

I have used Optimax petrol in my car since day 1 and the mileage is great, I have done nearly 300 Kilometres and only used 1/4 of a tank of petrol.

There is also plenty of room in the car and the size of the boot is great as it is only 5 litres smaller than the boot in a Commodore!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th April, 2002

2002 Holden Astra city 1.8 litre from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A great medium size car

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

My Astra City Sedan drives like a dream.

I would recommend this car to anyone who is looking for a medium size car to buy.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th April, 2002

2002 Holden Astra CD 1.8L from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Sheer driving pleasure

Faults:

Nothing yet - though has only gone 800kms!

General Comments:

This is a fantastic car that I've been considering buying for a while and am certainly not disappointed now that I've bought it!

The vehicle is extremely smooth and quiet to drive, handles brilliantly (just as well as the Peugeot 302 or VW Golf which I have driven), and the 1.8L engine gives more than enough power around the city and on the open road. I'm only using standard unleaded so I imagine performance is even better with premium.

The cruise control in the CD works really well and holds speed on steep hills and inclines as well as could be expected for this size engine car.

Shifting back from 3rd to 2nd is a little stiff, and the throttle takes a little while to adjust to however these are more characteristics of the car rather than problems which are easy to adjust to.

Being one of the new 2002 builds Holden has just about overcome all pervious complaints by adding rear-head rests, allowing the fuel-door to be opened by the remote, and I haven't heard any of the infamous door rattle (yet!) that has been reported in earlier Astras.

A great value buy for those drivers wanting a quality car that's fun to drive and matches the performance of considerably more expensive European cars.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th April, 2002

20th Aug 2002, 00:10

I agreee with the general comments. All the brake noise I have encountered is fixed by weekly hosing the disks. This removes quantities of black powder and seems to keep the noise away.

23rd Jan 2003, 23:15

What happens when there has been so much brake dust removed that there isn't much more to come out??? Do you need to get new brake pads???

20th Feb 2011, 15:18

The brake problem seems common, with different people offering different solutions such as dampers. A more long term solution seems to be to replace the linkage between the handbrake cable and the brake calipers to allow more movement.