2002 Holden Astra CD 1.8 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Please don't buy one

Faults:

I had to change the timing belt kit before it reached 60,000 KMS.

I recently had issue with the compressor, and hence the air conditioning did not work.

General Comments:

Overall, the car is good when running, but very expensive to maintain. It is more expensive than BMW and Mercedes. Even though the parts are manufactured locally, they are very expensive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 30th December, 2010

31st Dec 2010, 17:12

That car is not a local car - it's a rebadged Opel Astra, likely assembled in Belgium. Its parts are not domestically made.

In reply to 31st Dec 2010, 17:12

12th May 2011, 06:12

All 2002 model Holden Astras hatch, sedan and wagons were produced in Germany.

The parts were sourced from GM suppliers around the world. The aircon systems are built in Mexico, and are also used on Rover and Mini cars!

Most parts are European obviously. The floor mats come from Holland. The roof grab handles are from Portugal. The number plate light cover is from France. The front tow hook cover is from India. I know all that because they are all what I have have purchased in the time I've had the car.

I bought the roof grab handle for the driver. The indent in the roof is there, but they put two space fillers over it, so I thought I'd make it look flash, so now my Astra is the only one in the world to have 4 grab handles!

2002 Holden Astra TS CD 1.8 petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Poor car, somewhat disappointed

Faults:

Many faults, and apparently it's common with the 2002 Astra.

Squeaking noise while reversing.

A/C compressor clutch faulty.

Emission system warning light pop's-up.

Blaupunkt stereo will start with max volume.

Gear lever is too close to the forearm, so inconvenient for male drivers to shift gears.

Slightly hard steering and brakes.

Poor ride comfort in terms of the suspension.

I don't find the traction control very effective.

General Comments:

Good things about the car:

Gives me about 11.3ks per ltr mixed road conditions.

Decent interior quality of upholstery and plastic.

Reasonable power for a 1.8 ltr engine.

Excellent cruise control.

The hatchback with the seats folded has heaps of boot space.

I had a Nissan Skyline before, and never ever had any problem with it, even after doing 100,000ks myself. Most of my mates have Japanese cars, and they go just fine with not much problem. Japanese cars are fine quality, fast, reliable, smooth, fuel efficient and value for money.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 21st October, 2010

4th Dec 2010, 20:01

This review was written by me.

I sold the car this week (not due to maintenance problem, but wanted a auto trans). It's a great car for its price, but far too complicated with lots of electronic systems. The basic mechanism is not very reliable. The timing belt needs to be replaced after every 60,000 ks (considering most cars in its class are at 90 to 100 thousand ks). Because the car is overloaded with computer managed functions, it's usual for warning lights to turn-on.

I believe in Japanese cars that are simple and reliable. They are value for money, light on ownership cost and good resale value.

Entry level cars are best built simple and reliable, rather than complicate them. Unfortunately, Ausi manufacturers like Holden and Ford don't believe in that, and offer a list of features in their new cars so they compete better with rivals (watch the TV ads). These features are great at the beginning, but soon start to fail and cause serious headache. That’s where the depreciation is maximum on these cars compared to Japanese cars. By the time these cars go from 2nd hand to 3rd hand, owners have spent $$$ on servicing.

I will be interested in a simple and basic car offered by Ausi manufacturers (a car with no - ABS, EBD, ESC, cruise control, power assisted sytems ets). A car that’s light weight, reliable, cheap to buy, cheap to own, no computerised systems to fail, and hence you don’t have to repair anything when you want to sell it, and hence a good resale value.

16th Jun 2011, 19:13

I've been doing 320kms per 25 litres with a mix of city, highway and aircon.