2005 Holden Astra TS 1.8 petrol from Australia and New Zealand
Summary:
Exceptional performer
Faults:
Virtually nothing has gone wrong.
The fake leather handbrake cover has flaked and looks tacky.
It seems a shocker may be on the way out, but at ten years that is expected, and they are all due to be replaced.
General Comments:
I can't believe how good this little car really is. I have had it one year and I have driven just on 30,000 kilometres in that time without an issue. It drives well, it is tight on corners, smooth, quiet and totally reliable. It has no rattles and a very tight undercarriage. Economy is superb, giving me 15 kilometres per litre on trips and 13.5 around town.
A little more power would be nice, but mine is a five-speed manual and I drive it accordingly; with oomph.
This must be the fortieth car I have owned in my life, and few have been better really. I may have been lucky to get a really good one. It was certainly a one-owner with low mileage (average 7,500 km per year) and a good service history when I bought it at nine years old.
This car was unfamiliar to me before I bought it, but now I see them everywhere and I am astounded how at ten years old (and older) the body and paintwork of most I see is excellent.
It is without doubt one of the best small cars I have ever driven, and I have driven well over one million kilometres.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 4th January, 2015
2nd Dec 2009, 05:29
When the current Astra was released around 2005, Holden flogged the obsolete model (this one) as a cheaper option and badged it the Classic. The Classic was built in Poland instead of Belgium (which was where it was built previously before Belgium started building the newer model that replaced it). I knew someone who had a Classic and they had problems with dash rattles and intermittent engine power loss very early on. I'm guessing the build quality of Poland-built cars isn't as good as the Belgium built ones, but I hear that most Astra's are dogs in general.