3rd Oct 2007, 18:45

I said to my girlfriend "I'm only going for a test drive". I walked out of there having signed my contract. I'm picking my new SRI Manual Hatch in 2 days.

Word of note!! - When I went to the first dealer I enquired as to why I couldn't see a 5 door SRI Hatch on the floor, I was told "They stopped making those a while ago..." So for those of you who want the 5 door Hatch SRI, get in quick, they are becoming a scarce! But... I got mine!

8th Oct 2007, 22:12

If you want any Astra, you ought to hurry in, cos Holden is phasing out the Opel product in favour of crappy Daewoo engineered trash soon.

Barina Europe, Astra Classic and Vectra have already bitten the dust, so Astra cannot be too far behind.

23rd Oct 2007, 02:06

I picked up my new black SRI 2.2 coupe earlier this year and after 4,000 km's, I can honestly say that overall that it has been very good. There has been a minor problem with engine knocking when run on standard unleaded (the brochure says it can run on standard), but is perfect when run on premium. The dealer is trying to solve the issue still... I put the 18" SRI turbo wheels on it and looks a treat - still get a lot of compliments for its looks (blokes included). Performance still excites, especially mid-range 2nd and 3rd gears. I find the seats comfortable, audio quality very good (after tweaking the eq), the paint job superior to cars above its class and the transmission and handling surprisingly good. Likes to be driven hard, but will burn more fuel than you'd expect. Overall, a great value package... recommended for someone looking for an agile runabout.

20th Jun 2008, 11:04

I totally agree with above comments. We have had our Astra CDXi since it first came out in 2005. It has done 57,680 km's to date and never missed a beat. It is packed with all the bells and whistles, like leather, adjustable headlights, fog lights, cruise, ABS, 4 electric windows, heated seats, and the list goes on.

The paint is outstanding; it really turns heads. Ours is Breeze Blue; a colour only available on the 2005 models...

This car has been nothing short of amazing; flying past Mazda 6's and Corolla's on sweeping bends at 140km is something those cars are just not built for. The handling is amazing, and even though it's the 1.8 litre, it can still pack a little punch on take off with the sport button, and at high speeds it has plenty of torque to satisfy.

I really don't know what people expect??? The stereo is fantastic ,and me myself having been a professional audio installer earlier in my career, I have to say that Blaupunkt do not make garbage, and if you know how to use an equalizer, you will understand how to adjust it accordingly to the style of music you are playing, and therefore it will sound a lot better... our speakers have plenty of bass and clarity...

The engine is reliable; no timing belt problems, uses stuff all petrol, and we look after it. I think maybe that a lot of people buy cars that haven't been looked after, or don't look after them and then write a review about the car being garbage...

Astra's may not be as popular as a Corolla, Mazda6 and others, but they do not have that rushed cheap mass produced thrown together quickly feel about them like other cars do .

I suggest that if you want a solid feel, reliable engine and safety, then the Astra has it. If you want a reliable engine, and bad styling and cheap plastic interior, buy something else...

Happy Astra owner... :)

25th Sep 2008, 06:04

In a way I agree with the previous comment... "You get what you've paid for"... does work with the cars too.

As for me:

1. Manual doesn’t include section on how to perform routine maintenance... (Like oil/coolant change, ETC) - Why would they pay $$$ and service in Holden Dealership, where 18 year old boys can do some practice for couple of hundred dollars.

2. Now I know for sure - you can't trust second hand car salesman. Holden Astra 2005 I've bought has been ex-rental car, as I've found out after I've bought it.

7th Oct 2008, 14:37

Well had my (Astra CDTi SRi) for 6 months now, what can I say, but it's very good.

Two weeks ago I bought a CDR2 tuning box for it from DTUK Tuning, and MY GOD, what a road burner. 0-140 came in at blistering speed. Mid range punch is incredible, this car has to be driven to be believed.

This car revs like a petrol car, well 5200revs, put it in sports mode in the rain and it will torque steer in third.

But all this said, drive in normal mode and it's still a great shopping cart. Jekyll and Hyde this car. And yes it will give any of the so called modern hatches a run for their money, and will beat most of them. A diesel; who would have thought?

17th Aug 2009, 04:58

Love my 2008 SRi auto coupe, looks great, drives fantastic, only drawback is that blokes cop payouts for driving it, as Astra is a "chicks car". I don't reckon as it's a head turner - and with all the additions like sunroof and tints, looks like a beautiful sports car.

6th Jul 2010, 22:50

I have had my Holden SRI for 8 months, it has been a good car, but it has a top end knock at 3000 revs in 4th gear when putting your foot down.

Holden have had the car now for 1 month trying all sorts of tests. I have be told that number 2 cylinder is down!

The car has now traveled 9000 kms, it also makes a clicking sound on cold start up.

Comments welcome!