Faults:

Ventilation air recirculation button does not work.

Brake light switch error appeared once.

Otherwise nothing.

General Comments:

I bought this car because I wanted a reliable estate car with an air conditioning option.

I bought it for it 4700 EUR, used.

I chose this gasoline version because I do not like diesel noise, and I thought that a simpler engine would be more reliable than a turbocharged engine with an expensive fuel injection system.

Exterior:

I like the design of the car. It's simple and clean. I think that it does not look outdated yet.

Interior:

Assembling quality is OK, no squeaks or rattles. However there are hard plastics wherever you look or touch. There are very few storage places inside the cabin. Even my previous Dacia, which is renowned for its spartan interior, had more places for cups.

The seats are supportive and the driving position is good for long journeys.

Legroom on the backseat is very good, but the cabin is narrow. Definitely not 3 seats in the back. More like 2 adults alone or 2 kids and 1 adult could fit.

Driving:

Steering is very good.

Engine torque curve is very good for a naturally aspirated small engine.

The engine is pleasing between 2000 and 4000 RPM. Still, it does not look like an engine which likes high revs. Seems to be tuned for down torque.

The gears are very short and that helps the small engine.

At first, I was really concerned that the car is underpowered with only 90 HP and 125 Nm. But it proved out to be really OK for legal speeds (90-120 km/h range).

Handling is not impressive, but it feels safe (at least for legal speeds).

Soundproofing is quite good. I am using Mobil1 0w40 engine oil, and this seems to reduce engine noise.

Brakes are very good and ESP is fitted.

Fuel consumption:

8 liters/100 km for city driving (mid size city, not capital city).

6 liters/100 km for country roads and highway.

Safety:

8 airbags are fitted, plus ESP.

The car feels solidly built.

The car has cruise control and automatic headlights and wipers.

The only thing I do not like about the car, is the harsh gear change and clutch operation. Changing gears is far away from the smoothness of my previous car.

I found out through the years that many German cars have unnecessary harsh gear shifter operations.

Aside from that, I am really pleased with the car and somewhat amazed that a car designed in 2004 is not completely outdated. Good engineering from Opel.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

This car is fantastic. I got it brand new in 2008, and never looked back.

I was a bit unsure about the engine being only a 1.3, but how I was wrong, this car is a little rocket when you put the foot down.

I love this car and it's very cheap to run. I get 65 mpg, and the road tax is low too. 156 per year.

I would recommend an Astra to everyone. Make sure to go for 1.3 CDTi engine; avoid the 1.4 petrol, they're not half as fun as the 1.3 TDi, and they're more expensive to run.

Faults:

No faults yet.

General Comments:

Surprisingly low fuel consumption (in and out of the city).

Very decent car in its price range (just to make clear, this is one of the cheapest cars here since the model is 10 years old, only the engine is new generation). Interior is still much more appealing than in other similar priced cars - seems to be made from the higher quality materials than its competitors).

Faults:

The rubber cover of the clutches fall off every time I fix them in place.

General Comments:

This car is a very good car, you can safely depend on it. Very good mileage per liter, and it's a big winner in saving on petrol, it is a very quick car and it handles perfectly. The only bad thing about it is the seat are so firm that sometimes they hurt my body, I can never sit with my wallet in my back pocket or it will hurt me.

It has a good boot space. I did hit the road on a trip of 350 km doing a smooth 170 km/hr with no problems.

The inside of the car is really well put together, giving you the feeling that it is a one of the top cars.

All around, it is one of the best cars in this price range.