Vauxhall Astra

Astra Elite 1.6 Automatic

2010 (10)

I bought the car as I liked the shape and the colour and the console. It's very easy to drive and extremely comfortable on long journeys.

I have 2 young granddaughters, who I ferry around, and it's quite easy to lift them in and out, without banging their heads - plus point.

Plenty of room in the boot, and easy to fold down the back seats for extra space.

I'd certainly choose another Astra - as long as the colour is right.

The performance rating is quite low because it is an automatic.

Mrs E Forth

Reliable and economic

2002 (02)

I purchased my black Astra SXI back in 2007, after the engine blew on my Vectra SRI. Having always owned a Vauxhall, I decided to stick to a make I knew well.

The car cost me just over 5k, with just over 20k on the clock and one previous owner and full service history. The car now has just over 70k on the clock and I have never had any major problems with it. There has been the usual wear and tear over time and a few small problems - brake pads and shoes needed replacing, key ignition needed replacing and more recently I have had some battery issues, mainly in the winter. In comparison to my Vectra which was a P reg, this car is missing heated & electric wing mirrors, which in the winter is a pain!

Despite the female stereotype, I actually prefer to drive bigger cars and do miss my Vectra, but the Astra is a decent size, spacious in the back and also has good boot space, with the option to fold down the back seats and create further space. Another massive plus on the car for me is the turning circle I get, compared to other cars I have owned or driven, the Astra is by far the easiest to manoeuvre in tight spaces.

As time has gone on I do feel my car looks like a safe everyday (almost boring) option now and doesn't look as 'beefy' or sporty as it did back in 2007 when the model was quite new, but whilst it gets me from A-B at a reasonable price, I'm not complaining!

Mrs B Jenkins

Golden oldie!

2002 (02)

Although I don't own the car anymore, I've always regretted getting rid of my 2002 Astra - for a number of reasons.

The car itself was only a 1.6 but the performance of the car was good, the fuel economy was impressive, it was comfortable and it was reliable. Unfortunately that is everything that the car it was replaced with hasn't turned out to be.

Paid £5,000 for it at two-years old with 12,000 on the clock and ran it until it had covered 98,000 without any major issues. The only time it was in the garage was for routine work or for problems that you could only regard as 'wear and tear' from a car that was doing extensive running on the motorway and wracking up the miles.

Anyone looking to buy an Astra of this age will obviously be on a budget as the prices are now quite low but I'd happily go back to one if I could get my hands a highly-specced model.

Mr B Jackson