Vauxhall Astra Coupe 2000-
  • Economy

    Value

    5 out of 5 5.0

    Performance bargain. Paid £10K when the car was only 18 months old from a main dealer.

    Costs

    5 out of 5 5.0

    Cheap to buy, insure and run, so no complaints from me.

  • On the road

    Driving

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Pretty good on the whole. Could do with less body roll, considering how stiff the suspension is!

    Performance

    5 out of 5 5.0

    Great BMW baiter! Good motorway car. Stick it in fifth and let the torque do the rest. Will do nearly 40mpg on motorways.

  • Living with it

    Reliability

    4 out of 5 4.0

    No problems other than a faulty alarm sounder, which is a common Vaux fault. It is powered and when the battery fails the alarm goes off all the time. Battery is not replaceable and whole unit must be replaced. Wastegate actuator failed.

    Image

    4 out of 5 4.0

    I expect badge snobs sneer at the Vauxhall badge, but you can always buy Opel ones!

    Comfort

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Don't buy one with the standard cloth seats, as these are rock hard. The part or full leather ones are fine.

  • Security and Service

    Security

    5 out of 5 5.0

    No break in attempts , but deadlocks and Thatcham 1 alarm (including tilt) means it's not going anywhere.

    Service

    4 out of 5 4.0

    A few dodgy dealings in the past, but I've been lucky enough to find a good dealership now that I'm happy with.

  • Problems and Ownership

    Problems

    Engine

    Wastegate actuator failed resulting in no boost. Replaced under warranty.

    Other

    Frameless windows stick to the rubber seals in winter, meaning the doors won't open unless you pour warm water on them for 5 minutes.

    Ownership

    Did you buy the car new?

    New

    Would you buy the same model again?

    No

    Did you buy from the same manufacturer again?

    Yes