Vauxhall Astra Hatchback (2009 - 2015) 1.6 CDTi 16V ecoFLEX Excite 5d Owner Review

The Astra J is very good at being "a car". This is my second one, the first being a company car & this being privately owned. Ive done around 120000 miles in this model & found they have good ride quality and are relatively quiet...making the diesels a good motorway car. The Excite spec was lower mid range & will be fine for most people in the real world. Compares to the base model it has uprated seats, leather steering wheel, electric front windows, air con, Bluetooth, remote locking and power steering. External flashes of chrome trim and alloys mean it looks quite smart. Road tax is £0 and annual service and MOT at the local Vauxhall main dealer is £159 or £199 depending on the service schedule. Astras are usually cheaper than the equivalent age/spec focus or golf and a looked after example makes a lot of sense as a used buy. However, watch out - because they are cheap to maintain previous owners shouldn't have an excuse for skimping. Problem is the car is also cheap to buy so they can appeal to people who can't afford to maintain a car properly. Be picky, there's plenty to choose from!