The Vauxhall Astra GTE. *********************** (GM) & Vauxhall Policy - 1970's. ******************************** General Motors own Vauxhall in the UK and Opel in Germany which is why their cars are so similar.It is a policy known as badge-egineering where two subsiduary companies both produce the same car under different names i.e. Ford Fiesta/Mazda 131 or Vauxhall Nova/Opel Corsa. Before 1975 GM was content to let Vauxhall and Opel do their own thing but after advice from GM they began work on the ...  Read the complete review

I purchased this my first car a year after I passed my test. My friend owned the GTE version of the previous shape squarer model Astra. The thing I liked about this model were that although it was a very speedy 5-door hatchback, there was no lip around the boot allowing you to slide heavier gear in and out of the car like you would expect from an estate car. This proved very useful as we were both in a band together and we could save our grunts by sliding our heavy equipment in and out of the car. By the time I had saved enough money for the deposit, for the more conservative GL model, the shape had changed to the more rounded style. By this time everyone ...  Read the complete review

Vauxhall have been producing the Astra since 1979 as a mid sized family runabout. I had been recommended to try and Astra several times by friends but always declined on the grounds that I preferred a smaller hatchback. I agreed to test drive an Astra 5 door hatchback and I could not believe how smooth the drive was and as the car was from a used car dealer I trust (yes, good used car dealers exist!) I bought it. There are numerous second hand Astras on the market and since used small cars seem to have become thinner on the ground in my area they are a popular choice, prices vary widely depending on age and condition and the area of the country you are buying from. I ...  Read the complete review

This is generally a good, sound car. I have the 1.6 with 90bhp which is enough on the open road. It is the L trim model which is very basic. I bought it for 200 quid with 100k miles which I thought was bit of a bargain. It is very reliable and I have only had to replace the fuel cap. The build quality is a bit dodgy and the bodywork seems very tinny. The hanling is poor and the damper and springs are too soft. The steering is very vague and I can go 10 degrees either way without alot happening at all. I enjoy driving it and find it relaxing as it floats about. One thing I would say is that the mpg is terrable around town but brilliant everywhere else. Don't buy a ...  Read the complete review

This was my first ever car - an Astra 1.4 Merit. I loved it, not because it was so brilliant, but because it was my first car. But it's still in the hands of the family, and it's still going strong... Reliability and Quality Never broke down, never saw the garage for things other than services. Performance I found the 1.4 engine perfectly adequate. After all, the Astra was not a big car, and since the Merit spec is the very basic one, the engine did not have any excess weight to propel. Ease of driving No power steering, but who needs it in a car this size. OK, a bit of work is required when parking, but there's ...  Read the complete review