Advantages: Value for money, performance is great, economical in fuel, tax and insurance
Disadvantages: Not for the image conscious

...I recently bought this car and it is certainly a winner in my view. I previously owned a VW Golf, 1.9 TDI, and was tempted to by another one because it was a good motor. I was recomended an Astra and thought I may as well test drive it, what harm was there. I booked a drive and was instantly impressed. I not only found that this car handled just as well as the golf but also matched its performance (in terms of handling and response). I recently changed jobs and needed a newer car and being on a budget I knew that if I was to buy another Golf it would be older and I just wanted the reliability of a warranty. Just something to stop me worrying should something go wrong. The Astra Design has the added benefit is more luxurious than the standard spec Golf, or equivalent class of vehicle. The design comes with half leather, sports... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Space age looks (New Model 2004) Great Engine. Quality interior. Equipment
Disadvantages: Driving position. Ride & handling.

...from launching the very sporty looking Sports Hatch, on a billboard near you, Vauxhall have done nothing to improve its already good looks, the competition have though. Richada's drivelling again I hear you say, please let me explain….. Vauxhall's Astra was the first of the medium segment hatches to be replaced early last year. It is a fantastically successful market sector; the biggest sellers on the road fall into the five door hatchback category, all the major players have to market such a car in order to keep the pennies flowing in. Ford, VW, Mazda and Citroen all launched direct competitors to the Astra last year. With the possible exception of the Mazda 3 and Citroen C4, not the strongest threats in sales terms anyway, the others came up with new designs that, well just looked warmed over. Ford had a cracking good shape... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Looks sleek, some nice features, comfortable
Disadvantages: Lack of 'feel' - a bit wallowy

...wasn't as high spec as her last. Ours is silver, fully colour coded and very easy on the eye. The Astra's lines are very nice on these newer models, and Vauxhall has resisted the temptation that other marques haven't by not going down the awful 'bubble car' route! The shape is a nice combination of straight lines and curves - far better than some of the awful creations coming from other designers. Once inside, ours has a nice dark cloth interior, black plastic dash which in all honesty is quite plain. No nice aluminium buttons or anything like that, just standard run of the mill boring dash. Features-wise, we have electric front windows, air conditioning, dual airbags and a CD player. Oh, and remote central locking. But our model unfortunately doesn't have alloy wheels, electric mirrors, electric rear windows or cruise control. Bit... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: goodlooking, sexy, excellent ride ;-)
Disadvantages: common!

...~ My history ~ My very first car was a Renault Clio and after a crash on Valentines Day 2005 (which completely wrote it off (oops) and I couldn't believe I had to pay £50 to get them to scrap my little baby! (grr) Because I needed a car to get to work, the search began almost instantly to find another car. I had driven an Astra before and really liked them, I thought they were quite compact but big enough to fit people in without being packed in like sardines. I know I didn't want the bog standard Astra, so I went on the Vauxhall website and started to look at what they had to offer. ~ The Sxi ~ I'm not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to cars and engines etc and was a bit lost as to what spec I wanted and what kind of engine, so was only really bothered about how it looked (typical girl?) This is where... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Sexy design, sporty look, good on boot space
Disadvantages: Cheap interior appearance, not comfortable

...equipped with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD), Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Electronic Stability Programme-plus (ESP-plus) and 'Sports' driving mode switch which are designed to assist the driver in maintaining control during acceleration, cornering and avoidance manoeuvres ensuring that the Vauxhall Astra SRi is safe and surefooted. Rating of the Driving 7/10 *~*~Summary~*~* In my opinion this car looks better than it actually is although it is packed with safety features and great styling there is a serious lack of comfort and the styling has reduced the visibility of the drive. For rear passengers it is extremely difficult to exit the car with the sloping roof and there is not too much legroom. I think this car is suited for the younger generation... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Cheap, Very Reliable, Carry Large Loads, Safety
Disadvantages: Fuel Economy is Poor while the HI TORQ claim is false advertising, Security

...I have owned my 1993 (K-Reg) Vauxhall Astra 1.4 HI-TORQ since early 2004 and it has been a great car that has seen many of my other vehicles come and go. The Astra has been my primary car during my ownership covering just under 25,000 miles and has served me with reliability and practicality that would be envied by more modern cars and their owners. GENERAL EXPERIENCE The Astra has been very much a workhorse and has been treated as such. The bodywork has numerous dents and battle scars gained from the general errands that it has been used for. I am often pitied by my mates for driving such a car but it has a certain character that can only be gained by old age. RELIABILTY and SERVICING COSTS Reliability has been excellent bearing in mind that this is a car which I purchased with 69,000 miles on the clock for £425. The clock... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Good reliable car
Disadvantages: Expensive on tax

...I bought this car just over a year ago and it has been a very reliable car. It has 5 doors and the boot is a fair size you could fit a lot into it. This Vauxhall Astra has power sterring and have had a CD player installed in it. It has a hide away ashtray so if you want the ashtray down you press a button and the front comes down. The locks on the Astra i have got has no central locking. This Vauxhall Astra runs on Diesel which is slightly dearer than petrol but you go the extra miles on diesel. Me and my husband took this up to stanstead airport and it only used a quarter of a full tank of diesel. The engine size is a 1700cc engine which makes it dear on the road tax at £93.50 for 6 months. This Vauxhall Astra has a catalatic converter on the exhaust system and is expensive for a new one as i found out when i had the MOT done... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Rewarding Handling, Torquey Engine, Driving Position
Disadvantages: It's a Vauxhall, Depreciation

...parents company car so they don’t have to worry about the awful depreciation, it looses half it’s value in the first year alone, however this does ensure the Astra makes a very good second hand buy. Personally I wouldn’t buy an Astra, despite it’s merits, it’s still a Vauxhall and for the same money you can have a Focus which I thought was even better to drive than the Astra. However, if your a company car driver or looking for a 2nd hand bargain and don't like the Focus's new edge design then the Astra is worth a look.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Good looks, even today, cheap to run and insure, ideal first car
Disadvantages: Lacks power, especially at higher speeds

...I bought a fantastic vauxhall astra, M reg last year for 300 quid and so far it has been the best car ive driven! The interior is comfortable, which is great for long trips in the astra, theres plenty of rear legroom and boot space is quite good aswell. The exterior styling, albeit a bit dated now, still looks pretty good, especially if you get the ones built after 1994, which benefitted from a subtle facelift where vauxhall added the "v grill" and slimmer headlights. the car handles pretty well and confidently, although the lack of power steering can make it difficult to do things in town, like parking or 3 point turns. reliability is good too, i never had a problem with my astra, although dont be suprised if a car this age does start to have problems...not to worry though, new parts are easy and cheap to source... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Drives Nice, Great Economy, Cheap Tax, Cheap Insurance
Disadvantages: Not as quick as some.

.... It smells new, looks like it's never been sat in, and has never had any paintwork. It hasn't got a mark on it. LOOKS. The Mk4 Astra is a nice looking car. Not sporty by any stretch of the imagination, but certainly modern. Body coloured bumpers hide the fact that this is the Base model. Mine has 5 doors, and plastic rubbing strips on the doors, which seem to do the job, as the car has no parking dents. The lights, both front and rear, are sleek and modern, being made of clear plastic. DRIVING Apparently Lotus had a lot to do with the design of the chassis of this car. It certainly feels solid, with no body flex. The car stays level on cornering, and even with the skinny 175 tyres it takes a lot to upset it. Being inclined to understeer slightly (very slightly) in the wet, it inspires confidence in all conditions. Standard Electric... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful