What about the Chevrolet/Daewoo Lacetti? It is basically a retrimmed Astra of the vintage stated AFAIK.
Are you sure (in Chris Tarrant stylee): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daewoo_Lacetti
Thanks for the thought, but no Chevrolet / Daewoo dealer in Bath, but there is a Vauxhall one.
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Astras downfall, as Barchettaman says, is the seats - but everyones their own ideas, on this, so do take a long ride first & you'll appreciate the benefits of this car.
Rides well, economical, easy to service & no street cred, so good value too!!
You'll soon find plenty to choose from, once you do start looking, too. Think ex Motability auctions, there's a good take up of 1.6 Club spec there - autos, too, for less than youmention!
VB
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Vansboy
As you say seats are very personal. I find the sports seats in my SXi are excellent.
I'd certainly recommend the Astra. Had my 1.8 for 5 years now - no problems and no complaints. Well built, cheap to service, decent economy.
JS
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We've got a 2003 Astra 1.6 16v Elegance and it's been great. SWMBO loves the seats, she's very fussy about seats too. Marmite seats?
The only problem we've had is that the EGR valve keeps going, I put this down to SWMBOs driving style - too gentle. I've encouraged her to rev past 2500rpm regularly and that seems to have sorted it for a while now.
The engine is a bit weak in my opinion, but then I'm used to 150bhp+ cars and 100bhp just doesn't do it for me any more. SWMBO has no complaints though.
44,000 miles so far and no issues apart from 2 EGR valves, 2 headlights, 1 dash bulb and 1 relay for the interior lights. Nothing to worry about IMO.
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I've rattled on about Astra seats previously & unless you're lucky enough to have sports models, they always felt as if a fist was in the centre of my back - even when I'd not been driving it for a day - for me it was that bad!!
& I'll mention I've been made quite jealous today. Parked up the road a shiny black ( & I don't like black vehicles!!) 56 plate Astra van diesel. But had what must be special order BIG alloys, chrome twin effect exhaust tailpipe & flashy silver effect interior trim & smart contoured seats. Autobox, too!!
& when I think of the 1/3million miles my Maestro van had travelled, before I got the Omega, if I'd had one of these, I might have covered the distance a bit faster & in more stlyle - although not as cheaply!!
VB
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I've had my 53 reg. Astra LS 2.0DTI from new (October 2003) and it's been excellent. In just over 3 years and 43K miles, all I have done is change 2 headlight bulbs, nothing else at all! It is my company car (which unlike some is looked after and not caned!) and has been absolutely faultless. Only minor irritations is a couple of occasional dash rattles and the velour type seat fabric is a nuisance to hoover as dust sticks to it well. Returns circa 50mpg and goes well enough if you put your foot down, Unlike some 2.0 DTI engines, it uses no oil at all between services, unlike my previous Vectra with the same engine. Engine a little noisy at idle, but fine on the move.
I've never had a problem with the seats, however everybody of course is different. The interior is a bit dreary though, but it's funtional and everything is easy to use and functional!
I occasionally tow a 16ft caravan with it and copes ok (usually use my 1982 2.8 Granada for towing, what a car!!) , seems well put together and solid. In fact it does everything well enough, I'm looking at buying it soon when the time comes to change and I'll run it for a few more years, so long as the company don't want silly money for it!!
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My brother-in-law bought an ex-motability 03 reg 1.6 8v auto at auction for his mother about a year ago. It's been utterly faultless since she's had it. It's lively, economical and feels very well put together. Returns about 32 mpg on mostly short / town journeys, rising to low 40's on a run. Refined on the motorway and compact and zippy enough to be handy around town.
These mk4 Astras are amazing value for money. He paid well under £5k for it a year ago for what was really a minter with 19,000 warranted miles and FVSH. Has cost virtually nothing to keep running since, and DIY services are a doddle because access to all the components is easy.
Cheers
DP
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Thanks for all the responses. These Astras did seem a bargain, and i'll accept that they're not horrid looking, just dull. Anyway, an update.
Just put a deposit down on a 53 plate Astra 1.6 8v Club. It's ex Motability, was supplied and serviced by the Vauxhall garage in Saltford (5 miles from Bath) and lived in south Bristol. It has a stuck open ashtray and a few cosmetic marks, but it is second hand. It's done 58,000 miles and been serviced every year.
The part ex was the scruffiest P reg Escort in the world. Dent in every panel, trim missing, wheel bearings gone and MOT expiring in two weeks with a minimum £300 bill. In the dictionary, the word heap could be defined by a photo of this car. Washing it would have made the dents more apparent
Car was £3995, dealer essentially swopped the Escort for a year's tax on the Astra. Having had an exhaustive look round, Astras with the same age and mileage are for sale at £500 - 1500 more elsewhere. We bit his hand off.
Under £4k for a 3 year old five door hatch with aircon, lecky windows and three rear seatbelts. Friend's happy, and I'm happy, as my kids spend a lot of time in her car.
Thanks again
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