vauxhall astra 1.7 diesel review

Have a picture of Vauxhall Astra 1.7 Diesel?, please send it to us.
Picture courtesy of jeff and karen.

Average Ratings

Performance	6/10
Practicality	7.6/10
Reliability	9/10
Value for Money	8/10
Reviewer Rating	7.4/10
Overall Rating	6.7/10

85% Recommended11 out of 13 Reviews

• Overview
• Reviews
• Write your review
• Ask a Question

By nousernamesarefree on 20th Apr 2007

nousernamesarefree's Ratings

Year Manufactured	1997
Length of ownership	3 Months
Doors	5
Performance	6/10
Practicality	8/10
Reliability	9/10
Value for money	10/10
Overall value	8/10
nousernamesarefree's recommendation

Good Points

Reliable, great Isuzu engine (slow but very reliable and economical), generally surprisingly good build quality. Mine was a bargain!

Bad Points

Poor performance, poor driving position, poor handling.

General Comments

I needed a second car - a cheap runabout to use for my 16 mile daily round trip commute, as my wife is pregnant and will be using our "proper car" (a 2002 VW Golf TDi 150). I was going to spend about £3,000 on a cheap runabout - preferably a diesel.

One morning I awoke and as I live in a rural village, opposite a farmers field, saw that someone had placed a car on the grass verge entrance of the field with a "For Sale" poster on the side. The car was an immaculate looking 'P' Reg Vauxhall Astra 1.7TD, with 71k miles, 13 Months MOT, 3 Months tax, Full Service History and described as being in "Absolutely Mint Condition". It was advertised for £799.

In the event I phoned the seller, test drove the car and bought it immediately - the seller accepted my offer of £750. This has to be the biggest bargain I have ever bought - the car is truly immaculate throughout. There is neither a dent nor a mark nor a blemish on the body and paintwork (metallic forest green). The interior is similarly unmarked and in 'as new' condition. The genuine 71k miles is 30k less that we have on the Golf, and that is a 4 year old car, where the Astra is 10 years old. The engine fires immediately and again, visually looks brand new. The car is quite slow (it's the economical TD version, not the sportier TDS version) but drives absolutely perfectly. It will sit at 85mph all day and returns around 55mpg. The Astra does not have central locking or electric windows but it does have Power Steering. The dash is well laid out with outside temperature display, a decent CD Player (but awful speakers), as well as the usual instruments. The steering wheel is not adjustable and seems to be set very low - contrastingly, the seat is not upward/downward adjustable and seems high! So there is something of a feeling of having the steering wheel sitting on your lap! The seats in themselves are quite comfortable. Gear change is smooth and well defined. The car is not in much of a hurry of the mark, but picks up quite well in 3rd gear which is a flexible ratio, more than happy to take you to 50mph+. Unlike most 8v diesel engines, this unit seems happier at slightly higher revs than it does low down. In my Golf there are huge surges of power low down in the rev range but if you leave it in gear too long it runs out of puff quickly. The power output of the Astra is almost half that of the Golf so I am not making a direct comparison but the Astra is quite gutless low down but picks up well if driven harder 'in gear'. In any event, the Astra TD keeps up with the traffic and is happy cruising at 70-85mph. Fuel economy is excellent. I believe my Astra is in way above average condition for this model of car and the age. In my experience Vauxhall's do not age well with high mileage but if you find one like this - low mileage, full service history, properly maintained, it is surprising how refined, well running and in good condition the car can be for it's age.

Overall, for £750 I believe this car has a minimum 3 years reliable motoring left in it - quite possibly more. It is truly immaculate inside and out and I simply do not believe you could get a better runaround car for £750 !!

Total Respect: +1