Vauxhall Astra 1.7 Diesel Reviews
Latest Reviews
★☆☆☆☆
“Astra 1.7 dti”
Written on: 29/08/2012 by relyonthruth (1 review written)
Purchased this car 2nd hand at end of June, cannot trust anyone at all these days...a world full of choisters!!foreign izuzu engines no good.sluggish in low gears. when driving at 30 and 40 mph it is too fast for the conditions of the roads these days Oil in coolant resevoir had previously been by passed. had 3 flush puts. then water from coolant resevoir leaking in the drivers footwell. Heater matrix and hoses perishes. Also tacky cheap immobiliser fobs bad design and failure to activate... (read more)
★☆☆☆☆
“Decent looking car shame about the engine”
Written on: 07/01/2012
I purchased Astra 1.7 SRI diesel almost new, currently it has 37000 miles on speedometer but engine sounds as if it covered 137000 saying that I cannot imagine this engine doing much more the 60 000 it sounds like a tractor constant thumping down in bottom of the engine particularly on acceleration last I heard such sounds was in my MK2 Cortina which covered almost 80 000 miles (Which back in them days was quite high mileage) and the big ends packed in I wouldn’t be surprised if this... (read more)
★☆☆☆☆
“problems,can anyone help”
Written on: 10/10/2011 by outofpocketforever (1 review written)
i have a 52 plate astra 1.7 tdi est,it had a new engine just before i bought it and the car has done about 25,000 miles now.i was told it needed warming on a morning butnot for 2 hours!!.it misses,lurches along with clouds of smoke poring from the exhaust,sometimes its white but occ black,if i move the gears up quickly it seems to help a bit,ive had it to lots of people,cant afford to take it to the dealers,anyhow the prev owner had it there and they didnt solve it,i thought it could be an... (read more)
★★★★★
“hi i have some problem with my car its i cant set my...”
Written on: 30/03/2011
hi i have some problem with my car its i cant set my car timing plz help my out (read more)
★★★★☆
“Bought this June 2003 astra 1700CDTI ECO4 in...”
Written on: 09/03/2011
Bought this June 2003 astra 1700CDTI ECO4 in February2004 and had no problems with it until this year (2011) had a new alternator and its just about to get a new EGR valve both repairs are quite expensive but I am still getting around 55-60MPG and road tax of £30 per year. It is still nippy and relatively quiet. It is very economical and reliable. It doesn't look the newest car on the road but it is so cheap to run I shall be keeping it untilit falls apart. (read more)
★★★★☆
“hello, i have an astra 1.7 diesel sl, it is a good car...”
Written on: 06/03/2011 by tony1979 (1 review written)
hello, i have an astra 1.7 diesel sl, it is a good car and dont drink alot on fuel thought,, when i drive on motorway after a while a worning light comes on, it is like a car with a spaner on the middle, and once this light comes on the car works like is tired, once i reduce the gears and the speed, the light goes off and the car works ok. any sugestions,what this light means?? please if someone out there knows it,, let me know. best regards. (read more)
Lyniroquai's Response to tony1979's Review
Written on: 16/05/2011
Hi, I just bought an Astra Estate 1.7 diesel and I had the Engine maintenance light (orange light with a car & spanner) come on when I went on the motorway, I slowed down a little and it went off, I need to take my car to have a diagnostics test now, the garage hooks it up to a machine that reads out the codes that the cars ECN records, those codes will tell the diagnostics team what is wrong with the car and to get it fixed, Maybe this is what is happening to your car too? hope this helps you a little bit :D
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Guest's Response to tony1979's Review
Written on: 10/10/2011
i have a astra estate 1.7 dti,had the same problem (1 of many) but that warning light with the spanner on was the crankshaft sensor,replaced that and i havent seen the thing since
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Outofpocketforever's Response to tony1979's Review
Written on: 03/04/2012
hi,same with mine and it was the crankshaft sensor,auto electrician did it for £40
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★★☆☆☆
“Although reasonably nippy, spacious and comfortable,...”
Written on: 12/08/2010
Although reasonably nippy, spacious and comfortable, beware any poor sod who is thinking of buying one. The 1.7 Vauxhall diesel engine is a horrible, noisy piece of junk that sounds like it belongs in a clapped-out Polish tractor. I am still waiting for Vauxhall to do a "Field Remedy" repair on the faulty turbo actuator rod . In plain English, this means that they know it is a bad design, and haven`t got, made or even designed the parts needed to rectify the issue). At the moment and for the... (read more)
★★★★☆
“Previously owned an Omega, very nice to drive, but...”
Written on: 27/07/2010
Previously owned an Omega, very nice to drive, but cost a lot to maintain - sensors, etc.
The Astra 1.7 Estate has been a real surprise. This is my first diesel car, but it will not be the last. Average at least 44mpg driving on motorways every day at about 3500 revs in top gear, driving in the right hand overtaking lane most of the time (this is now slouch). Acceleration is very good. It uses very little oil (maybe 1 litre in 5,000 miles, no water). The fan belt recently broke at...
(read more)
★★★☆☆
“I have loved my 06 plate, 1.7 cdti sxi since i bought...”
Written on: 02/07/2010 by clairey10 (1 review written)
I have loved my 06 plate, 1.7 cdti sxi since i bought it, it had a mere 5k miles on the clock. Then suddenly, yesterday, my turbo blew...a very expensive repair for a car that has only just done 22k miles. Am appalled at the turbo going on car vehicle with such low mileage...And I am no girl racer in it either...Has anyone else had the same happen to them? or am i just the unlucky one...not leaning towards any recommendation for this car now!!!
Would love to know if this is normal
(read more)
★★★★☆
“My 1.7 Astra estate 2002 model Went from London to...”
Written on: 02/05/2010
My 1.7 Astra estate 2002 model Went from London to Inverness and back with £80 deisel.... thats about 1200 miles. Did the same journey in an audi 1.8 petrol and cost me £155....thats a saving of £75 I've had my Astra 3 years with no problems. (read more)
See next 10 reviews
Showing 1 - 10 of 35 Reviews
★★★★☆
“my astra elite 1.9 cdti covers 60k + a year up and...”
Written on: 16/04/2010
my astra elite 1.9 cdti covers 60k + a year up and down the motorway and is about to have its 100k service, i also have a 335i bmw and the astra has been more reliable !!! boring looking handles like a piano but very good reliable safe comfy car with long service intervals and 48mpg average i just hope it carries on being so as i have no plans or funds left to replace it (read more)
★☆☆☆☆
“My Mk 4 astra is a 1.7CDTI and it is the pain in my...”
Written on: 25/03/2010
My Mk 4 astra is a 1.7CDTI and it is the pain in my life. It is sluggish, rough over speed bumps, I have had no end of repairs on it, the seats are very un-comfortable and the dash is dull and boaring.
I dont know how people get good MPG from them because I only get 40 max driving like my granny. for the size of the engine and the aid of the turbo I would expect plenty of power at my disposal but P reg 1.0L ford fiestas and 1.2 nova merits pull away and leave me standing on motorways.
If...
(read more)
★★★★★
“I went fron a petrol Zafira to the Diesel Astra. ”
Written on: 05/03/2010
I went fron a petrol Zafira to the Diesel Astra.
I actually wanted a Diesel Ford Focus, but they were too expensive.
It's superb, fuel economy is excellent and the engine is sweet as hell.
I'll never go back to a petrol engine.
(read more)
★★★★★
★★★★★
“only had my astra 2 days, it has only got 96000 on the...”
Written on: 04/01/2010
only had my astra 2 days, it has only got 96000 on the clock and yes, it is genuine as it has full service history and the bodywork is as good as a new car along with the interior, the only thing i can find wrong with it is a ticking noise from the engine but still giving good mileage, had a full tank when i picked it up and have already covered nearly 250 miles and the guage has hardley moved. would recommend these to anyone (read more)
★★☆☆☆
“THIS CAR HAS BEEN MY WORST NIGHTMARE!! 13 YR OLD...”
Written on: 05/12/2009 by pisssedoff (1 review written)
THIS CAR HAS BEEN MY WORST NIGHTMARE!! 13 YR OLD PEUGEOT WAS SO MORE RELIABLE...
A MONTH OUT OF WARRANTY MY TURBO WENT TOOK CAR INTO A DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS AND THEY BLEW UP THE ENGINE, DOWN TO ADMITTED NEGLIGENCE!!!!THEY REPLACED ENGINE, TURBO 3 TIMES, CLUTCH, FLYWHEEL, BOOST PRESSURE SENSOR, STARTER MOTOR AND A FEW MINOR THINGS.. LOL IN THREE MONTHS I HAD TO RETURN IT 6 TIMES DUE TO ISSUES STILL NOT RESOLVED DOWN TO SUBSTANDARD WORK...
NOW ALTERNATOR HAS GONE AND ONLY HAD CAR BACK FOR A...
(read more)
★★★★☆
“Had a Vauxhall zafira,which was an absolute...”
Written on: 27/10/2009
Had a Vauxhall zafira,which was an absolute nightmare,cost me a small fortune in repairs due to an inherent fault that the main dealer could not rectify!
Bought me a 97' diesel(isuzu engined) astra estate with 160,000 on the clock,for £500, two years ago and the only thing that has gone wrong are the glow plugs! It's a solid car that will give you cheap and cheerful motoring!
(read more)
★★★☆☆
“I Have my diesel astra for 6 months not many problems...”
Written on: 07/05/2009
I Have my diesel astra for 6 months not many problems except for an egr valve expensive 600 euro would like to keep it till it dies but who knows (read more)
★★★★★
“The Vauxhall Astra 1.7 Diesel is cheap to run nice to...”
Written on: 30/04/2009
The Vauxhall Astra 1.7 Diesel is cheap to run nice to drive cheap parts and power steering!!!!!!!! thats a plus as the car is old lol... oh and has air con,,,,could of been a bit more imaginative with the body shape.. i love my astra :) (read more)
★★★★★
“The Vauxhall Astra 1.7 Diesel looks good,handles...”
Written on: 12/03/2009 by nfm102 (1 review written)
The Vauxhall Astra 1.7 Diesel looks good,handles well,steers straight as a die.very usable estate car.Izuzu engine is brilliant,revs well,goes like stink and can give 50mpg. parts are cheap and easily obtained. I cant think of many really,estate car tailgate can be a bit rusty on older vehicles. A great all rounder,very reliable and a great second hand buy.will give years of service if serviced regularly (read more)
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Showing 11 - 20 of 35 Reviews
★★★★★
“No major faults and seems to be in tip top condition...”
Written on: 04/12/2008 by nafre
No major faults and seems to be in tip top condition after 15 years, was taken care of but it looks brand new, a few rust here and there but seems to have taken the passing of time with pride, still being a pleasure to drive. (read more)
★★★★☆
“My car is a 1993 1.7td with intercooler. Done 3000...”
Written on: 01/12/2008
My car is a 1993 1.7td with intercooler. Done 3000 miles so far and its faultless! bought it with 139000 and still pulls well in low gears. must have been looked after I suppose. It can even run veg oil in a 20% mix but thats trial and error. Will try to get past 200k in it! (read more)
Nfm102's Comment
Written on: 12/03/2009
good to read your review,i have one of similar age.does about 50mpg and still goes like a train.will do 110 at the drop of a hat. mine has 194k on the clock and is serviced once a year.cam belt as recomended.
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★★★★★
“Having to put up with a daily commute of 22 miles each...”
Written on: 10/10/2008 by Stepponit (1 review written)
Having to put up with a daily commute of 22 miles each way on heavily used roads along with traversing a major town is not much fun, especially when you have to fight your way around the roundabouts and other motorists to get anywhere. I bought my Astra GLS 1.7TDS for a princely £1000. In the first year I traveled 19,000 miles at an average 52MPG which for an 11 year old car was a fantastic achievement. She has moved kitchen worktops, (the look on the two salesmen's faces was priceless)... (read more)
★★★☆☆
“Reliable and economical; mine gives around 50mpg. The...”
Written on: 30/07/2008 by rfdesign (6 reviews written)
Reliable and economical; mine gives around 50mpg. The interior is comfortable and practical but lacks refinement. A nice, economical car but better as an economical run about than for high mileage driving (which is what I do). (read more)
★★★★★
“I would highly recommend Vauxhall and Astra good...”
Written on: 01/07/2008 by Christina Yexley (1 review written)
I would highly recommend Vauxhall and Astra good reliability and excellent customer service. (read more)
★★★★★
“I had quite a lot cars in past from Fords to latest...”
Written on: 03/03/2008 by touringman (1 review written)
I had quite a lot cars in past from Fords to latest Volvos, Bmw's I bought my 2004 astra MK4 1.7cdti about one month ago. I was quite impressed with car. First economy, i could not believe that with £10 worth of diesel i can run my car nearly one week. I don't do a lot of miles, but my other petrol cars i used to spend £25 worth of petrol for week doing same millage. Cheap to tax £100 for year, parts unbelievable cheap. Build quality good compare to Ford Focus, seems to be all screwed... (read more)
★★★★☆
“Vauxhall Astra 1998 1686cc diesel LS td Vauxhall...”
Written on: 24/02/2008 by paj
Vauxhall Astra 1998 1686cc diesel LS td Vauxhall engine- in general I like my car a lot I don ' t mind that it is slow and has a dull interior it reminds me of the Alfa sud a little on the outside (loved them) - my car has 136,000 miles on clock I get 49 average to gallon by turning down pump adjustment (using BP Ultimate diesel) I want to keep mine as long as it runs- that ' s just me this car might not be to everyone ' s taste. (read more)
Daniel1988's Response to 347380_paj's Review
Written on: 24/03/2013
how did you turn the pump down where is the screw to?
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☆☆☆☆☆
“I will be honest it is not a car for the young or...”
Written on: 13/11/2007 by darkangel917601 (12 reviews written)
I will be honest it is not a car for the young or middle aged or general adrenaline nuts generation who I admit are a little impatient and want to go fast. but suitable for the slower generation of drivers. (read more)
★★★★★
“The Vauxhall Astra 1.7 Diesel is a good practical car,...”
Written on: 12/05/2007 by pingooo
The Vauxhall Astra 1.7 Diesel is a good practical car, that still does over 43 mpg. Cheap to insure, cheap to run, it does everything it says on the label. (read more)
★★★★☆
“I needed a second car - a cheap runabout to use for my...”
Written on: 20/04/2007 by nousernamesarefree (6 reviews written)
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...
(read more)
See next 10 reviews
Showing 21 - 30 of 35 Reviews
★★★★☆
“The Vauxhall Astra 1.7 Diesel is very good if you...”
Written on: 14/07/2006 by mobius1989
The Vauxhall Astra 1.7 Diesel is very good if you drive it a lot and if you do not want performance and lots of gadgets. As for performance the engine is lazy but for a 1.7tdi engine, it is pretty good. The gearbox is very good, I shift the gears with just 2 fingers. The steering is nice. As for bad country roads, it's not that comfy but has good seats and the driving position is very good. It has a practical interior made from medium quality materials. The really bad thing about it is... (read more)
★★★★★
“Overall, the Vauxhall Astra 1.7DTI is just a wonderful...”
Written on: 21/05/2006 by Vixen32 (1 review written)
Overall, the Vauxhall Astra 1.7DTI is just a wonderful car, looks, performance, reliability and comfort. What more can a owner/driver want! (read more)
253439_Karl The Star's Response to Vixen32's Review
Written on: 31/07/2006
brilliant car. what the police use is the 1.7 diesel. go on forever, standard police wheels and sporty trim. only problem is if you choose a unmarked police car you get noticed of passers by.
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★★★★★
“MK4 POLICE SPEC ENVOY ”
Written on: 24/04/2006 by lightfast (1 review written)
MK4 POLICE SPEC ENVOY
Vauxhall Astra Engines rock solid mines on 135,000 Miles and I guess its had a very hard time in the police force and I still give it a good blast around the country lanes.
Only needed to replace the glow plugs since I've had it and previous owner did the timing belt.
First gear seems a little sluggish but all diesels are, 3rd gear definitely mates up for it it's only 75bhp anyway so can't ask for much.
Interior is very comfy due to the police having the SRi / Sports...
(read more)
Chrisray's Response to lightfast's Review
Written on: 26/06/2006
If you get your tax on the new system, you might pay even less. I somehow managed only to pay £50 this year. I hope it continues! Pleasant review, and genuine. Why did I buy so many Volkswagens!?
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★★★★☆
“Overall my Astra is the most reliable car ever with...”
Written on: 01/01/2006 by MM51MEL
Overall my Astra is the most reliable car ever with over 108,000 on the clock it's only had a timing belt in and no other problems. With a 1.7 turbo diesel engine it's both nippy and economical. It came with a standard cassette/radio which I have upgraded to a cd player but that's personal preference. Nice light power steering with a good turning circle and good handling down the backroads! (read more)
★☆☆☆☆
“The vauxhall Astra 1.7 Diesel was an overall nightmare...”
Written on: 11/06/2004 by bilal bhatti (2 reviews written)
The vauxhall Astra 1.7 Diesel was an overall nightmare experience due to the very poor seats.
I have had to score this as very low due to the seat problem (yes I did adjust the seats and they were still rubbish)
Performance has scored a 4 due to the smooth acceleration at the higher end only.
Reliability is a 10 as it did not break down despite doing over 1000 miles in a week.
(read more)
Easysteve's Response to bilal bhatti's Review
Written on: 08/07/2004
I do no agree with Bhatti's review, below I will explain why point by point.
<br><br>
<br><br>Latch underneath steering wheel kept unlocking itself causing steering wheel to move up and down while driving.
<br><br>
<br><br>This is a two-minute simple adjustment, you should have asked your garage to fix it. (Or see point below)
<br><br>
<br><br>No radio cassette player. I had an 8 hour journey without anything to listen to apart from radio. There is a CD player but that's only useful if you have CDs
<br><br>
<br><br>Doh!!! You can buy a car for thousands of £’s but can’t afford £10.99 @ Amazon.co.uk!!!
<br><br>
<br><br>Poor handling around medium turn bends.
<br><br>
<br><br>Probably helps if you turn the steering wheel!
<br><br>
<br><br>Extremely uncomfortable seats
<br><br>
<br><br>This leads me to think that he did not find the lumbar support
<br><br>
<br><br>Confusion on steering wheel-- lots of buttons that didn't actually do anything.
<br><br>
<br><br>Clearly one of two things has happened here. 1) That the stereo has been changed and not wired back correctly. or 2) He bought his car from dodgeyblokesRuz.com and someone has had his steering rack apart!!!
<br><br>
<br><br>No electric wing mirror adjustment
<br><br>
<br><br>This is obviously a base model that you have bought as the others do have it. Even for a base model it still boasts more standard kit than other cars in the same sector
<br><br>
<br><br>Gear difficult to engage in 2nd.
<br><br>
<br><br>You really haven’t bought this car from new have you.
<br><br>
<br><br>Blander interior than a bog standard Subaru.
<br><br>
<br><br>May be so, but compare it to other cars in its class not one costing twice the price.
<br><br> General Comments:
<br><br>
<br><br>Having driven several Astras in various guises and covering over 500,000 mile without as much as a hiccup I would definitely say that this is the most reliable car that I have driven, and the seats have been perfectly fine, but then maybe I’ve got a small butt.
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Bilal Bhatti's Response to bilal bhatti's Review
Written on: 09/07/2004
Unfortunately I do not agree with Steve, I never bought the car. It was a hire car.
<br>
<br>Furthermore the latch issue did happen, as despite locking it in place, it kept coming undone. The gears were poor.
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Bilal Bhatti's Response to bilal bhatti's Review
Written on: 09/07/2004
i don't agree with easy steve as i never bought the car so his comments are incorrect.
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Fine Ted's Response to bilal bhatti's Review
Written on: 13/11/2004
Eight years using an Astra Diesel 1.7. Not for Jeremy Clarkson, but a wow for reliability, just amazing economy and solidity. If you need to knock up the miles on the motorway, this is a great choice. It has also survived fields, lanes and other inhospitable spots that boaters get to.
<br>So why not repeat - we need more load carrying.
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Jaseyb's Response to bilal bhatti's Review
Written on: 29/12/2004
I thought that I would buy an Astra but tried 3 today & found the seats very uncomfy - I tried adjusting, but no joy :-(
<br>
<br>I'm re-thinking what car to try next?
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Jaseyb's Response to bilal bhatti's Review
Written on: 06/01/2005
Ref the seats, I totally agree with Bilal - the seats are very uncomfy.
<br>
<br>easysteve mentioned adjusting the lumbar support, but this wouldn't help at all as it is the middle to top of the seat back that digs in & leans back at a strange incline.
<br>
<br>My reasons for not buying an Astra were:
<br>
<br>1) Uncomfy seats
<br>
<br>2) ABS not fitted as standard on any pre 2004 model - Vauxhall are seriously behind on safety here in my opinion.
<br>
<br>Think I'll just stick with my Peugeot 306 turbo diesel, which although getting on a bit has ABS & very comfy seats.
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Nicotine's Response to bilal bhatti's Review
Written on: 19/01/2005
Looking at the Vauxhall website, all new shape Astras have ABS as standard, and different types of front seat are fitted on different variants, as far as I understand.
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Arry Arry Lad's Response to bilal bhatti's Review
Written on: 07/04/2005
Having owned 2 ASTRA DIESELS and having fuel pump problems on both cars costing £730 a time.
<br>I will not be buying another.
<br>Also the seats suck.
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198054_Djk's Response to bilal bhatti's Review
Written on: 17/06/2005
I have only just taken delivery of my Astra estate diesel. What a noisy vehicle after my previous estate diesel, that was so quiet; is it just my vehicle or is it common?
<br>
<br>Del.
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Chrisray's Response to bilal bhatti's Review
Written on: 26/06/2006
"I have had to score this as very low due to the seat problem (yes I did adjust the seats and they were still rubbish)"
<br>
<br>I'd agree, which is why I'm looking out to buying some Recaro's this month for their replacement.
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Guest's Comment
Written on: 13/05/2012
I have same car and i am paying £90 road tax per year, would like to know how yrs is only £30?