Vauxhall Astra Mk 4 1.6 8V

I bought a 52 plate 5dr hatch Astra Club 1.6 8v in Jan 06 with 16k on the clock. It has now 104k, and it has never let me down. The 1.6 unit has enough poke for motorway driving and will happily cruise at 70 -80. it's nippy enough around town too, and even with 104k on the clock, it still runs smoothly and quietly. However, it won't get your heart rate going with only around 85bhp on tap. I found the boot to be on the small side, but with the seats down, there's plenty of space for big loads, trips to the dump etc. It's been a great little workhorse for me, and has carted me around the country reliably and in decent comfort.

We were looking for a cheap, practical, reliable, value-for-money family car and this Astra seemed to fit the bill perfectly - last September we paid £2695 for what was then a six year old Astra 1.6 8v "Club" in good condition, 52,000 miles on the clock, and a full service history.

We chose this model because as the "old" model Astra (replaced in 2004) it's now dirt cheap - not quite as popular as the same-age Ford Focus, but still the second best selling car in the UK so there are millions on the road, and that's driven the used car price right down. Bad news if you bought one new and are looking to sell, but great news if you're looking for a used bargain!

Ours was cheaper still as it's the less sporty "Club" version with the less sporty 8v engine - but apparently this engine was improved in later cars like ours (earlier 8v Astras got terrible reviews), and after a test drive we were actually pleasantly surprised by its performance. It's not as racy as the 1.6 16v found in slightly posher versions, but it's no slouch either, pulls away easily and cruises very comfortably. I'd say it's very well matched to the car and how you're going to drive everyday, it's just not going to pretend to be a sports car - and why should it?

It's a very nice car to drive - very sure-footed with good road handling, enough power when you need it, and a good comfortable ride. The only thing I'd fault on the road is the road noise - it's a little noisier in the cabin than I'd like - but the six-speaker stereo soon overcomes that. The cabin is very roomy with bland-but-durable velour upholstery and a very sensibly laid out dash. The Club comes with remote central locking (but no alarm), electric windows in front, air conditioning, ABS, PAS, passenger airbag, and most other equipment you'd expect. The one exception I noticed was the side mirrors, which are manual, and not electrically operated as on most newer cars.

The best and main reason to have a car like this is practicality - for less than a lot of similarly aged smaller cars, you're getting five doors, a spacious interior, and a very impressive boot. It does a steady 39mpg (I've measured it), insurance is a low group 4 (on account of that 8v engine) and the road tax band is H, so £180 per year - pretty low running costs for what is a really versatile car.

In five months we've covered 6,000 miles already, and the car's given us no problems whatsoever - it's had a service and a scheduled cam belt change, and that's it. Of course that could change tomorrow, and the one constant with any car is that it will go wrong - but at least, being a Vauxhall, the parts are cheap and plentiful - and any old backstreet garage can fit them easily enough.

If you're on a budget and looking for a cheap, practical, no-nonsense family car, I can heartily recommend one of these.

I intended to buy a Focus Estate and bought a Vauxhall Astra Mk 4 1.6 8V instead! Tried out a Focus Estate in Spain. Stylish interior but otherwise unimpressed. Tried a Mk 4 Astra Estate and bought it without hesitation. A 2001 Y plated 1.6. For an 8 valve unit this engine is very good indeed. Good pickup, smooth. Electronic PAS. Amazing steering and roadholding ability. Build quality way up on previous Astras owned in 1989 and 1997 respectively. Mine appears to be German built. Have measured the door gaps etc. - and it's properly made, wow! Load area just swallows up vast amounts of goods. 8 valve model easy to service oneself. Very cheap to insure. Excellent mpg. Interior and over-firmness of seats probably minus points. These Mk 4 Astras are everywhere, sometimes one after another on the average road, and I can understand why.