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“I bought a 12 month old Astra Coupe Turbo from my...”

written by matrhos on 23/10/2003

Good Points
Looks, Performance, versitility, handling.

Bad Points
Squeaky leather seats, prone to stone shipping.

General Comments
I bought a 12 month old Astra Coupe Turbo from my local Vauxhall dealer. It was already fitted with the full leather pack with heated seats and the full Irmscher styling kit (front spoiler, rear skirt etc.) I got it in Nocturno Blue. Its a very dark pearlescent blue. Probably the best colour it comes in! I added the Irmscher grille, door pins and chrome heater rings. A wise investment! It really lifts the car. I also debadged it apart from the Vauxhall logo on the boot. All in all, its now a stunning car that attracts a lot of looks! I can't help but laugh when I see a Toyota Celica or Hyundai Coupe! Magazine reviewers would have us believe that the Astra looks bland compared to these cars!!! Nobody even looks at the Totota or Hyundai when they pass - let alone follow it down the road with their eyes! It really does look more expensive than it is! (I paid £15k plus all the mods) Another modification I have recently made to my car was an engine performance upgrade. I paid Regal Autosport £1200 to fit new air filter, intercooler, spark plugs, dump valve and software. This has increased the BHP from 190 to almost 250. Its 0-60 time has gone from 7 seconds down to 6 and most impressivley is its 30 - 70mph time which is down from 6.5 seconds to 5! It is now approaching M3 sort of performance levels! Even cruising at 70mph in fifth, slam your right foot down and it lurches forwards with the same force as most cars do in 3rd! I am toying with the idea of increasing performance further by upgrading the turbo. An Astra capable of 0 - 60 in 5 seconds is very tempting! Now for the down sides of this car. The leather seats creak a bit. It is extremely prone to stone chips. Maybe thats just the colour its in, as my girlfriends red astra does not suffer as badly. After living with the car for 6 months, I am pleased with its quality, but some bits of interior trim do remind you of its humble Astra origins. (eg. look in the footwells and you can see where the trim is finished poorly). If you are after a sports car with room for the occasional extra passenger or lots of luggage then the Astra Turbo is definatley your best bet for under £20K. Its a fast car as it is, but engine mods can put it into performance car leagues. And even after all these modifications, it does not look at all 'boy racerish' and it does not sound like a jet fighter! Its just as happy tootling around the city centre as it is in the hills seeing off another BMW 330Ci.