Astra Diesel 1.7Turbo Good Buy?

O.K. I'm thinking of buying a Astra 1.7TD estate S reg.
I've read various user reviews and road tests on the model and at the moment
the jury's out on the purchase. Dealers asking £3799 on a 72k

It looks clean enough and the dealers offered a warranty at a good price
..Before I consider it further on the basis that there must be a few owners
out there I wondered what peoples opinion was,in general on the car (its an
LS model estate) Is there anything in particular to this model I should look
out for on the inspection test drive. i.e. is it one to stay clear of.
Opinions advice appreciated!!!!

 

We had a TDS hatchback for 2 years on an R plate - bought new and sold
with 33k on the clock. No major problems - servicing was reasonably
cheap. Not a very inspiring drive - ok if you're used to old diesels
but the Focus (we replaced it with a V plate model) was a much nicer
car to drive. Lack of performance did mean that we didn't have to
replace tyres at all over the period we owned it. Build quality was
fairly plastic & felt it. By the time we sold it, engine was starting
to rattle & smoke. Sorry no idea on long-term problems. Personally
won't be buying another Astra. Make sure you get a full service
history & don't be too sure about the warranty - you'll find the small
print on most warranties negates just about any major claim - upper
limits, items not covered, use not covered, maximum age (I know a lot
of the good warranties have a 5 year age maximum which dealers tend
not to mention. If possible get an AA/RAC report done.

Hope this helps

On Wed, 7 Apr 2004 23:34:45 +0100, "Parahandy" <tonyREMOVE

 

There are two generic faults of which I am aware of, and which you should
bear in mind. The first is the fuel pump, which is prone to failure, and is
expensive to replace. The second is the radiator, which often becomes
clogged, causing severe overheating, and headgasket failure.
Check for a full service history.

 

Thanks people for taking the time to pass on the wisdom about the Astra,
much appreciated.

 

I think the price is very much over the top.
I have heard that some upscrupulous dealers
will load the cost of repair of a known fault
onto the price of a car so that if it gets detected
during the warranty period, they fix it, and you
think they have fixed it for free.


I paid £1300 for a R reg with 80k, & FSH.
But it was from a relative so it was a little cheaper
than normal but sure not that much cheaper.

Suggest you compare the prices in the Autotrader.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/

 

I've recently purchased a Vplate dec '99 with 56k on clock for £3750 so it
looks very expensive to me.

 

I think that's a bit steep, but if you like the car and are satified with
the condition and warranty then there's no reason to walk away...

Personally, I'd consider around £3K to be more realistic - if there's ANY
sign of head gasket failure (apparently caused by a frequently-blocked
heater matrix) or a botched repair then steer well clear and look for a
better example elsewhere!

Cheers,
James