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Vauxhall Astra

Our used Astra is approaching its thirties - and there's no sign of a mid-life crisis yet. Halfway to its 50,000-mile target, the 2001 1.8-litre Elegance hatch-back continues to deliver good service, impressing with its punchy performance and excellent ride quality.

By Craig Cheetham

April 2003

Our used Astra is approaching its thirties - and there's no sign of a mid-life crisis yet. Halfway to its 50,000-mile target, the 2001 1.8-litre Elegance hatch-back continues to deliver good service, impressing with its punchy performance and excellent ride quality.
After eight months behind the wheel, much of it spent pounding the A1(M) from Peterborough to the Auto Express offices 85 miles away in central London, the Astra has really proved its worth. I've lost count of the number of people who have told me the Ford Focus is superior, but to my mind this isn't true. As a used buy, the Astra is cheaper and better suited to my needs, thanks to the pleasant compromise between handling and ride.
But KE51 HMY hasn't been without its troubles. As reported in the previous update, a bizarre fault with the CD autochanger led to the car being off the road for a week, as the wrong replacement unit 'addled' the ECU.
Four months later, the fault has yet to recur and hopefully it has gone for good, but there is another electrical niggle: the airbag light has a mind of its own and flickers on and off permanently. This happened 15,000 miles previously and, according to my local Vauxhall dealer, Smiths of Peterbor-ough, was due to a loose connection under the driver's seat. I'll get it investigated at the next service.
With the Astra covering a relatively high mileage, the long service intervals are appreciated. It needs a check-up every 20,000 miles or every year. This was last done on the car's first birthday in October 2002, when it had clocked up 15,000 miles, but the second check-up will probably come before another year has passed.
In the meantime, our total running costs of ΂£105 look like seriously cheap motoring, and go a long way to justifying the Astra's position as one of our favourite used motors.
Aside from the electrical faults, very little has gone wrong. The stereo has developed a habit of turning itself on and off at will, while my only other complaint is the fake wood trim peeling off the gearknob.

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REPORT

[+]
Strong performance, cruising ability, quality feel, excellent paintwork
[-]
Temperamental airbag sensor, fiddly controls on stereo - which has a mind of its own, flaky wood trim
On fleet since:July 2002
Price when new:£14,095/£8,250 (value now)
Mileage:26,009/32.9mpg
Costs to date:£105
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