Astra coupe turbo ,shall i ?

[pimpchez]

i want to scrath the turbo itch ,i currently have a corolla tsport ,and although i did have a look at the astra before i got the tsport i found out i couldnt get insured ,now that was last yr.
anyway i did drive a astra although that had 120k on clock it just didnt feel fast ,yes definatley quiker than the 2l megane coupe i had the time ,but not quite as fast as the tsport i have now ,even though it has more power and importnantly torque.
i have always liked the look of the astras especially in that europa blue and the tunability of the thing impresses me .
shall i swap my t-sport for one ? whats the ownership experience like especially once mapped ,i dont want to be fixing the thing each month like my old renaults ,(mpg doesnt bother me)

[NiceCupOfTea]

If you want one, knock yourself out! They're hardly a compromised package, so there's no reason not to.

However, IMHO, there are many other cars I would have ahead of one...

[Baryonyx]

Astras, for me (and when not in VXR spec) are in that 'average and below' class. If they're not absolutely crap then they are at least severely outdone by the competition and there are many, many better cars to scratch that turbo itch.

[pimpchez]

ok so say i p/x my current 52plate tsport and say 1500 quid ish on top,what is there to get ,i want something faster but just as practical so no 2seaters and i cant fit in a mr2 turbo i have already tried .bearing in mind im 22 so insurance is a factor .im not a badge snob but something with abs and electric winddows and pas is a most ,with a scoope easy tuning .

[jay85]

Impreza?

[NiceCupOfTea]

No idea what your car would be worth.

Classic? Do you really need the practicality? 2 seater might be the way to go - forced induction MX-5? 250bhp + 1000kg = fun.

[wackojacko]

I love my coupe !


Great cars .... can be boosted to 250bhp with no problems what so ever.

150mph car for around 3K is a bargain.

[Mastodon2]

A lad near has one of these, an Astra GSI MK4.



It's quick, sounds pretty good and makes a nice turbo whoosh and dump valve noise. I think it looks pretty good too considering it's age, and they can probably be had pretty cheap now too. Not the last word in handling or ride I'd imagine, but not a bad package.

[Lets Torque]

I dont see what the fuss why Astra coupe's get such a bad press on here. My mate has the 2.2 Vauxhall Astra Bertone Coupe and that shifts.... If you want to, look at the stats on my mate's profile to see the speeds he has been up to and I think it handle's OK for what it is. Looks rarther nice aswell.

All that for £2500. IMO you can't do much better........

Mates profile..

http://pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?memberI...

[DannyVTS]

Lets Torque said:

I dont see what the fuss why Astra coupe's get such a bad press on here. My mate has the 2.2 Vauxhall Astra Bertone Coupe and that shifts.... If you want to, look at the stats on my mate's profile to see the speeds he has been up to and I think it handle's OK for what it is. Looks rarther nice aswell.

All that for £2500. IMO you can't do much better........

Mates profile..

http://pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?memberI...

The thing is with fast Vauxhalls, is that yes they do shift...in straight lines. Get them near the twisty stuff and they go all wobbly.

That's coming from owning 2 naturally aspirated 1.8 Vauxhalls, I can imagine it only being worse with 200+bhp going through the front wheels.

That said, I do intend to get one, and they are an option for my next car.

[pimpchez]

2.2l version is out the question ,lets put it this way,it went backwards very quickly when i last had an encounter with one.

here it is at the moment

i love the thrill of heading to 8200rpm at the moment ,but i want more ,but it needs to be usable everyday i use the tsport 7days a week going to uni and work etc ,except today as iv not moved off the sette.

[Baryonyx]

Mastodon2 said:

A lad near has one of these, an Astra GSI MK4.



It's quick, sounds pretty good and makes a nice turbo whoosh and dump valve noise. I think it looks pretty good too considering it's age, and they can probably be had pretty cheap now too. Not the last word in handling or ride I'd imagine, but not a bad package.

One of the lads at work has one of these. Certainly, if you like racing out of traffic lights it's not a bad idea but it suffers from the usual Vauxhall problem of handling being the last consideration. Coming from the MX5 into an Astra GSI probably makes the Astra look worse than it is, but it could do with more cornering capability. If you're not into spirited driving and just love hammering up and down dual carriageways I expect you'd love it.

On the other hand, the Bertone coupe is just a bit cheesy/tacky for my tastes. I'd rather go with the GSI as it's less pretentious, especially when you consider the hideous red leather interior some of the Bertone Coupes came with.

[Allokazam]

Lets Torque said:

I dont see what the fuss why Astra coupe's get such a bad press on here. My mate has the 2.2 Vauxhall Astra Bertone Coupe and that shifts.... If you want to, look at the stats on my mate's profile to see the speeds he has been up to and I think it handle's OK for what it is. Looks rarther nice aswell.

All that for £2500. IMO you can't do much better........

Mates profile..

http://pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?memberI...

Actually it was £2200 lol

[Allokazam]

DannyVTS said:

The thing is with fast Vauxhalls, is that yes they do shift...in straight lines. Get them near the twisty stuff and they go all wobbly.

That's coming from owning 2 naturally aspirated 1.8 Vauxhalls, I can imagine it only being worse with 200+bhp going through the front wheels.

That said, I do intend to get one, and they are an option for my next car.

yes theyre not the most grippy car out there. MX5s (i h8 to say it) stick much better, but there are v few cars that are so forgiving if you push them past their limit. with my car the one that Lets Torque was on about i get more oversteer than understeer and with a front wheel drive car you just hold the wheel in the direction you want to go and it goes. because of that i am able to push much harder round corners than other people dare to go. the odd occasion i have lost a race in a str8 line i have take it back easily round corners because i know that if the worst happens i will be able to take it back this side of the line.

Oh yea and the brakes are frickin awsome...with upgraded pads (fade :S)

[hondafanatic]

[anonymous-user]

jay85 said:

Impreza?

This.

But try to look for one thats not being sold by a man in a cap.

[Man from UNCLE]

hondafanatic said:

[billzeebub]

NO

[ImDesigner]

Lets Torque said:

All that for £2500. IMO you can't do much better........

You can.

[Lets Torque]

hondafanatic said: