My new Astra Coupe 2.2

[Louisa911]

After all you guys help over the last couple of weeks, I've found my new Astra Coupe! Had it since Saturday, but thanks to working and bad weather, only just managed to get it cleaned today. Looking a little better now

No plans for now, keeping everything parts-wise as it is due to insurance and keeping back funds for a mortgage / integra type R but cosmetically going to add a small Irmscher / Vaux badge to the grille lower right as I think it needs just something there. Its the 2.2 version, covered 100k but full folder of receipts including the dreaded timing chain work, so far no problems. Just a bit of damage on the rear bumper you can see in the pics, but hope to get it sorted when funds allow. Quite a lazy, torquey engine compared to what I'm used to, fab for cruising along in 5th with no effort, but great to have the power when you need it!


Anyhow here's a few pics from a little drive out today.

[clarkmagpie]

Looks a lovely example

[Louisa911]

Thanks! Was originally holding out for a Turbo with the alacantra seats but this came up locally at a reputable dealers, got a pretty great price too.

[tossbag]

That's nice and tastfully done.

[bern]

Ribblehead? I had some good blasts up there in my old DC2!

[DannyVTS]

Looks nice, some smoked headlights and irmscher rear lights would set it off a treat

[Alfa GTV]

Nice coupe, I had a Mirage pearlescent coupe turbo a few years back, great car and I made a few tweeks to the car aswell, was also featured in Total Vauxhall maagzine, I sold the car and it was running 330bhp.

Only problem I had with mine and it will affect all Astra coupe's, was the front windows, they drop 1cm or so when you go to open the door, however when it freezes outside the windows dont drop, bit of a problem unless you have some deicer or an ice scraper on your person.

[soad]

Looks very nice.
Is turbo version much faster than this? Will you regret your decision one day?

[Louisa911]

Thanks
As for the turbo, I'd be looking at an extra £800 or so for a similar age/mileage to mine- and thats without the extra £500 for insurance. In a few years I'd like an Integra DC2 so any money saved will only make getting my next purchase a little quicker! I needed a car pretty soon and this came up locally, so thought I'd go for it. Love it so far, so hopefully no regrets!

Having not driven a turbo, I can't comment on performance difference, according to parkers this is 8.0 secs to 60, the turbo is 7.0 but I imagine they feel a lot different than whats on paper. The 2.2 certainly is thirsty when it wants to be though!

[stuart-b]

Nice car, very good for the milage/age. Any shots of the interior? :-)

I have been looking at Astra H 2.0 Turbo's. Courtenay motorsport (?) have a tweaked ~300 bhp version on their website, with a quaffe LSD pulling 4.9 0-60, so I think it is probably quite nippy ;-)

[Louisa911]

Blimey! Not bad for an astra!

I haven't any shots of the interior yet, no mats and awful weather / needle-dropping pine tree at my work car park means its looking a little worse for wear at the moment. Nothing particularly fancy, plain cloth seats in this one. Will get some up when its looking a bit cleaner and I've bought and swapped a few bits and bobs.

[stuart-b]

Louisa911 said:

Blimey! Not bad for an astra!

I haven't any shots of the interior yet, no mats and awful weather / needle-dropping pine tree at my work car park means its looking a little worse for wear at the moment. Nothing particularly fancy, plain cloth seats in this one. Will get some up when its looking a bit cleaner and I've bought and swapped a few bits and bobs.

Even still, very nice example, good work

Yes those turbo's are very fast, but I have read a few reports of the M32 (6 speed) not really accepting that power for long. Some people have no problems, others self destruct. Stick to the 2.2 which won't be strained until you have plenty of money for bits that go bang :-D

[stuart-b]

Oh, and don't leave the car in any car park near Whiteladies road, with a head unit in...

[Louisa911]

Oh no haha, I won't! I've experienced Bristol's lovely car crime scene personally when my boyfriend's Vectra got nicked- he was 250 miles from home at the time and due to head back for work. Nightmare! Even though it was only a basic Vectra, it was in mint condition, but was found with every panel trashed two weeks later. They deserve to be shot, scumbags!

Kinda glad I didn't opt for the turbo really- we are looking into our first property purchase so no room for things to go majorly wrong!

[dragonheart]

Love the Astra Coupe, used to have a black 2.2 myself. Check that the timing chain has been replaced if the car has covered over 100k miles as the pre 2003 2.2 has a problem with them breaking if left much longer. Nice looking example you have though.

[kiteless]

Good looking Coupe, is that and I've had a soft spot for them for a while.

I chose a 2.2SRi hatch from the car list of a company I was working for some years ago, and awfully pleased I was with it. Then about a month later, the site manager for one of my projects got a Coupe (albeit a 1.8), and every time I made a site visit I always walked past it doing a

Eyelikethem.

[EDLT]

Alfa GTV said:

Only problem I had with mine and it will affect all Astra coupe's, was the front windows, they drop 1cm or so when you go to open the door, however when it freezes outside the windows dont drop, bit of a problem unless you have some deicer or an ice scraper on your person.

Not just an Astra problem, Evo's long term Scirocco and Z4 (I think) did the same thing. It probably happens to everything with pillarless doors.

[TonyRPH]

EDLT said:

Alfa GTV said:

Only problem I had with mine and it will affect all Astra coupe's, was the front windows, they drop 1cm or so when you go to open the door, however when it freezes outside the windows dont drop, bit of a problem unless you have some deicer or an ice scraper on your person.

Not just an Astra problem, Evo's long term Scirocco and Z4 (I think) did the same thing. It probably happens to everything with pillarless doors.

Indeed. My '98 406 Coupe used to do the same thing in winter. Always had to have de-icer around the glass before attempting to open the doors.

[itsonlymoney]

Thats a nice car, mate. I like them in black I just hate how they look dirty after 5 miles of cleaning them (I had a black mr2 once). LOL

As for the engines, me and my wife have one 2.2 and one 2 Turbo! Although my Turbo is modified I have driven some standard ones and you can easily feel the performance difference between the two - however the 2.2 is not boring to drive at all. I've fitted the T/C switch to help even though the car is also our family car, a bit of a work horse.

Anyway before I get carried away. Nice car! Hope you get the Type R you want too

Rob

[Roo]

euroboy said:

TonyRPH said:

EDLT said:

Alfa GTV said:

Only problem I had with mine and it will affect all Astra coupe's, was the front windows, they drop 1cm or so when you go to open the door, however when it freezes outside the windows dont drop, bit of a problem unless you have some deicer or an ice scraper on your person.

Not just an Astra problem, Evo's long term Scirocco and Z4 (I think) did the same thing. It probably happens to everything with pillarless doors.

Indeed. My '98 406 Coupe used to do the same thing in winter. Always had to have de-icer around the glass before attempting to open the doors.

Happens to everything with pillarless doors I think.

My 98 Alfa Spider does it.
My 2008 Alfa Spider did it.
My mates 2005 SLK does it.

Get the same problem on the Mustang. Best way round it is to put a thin layer of vaseline on all surfaces where the glass touches. Stops it freezing to the rubbers.

Very nice car by the way Louisa.