RE: Vauxhall Astra VXR: PH Used Buying Guide
Discussion
RyanTank said:
Has not aged well IMHO and is uglier now than when it was new, especially the interior, although not as ugly as the current crop of VXR's.
Hard to tell lately which is a genuine VXR and which is a diesel rep. could be a thing just round my way but I seem to encounter more of these things chucking great big clouds out of the ridiculously loud exhaust, I hope its only diesel reps doing that!
There are no current VXRsHard to tell lately which is a genuine VXR and which is a diesel rep. could be a thing just round my way but I seem to encounter more of these things chucking great big clouds out of the ridiculously loud exhaust, I hope its only diesel reps doing that!
ruprechtmonkeyboy said:
Don't know what it is about the Astra VXR but I've only ever seen them getting driven about town with stupid fart pipe exhausts by owners that look like they own a number of staffy dogs and love drinking 'Monster' energy drinks 
You can say that about any hot hatch though and definitely any you can buy for less than £5000
These were always a hoot back when Vauxhall were running VXR Power Events, of which I did several.
My own claim to fame is that I made Tom Ingram (then of Ginetta, probably, now of BTCC) actually sick with some overzealous cornering driving one of these at Oulton Park back in ~2012. I got some looks when he made a mess in the pitlane...
My own claim to fame is that I made Tom Ingram (then of Ginetta, probably, now of BTCC) actually sick with some overzealous cornering driving one of these at Oulton Park back in ~2012. I got some looks when he made a mess in the pitlane...
RyanTank said:
Has not aged well IMHO and is uglier now than when it was new, especially the interior, although not as ugly as the current crop of VXR's.
Hard to tell lately which is a genuine VXR and which is a diesel rep. could be a thing just round my way but I seem to encounter more of these things chucking great big clouds out of the ridiculously loud exhaust, I hope its only diesel reps doing that!
"Has not aged well" I beg to differ with you there. I think it's one of the nicest shapes Vauxhall have launched in many years, along with the GTE 16V and GSi 16VHard to tell lately which is a genuine VXR and which is a diesel rep. could be a thing just round my way but I seem to encounter more of these things chucking great big clouds out of the ridiculously loud exhaust, I hope its only diesel reps doing that!
Let's not even start with the current VXR which looks bulbous and just wrong in every way you look at it - Hideous.
I ran one of these for a year along side a boxster s in 2013.
It was decent spec, bi-xenon lights that followed the steering angle, sat nav, heated recaro leather, 19s, adaptive suspension, a lot of car for not a lot of money, and rather fun to drive, more entertaining in a scary way than the Mégane RS it replaced.
It was decent spec, bi-xenon lights that followed the steering angle, sat nav, heated recaro leather, 19s, adaptive suspension, a lot of car for not a lot of money, and rather fun to drive, more entertaining in a scary way than the Mégane RS it replaced.
howardhughes said:
"Has not aged well" I beg to differ with you there. I think it's one of the nicest shapes Vauxhall have launched in many years, along with the GTE 16V and GSi 16V
Let's not even start with the current VXR which looks bulbous and just wrong in every way you look at it - Hideous.
Completely agree, i had the 3 door SRi for a couple of years and loved the way the car looked and they still seem fresh today. I seem to remember Clarkson had to eat his own hair in an omelette after claiming the prototype/concept car would look nothing like the production model.Let's not even start with the current VXR which looks bulbous and just wrong in every way you look at it - Hideous.
Gez79 said:
Not sure it was the most powerful hot hatch you could buy in 2005. You could get an Audi A3 3.2 or Golf R32 with the same 247bhp engine or a BMW 130i with 261 bhp.
The often forgotten Mazda 3 Mps was the fastest hot hatch from that gen of cars i think. 265bhp not much weight and had a 0-60 of 6.1 seconds. Audi A3 and Golf R32 were heavy lard asses.
ST Ford said:
mps
Audi A3 and Golf R32 were heavy lard asses.
Really this silly misconception ? A MPS appears to weigh 1483kg, a mk5 golf r32 1510kg, figures from Parkers. a small child's weight??? Audi A3 and Golf R32 were heavy lard asses.
Regarding the Astra, that era VXR doesn't really excite me as I feel the engine outshines the chassis somewhat and the styling isnt great.
I always laugh when anyone mentions the 'Ring edition as i cant help but think about a thread on Detailing world about a chap who spend days cleaning his brand new car and wanted Vauxhall to repaint areas due to paint thickness discrepancies of microns an micro blisters photographed at 10x magnication to the size of a pinhead.
alec.e said:
I think the exterior has aged well, just can't stand the interior!
Amen. That generation of Astra - indeed all Vauxhall cars of the era - were truly dismal inside.But that wasn't the selling point of the VXR...
A mate had a then-new Astra VXR about 10 years ago. It was an absolute riot to drive, totally unrefined and much less forgiving handling than the Focus ST, but on the right road and in the right frame of mind a lot more fun. Certainly felt faster in terms of acceleration. I seem to recall that it not only torque steered but also had a tendency toward oversteer, and not the nice predictable kind either!
Very much an old-school hot hatch, lairy and loud rather than refined and comfy. The ST was a relaxing thing to potter around in and very reassuring and competent to drive quickly, but not terribly exciting. The VXR was far more entertaining, you certainly needed your wits about you if you wanted to drive it fast, and in red or metallic blue it looked superb. The tradeoff being that it was just another crappy Astra in normal driving, with a slightly harsher ride and more noise from the engine!
aka_kerrly said:
Really this silly misconception ? A MPS appears to weigh 1483kg, a mk5 golf r32 1510kg, figures from Parkers. a small child's weight???
Regarding the Astra, that era VXR doesn't really excite me as I feel the engine outshines the chassis somewhat and the styling isnt great.
I always laugh when anyone mentions the 'Ring edition as i cant help but think about a thread on Detailing world about a chap who spend days cleaning his brand new car and wanted Vauxhall to repaint areas due to paint thickness discrepancies of microns an micro blisters photographed at 10x magnication to the size of a pinhead.
I stand corrected then Regarding the Astra, that era VXR doesn't really excite me as I feel the engine outshines the chassis somewhat and the styling isnt great.
I always laugh when anyone mentions the 'Ring edition as i cant help but think about a thread on Detailing world about a chap who spend days cleaning his brand new car and wanted Vauxhall to repaint areas due to paint thickness discrepancies of microns an micro blisters photographed at 10x magnication to the size of a pinhead.
i am surprised at that I always thought the 3 MPs was a good bit lighter than the R32 and others like the ST etc it certainly felt it. I agree with that thread about the detailing guy he was insane! I thought I was a little ocd cleaning my car etc but he literally took the thing to pieces to clean it lol. Does anybody have a link to it by any chance? I’ll have a read of that masterpiece again.
CrippsCorner said:
These are definitely on the list for my next possible purchase, but like others, I think I'd prefer a Focus ST, or maybe even a Golf GTI. Interior looks slightly better on the facelift versions.
There was no "facelift" - the interior went from silver to piano black around 57 plate and a few spec items changed, keyless included etc.Lots of them smoke due to the stem seals, a pal devised the retainers which can be bought so the problem remains fixed for good now.
I had one for 7yrs, they have aged well externally!
A wavetrac diff, some better breathing and a Milltek exhaust added to decent Michelins made it quite the hot hatch back in 2008. K04 turbo a weak point with a cracked manifold replaced under warranty and a replacement CHRA cartridge at a later point.
Don't believe all the hype around the boxes going, gear oil changed to some decent oil from Opie oils rather than the sealed in for life ATF fluid.
The later GTC VXR is a big car, a good looking car but not the raw hatch people expected to follow on, that and by 2012 the prices of hatches had moved north even with the discounts Vauxhall would give you (which now you get from Audi/BMW/Mercedes lol)
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