RE: Vauxhall Astra GSI: Spotted
Discussion
Baileyk said:
I bet It drives better than a mercury comet convertible
I had one of these back in 1996
And the c20xe is one of the best 4 pots ever created, although mine was exchanged for a let
For more power thoroughly enjoyed mine at the time
It was popular to buy the 1.4 version and glue the gsi body kit and vents to it.
Edited by rastapasta on Monday 18th February 13:06
I think these are a cracking looking thing - better looking than the Mk2 perhaps - but it's the earlier car that really floats my boat.
Surprised at the first poster's view of how they drive. My Mum's 93L 1.4 LS estate was the first car I drove, other than my instructor's K11 Micra, and I was named driver on it until she px'd it on the PCP merry-go-round for a 96P Corsa 1.4.
I've owned 60-odd cars since - including a couple more Mk3 Astras many moons ago and the obligatory PH MX5s, Alfa etc. - and whilst I wouldn't have declared any of the Vauxhalls I've driven to be the last word in driving dynamics, I didn't think they were all that bad. Can't say I've driven any Ladas but I'd be surprised if they were better.
Though I suppose giggling as you understeer off a roundabout aged 17 with just 82PS at your disposal is a bit different to the same phenomenon with almost twice that power to hand!
Surprised at the first poster's view of how they drive. My Mum's 93L 1.4 LS estate was the first car I drove, other than my instructor's K11 Micra, and I was named driver on it until she px'd it on the PCP merry-go-round for a 96P Corsa 1.4.
I've owned 60-odd cars since - including a couple more Mk3 Astras many moons ago and the obligatory PH MX5s, Alfa etc. - and whilst I wouldn't have declared any of the Vauxhalls I've driven to be the last word in driving dynamics, I didn't think they were all that bad. Can't say I've driven any Ladas but I'd be surprised if they were better.
Though I suppose giggling as you understeer off a roundabout aged 17 with just 82PS at your disposal is a bit different to the same phenomenon with almost twice that power to hand!
seabod91 said:
Weren’t these the most powerful 2.0 16v at the time. Not owned an Astra gsi but I fitted a fettled c20xe (Redtop to the Chavs) into a stripped / sorted corsa b shell. Had the digi dash which I loved aswell, would give scoobie 2000’s a fright. Loved it and sounded amazing.
Hardly, the 1600cc Honda engine made more power. 832ark said:
seabod91 said:
Weren’t these the most powerful 2.0 16v at the time. Not owned an Astra gsi but I fitted a fettled c20xe (Redtop to the Chavs) into a stripped / sorted corsa b shell. Had the digi dash which I loved aswell, would give scoobie 2000’s a fright. Loved it and sounded amazing.
Hardly, the 1600cc Honda engine made more power. Edited by Reciprocating mass on Monday 18th February 15:24
seabod91 said:
Weren’t these the most powerful 2.0 16v at the time. Not owned an Astra gsi but I fitted a fettled c20xe (Redtop to the Chavs) into a stripped / sorted corsa b shell. Had the digi dash which I loved aswell, would give scoobie 2000’s a fright. Loved it and sounded amazing.
The c20let had 200bhpWhen I was younger, my family were all Vauxhall owners, My dad had them as company cars, my mum hasn't owned anything non Vauxhall since 1995, my brother, sister and brother in law all had plenty of them too so I ended up with Vauxhalls for my first 4 cars (and several since).
Because of this, I always wanted a mk3 GSI (or even a Sport in that lovely pearlescent grey colour or Pineapple yellow) after a string of Corsas and Novas...
Then I drove one and changed my mind, they don't go round corners particularly well.
Because of this, I always wanted a mk3 GSI (or even a Sport in that lovely pearlescent grey colour or Pineapple yellow) after a string of Corsas and Novas...
Then I drove one and changed my mind, they don't go round corners particularly well.
Reciprocating mass said:
832ark said:
seabod91 said:
Weren’t these the most powerful 2.0 16v at the time. Not owned an Astra gsi but I fitted a fettled c20xe (Redtop to the Chavs) into a stripped / sorted corsa b shell. Had the digi dash which I loved aswell, would give scoobie 2000’s a fright. Loved it and sounded amazing.
Hardly, the 1600cc Honda engine made more power. Edited by Reciprocating mass on Monday 18th February 15:24
lee_erm said:
These drove pretty well. Better than anything else available at the time in the segment, GTI6 aside, which was only available when this was long in the tooth anyway. These are a much much better steer than the MK3 Golf GTI.
The engine was an utter peach too.
I was reading old copies of Car mags recently of when this came out and they say it was really poor to drive with loads of better alternatives available. The engine was an utter peach too.
Tipo 16v would have got my vote back then. Lovely, especially in red. Or black.
ArmouredBiscuit said:
I absolutely loved my Mk3 GSi......had its flaws which were all well-reported, but as the second car I ever owned is was just great (to me, anyway).
Started off standard Polar White and looked like this by the time I was done....
That is a blast from the past. I grew up in the South Wales valleys and every 3rd car was "tastefully modified" to look like that.Started off standard Polar White and looked like this by the time I was done....
I think the Astra F was a perfectly fine car. Well styled, good range of engines, drove well enough (miles better than the s
tty Escort), and reliable. It was a different time, and cars like the GSi were rare and quite desireable to your ordinary herbet on the street. I'm very happy to see an unmolested one still exists!Killboy said:
Oh man, bring back the memories. South Africa never got the 16v NA motor. I had an "Opel Kadett 200ISE" which was an 8v. Not the quickest (although faster than the mk3 GTI at least) which was a lovely cruiser. I did 160k kms in 3 years with mine.
What SA did get, was a TS. Got one hell of a reputation for torque steer, and massively tunable. Lots of them running around 11s on the 1/4. At the time, there was no faster hatch.
Excellent What SA did get, was a TS. Got one hell of a reputation for torque steer, and massively tunable. Lots of them running around 11s on the 1/4. At the time, there was no faster hatch.
There was one of these in the UK
I would have liked the Mk2 shape Superboss you got over in South Africa - 170bhp XE and LSD
My dad bought a Mk2 16v GTE pre-reg in 1989 and kept it 10 years hence why a white one would appear in my dream garage purely for sentimental reasons - it was the car that I grew up with and stemmed my love for all things motoring. The Ford's may have been better to some but an old Escort does nothing for me.
Welshbeef said:
High power is subjective 150bhp is weak / my diesel smax has similar
That was then, this is now. At 18 way back in 97/98, a 150bhp Astra GSi was a quick car. Sadly insurance deemed one a no go for me, same applied to a Calibra so I went down the Cavalier route with a GSi2000 and then a Cavalier Turbo. Most of my car mates back then were Vauxhall guys... GTE's, 16V Novas including one with a C20LET which was frankly, insane.
The Redtop engine is an absolute belter of a unit, proven in several motorsports disciplines and OK the handling of many a 90's Vauxhall was a bit vague but nothing a set of springs and shocks from the back of Max Power couldn't sort. Build quality was better than the Ford's and French offerings of that era and they were cheap to buy, run and modify and thus the appeal was obvious.
Genuine minters are almost non existent these days, they just weren't coveted as much as the Ford offerings but assuming this one isn't rotten, I'd have a go at £5k if only to don my Air Max, chuck a JBL bass tube in the boot, give Katy a call and see if she's wants a night off from the kids, drippy husband (who drives an S-Max) and fancies an evening of questionable behaviour in and out of the auld ridtap.
Good times!
Davie said:
Welshbeef said:
High power is subjective 150bhp is weak / my diesel smax has similar
That was then, this is now. At 18 way back in 97/98, a 150bhp Astra GSi was a quick car. Sadly insurance deemed one a no go for me, same applied to a Calibra so I went down the Cavalier route with a GSi2000 and then a Cavalier Turbo. Most of my car mates back then were Vauxhall guys... GTE's, 16V Novas including one with a C20LET which was frankly, insane.
The Redtop engine is an absolute belter of a unit, proven in several motorsports disciplines and OK the handling of many a 90's Vauxhall was a bit vague but nothing a set of springs and shocks from the back of Max Power couldn't sort. Build quality was better than the Ford's and French offerings of that era and they were cheap to buy, run and modify and thus the appeal was obvious.
Genuine minters are almost non existent these days, they just weren't coveted as much as the Ford offerings but assuming this one isn't rotten, I'd have a go at £5k if only to don my Air Max, chuck a JBL bass tube in the boot, give Katy a call and see if she's wants a night off from the kids, drippy husband (who drives an S-Max) and fancies an evening of questionable behaviour in and out of the auld ridtap.
Good times!
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff