RE: Shed of the Week | Vauxhall Astra Turbo cabrio
Discussion
[quote=talksthetorque]They've even parked it so that you can see what it looks like at the local dogging site. And looking at the interior it looks like a tiger has been in there, never mind a cougar.
Yeah I reckon if you search hard enough on xhamster you might find this car.... and a few other things.
Yeah I reckon if you search hard enough on xhamster you might find this car.... and a few other things.
As soon as I saw that this was SOTW, I knew it would get endless negative comments. The Vauxhall prejudice is strong on this forum.
I don't mind. Always felt a bit sorry for Vauxhall with this car. They probably thought they had done a reasonable job when they were about to launch it in 1998, but then Ford came along and launched the Focus, which made this generation of Astra look 10 years old as soon as it was released. That being said, the coupe and convertible wasn't a bad looking car in its day and I don't think time has hurt it that much (not as much as the MK1 Focus oddly).
In turbo form, it would probably be a good laugh for the money, though I would sooner have a coupe version or, preferably, the GSI hatch, as convertibles aren't really my bag,
A friend of mine did buy an Astra hatch as a cheap hack a couple of years ago. It was only a 1.8, had 160-odd thousand miles on it and looked a bit of a shed, but everything worked and he even did a track day in it for a laugh.
They probably don't deserve the level of stick that they get, but people have such a hard-on for German stuff these days that anything else is doomed from the start. As someone else said above, it's old Audis and BMWs that are council now. Everyone is desperate to get behind the wheel of something German, now matter how sheddy it is.
I don't mind. Always felt a bit sorry for Vauxhall with this car. They probably thought they had done a reasonable job when they were about to launch it in 1998, but then Ford came along and launched the Focus, which made this generation of Astra look 10 years old as soon as it was released. That being said, the coupe and convertible wasn't a bad looking car in its day and I don't think time has hurt it that much (not as much as the MK1 Focus oddly).
In turbo form, it would probably be a good laugh for the money, though I would sooner have a coupe version or, preferably, the GSI hatch, as convertibles aren't really my bag,
A friend of mine did buy an Astra hatch as a cheap hack a couple of years ago. It was only a 1.8, had 160-odd thousand miles on it and looked a bit of a shed, but everything worked and he even did a track day in it for a laugh.
They probably don't deserve the level of stick that they get, but people have such a hard-on for German stuff these days that anything else is doomed from the start. As someone else said above, it's old Audis and BMWs that are council now. Everyone is desperate to get behind the wheel of something German, now matter how sheddy it is.
Jon_S_Rally said:
As soon as I saw that this was SOTW, I knew it would get endless negative comments. The Vauxhall prejudice is strong on this forum.
I don't mind. Always felt a bit sorry for Vauxhall with this car. They probably thought they had done a reasonable job when they were about to launch it in 1998, but then Ford came along and launched the Focus, which made this generation of Astra look 10 years old as soon as it was released. That being said, the coupe and convertible wasn't a bad looking car in its day and I don't think time has hurt it that much (not as much as the MK1 Focus oddly).
In turbo form, it would probably be a good laugh for the money, though I would sooner have a coupe version or, preferably, the GSI hatch, as convertibles aren't really my bag,
A friend of mine did buy an Astra hatch as a cheap hack a couple of years ago. It was only a 1.8, had 160-odd thousand miles on it and looked a bit of a shed, but everything worked and he even did a track day in it for a laugh.
They probably don't deserve the level of stick that they get, but people have such a hard-on for German stuff these days that anything else is doomed from the start. As someone else said above, it's old Audis and BMWs that are council now. Everyone is desperate to get behind the wheel of something German, now matter how sheddy it is.
TBF there was a thread the other day about cars that had surprised you and there was a lot of mentions of Vauxhall products, I even included my own Astra of mid 80's vintage as it was really reliable and cost me nothing to run in terms of repairs etc. They are decent workhorses.I don't mind. Always felt a bit sorry for Vauxhall with this car. They probably thought they had done a reasonable job when they were about to launch it in 1998, but then Ford came along and launched the Focus, which made this generation of Astra look 10 years old as soon as it was released. That being said, the coupe and convertible wasn't a bad looking car in its day and I don't think time has hurt it that much (not as much as the MK1 Focus oddly).
In turbo form, it would probably be a good laugh for the money, though I would sooner have a coupe version or, preferably, the GSI hatch, as convertibles aren't really my bag,
A friend of mine did buy an Astra hatch as a cheap hack a couple of years ago. It was only a 1.8, had 160-odd thousand miles on it and looked a bit of a shed, but everything worked and he even did a track day in it for a laugh.
They probably don't deserve the level of stick that they get, but people have such a hard-on for German stuff these days that anything else is doomed from the start. As someone else said above, it's old Audis and BMWs that are council now. Everyone is desperate to get behind the wheel of something German, now matter how sheddy it is.
Sparky137 said:
More skip of the week than shed of the week!!!
If you want a 200+ bhp four seat convertible you can get a Mercedes CLK 320 for the same money and I know which I'd rather have.
sure you can get a CLK for this budget - I would imagine that an Astra would be somewhat less ruinous though?If you want a 200+ bhp four seat convertible you can get a Mercedes CLK 320 for the same money and I know which I'd rather have.
A mate of mine had a penchant for manufacturer hot coupes of this era - he went from a Rover 220 turbo "Tomcat" to the Astra Coupe. Never did much for me, I'm afraid...
I personally think the external design of these has worn pretty well, the same can't really be said for the interior. But for the money, I'd not go for the GM or similar (Saab) option - instead you can get a Volvo C70 T5 convertible, 240bhp, quicker, arguably (apart from the Volvo-esque front end) better looking. They were still built like Volvos and don't (unlike the later C70s) share the Mondeo platform.
I personally think the external design of these has worn pretty well, the same can't really be said for the interior. But for the money, I'd not go for the GM or similar (Saab) option - instead you can get a Volvo C70 T5 convertible, 240bhp, quicker, arguably (apart from the Volvo-esque front end) better looking. They were still built like Volvos and don't (unlike the later C70s) share the Mondeo platform.
I had a 2.2 coupe SE2 edition with the blue suede-ette interior and it suffered with the dreaded oil starvation / blocked pick up and went bang. VX wanted £13k for a new crated engine supply and fit.
It was sold for parts to a guy with a 888 coupe who wanted it for the various identical elements.
The convertibles are a common sight on any council estate these days and £1500 even just before summer is overpriced for one. I've seen them change hands for as little as £250 in the past 18mths.
It was sold for parts to a guy with a 888 coupe who wanted it for the various identical elements.
The convertibles are a common sight on any council estate these days and £1500 even just before summer is overpriced for one. I've seen them change hands for as little as £250 in the past 18mths.
Mr-B said:
TBF there was a thread the other day about cars that had surprised you and there was a lot of mentions of Vauxhall products, I even included my own Astra of mid 80's vintage as it was really reliable and cost me nothing to run in terms of repairs etc. They are decent workhorses.
Got decent write-ups in coupe format judged against other coupes of the timeBeing a convertible it’ll no doubt be a bit wobblier
I had a 2.2 coupe for a few years from 2009, bought it cheap post divorce. It was an ok steer but body panels and doors for this car were insanely expensive at the time... Doors were £600 a time and the rear wing/quarter was £900!!!
I found this out when a mad ginger wench attempted an overtake from behind after I committed to a right turn in a 30 limit, hit the car down the side... it stood up well to the impact, her MGF was bent like a banana😂😂
They’re cheap, cost peanuts to run and if your handy with the spanners repairs are easy, but the handling is crap to say the least. I had to do the cam chain on mine and that was a piece of piss.
I found this out when a mad ginger wench attempted an overtake from behind after I committed to a right turn in a 30 limit, hit the car down the side... it stood up well to the impact, her MGF was bent like a banana😂😂
They’re cheap, cost peanuts to run and if your handy with the spanners repairs are easy, but the handling is crap to say the least. I had to do the cam chain on mine and that was a piece of piss.
Jon_S_Rally said:
In turbo form, it would probably be a good laugh for the money, though I would sooner have a coupe version or, preferably, the GSI hatch, as convertibles aren't really my bag,
.
Yep, think i'd go for the early 00's GSi too after reading the reviews - but they're about two or three times the price.
s m said:
Got decent write-ups in coupe format judged against other coupes of the time
Being a convertible it’ll no doubt be a bit wobblier
I was at a pre-launch event for the Coupe at Brands Hatch back in 1999; they had the 1.8 and 2.2 there, and with an instructor on track you could give them the beans. They went ok, but I did a similar day with Toyota a few months later, and a Celica 190 was far superior to the Astra Coupe 2.2.Being a convertible it’ll no doubt be a bit wobblier
Some comments on the dash being '15 years old'. Try 21 years since it was launched in the hatch.
stickleback123 said:
That is easily the least desireable shed we've had for years. These seemed to be scruffy almost from day one, and I've only ever seen them being driven by the local council estate hard man.
Exactly what I thought, driving around with his tarty overweight wife in the passenger seat and ferral kids in the back with the "look at us, we are in a convertible" look on their faces.Welshbeef said:
Don’t think I’ve ever seen one of these on the road - the horrid Focus CC was like hens teeth this Astra is in a different league of less desirable whatever that is.
The Focus CC was truly horrid and in a different postcode of disgusting. I much preferred these Astras and I think they sold in a much higher volume. Maybe it's just because I live near Luton but I still see lots on the road.
The hatchback version of this was easily the dullest Astra produced. Neighbour's retired wife has the coupe in blue, owned since new and sat for a while now. Been considering making an offer as it's a cheap, practical, OK looking runabout.
Sparky137 said:
More skip of the week than shed of the week!!!
If you want a 200+ bhp four seat convertible you can get a Mercedes CLK 320 for the same money and I know which I'd rather have.
Probably right, but CLK's from that era were terribly built and expensive to maintain. This would be more reliable and better built albeit more boring and probably very forgettable to drive.If you want a 200+ bhp four seat convertible you can get a Mercedes CLK 320 for the same money and I know which I'd rather have.
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