Faults:

Where to begin? What has not gone wrong is a better question!

Gearbox needed a recondition (expensive); all bearings worn, gearshift was moving and crunched in third and fourth gears. Common crappy gearbox in these cars.

Turbo failed (expensive).

Various electronics needed attended to.

Engine was generally OK, had a minor coolant leak however.

Bodywork in decent shape, polished up nicely. Interior materials also holding up well for the age and miles.

General Comments:

Bought essentially as a project car spares or repairs. And I decided to do a lot of repairing! But I really should have used this as a parts doner car!

The reason I persevered with it is I got it soo cheap and the car looked utterly wonderful and I had always fancied an Astra GTC. Black, big alloy wheels, SRi model, very sharp to drive car and nice to look at inside and out.

But buy a low mileage car with history, avoid the higher mileage rough ones like I bought, I am a mechanic and was ready for it but.. there is no way the average person would have got this car running without specialist expensive help; I even spent a lot more on parts myself fixing it with my own labor, and I still over-spent a bit.

Either way, the car is nothing special. It has not disappointed me as I wasn't expecting much, but it's still a pretty average car. Performance is OK and it will do 35 - 40 mpg cruising slow. Drives OK, and comfortable. Typical modern hatch.

Not a total disaster of a project for me, but I'd think again before buying another. Astra's even in GTC form don't hold value well even with lower miles and better condition. A fine run about if you get a nice one, but a nightmare for anyone if you don't!

Faults:

Needing a new clutch and gearbox upon purchase; used dealer was surprisingly good to me and honoured the warranty to cover the repair. Thank God I didn't need to pay! It was well over £1000.

Last year I took the opportunity at a service to replace the timing chain; the car runs perfect as it has had a lot of preventative maintenance now.

No other issues car has been spot on.

General Comments:

What a fantastic looking little car. This GTC Astra really stands out from the regular Astra.

1.4T engine is smooth and has just enough power, but not really a fast car. I am getting a solid 38 - 40 mpg on average however so cannot complain. Tax and insurance are also reasonable.

SRi trim has nice seats and a very comfortable interior, the car still feels very modern.

If buying one for yourself, be careful as there are a lot of options regarding engine and gearbox setup, and they all have common expensive issues unfortunately. But a looked after Astra GTC should prove a cost effective little modern run about if you get a nice one.

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong.

General Comments:

The Astra GTC stands out from the regular Astra in a big way. It has a nice coupe style, although in reality it still is a hatchback.

My 2012 car is black with SRi trim. That means a nice suspension setup and some fancy alloy wheels; it is an extremely good looking car.

Inside the dash is styled very well. Driving position is good. Admittedly not much different from the regular Astra in this regard, plus there are some annoying blind spots when reversing, but the car is otherwise a joy to be in.

2.0 CDTi engine is a bit noisy, but it has good power and manages around 40 - 45 mpg or more, about right for a 2.0 diesel automatic. The engine is something of a rarity in this particular car as most I saw for sale were manual transmission cars with a petrol engine. I have heard horror stories about the CDTi's engine reliability, but I plan to keep my car looked after well and there are plenty of websites out there for help with common issues.