Summary:
Poor car, somewhat disappointed
Faults:
Many faults, and apparently it's common with the 2002 Astra.
Squeaking noise while reversing.
A/C compressor clutch faulty.
Emission system warning light pop's-up.
Blaupunkt stereo will start with max volume.
Gear lever is too close to the forearm, so inconvenient for male drivers to shift gears.
Slightly hard steering and brakes.
Poor ride comfort in terms of the suspension.
I don't find the traction control very effective.
General Comments:
Good things about the car:
Gives me about 11.3ks per ltr mixed road conditions.
Decent interior quality of upholstery and plastic.
Reasonable power for a 1.8 ltr engine.
Excellent cruise control.
The hatchback with the seats folded has heaps of boot space.
I had a Nissan Skyline before, and never ever had any problem with it, even after doing 100,000ks myself. Most of my mates have Japanese cars, and they go just fine with not much problem. Japanese cars are fine quality, fast, reliable, smooth, fuel efficient and value for money.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 21st October, 2010
4th Dec 2010, 20:01
This review was written by me.
I sold the car this week (not due to maintenance problem, but wanted a auto trans). It's a great car for its price, but far too complicated with lots of electronic systems. The basic mechanism is not very reliable. The timing belt needs to be replaced after every 60,000 ks (considering most cars in its class are at 90 to 100 thousand ks). Because the car is overloaded with computer managed functions, it's usual for warning lights to turn-on.
I believe in Japanese cars that are simple and reliable. They are value for money, light on ownership cost and good resale value.
Entry level cars are best built simple and reliable, rather than complicate them. Unfortunately, Ausi manufacturers like Holden and Ford don't believe in that, and offer a list of features in their new cars so they compete better with rivals (watch the TV ads). These features are great at the beginning, but soon start to fail and cause serious headache. That’s where the depreciation is maximum on these cars compared to Japanese cars. By the time these cars go from 2nd hand to 3rd hand, owners have spent $$$ on servicing.
I will be interested in a simple and basic car offered by Ausi manufacturers (a car with no - ABS, EBD, ESC, cruise control, power assisted sytems ets). A car that’s light weight, reliable, cheap to buy, cheap to own, no computerised systems to fail, and hence you don’t have to repair anything when you want to sell it, and hence a good resale value.