Faults:

Pops front headlamp bulbs like it's going out of fashion.

Air con broken.

General Comments:

This is my 3rd Astra Van in succession.

My first one was the new 1998 shape Astravan with the Isuzu engine (1.7 td). This one was a good workhorse. I purchased it at auction, and it was very reliable, even though it had quite high miles (130k).

Second up was a lovely 2001 registered Astravan (LS MODEL IN SILVER - MINT) model I managed to steal from a guy for £3000 with a genuine low mileage of just 34,000 on the clock. It was in silver with the all new dti engine.

Sadly this one I had a turbo problem, and it gave up on me at 52k, and ended up costing me £1800 to put right, which hurt the wallet to say the least.

Which brings me to my latest van; the Astra Sportive...

I LOVE IT!!!

I managed to get it on eBay for £5000 02 plated, with just 52,000 on the clock. It boasts a full Irmsher kit all round, air conditioning, cruise control, alloy wheels, electric front windows, full alarm & immobiliser and tinted windows all round.

The performance from the dti 16v engine is not overly great; it's OK and does the job well, also giving excellent mpg, and on a run the debadged Recaro seats are just excellent, & really supportive on a run up the motorway.

The cabin is a bit dreary, and feels a bit cheap, but all of these model Astras feel this way, so it's not really that much of a downer. I really prefer it to the new Astra's silvery look dash.

The van's overall look is just one of sheer coolness; the bodykit really turns a pretty plain looking van into a tarmac terrorist, and it gets admiring glances from all walks of life on the road.

I hope some fellow Astravan drivers read this, as if you can invest in a upgraded van, I really would recommend buying a Astra Sportive.

The kitted ones are extremely hard to find, but if you find a good one, snap it up as quickly as you can, and I promise you'll never want to change it again!!

I will be keeping my one for as long as I can, I know that!!

Faults:

Nothing. A very solidly built car.

General Comments:

I recently purchased a Limited Edition SRi after writing off my MG ZS 180.

They only made 500 SRi Turbos in 2002 before bringing the GSi out in 2003.

This car has impeccable handling and is very fast, comes with 189bhp and 184lb/ft standard, which kicks in at 1950rpm. I have demolished many cars from lights and on dual carriageways.

I thought my old mk2 ZS 180 was rapid, but the speedo on this car doesn't stop. Standard 1/4mile time is 14.5, which is insanely fast.

Since buying this car last month, I have added chassis mods, and a full induction system and stage 1 chip from Regal, and it now produces 247bhp/273lb/ft R&R tested.

Standard:

189.4bhp

184.6lb/ft

152 top end

1140kg

Induction kit and chip (£600).

247bhp

273lb/ft

160+

This car easily keeps up with an M3, and passes it at 155 because of the limiter. As standard the Astra will do 152, and after minor mods will do 160+.

Overall, the looks and quality of the car are top notch, as these were actually built in Germany and shipped to England.

I've beat many cars including Escort/Sierra Cossie's, Impreza's, and a Porsche 944 Turbo.

Totally destroys new Golf, ST3, RS Focus, VXR Turbo (as it weighs 200kg less with same power), CTR's, and silly little Clio 182's.