1983 Vauxhall Astra L from UK and Ireland - Comments

Basics, water pump, hazard lights act up a little, and drinks oil quite happily.

However, as this is an old car (16 this year) the marks are a bit higher for effort, this car is a tank, it shouldn't still be running after what I have done to it!

I love this little car.

'Tank' is exactly right. That is the same description I gave to my 1.2 1983 model back in '86. The bodywork is so solid and it takes so much stick. Used to drive it like a Go-kart!

Well what can I say! Mark 1 Astra. What tank!

I bought this car in 1999 and it finally went in 2001 after much screwing in a car park.

Massive car, loads of boot space when seats are down, ideal for my market trading.

A very dated look to these cars now, and because of the age its hard to find one that isn't a rust bucket. I paid £100 for my 1.3L, it was very basic inside, but room for legs and baggage was plentiful. Parts are now becoming a bit harder to get for you local scrapper, but in the yellow pages there are a few numbers you can try.

I was so sad to see mine go that I cut it in half and made the back half into a trailer, ideal really because I can keep my stock for the market in over night locked!!

I paid £15 to have the front half of the car removed, £25 for the sheet of steal, £2 for a box section of steal (to use as an A frame) £2 for wiring kit for the lights and £20 to hire a welder for a day. Then a couple cans of spray.

And now if you see a K-reg Mark 3 Astra pulling half a Mark 1 Astra, you know its me!!