I have some Astra Turbo Convertible questions.....

[pred8r]

Mrs Pred has taken a liking to Alfa Spiders, like this one (because of the colour)
http://images.carsales.com.au/dealer/carsales/6083937.jpg

My issues with it are; (comparing to the Corsa C SRi)
Its economy - highway cycle is the 'Rina's Combined (its claimed city is double the worst ive EVER gotten)
Its only a 2 seater.
+20Kws, 300kgs heavier and only about ½sec quicker.
Stud pattern is 5x98 which is near on impossible to find nice/cheap rims.

I like Opels(and cant yet justify a 2000+ Merc CLK230/320 'Vert) so I have a few questions;
Has anyone got real 0-100 and economy figures?
Has anyone got remap time/economy figures?
Whats wind noise like at 100kmh?
Were there different versions or features between the years?
Does it have Cruise Control? a PROPER trip computer(consumption etc.)?
Did they all come with red leather interior?:sick::sick::sick: (id feel like i was still INSIDE the cow)
Is the back window glass? Demister?
Whats visibility like for reversing?

[blueraven]

as far as i know, you get everything the normal turbo has, minus a roof :)

That means yes, you do get a proper computer, climate control, very similay economy figures (7.5 high way i think? vs the 7.2 for the hatch) and performace times are just a touch slower becuase of the extra 150kg in weight.i would guess it doesnt handle'as well, but it certainly wouldnt be that far off either.

I dont know the answers to the rest, but you should care about figures, drive one and see. :)

[Wraith]

Mrs Pred has taken a liking to Alfa Spiders, like this one (because of the colour)
http://images.carsales.com.au/dealer/carsales/6083937.jpg

My issues with it are; (comparing to the Corsa C SRi)
Its economy - highway cycle is the 'Rina's Combined (its claimed city is double the worst ive EVER gotten)
Its only a 2 seater.
+20Kws, 300kgs heavier and only about ½sec quicker.
Stud pattern is 5x98 which is near on impossible to find nice/cheap rims.

I like Opels(and cant yet justify a 2000+ Merc CLK230/320 'Vert) so I have a few questions;
Has anyone got real 0-100 and economy figures?
Has anyone got remap time/economy figures?
Whats wind noise like at 100kmh?
Were there different versions or features between the years?
Does it have Cruise Control? a PROPER trip computer(consumption etc.)?
Did they all come with red leather interior?:sick::sick::sick: (id feel like i was still INSIDE the cow)
Is the back window glass? Demister?
Whats visibility like for reversing?


Hi there Pred8r

I think I'm the only TS turbo vert owner on this forum, there is another I'm aware of (Damo) but I think he only hangs out on the Vic Forums section :rolleyes:

Anyway, I'll try and answer your questions as best I can :)

First of all, don't be worried about the Alfa's 5x98 PCD, 5x100 is a very common PCD and you'll be able to sqeeze those in, or for a small cost, you can get any 5x100 re-drilled - easy peasy;)

Also the convertible does have more drag due to the shape and fabric cloth, which grips the air more so than smooth painted surfaces.

The TS Astra Convertible 'stock' weighs 1420kg - about 125kg more than the hatch.
I think the weight of the turbo is a little more, i'll have to check, due to the bigger wheels.

I've never timed mine on it's 0-100km/h performance, so I can only go by advertised figures for a 'stocker' which state mid 7's.
Economy is good, as long as you don't floor it all the time, I found that even when mine was stock, the fuel burn was very high, whenever I drove aggressively - also one thing I've noticed is the computer read out for fuel consumption is way lower than what's actually being used, I've done numerous tests on full tanks of fuel and found that on average the read out is showing up to 1.5 litres less per 100km than what was actually used !!!

In short when mine was stock, highway cruising, I was getting around 8ltrs/100km, even though the trip computer was showing around 6.5ltrs/100km.

As it stands now with Waynes remap and 20's and extra weight from my ICE install, it's actually lower when cruising, due to the 20's which result in lower engine revs, but higher when accelerating and going hard due to remap and more weight.

The wind noise at 100km/h in my vert and IMO is not a bother at all.
I say my vert and IMO because, different people have different opinions with this question.

In any soft top convertible, you'll always have a little more external noise seeping into the cabin because fabric can't insulate as well as closed metal.

I've heard some claiming huge wind noises and water leaks, to me this means somethings wrong with their vert - either been in an accident and the body's twisted or some surface sealing area is buggered up, if you get a good one, you won't have any problems with wind noises or water leaks !!!

With regards to differences in features over the years, ie: for the turbo vert - no !

Unlike standard TS verts, all turbo's have climate control as standard.

The only difference I know of is that later TS Astra's ie: all Astra models that have leather, got a better batch of hide with the later models, this also applies to the convertibles and I've seen some early vert interiors and my leather in my 04 vert does look and feel better.

All TS turbo verts had the same set up and features and were sold only over about an 18 month period - from what I know there are only about 225 in the whole country.

They were all manuals and you could only choose between 2 external colours - star silver or black and 2 interior leather colours - red or black.
And let me say, your opinion of the red interior will quickly change once you take a good look at these, it looks great and much better than the plain and boring black and provides a silver or black vert with a beautiful contrast, especially when the top is down - after all that's what having a vert is all about ;)

They do have cruise control as standard and do have a trip computer with all the regular functions - including fuel consumption, but as I've already stated, don't take this read out as gospel, as mine certainly ain't accurate ;)

The back window is glass - one thing that I also really wanted and it has a dimister :)

In fact the whole fabric top, including materials, activation mechanism etc. is the same type/technology as used on the latest BMW and SAAB convertibles :)

Rearward visibility is not the best as you would expect from any car with massive area C pillars and small rear window.....there ways around it though, you do adjust to it and you can fit park assist sensors - in my case I've fitted a rear view wide angle cam that gives me a rear pic of what's behind on my DVD screen :)

One thing you'll love though, at least I do is the absence of a B pillar, put the windows down and it's all open clear and un-obstructed :)

Most people who have one of these, realise the great value for money and that's why the TS vert has become Australia's best ever selling convertible, get yourself the exclusive better turbo variant and you can't go wrong and join me as a very happy TS turbo vert owner on here too :)

Hope that helps :)

[pred8r]

whats the servicing interval?
whens cam belt change?

[nicecar]

whats the servicing interval?
whens cam belt change?

Every 12,500 km from memory. The 2.2 TS doesn't have a timing belt, it has a chain and this doesn't need replacing. Not sure on the 2.0 Turbo

[Wraith]

Service interval and timing belt changes on the turbo vert are the same as the turbo hatch as they both share the same Z20LET engine, ie:service every 15,000km, although I service mine every 5,000km.

Timing belt at 60,000km intervals :)

[pred8r]

So much for that idea.... the spider has been sold

and

Wife changed her mind........again.....

We have now decided to severely overextend ourselves and seriously look at buying a home instead.

[Wraith]

Nothing wrong with that decision my friend :)

Buying a home is a good step and financially wiser than any car purchase ;) you can always grab something nicer/better in the future, when you have more cash to play with - equity in the new home...... :)

[Tfer]

So much for that idea.... the spider has been sold

and

Wife changed her mind........again.....

We have now decided to severely overextend ourselves and seriously look at buying a home instead.

Pred, if you want to bounce some ideas or get some ideas re: finance let me know ;)


Nothing wrong with that decision my friend :)

Buying a home is a good step and financially wiser than any car purchase ;) you can always grab something nicer/better in the future, when you have more cash to play with - equity in the new home...... :)

Good solid sound advice Wraith :)

[Apex]

Owning your own home is a much better idea, get a convertible when you’re in your 40's.
Or better still buy a convertible house!:D http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m225/tteett/tent.jpg

[imay]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]get a convertible when you’re in your 40's.

Not saying there's anything wrong with that!

[pred8r]

Pred, if you want to bounce some ideas or get some ideas re: finance let me know ;)

Thanks for the offer :) (need to check with accountant first then friend for loan preapproval)

Yeah, one question.
Is there anyway i can buy a house in Vic but pay NSW's first homebuyers stampduty? j/k
For the uninformed, its a saving of nearly $18k.
Vics grant is $10k for existing homes with no reduction on stampduty (damn you tight a$$ Vic Govt:mad:)

[Tfer]

Thanks for the offer :) (need to check with accountant first then friend for loan preapproval)

Yeah, one question.
Is there anyway i can buy a house in Vic but pay NSW's first homebuyers stampduty? j/k
For the uninformed, its a saving of nearly $18k.
Vics grant is $10k for existing homes with no reduction on stampduty (damn you tight a$$ Vic Govt:mad:)

Have the answer.... move to Qld.... cheaper again :p

[Wraith]

Not saying there's anything wrong with that!

hehehe that's my situation :)