Looking for Advice - Saturn Astra,5dr

[Dukemom]

Hello, everyone! I live in Tennessee, US, and am seriously thinking of buying a Saturn Astra. I have never owned an Opel (or a saturn) and have some questions for you. I always do good deal of research before buying a car and while there is a fair amount available on the Astra, I still have some questions. The Astra has a lot of features I want which are either not available on other similar vehicles or which add on to the cost. Things I especially like: hatchback, compact size, safety features, heated seats (a must for my stiff back!), fuel efficiency, halogen and fog lights, nice sound system, extra large moonroof, leather. I plan to get the 5 speed because it's much more fun and also more fuel efficient. he Astra comes in my favorite shade of blue. ;)

So my questions have to do with reliability and safety. I generally lean towards japanese vehicles because of their extreme reliability. What can you tell me about the Astra's reliability? Have you or do you know of many people who have ended up with lemons? Will I end up spending a lot of time at the repair shop? (grrr...few things are worse....)

What do you know about the Astra's safety in real terms? You know, they can tell you all about the features, but that doesn't really transmit into my head very well. My question is more about reputation. For example, everyone knows the Volvo has a reputation for being an extremely safe car. What is the Astra's reputation? What have been your and your friends' experiences?

I appreciate so much your help. Again, I like to know all I can ahead of time; nothing worse than buyer's remorse!

And one last thing, I'm sorry about our nutty president. I did NOT vote for him!! :mad:

[MK]

i have had my Astra H 1.8 5dr Automatik since 2005 (its a 2004 model) mine is the basic CD model so not many features except for power windows.

so far i did not have any major issues with it, actually to be honest i have not had many minor issues with it... at one point the drivers power window would only wind up to half close but this resolved itself after one day and had never came back.

my car is used as a daily driver, work and back so far i have only travelled 60,000 km

the warranty ran out in November 2007 and i had the car checked one month before the warranty ran out (by an independent mechanic - not Holden) and we only found the rear brake discs had warped and needed to be replaced ($300AUD) but this is a wear and tear so does not count.

i like my Astra, my fiance has a 2005 model Toyota Corrolla 5dr automatic and her car has many small quirks and "issues" that dealers seem to have trouble with resolving :(

i have to admit, i change the engine oil and oil filter every 3 months or 5000km (i do it myself)

i also have to admit that i do give my car some beating from time to time, especially on highways and so far she has been very good to me.

no oil leaks, no engine noises, no interior squeaks or rattles (for a $25,000 car that is) no electrical quirks, no CD skipping or sound issues (the system is very good Blaupunkt!)

cheers...

[USC]

do you guys get the oil burner? they come in 6 speed manual. or turbo model?

In terms if reliability, the car is excellent! ive never had any mechanical or electrical trouble with it...oh except for the radio reception that seems to adjust its trebble every now and then..but i read that it does that to compensate for drop in signal...stooopid me.. wasted money on a new aerial!! haha.

Have you looked at the mazda 3 hatch..they are also excellent cars.

[Dukemom]

At this point, Saturn is introducing only one type (in a two-door and four-door, with different finishes.) Here's the info:


"It is offered in both two- and four-door hatchback body styles. The powertrain is a 140-hp, 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission, with a four-speed automatic available as an option."

I appreciate the replies from both of you! As I mentioned, I do a lot of research when I buy a car and it's a little disconcerting to look in Consumer Reports and see all of the ratings blank, since the car was just introduced in January. I am also looking at the Mazda 3; haven't test driven it yet. I plan to do that today. (The downside is having to haggle with the Mazda people. It's kind of nice to deal with Saturn and just get the bottom line price. There are some other incentives -- a $750 break for trading a non-GMC car, a $600 discount because my place of business is some kind of GMC partner.)

Thanks again!

Anne

P.S. I don't think I'll be making it for the photoshoot. :p

[Shaun]

At this point, Saturn is introducing only one type (in a two-door and four-door, with different finishes.) Here's the info:


"It is offered in both two- and four-door hatchback body styles. The powertrain is a 140-hp, 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission, with a four-speed automatic available as an option."

I appreciate the replies from both of you! As I mentioned, I do a lot of research when I buy a car and it's a little disconcerting to look in Consumer Reports and see all of the ratings blank, since the car was just introduced in January. I am also looking at the Mazda 3; haven't test driven it yet. I plan to do that today. (The downside is having to haggle with the Mazda people. It's kind of nice to deal with Saturn and just get the bottom line price. There are some other incentives -- a $750 break for trading a non-GMC car, a $600 discount because my place of business is some kind of GMC partner.)

Thanks again!

Anne

P.S. I don't think I'll be making it for the photoshoot. :p

HAHA. Thats Funny Anne about the photoshoot.... Im sure if you drive to LA you can board a Qantas Air New Zealand or United flight to come along haha.. Where in the United States are you from ?

If you buy the Saturn you wont be dissapointed . Well i dont think so. I know Saturn has somewhat of of a bad name with some people in the USA. (my friends for CA had one and it failed ) but with the Opel Built Product they have moved forward i think in terms of Quality.

[btm]

Hello, everyone! I live in Tennessee, US,


Where in the United States are you from?



Hi Anne

I've had my astra since new for almost 5 years now and have not had one problem with it.

fantastic reliability, quiet cabin ride, great fuel economy, the list goes on!

good luck with which ever decision you end up making!

[Mainframe_Module]

ive had my astra coupe for 4 months and nothing has gone wrong so far..it's been perfect.

much more satisfied with it than i was my toyota yaris i had before it.

[Tfer]

Hi Anne, I have had 2 experiences with the Astra AH Hatch.... both autos and 1.8l.

The first one was one of the first batch into Australia, and in 11 months I put 92,000km on her so spent a lot of time driving. The only thing which went wrong was the engine dropped a cylinder due to oil starvation, but was covered under warranty.

The second one is my partner's current ride, and so far has only got 32,000km on it after 2.5 years but no problems/dramas to speak of.

They feel like a good solid, albeit slow car, but comfortable on long trips.

My 2 cents.....

[cbrmale]

My H SRi has an engine / transmission not available in the US (or anywhere else in the world), so some of the things I like about my Astra won't apply. The SRi is designates a wheel / suspension / brake package that I don't think is available in the US either

What is relevant is that the standard Astra is an extremely good handling car, well in front of most Japanese cars. The Astra is an extremely safe car, the six-airbag Astra scores 34 out of a possible 37 on the Euro-NCAP, which is about as close to perfect as a car can get. Japanese cars rarely rate as well as this for safety. In Europe, if you've been there, you will realise that buyers take the safety ratings of new cars VERY SERIOUSLY.

So what you have is above average dynamic safety (the ability to avoid a collision) as well as class-leading secondary safety.

My H is 10 months old and travelled 11,000km, with one minor fault fixed by the dealer under warranty, and everything as good as new.

[USC]

My H SRi has an engine / transmission not available in the US (or anywhere else in the world), so some of the things I like about my Astra won't apply. The SRi is designates a wheel / suspension / brake package that I don't think is available in the US either

What is relevant is that the standard Astra is an extremely good handling car, well in front of most Japanese cars. The Astra is an extremely safe car, the six-airbag Astra scores 34 out of a possible 37 on the Euro-NCAP, which is about as close to perfect as a car can get. Japanese cars rarely rate as well as this for safety. In Europe, if you've been there, you will realise that buyers take the safety ratings of new cars VERY SERIOUSLY.

So what you have is above average dynamic safety (the ability to avoid a collision) as well as class-leading secondary safety.

My H is 10 months old and travelled 11,000km, with one minor fault fixed by the dealer under warranty, and everything as good as new.

I dont think the astra has better handling than most Japanese cars..NO WAY mate!

[Vectracious]

Wrote lots of Fanboi stuff
.

OMG - seriously, do you work for Holden/Opel/GM or something.....

interesting you brought up Euro-NCAP and how crap Jap cars are compared to Opel's little miracle - quick look at their website shows that the

Nissan Qashqai
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Auris
and laughably a Kia (Cee'd)

all did better than the Astra in the ratings - and how crap is the Astra re Pedestrian safety!!!!! Guess that doesnt really matter at the end of the day as its the pedestrians fault they are not in an Astra..... :rolleyes:

[rjastra]

My H SRi has an engine / transmission not available in the US (or anywhere else in the world), so some of the things I like about my Astra won't apply. The SRi is designates a wheel / suspension / brake package that I don't think is available in the US either



THe yanks can get the sports handling pack

Lowered sports suspension, 17inch alloys, ESP + quicker ratio steering at a bargain USD795.

[rjastra]

Dukemon... did you think about getting a VW Rabbit (aka Golf)?

They get a 2.5L I5 (125kw) in the base model Golf in the States.

[USC]

Dukemon... did you think about getting a VW Rabbit (aka Golf)?

They get a 2.5L I5 (125kw) in the base model Golf in the States.

I heard VW arent as well built...

[paul4deb]

Hi Anne,

I've got an AH Astra, 1.8 ltr, 5-Speed Manual, CDX, 5-Door Hatchback model (Purchased Dec 05) - this is the earlier 90KW (120HP) "Ecotec" engine. So far I've done just over 75,000Km. Owned it since new. I drive it pretty hard, trying to get all the 90KW I can out of her in the hope that I can break the 0-100km/h in 11 seconds barrier.:) ...have tested out the rev limiter a couple of times and, hey, guess what! It works - engine cuts out at 6500rpm no problems:( ...ah well.

It fairly screams, though, when you get the revs up beyond the 4000rpm mark - unfortunately with this version of the 1.8 ltr Ecotec, theres a lot of noise but not a lot happening in terms of acceleration - hence the 11secs to 100kph (60mph). But comparing it to my old 1979 Ford Escort 2.0 litre "S" pack (that's the old "flat-nose" RS), it handles like a dream.

The Saturn Astra engine specs of 140hp equate to roughly 103kw which is the power output of the latest "Ecotec" 1.8 ltr engine in the Aussie Astras. So you may get more fun out of that engine than I do out of mine.

On a more relevant note, I've found the AH Astra to be a really reliable car. The only issue I had was with an airconditioning bushing (or something like that) that failed at 60,000km - dealer replaced it under waranty. Apart from that, I only take it in at the reccommended 15,000km service intervals. I remember once, only once, the whole car failed to start - I turned the key and nothing. That was an electrical gremlin that has failed to manifest itself again in the 75000km.

On safety, I can only judge by the crash test ratings - and the extra safety features such as Air Bags, Brake Assist, ESP, chasis design. In all of this the Astra is right up there.

Regarding handling, I think it drives fantastic - sticks to the road likes it on train tracks - the faster you go the better...Once, on a dark low lit night, on some abandoned stretch of the Gateway Motorway here in Brisbane I have managed to get it up to close on 160KPH just to see how it feels...and I can say that the faster it goes the better it drives. This thing feels like it was made to sit on close to 3500rpm in 5th gear all day (thats around 120kph). OH and it has great fuel economy, even at that speed. A 6th gear in this mode is the only thing missing.

I remember a near miss I once had with an unexpected roundabout positioning - the roundabout was positioned off centre of where you would expect it to be so as to give the impression that the road continued straight ahead - at the last minute I realised that i was about to veer to the right of the roundabout instead of going around on the left side. At 60km/h I braked while making a rapid turning correction, swerved around the correct side of the roundabout and came out the other side none the worse for wear and surprised at how well the Astra handled such an unexpected manouver.

My 2005 CDX model differs from the CD model mainly in added extras - mechanically they are the same. Mines got the Trip Computer, 6-Stacker CD player and 7 Speaker Suround sound system, Front and Rear electric windows, 16" Magnesium Alloy wheels, Cruise Control, and leather wrap steering wheel (but no front fog lamps or curtain airbags on the 2005 CDX) - these were the major differences I think from the CD.

For AU$28,000 on the road in Dec 2005, it was a good buy. The best part has been the fuel economy...according to the trip computer mine is displaying 7.6l/100km (31 mpg).

As compared to Jap cars, I don't think any of them are finished off as nice as the Astra - on the interior. Its very elegant.

My only real gripes are the lack of a cup holder in my car - oh, the Saturn Astra will have at least one at the rear of the centre console, as do the 2007 model Astras here in Oz, but to reach a cup comfortably you've got to be ampidexterous, as this feature was just an ad on thought.

Any how, thats my 2 cents worth....All the best.:)

[bornwild]

I dont think the astra has better handling than most Japanese cars..NO WAY mate!

Better handling than all Japanese cars in it's price range/class. :)

[USC]

Better handling than all Japanese cars in it's price range/class. :)

u think so?better than a subee impreza rs?? better than a mazda 3 (with the volvo chassis)??hmm.... The handling is quite good but I wouldnt say better...probably the same.

[Vectracious]

:wall:

OK, lets not get into this shit fight again............

Yes Anne, the Astra is the bestest, greatest, supercalafragalisticexpialidocious car you can buy - or at least is what you should expecet to hear on an Astra owners site.

Please visit this site

http://www.carsurvey.org/

Reviews written by real people about most cars. As its not a fanboy site, there will be some non complimentary reviews about cars there as well(shock horror!)

As you would probably already know, look for Opel Astra, Vauxhall Astra, Holden Astra from 2004 onwards.

And if the discussion about handling continues - the thread will be locked. :cool:

[Shaun]

About the Handling....... HAHAHA...
The Saturn Astra is reasonably priced for what a European Built car. They do handle well for the money you pay for them.
They perfomance is a little down on some others although they arent ment to be a Powerhouse the version the USA are getting. they are Cheap European motoring with some good features.

[cbrmale]

I dont think the astra has better handling than most Japanese cars..NO WAY mate!

Over the last six months I've driven a current model Toyota Camry for a couple of days, the new Toyota Corolla for four days, a Nissan Tida for two days, and a Mitsubishi Lancer. The Camry was like a landing barge, all wallowy and rolling around and sloppy steering and vague handling. The Corolla was worse, with about 50mm free play in the steering thrown in as a bonus. The Tida was worse again, seeming reluctant to change direction. The current model Lancer was much tighter than Toyota and Nissan, although I didn't drive it for long enough to work it out, but it was actually quite good. My wife had a company Civic at one stage, a hybrid actually, and she was unimpressed with it, especially in the wet. Civics are made in Malaysia these days so I don't know how much that affects things.

The only mass-produced Japanese car of similar size and price that I know IS better than the Astra is the Mazda 3, although like-for-like it's quite a bit more expensive. The Lancer impressed me, although it could do with more mid-range performance to exploit it's dynamics.

So unless you've recently driven current model Toyotas, Nissans, Hondas and Mitsubishis for long enough to get a feel for them, just how do you know?

[sooty]

:wall:

OK, lets not get into this shit fight again............


What he said, everyone has their own opinions about the handling.
How about we just try and help Dukemom :)

[cbrmale]

What he said, everyone has their own opinions about the handling.
How about we just try and help Dukemom :)

I absolutely agree. In addition, US cars are often setup quite differently to here. The XD Elantra I used to own had stiffer springs and re-calibrated shock absorbers to the US model, which (apparently) made a world of difference to it's dynamics. The Aussie Elantra handled decently average in fact. We don't know if Opel soften the Saturn or leave it in stock Euro trim, but we do know that Toyotas, Nissans, Hondas, Mazdas and so on are set up quite differently to what's sold here.

[sooty]

Basically...the safety is extremely good (at least on the higher models) if you're on the inside of the car...can't say the same for pedestrians..
And as for reliability...it seems that occasionally there are some nigly faults...but as for lemons, there are seemingly very few...:)

[bornwild]

It's a good quality, economical, 'sporty' handling little car.

You won't have any quarrels with it. Go test drive it :)

[USC]

Over the last six months I've driven a current model Toyota Camry for a couple of days, the new Toyota Corolla for four days, a Nissan Tida for two days, and a Mitsubishi Lancer. The Camry was like a landing barge, all wallowy and rolling around and sloppy steering and vague handling. The Corolla was worse, with about 50mm free play in the steering thrown in as a bonus. The Tida was worse again, seeming reluctant to change direction. The current model Lancer was much tighter than Toyota and Nissan, although I didn't drive it for long enough to work it out, but it was actually quite good. My wife had a company Civic at one stage, a hybrid actually, and she was unimpressed with it, especially in the wet. Civics are made in Malaysia these days so I don't know how much that affects things.

The only mass-produced Japanese car of similar size and price that I know IS better than the Astra is the Mazda 3, although like-for-like it's quite a bit more expensive. The Lancer impressed me, although it could do with more mid-range performance to exploit it's dynamics.

So unless you've recently driven current model Toyotas, Nissans, Hondas and Mitsubishis for long enough to get a feel for them, just how do you know?

I have driven all the cars you have mentioned so far. Honda civic sport is actually pretty good (so not sure what your wife experienced), tiida actually felt like an astra TS.

compared to the astra, the mazda 3 and civic sport definitely handle better.

[cbrmale]

One thing anyone considering purchasing an Astra (or any German car) must consider is the relatively higher maintenance costs compared to equivelent Japanese cars. One of the most obvious is brakes, the black dust over the wheels is evidence of soft pads. What isn't so obvious are the rotors, which are also quite soft. So you'll be looking at new pads and rotors, mileage depending on how you drive. I don't recommend non-standard and harder pads, as generaly the rotors will get chewed out quicker which is a more expensive repair.

There are other things: as far as I'm aware only OEM wiper blades fit and they cost a small fortune. The cartridge-type oil filters are quite expensive compared to other cars I've owned and so on.

As far as chassis dynamics goes, it's not fair to compare a sports Civic to a stock Astra, certainly fairer to compare a sports Civic to a sports Astra like mine. Standard and hybrid Civics are under-done in the tyre department, which compromises grip somewhat.

[USC]

One thing anyone considering purchasing an Astra (or any German car) must consider is the relatively higher maintenance costs compared to equivelent Japanese cars. One of the most obvious is brakes, the black dust over the wheels is evidence of soft pads. What isn't so obvious are the rotors, which are also quite soft. So you'll be looking at new pads and rotors, mileage depending on how you drive. I don't recommend non-standard and harder pads, as generaly the rotors will get chewed out quicker which is a more expensive repair.

There are other things: as far as I'm aware only OEM wiper blades fit and they cost a small fortune. The cartridge-type oil filters are quite expensive compared to other cars I've owned and so on.

As far as chassis dynamics goes, it's not fair to compare a sports Civic to a stock Astra, certainly fairer to compare a sports Civic to a sports Astra like mine. Standard and hybrid Civics are under-done in the tyre department, which compromises grip somewhat.


matey, Im comparing the civic sport to me AH sri-t....the civic handles just as well.

[cbrmale]

matey, Im comparing the civic sport to me AH sri-t....the civic handles just as well.

I don't want to appear to put your SRi down, but the consensus of the UK Astra forum (Vauxhall over there) is the four-door Astra handles better than the two door (sports coupe in UK). Given the suspension design is the same, the differences are most likely due to differences in wheel base or weight distribution. Remember in the UK that every car is built to order, so anyone can option up any body style with any engine, adding the SRi (suspension, wheel, tyre and brake upgrade kit), and possibly the XP body kit. So the recommended Astra in the UK is a four-door SRi diesel with XP.

This is where I've found it odd, because I've owned a lot of cars in my life and driven a lot more, and the Astra I've got now has far and away the best chassis I've ever driven, and one which rewards driving it hard. On the limit it would oversteer, but that limit is quite high. In my opinion, the one thing Opel need to do is replace the rear suspension with a decent multi-link setup, but leave the front as is. Unfortunately, multi-link suspensions eat into boot space, which is why I bought the Astra in preference to some of its competitors in the first place.

My usual thing with a car is drive it around a bit and get used to its feel, and then take it on a winding road and push it progressively harder until I get a feel for how it's going to behave on the limit. The Astra was going to be different with ESP, but I took it along Macs Reef road and drove it reasonably quickly but couldn't get it to do much except that it felt a little front-heavy. So in the wet I deliberately provoked it to see if I could get the ESP light to flash. Hard acceleration on an off-cambered roundabout in the wet, and it gripped tighter than I'd ever experienced. In the dry I managed to get the rear to move around a little a couple of times by overdriving it, and this is why I know it will oversteer. In Canberra, even our urban roads can be challenging (around Black Mountain for example), and I've been driving normally and had a few front seat passengers stiffen noticeably as I accelerate firmly out of every bumpy curve, knowing that's the way to drive this car. Of course they're thinking, 'does he know what he's doing?'.

I bought the SRi because I wanted the torquey 2.2, the suspension upgrade and wheels and body kit were just add-ons to the engine for me (although the leather seats impressed me). Now I'm glad the 2.2 was only available in this spec, because I got more car than I expected to get.

[USC]

I don't want to appear to put your SRi down, but the consensus of the UK Astra forum (Vauxhall over there) is the four-door Astra handles better than the two door (sports coupe in UK). Given the suspension design is the same, the differences are most likely due to differences in wheel base or weight distribution. Remember in the UK that every car is built to order, so anyone can option up any body style with any engine, adding the SRi (suspension, wheel, tyre and brake upgrade kit), and possibly the XP body kit. So the recommended Astra in the UK is a four-door SRi diesel with XP.

This is where I've found it odd, because I've owned a lot of cars in my life and driven a lot more, and the Astra I've got now has far and away the best chassis I've ever driven, and one which rewards driving it hard. On the limit it would oversteer, but that limit is quite high. In my opinion, the one thing Opel need to do is replace the rear suspension with a decent multi-link setup, but leave the front as is. Unfortunately, multi-link suspensions eat into boot space, which is why I bought the Astra in preference to some of its competitors in the first place.

My usual thing with a car is drive it around a bit and get used to its feel, and then take it on a winding road and push it progressively harder until I get a feel for how it's going to behave on the limit. The Astra was going to be different with ESP, but I took it along Macs Reef road and drove it reasonably quickly but couldn't get it to do much except that it felt a little front-heavy. So in the wet I deliberately provoked it to see if I could get the ESP light to flash. Hard acceleration on an off-cambered roundabout in the wet, and it gripped tighter than I'd ever experienced. In the dry I managed to get the rear to move around a little a couple of times by overdriving it, and this is why I know it will oversteer. In Canberra, even our urban roads can be challenging (around Black Mountain for example), and I've been driving normally and had a few front seat passengers stiffen noticeably as I accelerate firmly out of every bumpy curve, knowing that's the way to drive this car. Of course they're thinking, 'does he know what he's doing?'.

I bought the SRi because I wanted the torquey 2.2, the suspension upgrade and wheels and body kit were just add-ons to the engine for me (although the leather seats impressed me). Now I'm glad the 2.2 was only available in this spec, because I got more car than I expected to get.

cool! I have never driven the 5 door astra. It could be well better than the sri-t...though I like the electronic dampers :D ..the car does not roll as much.
nevertheless I think the chassis of a golf or volvo/focus/3 cannot be beaten easily.

what do you guys think?

[bornwild]

I agree. The Focus chassis just cannot be beaten. :)