The title was a little broad I know, however I want to know what you guys think to your cars now you've owned them for a while?
I've done some reading for the gearbox as I was considering a map and to be honest was surprised to see how much Astra GTC bashing there was going on, on places like piston heads etc.
From what I can tell the generally thoughts are, it's too fat, depreciates too quickly / overly priced, slow compared to others and not as economical.
I'll be happy to start, I am pleasantly pleased with it, my only issues really are the lack or low down torque and the fact it does sound tractor and I guess the economy isn't as good as it could be. I rarely get above 45mpg. (2.0 cdti).
However it seems to have vastly improved today when the temp hit above 15, much smoother and quicker.
I would say apart from that, with 26k on the clock it's solid so far.
well there is no denying the astra J and GTC could be lighter
all cars have there faults good and bad points
a remap will give the engine a good boost as i really blame the origanl map
for low down torque issues it picks up much better remapped
the long gear ratio doesn't really help as if you are driving around in 6th or 5th
everywhere then yes the car will feel sluggish as the revs are set very low to help with MPG
but when you get used to knocking down and picking the revs up
you will find the j can more than comfortably get wright up to speed in third and 4th gear
that really makes 5th and 6th useless apart from cruising at a set speed you desire.
but when you get used to that the car it is actually a good to drive
as for value vauxhall just don't hold there value what ever the model
but then again they are cheaper than most to buy new
forums will always be full of people who have problems with there car
that is why most of them come to forums for help
and there will be always someone who dislikes a car and will make there opinions well know
it is why a forum is best suited to a certain model like this one
so owners of the same car can help with problems talk about there experiences with it
and get help from people who actually own one.
I have the 2.0CDTI S/S.
I can't fault it 1 bit it's been spot on all the time it's always been great for overtaking.
I agree with Tucpal that they have a long ratio and you do have to drop down but thats across the board not just diesels.
Most people don't like diesels and they think they are slow, with a diesel it's all about getting the clutch and accelerator right and it will be just as quick off the mark as a petrol.
The end of last year I put a DTUK redbox and pedal box on, even without changing down when cruising on the motorway it picks up well, I opted of the DTUK boxes over a remap purely so I can take it off when the car goes back for it's warranty activation etc as I a remap will void your warranty.
The only bad points really about the car that I have is the build quality could of been better or should I say the inspections should of been better misaligned bonnet bumpers and tailgate.
The 2 and half years I had my J that was a 2.0 CDTi was fine the only time I didn't enjoy the car was when I had to replace the tyres. I took the garages recommendation and fitted the tyres they had. :( It changed the handling and ride quality for the worse. Luckily that was in the last 6 months of ownership. I wouldn't say it was a slow car and surprised quite a few people as Rusty has said if you get the clutch and accelerator right.
The current GTC I've had for about 18 months I've done 20k and I still loving getting behind the wheel. Yes it's had a couple of issues. The stone chip saga, split power steering pipe and gearbox that had to be replaced. Would I have another... Yes in a heartbeat.
JohnL Wrote:I wouldn't say it was a slow car and surprised quite a few people as Rusty has said if you get the clutch and accelerator right.
I 1000% am not saying it's slow but with all diesels you have to know how to drive one to get the best out of it, sadly a lot of people don't they get a diesel and expect it to drive the same as a petrol.
I've been brought up around diesel's, even at stock before I got the redbox and pedal box I upset a VW Scirocco R-line 2.0TDI he just couldn't keep up, mind you I got a right telling off from the wife
Mine was registered 30 September 2010 and I bought it with 12700 miles on the clock. It is a 1.4 SRi Turbo in Sovereign Silver. The thing that upsets me is that the dealers don't seem to listen to you, when you tell them what is wrong with it. My first major fault was the loss of sound from the NSF speaker, the tweeter was OK so it must have been something to do with the main door speaker. They would not listen and blamed the SOT lead for the phone kit, there was not one fitted as the phone kit I had at the time was using it's own speaker. It was the door / window seal letting water in onto the speaker. They fixed it in the end, but if they had listened it would have been fixed a lot sooner. Next problem was the M32 gear box, this time they did a lot better and replaced it at my first go at them. Other small problems like tapping sound they never found, but I cured it in the end with a length of windscreen washer tubing around the front wheel arch liners where they touch the wings. The liners had been tapping when driving over 50 MPH. Cruise Control was a sore point until they replaced the peddle switch that a lot of other people had, had replaced. I love my car and spend quite a lot of time nurturing it. It has now done 32700 miles and so far it is doing not so bad. It is fast enough for me but I am nearly 70 and cant go as fast as I used to. Having said that the other day I found myself doing 80 without knowing about it until I glanced at the speedo. The boot could have been trimmed better as there is a vast waste of space at the sides with the liner being so far from the wings, the boot could have been about 3" wider and that would have helped with the Grand kids push chare not having to be placed in diagonally taking up to much of the space I need for shopping etc. The choice at the time I bought the Astra was between the Astra and an Octavia which I sometimes I wish I had gone for, because of the boot but now I have the Astra I have to content myself as I need to look after the pennies, being retired. The fuel consumption is a bit on the heavy side for local work at about 32 to 33 MPG but that is used for 4 and 8 mile trips to Daughters collecting Grandkids. On a trip up to Edinburgh and back at Christmas time when the wind and rain was bad I managed 45 MPG now that is a lot better and the way it should be, these stupid government figures drive me daft , why can't they be realistic and tell you what you should get instead of this inflated stuff we get in the car broacher's. Another strange thing is the tire sizes 215 X 50 X 17 would have had a lot more choice and cheaper if they had used 215 X 55 X 17 and the ride would have been better too using 39 PSI.
If I ever get another car, I will be more likely to try the Octavia. But there is no such thing as the perfect car, you pay your money and take your chance after all.
My 2 cents.. I agree with Rusty totally, I have absolutely no complaint about the J whatsoever, I get an average of 53mpg on every tank, but when I need to do a Jeremy Clarkson "POWERRRRRRR!" Its there, sometimes I have to downshift but it depends what gear I'm in..
They depreciate like mad, they just don't hold their value, but if I'm keeping my J to basically run into the ground, it's on 25k on 62 plate so that may be a while! I couldn't care less, I'm getting my monies worth in the course of the ownership
Problem wise the only one I have had is the O/S/R Caliper sticking, my dad soon sorted that, once we had the brakes apart and gave them a good clean up and made sure everything was back on correctly they have been spot on ever since!
Happyish with my 2.0Cdti but ended up getting a Thorney tuning box fitted. I chopped in my Skoda Octavia Vrs which had the DPF removed and remapped, so I had a thirst for more go!! Got a set of lowering springs which will be fitted once I have the time and cash to get it done.
Good on economy and will eventually replace the wife's H as the second car so intend to run it until it starts costing me lots of money.....
Not the best car I've had but it does the job for now.