Opinions wanted - 2004 Astra 1.6 - Potential purchase

Surbybird

johnson293 wrote: »

Vikingaero, can you confirm that mileage for the timing belt/water pump change? I asked the guy at the garage, and he said it was 60k - now that may be salesman talk, but I just want to be sure.

Cheers

I've got an Astra but on an 07 plate. Just took it in for a service (it's done 50K miles @ 3 years old) and was told that 80K or 8 years was the norm for cambelt changes on an Astra. A work colleague has just bought one of similar age but much lower mileage and was told anywhere between 70 and 80K so I think that 40 is a bit on the low side.

PS. Was quoted 80K by a Vauxhall main dealer and colleague was quoted 70 - 80 by Nationwide Autocentres.

K

johnson293

Surbybird wrote: »

I've got an Astra but on an 07 plate. Just took it in for a service (it's done 50K miles @ 3 years old) and was told that 80K or 8 years was the norm for cambelt changes on an Astra. A work colleague has just bought one of similar age but much lower mileage and was told anywhere between 70 and 80K so I think that 40 is a bit on the low side.

PS. Was quoted 80K by a Vauxhall main dealer and colleague was quoted 70 - 80 by Nationwide Autocentres.

K

Cheers - what engine is it, and how have you found it economy/reliability-wise?

Going to check out another few Astra's tonight - similar ages (5-6 y/o), but a 1.4 petrol, and two 1.7 diesels all at one dealer, luckily enough!

Hintza

Surbybird wrote: »

PS. Was quoted 80K by a Vauxhall main dealer and colleague was quoted 70 - 80 by Nationwide Autocentres.

K

You change them at that mileage if you like but I have seen them go at less than half the specified interval. (Normally it is the pulleys that go and not the belt).

Your choice, you might be lucky.

Surbybird

Hintza wrote: »

You change them at that mileage if you like but I have seen them go at less than half the specified interval. (Normally it is the pulleys that go and not the belt).

Your choice, you might be lucky.

Indeed I might, but I was just saying what I and a colleague with a similar car had been told.

Incidentally, our old Volvo 740 never had the cambelt changed and when I got rid of it it had nearly 200K miles on it.

K

Surbybird

johnson293 wrote: »

Cheers - what engine is it, and how have you found it economy/reliability-wise?

Going to check out another few Astra's tonight - similar ages (5-6 y/o), but a 1.4 petrol, and two 1.7 diesels all at one dealer, luckily enough!

Mine's a 1.6 petrol (manual) and it's been good and very reliable in the year and a half that I've had it.

I do about 20,000 miles a year and most of those on motorways and NSL dual carriageways so it's hard to define how economical it is. I suppose that fuel economy is okay but not brilliant but that may be down to the way I drive and the type of driving that I do (rush hour stop/start stuff in town then blasting down the motorway). I cover about 300 miles a week for work and I can get a week's commuting out of a tank of petrol if that helps.

Having said that, it's actually better on fuel economy than my daughter's 1.4 petrol Renault Clio though!

K

Kilty_2

Wow, lot of rubbish on this thread about the Astra.

A 1.6 of that era will be a 1.6 Twinport (Z16XEP)

Cambelt interval is 80,000 miles. (it was the 1.8 that had problems with the intervals, NOT the 1.6). Probably worth changing earlier on low mileage cars, though.

I owned one for 6 months and it NEVER returned less than 41MPG.

Surbybird

Kilty wrote: »

Wow, lot of rubbish on this thread about the Astra.

A 1.6 of that era will be a 1.6 Twinport (Z16XEP)

Cambelt interval is 80,000 miles. (it was the 1.8 that had problems with the intervals, NOT the 1.6). Probably worth changing earlier on low mileage cars, though.

I owned one for 6 months and it NEVER returned less than 41MPG.

Apparently, my right foot is made of lead so I probably get less than that (although to be fair, I did say in my post above that it's probably the way I drive!).

K

Kilty_2

:rotfl: - I did that kind of driving (rush hour and then motorway) in various hire cars for a couple of months and still got at least 38MPG out of the Astras, 37 out of the Focii and 33 :eek: out of a Kia Cee'd (which was a heap of junk)

johnson293

Cheers everyone for all the advice and opinions offered. :beer:

Went and did the deal on the 1.6 Astra (it is the ecotec twinport one) this evening, and with the paperwork signed, I pick it up/drop the scenic off on Friday, once the Astra has been prepped and taxed.

While i might have liked a bit longer to look at other alternatives/options, the need to move the Scenic on took precedence, hence going for this deal.

Just hope I can get the Astra to return 30+ mpg, and the main thing, that its reliable and without (m)any mechanical issues.

Cheers again

MJ

bigjl

We used to have the previous generation Astra, 1.8 Hatch Auto for Rapid Response cars and 1.6 Astra Estate Auto for Education and Development (Or Training, LoL) they where never treated with much respect but where generally reliable and gave about 30mpg round London, have heard of high 30's from the 1.6 Estates on a run.

A girl at work had a 1.6 petrol of this age, actually an 05, and she only got rid due to the need for a bigger boot, she never had any problems.

I have always felt that on a run Vauxhall/Opel petrol engines are good on fuel, they are geared for motorway work, and usually give high 30's.

With the 1.5Dci or any Renault Diesel these days, they are nice when they are going well but do turn into a money pit when they have issues. The wife has a 1.5 Dci Clio, if it gives any problems it will be traded in pretty sharpish.

The 1.6 may be a bit underpowered for some, but the MetPol have the same shape Astra in 1.7 CDti and they have few problems, when they are sold they get disposed of through West Oxford Motor Auctions, WOMA, and tend to reach about £2800 to £3200 for a three year old Diesel with about 70k to 80k on the clock, driven fairly hard but well maintained and with some things to fix, the leather seats wear out due to the "tackleberry" belt worn by the users, they have a few holes plugged up in the roof and the rain gutters need replaced due to the light bar.

They are very underated Astras, a much better bet than a Golf, though the Focus is always a contender.

Good luck with your new car, if fuel consumption is an issue, try an LPG conversion, there used to be a problem in converting the 1.8 VVT but you could look into the possiblity.