Buying a used Astra

Annie1960

I'm thinking about trading in my old Astra for a used one, about 3 years old. I've always had 1.6L engine cars, but the modern equivalent seem to be 14L. The options seem to be eithre SRi or Turbo. I'm not sure of the difference.

Any thoughts on the differences between a 3 year old 1.4 SRi vs Turbo Astra? 

The_Rainmaker

Buy a decent car

MinuteNoodles

If the turbo is a small 1.0/1.2L three cylinder type thing now becoming popular I think I'd probably steer clear. You need to wring the nuts off it to get any acceleration and end up using more fuel than a larger engine as a result.

If in doubt hire one of each choice for a weekend and see which you prefer. Might be the best £100 you ever spend.

Goudy

Vauxhalls engine and trim line up change quite a bit over quite a short time frame, but it seems currently there's a choice of:
1.0T with around 105 bhp which I presume will have a small turbo, hence the T.
1.4i or i VVT with around 100 bhp without Turbo.
1.4T with either 125 or 150 bhp with Turbo.
1.6T with around 200 bhp with Turbo.
All are petrol models and most T models will have a "Turbo" badge on the boot. (though it's not an actual trim designation)

Then you have various different versions of the 1.6 CDTi diesel engine, with between 110 and 160 bhp depending on model.

The trims tend to run from Design, Energy, SE, Techline, Elite and SRi, some of the lower spec cars could be had with or without Navigation (Nav models) with a few specials like the "Griffin" that tend to get a few extras thrown in.
The higher spec models and the sporty SRi will no doubt come with the higher output engines between 150 and 200bhp.

If you aren't doing mega miles I would steer clear of the diesels and perhaps choose one of petrols.
The 1.0T will need to be worked pretty hard and as a result don't tend to get the headline mpg figures, you'll find this engine in the newer lower to mid spec trims,
The 1.6T might be a bit over kill unless you're a girl/boy racer and the sporty suspension, large wheels and tyres will compromise ride comfort, you'll find this in the SRi and perhaps top trim models, it'll come with a hefty insurance premium and running costs.
 
So middle of the road 1.4i or 1.4T might be the sweet spot for you.
The 1.4T will offer a bit of an upgrade, performance wise to your 1.6L and you should be able to find a mid range trim model with all the toys you need quite easily.
The 1.4i or i VVT will perhaps be more like your current 1.6L and should be a bit less fussy service and reliability wise without the Turbo and it's associated components, again you'll find this engine mainly in the lower to mid spec trims and some of the special editions. I think they dropped this engine in late 2018, so it should be in your window still.

If you go to you local dealer and give them a list of the things you want, engine choice and essential toys like Nav and air con or climate control, they should be able to locate a car for you pretty easily.

Annie1960

Hi Goudy

What a detailed reply! Thanks. I'm not looking for diesel. I'm retired and don't do much mileage these days, and want a middle of the range car.  I've had the Astra 1.6 Exclusiv which I bought when it was 3 years old (7 years ago, so it's 10 now), and it suits me fine. I'm looking for something similar, but they've changed all the names and engine sizes. 1.4 seems to be the equavilent of what a 1.6 used to be, and many of them seem to be Turbos, but I think they are difficult and expensive to repair if they go wrong. Hence my caution. But I  remember when I was learning to drive and I had an Escort 1100, it was very difficult to get it up hills! I want to avoid that.

Is there much difference in driveability between 125 and 150 bhp? I've seen both advertised, but I'm not sure what the practical difference is. I've not seen the 1.4i, but I'll keep an eye out for that. Insurance is not that expensive for me as I don't do much mileage these days, (but I don't want to be struggling on the motorway on on hills).

I'll have a word with the local garage, but it's good to have a bit of an idea of what I'm looking for first, as they will be trying to sell me whichever ones they have in stock!

facade

Watch out for the tax (V.E.D)

On the 1st April 2017 they went from an emission based tax to the flat rate for everything.

A 150bhp astra would be £125 a year registered March 1st, but £150 for April 1st on.

The 1.6 200bhp is £160 for March '17 versus £150

These are the only 2017 5 door Astras.

MinuteNoodles

Annie1960 said:

Is there much difference in driveability between 125 and 150 bhp?

Depends on how much overtaking you do. My Focus is 120BHP and has no problems overtaking the long line of braindead holiday makers meandering their way back home at 40MPH on the one main single carriageway road back to Covidville which unfortunately happens to be my daily commute to work. 150BHP might see me be able to overtake 6 or 7 at a go instead of 5 or 6 but in an Astra sized car even 125BHP is plenty.

Sea_Shell

I'd go for the more powerful one!   

I'd rather know that I've got that little bit extra under my right foot, especially for joining duel carriageways or motorways from an uphill sliproad.

onlyfoolsandparking

Yes I believe more power comes in handy although overtaking is never a problem for me I'm a little spoilt with 165BHP on a bike that only weighs 205KG 

bigadaj

The old 1,4 and 1,6 injection engines were similar and underpowered, around 100bhp. Turbo 1.4 come in 125 and 150 flavours, I had an old 1.4i and found it too sluggish, now have 1.4T 125bhp and it's fine for overtaking and power in general. Goudy's summary on specs is appropriate for the cars you are looking at, has changed recently again, Vauxhall do tend to change trim and do minor facelifts pretty frequently,

Goudy

It seems the 1.4i is an older engine was a run out engine until the 1.0T came out, so you might struggle to find one easily.

The 1.4T with 125hp will be fine in an Astra. 

This model Astra has been around since 2015 and they tend to update the trim quite often to try and keep it current, they do have it's fair share of niggles and problems. They've had a few engine problems, over heating mainly and some clutch and flywheel problems, though the scale of reported problems vs cars sold doesn't seem overly worrying.

If you're not overly taken with another Vauxhall, perhaps something Japanese might quell your reliability worries.

Suzuki recently stopped selling them in the UK, but the Baleno is a really under rated car. They're a bit dull to look at inside and out but they are beautifully screwed together. The 1.0 Boosterjet engine is a peach as the car is so light it doesn't need a lot of power, it's even good with an auto gearbox (a proper torque convertor one and all).