[procircuit_234]

Originally Posted by joshguy

jaiswal for that money you can buy a better M800 and have peaceful drive.

My friend has bought a Opel Corsa Swing and he is now bleeding.

Mileage is 7-8,No availability of spares and if avlb its costly or you get a 2nd hand one which will not have any guarantee.

So avoid both the cars and go for a M800

why tiny 800? you can think about zen or esteem.both are fun to drive cars and much more easy to maintain.

[Visaster]

Pls dont even think about it. You will be wasting most of the time in the service station and the rest of the time earning to spend on the service bills... Do u want it ?

[Pani]

I dont see any current Astra owners writing on this thread. Most people writing here are the ones who have never owned this car.

I have owned a used Esteem and a Used Astra. After a certain stage (60k on the odo) the likes of Esteem is a lot more hassle to maintain than an Astra. Astra's Parts are available though not the Original German make but to the spec Korea make and they cost as much as Maruti spares and last longer . As someone said, you have to be a bit of an enthusiast and everything else will fall into place especially if you are in some major city. A good garage in your city is all you need to maintain an Astra (unlike Skoda). I still use the Astra. Mine is a 2002 MPFI model. It has done 100k kms already. Gives me a mileage between 9-10kmpl (thats more than what I used to get from my Carb Esteem) in the city and 13-14kmpl on the highways. Every drive in this car is a joy.

Basically if your motive is to travel from Point A to B, anything will do, as someone suggested a M800 is all you need. But if you want to spend some quality driving time and enjoy your car, a well maintained Astra is one of the cheapest way to get there. If you ask me, nothing happens to this car in general. You will not find one stalled on the road side ever. Mine still has everything stock and that includes the suspension, clutch plates, drive shaft, bearings...everything that a Maruti needs a change by 50k kms and subsequently every 25k kms

BTW, do let me know if you dont plan to buy your friend's car, I may want to take a look at it.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by Pani

I dont see any current Astra owners writing on this thread. Most people writing here are the ones who have never owned this car.

But if you want to spend some quality driving time and enjoy your car, a well maintained Astra is one of the cheapest way to get there. If you ask me, nothing happens to this car in general. You will not find one stalled on the road side ever.

My dad owns a Club as well but I have not driven it much since its in Chennai.

Good ride quality and everything feels solid and German. Controls are heavy. I mean steering, clutch, accl, gear and even buttons are heavy. Feels good but tiring to drive in B2B traffic.

Engine is OK and slow revver. Even the pistons must be heavy because it doesn't want to rev like a Jap. Tall gearing means good for highway. Feels solid and safe. But its a cruiser not a scorcher.

Worst part is FE which rarely ever breaks into double digits.

Reliability. Surprisingly good. No major failures like you said except for ignition module which costed 15K.

[Pani]

Except for the NHC, which big car allows you a mileage in double digits in the city ? Please dont say Dzire.
Anywhere between 8-10 kmpl is decent. I get 9+ in the city. I have no complaints with that figure. My friend's Getz gives around that figure.

Agreed is not the best car to drive in Bumper to Bumper traffic. Most SUVs are not

[amitwiz1]

An Astra has been in our family for around 80k kms now, and the mileage almost never seen a double digit figure. 7-9 kmpl was the accepted range. (Car was never used on highways, dad driven) As for maintainance, it wasn't too much of a bother for us, almost the whole car being is stock condition till date, and still going strong.

[Pani]

An Astra has been in our family for around 80k kms now, and the mileage almost never seen a double digit figure. 7-9 kmpl was the accepted range. (Car was never used on highways, dad driven) As for maintainance, it wasn't too much of a bother for us, almost the whole car being is stock condition till date, and still going strong.

There you go !!!
That's why I was inviting the owners to come and contribute.
There is a lot of hearsay about this car and most of it is because of "Hearsay".
It is a common tendency to pass on something as "Gyan" when one has only heard about it.

[manson]

Originally Posted by mail.jaiswal

Hi guys,

I have a good offer from a friend of mine and hence the confusion.

The discussion is around an Opel Astra Club at sub 1L price. Its run about 50,000+ kms and is maintained very well. i do not have a car and this would be my city+highway driving car.

The confusion is that even though it comes loaded with goodies, is it a worthwhile buy in todays date? I was planning to go for a 1.6 GTX and have been on the lookout for a good GTX for about a month now.

the comparision:

GTX:
* more powerful
* Costlier
* More fun to drive
* smaller car so more comfortable in the city
* same mileage
* lesser issue of spare parts of the 2

Astra:
* Astra club, so is fully loaded
* ABS, safety bags, etc etc etc etc
* well maintained and much more comfortable
* problems with spare parts
* costlier spare parts

Which car should i go for? help guys?

You never get more than what you pay for. If you were getting a free revving, fuel efficient car with cheap easily avaiable spares for this car, it would have not been cheaper than say 2.5L odd considering a brand new example was in the range of 10L back in the day.

The difference of 1.5L (2.5L - 1L) that you're saving right now is for the extra shade of percieved hassle that you may have to live with in the furture.
I would ideally assume the cost of this vehicle at maximum 1L (that you are paying right now) and another 50K (the extra cost of fuel and spares for the next couple of years over another considered reliable japanese or korean counterpart).

If you have the money, and know the history well enough, I'd say be stupid enough and buy it.

manson.

[Mpower]

Biggest issue by far is the resale value but its sellers like us who take the hit. If you're getting it for 60K what more do you want?

Originally Posted by Pani

Except for the NHC, which big car allows you a mileage in double digits in the city ? Please dont say Dzire.
Anywhere between 8-10 kmpl is decent. I get 9+ in the city. I have no complaints with that figure. My friend's Getz gives around that figure.

Agreed is not the best car to drive in Bumper to Bumper traffic. Most SUVs are not

Not saying its bad but just that this is the character of the car. BTW Baleno and Lancer also stay in double digits.

Another thing, the car is solid in a straight line but the price you pay for this is that the car does not like to be thrown into corners. It just does not like to turn, just loves to keep going in a straight line.

But I have to reiterate, the reliability is top notch no issues other than the ignition system which I believe is a known one.

[Pani]

Another thing, the car is solid in a straight line but the price you pay for this is that the car does not like to be thrown into corners. It just does not like to turn, just loves to keep going in a straight line.

Yes, thats true. However I am always amazed at its stability at high speeds even in the corners. It never feels it wont do it, just a bit of body roll and thats it. The esteem on the other hand made me feel nervous in the corners, even though I sit much lower and it is more flickable.