The last car Toyota Starlet 1990 was too small and it would be quite expensive to get him through the MOT

The last car Toyota Starlet 1990 was too small and it would be quite expensive to get him through the MOT. Looking for something else. Opel Astra, 1st type, I always thought a nice little car. Actually very standard, you see them in droves (though it has become less well after the time of the scrapping premium)

Came a beautiful specimen against, built in 1994. No speck of rust, even in the rear mudguards. Quite unique: this rust there are the 1st series Astra's nevertheless known for. Made trial Ride. Perfectly fine, nothing to criticize. So cut the Gordian knot and Starlet was traded Have almost four years driven around in the Astra. Very enjoyable car. Low cost had to.

Comfort:

Seats quite firm, but is good. No electric windows and no power steering and three door version. Very standard so. Power steering only miss you sometimes when parking. 3 doors later with 2 small children or with boarding awkward. Furthermore rather anonymous car. But had not bought the car to fall. Purely as a reliable means of transport. And was reliable Astra. More about that later.

Performance

Just enough. No race monster, but just good enough as a highway to get along smoothly in everyday traffic, both town
use was always tidy, so an average of about 1 to 13 I treasure

Problems.

Little. A faulty light and license plate illumination, defective battery after nearly 4 years (do not know how old the battery then was) not really things that you can charge the car. 1 real problem came away after two years leaky head gasket. Thought for a moment that this would mean the end of the Astra, while I drove smoothly two years at that time. Thick plumes of smoke, you idiot high temperature. After us look to see whether it was to do something about it. Outside the head gasket failure there was nothing wrong with the Astra. For about 550 euros, the car has been fixed again and was immediately replaced the timing belt. Car drove from then even better than at the time of purchase. Then thick 1.5 years basically no problem. 1x hit on the highway spontaneously off the engine. Was a shock so at a speed of 100km per hour. Luckily it was not that busy and I could easily get to the hard shoulder. That car restarted. Walked Right again and never had problems. Probably had while driving the motor also got underway again. Suspect that somewhere something "fixed" has been sitting in the pipes (dirty?) That there just was no fuel supply. The restart is this, I think dislodged again. Then only need to replace batteries: door lock had thrown while engine was off and lights still burned. Was in the winter and when I had taken the spare key was found empty battery. Was almost impossible to get to work. Conclusion ANWB after by measure: do there but another battery.

Conclusion

Reliable, simple but nice car. Low cost had to. Insurance + tax and low maintenance also was that bad (outside the problem with the leaky head gasket)
Average servicing approximately 220 euros per year (MOT + turn)

Farewell

After almost 4 years was the Astra too small. Went looking for a Zafira. I found at that time (February 2010) a bit on the expensive side. Unexpectedly there was a (temporary) solution to the lack of space: A Ford Sierra in 1991. The Opel Astra now serves as courtesy cars at a dealership. (he still drives in 2014, now 20 years old!)

About the Ford Sierra, you can read in my other Review

October 2015, most recently as badge checked through this sita. hetlaas the car or scrapped or exported (hope rather than the latter) You see them less and less, the old Astras


Really, months looking for this type of the head. And then he suddenly stood up Marketplace, little ridden and also with 15 "wheels. I was within an hour with my wife in the car of my old faithful Tucson. On the way to the dealer. 

Totally cool. Some things still bijgenomen . See the picture. I also ordered a "spare wheel"! not yet available. Man what drives this trolley adult. Mind you, I come from a 4WD Tucson diesel. Nice sporty driving, I do not. Just carry me from a to B with "air conditioning" and "cruise control" and a mighty fine Pioneer navigation (F8430BT) .He is on 15 "wheels with 175/50 / R15 tires. These are summer straps and approach the standard 155/70 / R13. So little speed difference etc. What will keep my attention is what zoekerig driving. But the car is actually still new, so I want to give a negative opinion here about. Chairs are really good. Now do not feel like sitting on a bench as in the previous Tucson (got him, I have to say goodbye in the heart with pain. The differentiation and consumption is gigantic) The outside noise (tires) is a little noticeable but not distracting or overbearing. We are very curious to see how this car will take us to Portugal. I will keep you informed.Too bad this misses (3,000 km)What I now want to share with you is this, the supply of a spare wheel (spare wheel) for I10 a) seems to be a big problem. For more than 24 spare wheels appear to be on backorder. They have apparently come from Korea. 

b) If your Hyundai is equipped with a Pioneer navigation system, Hyundai appears not to be able for it to provide for an iPod cable. What they have in stock is the standard cable for the standard connection on the dashboard, but not the cable to use for your Pioneer navigation system. The standard connection is disconnected and you must have to use the cables in the glove compartment. Before that they have not the proper adapter cable. The armrest they let expire in the middle, because it covered the use of - the parking brake and - the closure of the seat belts off.

Then another tip, if you must use a home comming from a puncture of one of the front wheels, switch it first to a rear wheel well and then use behind the spare wheel. Your gear will appreciate this.
The trip to South Portugal (8098 km)For 15 years we stay every year for several months in Portugal (Algarve). We usually travel by car. So this time the I10 'snowball'. Now I can tell you that the three-pitter has passed fine. With 2 people and give appropriate weight of luggage, we have undertaken the journey. No back pain and on the highway, he drove quietly along with the other traffic. Average consumption was 1 in 16. The tour was in 3 days via the A10 in France, with stops Bordeaux, Salamanca to the Algarve (from Sevilla). It strikes me that wants to turn me the engine sometimes (apparently using too few rows) and when pulling away on a slope, the clutch plates (ramp test handbrake etc.) nice to be put to the test. I also now a rattle somewhere behind that I can not identify yet. Here in the Algarve, he steals the show. There driving here little I10 in the Algarve.