Opal Astra 2001 @ 110k GO GO or NO GO

musicmanaman · 29th September 2007, 21:46

Hi All,

I'm getting a Opal Astra 2001 model for 110k, the car has just come to the gaurage that I use for some paint touchup work, I believe it's a top end model, the car seems to have got wet in the recent heavy rains we had here, the floor mats were wet, however I don't think the water reached the seats height. The car has done about 50k on the odo.

Would like to ask people who have had the Astra, how they feel about the car, what are the strong points and the week points? what's the mileage one can expect? are spares easily available? how's the AC performance? is buying one and going for LPG a good idea?

The reason I'm considering the car is becasue of the lack of low end tourque and power in my 99 carb zen with the AC on and the lack of space at the rear.

Please let me know if buying the Opal Astra at 110k is a good idea, also factor in the paper tranfer stuff that will take about 15k extra, so the whole package may work out to about 125k.

pawan · 29th September 2007, 22:24

thats really cheap for a 2001 model is it or was flood affected.

nirmalkrishnan · 29th September 2007, 22:29

opel astra is a dated car with an underpowered engine , vague gearbox and is no fun to drive at all. But it has strong points like its great built quality , interior space and plush ride. It was one of the best premium sedans of its time but no pales in comparison to the current crop of c segment cars. As it has long been phased out in india service and spares r a problem too. An lpg conversion will reduce the running cost but will further down the power. Why not streach ur budget and consider a used lancer instead ? The car is frugal and maintinance is cheap too

mclarenracer · 29th September 2007, 23:32

well Astra as a car is very good, as for you question about spares being easily available, if that was the cas astra wouldn't be sold this cheap.
make sure everything works, "all eletronics".
if everything is almost perfect then buy it, it is a nice car.

nitrous · 29th September 2007, 23:56

75k is a justifiable price for this flood-affected, discontinued ,well-built, hard to sell sedan.

blue2ki · 30th September 2007, 00:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitrous

75k is a justifiable price for this flood-affected, discontinued ,well-built, hard to sell sedan.

i second that... 75k is very decent..

vasudeva · 30th September 2007, 17:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by mclarenracer

well Astra as a car is very good, as for you question about spares being easily available, if that was the cas astra wouldn't be sold this cheap.
make sure everything works, "all eletronics".
if everything is almost perfect then buy it, it is a nice car.

Since I own a Opel Corsa and my cousin in Jalandhar owns an Astra, electronics is a major issue in Opel (or at least most of them). FE is also not hot, and spares!

musicmanaman · 1st October 2007, 06:46

Please throw in more inputs fellow BHPians, I'm falling in love every time I see this car, checked the doors, and all body line and doors are sealed, it seems to be a Euro 2 car, the doors have such a heavy feel to it, which is fantastic compared to my zen.

BHPians who have owned the Astra, please share your inputs, on releabilty, mileage, availability of spares, cost of spares and performance of the car, if anyone has converted the same to LPG , please share the experience.

Awaiting further inputs from all, especially bhpians who have owned the Astra.

WasavaTyres · 1st October 2007, 07:06

I second nirmal krishnan. Don't go with your heart on this one. You're wanting to buy an out of production car at a high price. And the spares (if you do manage to find them) are prohibitively expensive.And considering it got all wet in the recent floods you should all the more reconsider.Try getting a lancer at a slightly higher cost.

badri · 1st October 2007, 08:04

I had an Opel Astra Diesel which I sold after 1.5 yrs. It is one of the most expensive cars to maintain and parts are not readily available. Even showroom guys will make you wait for weeks till the parts come from Chennai. To give you a perspective on price, the alternator on diesel astra costed 50000 bucks and the petrol one should atleast be 30k.

The saving grace is that MPFI Astra shares the engine with 1.6 corsa. Nevertheless I see Corsa owners too having trouble for some parts.

If you want peace of mind, please drop this plan. If you get for 75k, you can take it but be ready for spending astronomical amounts should something go wrong.

badri · 1st October 2007, 10:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicmanaman

Please throw in more inputs fellow BHPians, I'm falling in love every time I see this car, checked the doors, and all body line and doors are sealed, it seems to be a Euro 2 car, the doors have such a heavy feel to it, which is fantastic compared to my zen.

BHPians who have owned the Astra, please share your inputs, on releabilty, mileage, availability of spares, cost of spares and performance of the car, if anyone has converted the same to LPG , please share the experience.

Awaiting further inputs from all, especially bhpians who have owned the Astra.

Musicman!! the build quality and ride quality is typical German..sadly so are the price of spares. If your driving is in city, you would find it bulky to drive after using a zen ( I transitioned the same way). The highway charecterstics are very good. Mileage should be around 8-9 in city and 11-12 in highway. You should not worry as much as fuel prices as you shold be of spares.

Continuing with the spares prices, here are some more
1) Window beading: 2800 each door
2) Speedometer cable: 1800
3) Radiator: 25000 ( must be cheaper for petrol)
4) Front/rear bumper with painting( 8-10 K each)

The prices would have changed now..nevertheless check with GM

Xehaust · 23rd January 2008, 01:37

Musicman, i drive an astra and even though i lovee my car to the ground, i have to agree with some of the negatives which are present along with the positives...

The car is built like a tank and inspires confidence even at cornering a medium curve at 100 kmph... This build quality shows, like you said, when you shut the doors, the typical thud comes through (like in a skoda) Many a time, bikes have banged into the car and only minor scratches im glad to say (the car and to the fools on the bike)

Mileage is roundabout what badri has said and another thing to keep in mind is the weight...this is a heavy car, due to impeccable build, but that also means its very heavy...so after driving a zen, if you drive in traffic, you do get tired faster than compared to in the zen. But then again, it is fun muscling the car around.

Maintainance wise, i agree with the spares being expensive as it is an out of production car but it is very reliable if you take good care of it.

nicejits · 23rd January 2008, 09:35

Astras are dirt cheap in mumbai 110k is on te higher side,,, you shd get it for ard 75 / 80k ( considering its top end model) ,, Chk at spares cost And availability first then take your decision.

GTO · 23rd January 2008, 10:10

4 month old thread, he has probably bought / skipped the Astra by now.

Thread closed.

29th September 2007, 21:46	#1
musicmanaman BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: kolkata Posts: 927 Thanked: 25 Times	Opal Astra 2001 @ 110k GO GO or NO GO Hi All, I'm getting a Opal Astra 2001 model for 110k, the car has just come to the gaurage that I use for some paint touchup work, I believe it's a top end model, the car seems to have got wet in the recent heavy rains we had here, the floor mats were wet, however I don't think the water reached the seats height. The car has done about 50k on the odo. Would like to ask people who have had the Astra, how they feel about the car, what are the strong points and the week points? what's the mileage one can expect? are spares easily available? how's the AC performance? is buying one and going for LPG a good idea? The reason I'm considering the car is becasue of the lack of low end tourque and power in my 99 carb zen with the AC on and the lack of space at the rear. Please let me know if buying the Opal Astra at 110k is a good idea, also factor in the paper tranfer stuff that will take about 15k extra, so the whole package may work out to about 125k.
	() Thanks

29th September 2007, 22:24	#2
pawan BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: auckland, new zealand Posts: 868 Thanked: 4 Times	thats really cheap for a 2001 model is it or was flood affected.
	() Thanks

29th September 2007, 22:29	#3
nirmalkrishnan BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Thrissur Posts: 90 Thanked: 112 Times	opel astra is a dated car with an underpowered engine , vague gearbox and is no fun to drive at all. But it has strong points like its great built quality , interior space and plush ride. It was one of the best premium sedans of its time but no pales in comparison to the current crop of c segment cars. As it has long been phased out in india service and spares r a problem too. An lpg conversion will reduce the running cost but will further down the power. Why not streach ur budget and consider a used lancer instead ? The car is frugal and maintinance is cheap too
	() Thanks

29th September 2007, 23:32	#4
mclarenracer BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Seattle Posts: 115 Thanked: 11 Times	well Astra as a car is very good, as for you question about spares being easily available, if that was the cas astra wouldn't be sold this cheap. make sure everything works, "all eletronics". if everything is almost perfect then buy it, it is a nice car.
	() Thanks

29th September 2007, 23:56	#5
nitrous Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: UAE/Lon/Madras Posts: 6,965 Thanked: 329 Times View My Garage	75k is a justifiable price for this flood-affected, discontinued ,well-built, hard to sell sedan.
	() Thanks

1st October 2007, 06:46	#8
musicmanaman BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: kolkata Posts: 927 Thanked: 25 Times	Please throw in more inputs fellow BHPians, I'm falling in love every time I see this car, checked the doors, and all body line and doors are sealed, it seems to be a Euro 2 car, the doors have such a heavy feel to it, which is fantastic compared to my zen. BHPians who have owned the Astra, please share your inputs, on releabilty, mileage, availability of spares, cost of spares and performance of the car, if anyone has converted the same to LPG , please share the experience. Awaiting further inputs from all, especially bhpians who have owned the Astra. Last edited by musicmanaman : 1st October 2007 at 06:54.
	() Thanks

1st October 2007, 07:06	#9
WasavaTyres BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Indore Posts: 819 Thanked: 456 Times View My Garage	I second nirmal krishnan. Don't go with your heart on this one. You're wanting to buy an out of production car at a high price. And the spares (if you do manage to find them) are prohibitively expensive.And considering it got all wet in the recent floods you should all the more reconsider.Try getting a lancer at a slightly higher cost.
	() Thanks

1st October 2007, 08:04	#10
badri BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 329 Thanked: 284 Times	I had an Opel Astra Diesel which I sold after 1.5 yrs. It is one of the most expensive cars to maintain and parts are not readily available. Even showroom guys will make you wait for weeks till the parts come from Chennai. To give you a perspective on price, the alternator on diesel astra costed 50000 bucks and the petrol one should atleast be 30k. The saving grace is that MPFI Astra shares the engine with 1.6 corsa. Nevertheless I see Corsa owners too having trouble for some parts. If you want peace of mind, please drop this plan. If you get for 75k, you can take it but be ready for spending astronomical amounts should something go wrong.
	() Thanks

23rd January 2008, 01:37	#12
Xehaust BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 846 Thanked: 81 Times View My Garage	Musicman, i drive an astra and even though i lovee my car to the ground, i have to agree with some of the negatives which are present along with the positives... The car is built like a tank and inspires confidence even at cornering a medium curve at 100 kmph... This build quality shows, like you said, when you shut the doors, the typical thud comes through (like in a skoda) Many a time, bikes have banged into the car and only minor scratches im glad to say (the car and to the fools on the bike) Mileage is roundabout what badri has said and another thing to keep in mind is the weight...this is a heavy car, due to impeccable build, but that also means its very heavy...so after driving a zen, if you drive in traffic, you do get tired faster than compared to in the zen. But then again, it is fun muscling the car around. Maintainance wise, i agree with the spares being expensive as it is an out of production car but it is very reliable if you take good care of it.
	() Thanks

23rd January 2008, 09:35	#13
nicejits BANNED Join Date: May 2006 Location: Mumbai ( Borivali ) Posts: 328 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	Astras are dirt cheap in mumbai 110k is on te higher side,,, you shd get it for ard 75 / 80k ( considering its top end model) ,, Chk at spares cost And availability first then take your decision.
	() Thanks

23rd January 2008, 10:10	#14
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 71,299 Thanked: 307,336 Times View My Garage	4 month old thread, he has probably bought / skipped the Astra by now. Thread closed.
	() Thanks