Astra GSi Turbo

[Mike]

One thing has lead to antoher blah blah and Im in the meerkat for a decent little newish hatchback & have been offered a silver Mk4 (?) Astra GSi Turbo with 49k, full dealer history (I know the car & owner very well anyway - always serviced at his work which is a GM dealership) 1 owner from new boggo standard etc etc for a very reasonable price!

Are they worth the money or are they well, shÃ*t? What they like to live with day to day, any common issues etc etc

Anyone know anything about them?

[Edd]

I had one Mike, tbh it did have problems but I loved it

Z20let turbo units are like cheese, fact

Afm and boost solenoids are a common problem as well

Factory alarms are a major problem on mk4 astras, set themselves off all the time so my mate at vauxhall said to me, mine bust but I sold it shortly after :d

How much is it ?

Edit- I do miss mine lol

http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr359/EDDRODGERS/3343ac76.jpg

[Cle]

As edd said turbos are poop changed a fair few now at work

[Mike]

Balls :( I was hoping they were going to be pretty reliable as I quite like them lol

Hes asking £2800 mates rates, looked on eBay at completed sales & it seams a real good price?

[Edd]

Tbh Mike at the price I'd snap it up

Solenoids are £50 odd each IF they go

VXR turbo units are £450 but with this it's a matter of time before the OE one sheds it's guts lol

[Mike]

Dont know what to do now :( cant even afford it at the minute as going from weekly/fornightly pay to monthly pay, dont get paid now until August 31st! Gotta sell the bread van because Im getting a Caddy van from work but then Im stuck car'less as I cant drive it out of hours :S but Ive also got a Corsa with no engine :S and not enough room to park all these cars :S

[pikey1986]

i was contemplating getting one of these but what put me off was that 60% of the cars i looked at had top end rebuilds before they hit 80,000 miles, it didnt exactly fill me with confidence lol, maybe it was just the ones i was looking

[Mieran]

I've had 2 Z20lets now, nothing like a c20, very smooth in comparison

for that price i would buy it asap, its a bargain

rocker cover gaskets go on them too so piss oil everywhere

[RossRog]

I've been looking at a GSI/coupe for a while now...

still not made my mind up to buy one or not

[Lee H]

I test drove a couple and really wasn't impressed with them. They are lovely looking cars but just didn't feel quick or fun whatsoever. Obviously they can be made quick with a few quid like any turbo car but was very disappointed with the standard performance.

[Rich]

They arent the quickest but at that price i would snap it up, epsecially at that milage! If you dont buy it pass me the contact details lol

I sold mine to get my bike, wish i had kept it now :( A new vxr turbo unit is about £350 on trade club now, you can bypass the rear boost solenoid. Most problems are from the terards that play with they trying to turn the boost up with the actuator, doesnt work like that anymore!

And comment on the rocker covers leaking, the 1 way valve packs up allowing boost pressure back into the rocker with blows the gasket, not exactly a major problem.

[Rich]

Now what you done my mate said i can have mine back for 3k lol

Need to find 2 grand now

[Stuart]

rear springs snap readily
early cars have seizing rear calipers
tilt/slide seats can fail
fuel consumption is woeful for the size of the car etc.

BUT imho MK4's with the 'sporty' chassis setup is one of the most fun fwd cars I've had the pleasure to play with. Cross country you can make fantastic progress and really enjoy it etc. OK not the 'fastest' car in a straight line but thats not fun anyway unless you can crack the 2ton mark

[Alex J]

number three piston is also very common, my pal has 4 in his garage that have all cracked, or melted, common fault.

[Spudly]

You bought one yet Mike:p

[Mike]

Going to have a proper good look at it later.