1997 Opel Astra Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Performance... It's the 1.4 8 valve engine Astra not a racing car, but it'll beat a few kids in Corsa's off the line. I've pushed it up to the ton with no problem, but it's happy cruising at 70. Very easy to drive, and a great shopping and commuting car. Build Quality... It's still all in one piece inside and out, not much rust, and only a few parts have been replaced since new. It was built in Bochum, and as a rule of thumb, German cars are well put together. Appearance. a four door saloon, I prefer it to the hatch, it's personal choice, but by no means an ugly car. A good polish has added luster to very tired 'Moroccan Red' paintwork. Cost of Ownership... So far, £40 for a tyre, £27 for a wishbone and the MOT fee. Petrol consumption seems fair, and parts are all over eBay. Fun Factor.... Define fun ? It's not bad. As age takes hold, it's needed a serpentine belt tensioner, a handbrake cable, CV boots, brake shoes and a bit of a service, rub down with an oily rag kind of thing... But you come to anticipate such things when driving and running older cars. One last thing... Insurance. Driving a republic of Ireland car on re-registered UK plates is fine (I have all the legal import documentation and the UK V5), but a lot of insurance companies simply do not have an Opel Astra on their books, and some insurers refuse to insure them (no reasons given), so be prepared to hunt out specialist insurance.Mar 27, 2012

Opel Astra F Caravan, white. A very good daily driver, family car, enough room for 5 people... what do you expect from a mid size wagon?? It had a good engine, the 1.7 turbo diesel ...'till the turbine failed, and because a new one was too expensive and the one that failed could not be repaired I was left without a turbine. Bolted a plate on the exhaust. The end of the car was a crash from witch no one died... a serious one too, with a the opposite car hitting the Opel with a speed of 130km/h and the Opel doing ~49km/h.May 09, 2010

Opel/ Vauxhall ASTRA F X17DTL built 1997 1700 Turbodiesel + intercooler 75 hp 0- 100 km/h: 11 sec max speed: 165 km/h radius: 800 km Performance: in comparision to previous Astra F models, this late-built model was equipped with an turbo and intercooler. Acceleration is normal, but due to it's low-turbo, you can accelerate sportively to 5500 tr/min. if needed... It gets in second gear up to 82 km/h. Braking is good, but the car wasn't standard equipped with ABS. So if the road gets dirty, wet or covered with snow, the driver should be carefull to prevent the car fromspinning. Gear shifts are normal. Handling depends on tire type. Soft rubber (winter tires) makes the steering feel very soft, a feeling like the car is 'flying'. The suspension in normal Astra's (not the GSI- version) is a comfort suspension which allows you to drive very smooth and nice. But in sharp turns, the car 'flows', and it seems like you lose control (but this isn't). Build quality: Problem is the rear casco above the wheels which is often in maintance for corrosion (after 10 years). The main buidling quality is very good. Durable materials etc. Appearance: The interior seems outdated now, but it has lots of boxes, and an organic- looking dashboard. Still, it looks very 'plastic' and sheap. Since the late 90's, this car was standard equipped with an airbag. The exterior would look 'without emotion', like Opel presumed. But the car seems round/ organic with a few straight edges. Since the last update, this Astra F was equipped with an black piece between the backlights, a back and front bumper in the main color, new lights, a new frontgrill- look, ... Feb 01, 2009