I am in need of some input.
I've always been fond of Vauxhalls. My parents had them when I was young and I guess its come from that. They seem to be a good reliable staple and I have recommended numerous Vauxhalls over the years with no complains. I have always been fond of the MK4 Astra. They're throw away money now days and I have bought a fair few of them with no issues and most have been kept for a long period of time. I am particularly fond of the MK4 Astra, I bought one as a temporary vehicle for my mother, which stayed for about 18 months longer than it was needed, and have bought some for work colleagues who have racked up some serious miles with them as work horses.
I have now found myself in a position where my R53 mini and Porsche don't quite offer the load space that I require at times however neither of them are being sold so I need something cheap. I have found a few MK3 Astra estates locally but I know nothing about them at all. I have actually found a few Astra Sports with the 2.0l 16v engine which peak my interest greatly. My father had a 2.0l 16v 1998 Vectra estate when I was a kid, I remember the thing felt awesomely fast at the time. I also fondly remember all of my friends buying up every 2.0l 16v engine they could find to chuck in their corsa/nova at the time.
Can any one offer any input on the mk3 astra, particularly the 2.0l 16v model. Are they a reliable car? Anything to particularly keep an eye out for? Are the Engines a good one?
I think that these can be modified with the saab B204 engine which is of huge interest to me. I am also hopeful that I could get it on a classic policy, however i'll have to do some investigating about that.
Are parts easily available? Modifications are a given, so are any parts transferable from the MK4 astra or similar vintage corsa/Vectra models?
Any help would be wonderful.
mk3
516890-20120405-4NF4uB
I've always been fond of Vauxhalls. My parents had them when I was young and I guess its come from that. They seem to be a good reliable staple and I have recommended numerous Vauxhalls over the years with no complains. I have always been fond of the MK4 Astra. They're throw away money now days and I have bought a fair few of them with no issues and most have been kept for a long period of time. I am particularly fond of the MK4 Astra, I bought one as a temporary vehicle for my mother, which stayed for about 18 months longer than it was needed, and have bought some for work colleagues who have racked up some serious miles with them as work horses.
I have now found myself in a position where my R53 mini and Porsche don't quite offer the load space that I require at times however neither of them are being sold so I need something cheap. I have found a few MK3 Astra estates locally but I know nothing about them at all. I have actually found a few Astra Sports with the 2.0l 16v engine which peak my interest greatly. My father had a 2.0l 16v 1998 Vectra estate when I was a kid, I remember the thing felt awesomely fast at the time. I also fondly remember all of my friends buying up every 2.0l 16v engine they could find to chuck in their corsa/nova at the time.
Can any one offer any input on the mk3 astra, particularly the 2.0l 16v model. Are they a reliable car? Anything to particularly keep an eye out for? Are the Engines a good one?
I think that these can be modified with the saab B204 engine which is of huge interest to me. I am also hopeful that I could get it on a classic policy, however i'll have to do some investigating about that.
Are parts easily available? Modifications are a given, so are any parts transferable from the MK4 astra or similar vintage corsa/Vectra models?
Any help would be wonderful.
mk3 516890-20120405-4NF4uB 
