Strong old man with low power: choose Opel Astra G with mileage
- October 3, 2022
- 0
Opel Astra generation G produced from 1998 to 2009. The car was popular in Russia. By the way, it is still in great demand, as evidenced by the
Opel Astra generation G produced from 1998 to 2009. The car was popular in Russia. By the way, it is still in great demand, as evidenced by the fact that 2009 copies are sold for 500,000 rubles. One of the owners of such a car told the AvtoVzglyad portal what to look for when buying and what weaknesses the model has.
My story will, I hope, be helpful to used Chevrolet Viva buyers. After all, this is nothing more than an Astra, but assembled in Russia in the facilities of the GM-AVTOVAZ joint venture.
So I bought my hatchback car in 2003. Then I liked that the Astra has a spacious interior and a large trunk. Many years later, he did not regret his choice. Today, “living compartments” are made narrow, and the volume of the trunk is constantly shrinking. Generation G is fine with that. The saloon is spacious, it is comfortable to sit in and the fifth door is just huge and also opens high at a great angle. By the way, this made me hit the door on the top floor of the garage once, but this is my fault.
The “hozblok” itself is also pleasant. I even loaded a washing machine in it. She fits, and there is still room left. A similar trick with modern Asters no longer works. Yes, and with competitors such as the Ford Focus.
When we talk about the body, I still have it whole. The fact is that a year after the purchase, I underwent an anti-corrosion treatment of the bottom, although they advised me not to. As a result, for 90,000 kilometers no rust appeared, except for the exhaust. But I often travel in winter.
The interior is simple: hard plastic everywhere and the seats are upholstered in fabric. No skin for you. Under the front panel “crickets” have already started and when I drive past primers they “sing” quite loudly. But I’m not going to remove the panel simply because I don’t see the point and I don’t want to pay for it.
From the “jambs” in the cabin, I notice an incomprehensible “glitch” with the radio. One day she simply refused to work. I went to the dealer, they plugged in the scanner and everything came back to life.
If we talk about the engine, then I took the version with a 1.6-liter “aspirated” with a power of 100 horsepower. Of. and 5-speed “mechanics”. The engine is not bad for quiet city traffic, but you have to constantly monitor the oil level. I didn’t know this and almost paid the price at first. Arriving at the first MOT, when the counter was at 13,000 km, the master showed that the lubrication level in the engine was below the minimum! It turns out that when assembling engines at a factory in Hungary, a certain batch of units did not completely “drowned” the valve stem seals. Hence the maslozhor, black candles from soot, as well as a tendency to coke. You can only solve the problem if you “climb” in, and I don’t want that. Therefore, I regularly check the level of the lubricant and replace the candles.
Problems with the EGR valve are not bypassed. After the first 15,000 km, it became clogged with soot and the Check Engine caught fire on the “clean”. The node was replaced under warranty, but after 20,000 km the problem recurred. In addition, the engine stalled at idle speed and when braking. I replaced the node again, already at my own expense. 250 paid. e., that is, dollars. But after 18,000 km the problem came back. As a result, I “muted” the valve by installing a new “firmware” in the ECU. No more problems. I know the Chevrolet Viva originally came without EGR, so there are no issues with these cars.
As for the suspension, it is exemplary. About the 90,000 km that I have driven on the Astra were only the A-pillar supports to be replaced. All! That’s why I only replaced the brake pads, along with cleaning and lubricating the mechanisms. In general, I boldly recommend a used “German” to buy.
Manufacturer photo
Manufacturer photo
My story will, I hope, be helpful to used Chevrolet Viva buyers. After all, this is nothing more than an Astra, but assembled in Russia in the facilities of the GM-AVTOVAZ joint venture.
So I bought my hatchback car in 2003. Then I liked that the Astra has a spacious interior and a large trunk. Many years later, he did not regret his choice. Today, “living compartments” are made narrow, and the volume of the trunk is constantly shrinking. Generation G is fine with that. The saloon is spacious, it is comfortable to sit in and the fifth door is just huge and also opens high at a great angle. By the way, this made me hit the door on the top floor of the garage once, but this is my fault.
The “hozblok” itself is also pleasant. I even loaded a washing machine in it. She fits, and there is still room left. A similar trick with modern Asters no longer works. Yes, and with competitors such as the Ford Focus.
When we talk about the body, I still have it whole. The fact is that a year after the purchase, I underwent an anti-corrosion treatment of the bottom, although they advised me not to. As a result, for 90,000 kilometers no rust appeared, except for the exhaust. But I often go in winter.
The interior is simple: hard plastic everywhere and the seats are upholstered in fabric. No skin for you. Under the front panel “crickets” have already started and when I drive past primers they “sing” quite loudly. But I’m not going to remove the panel simply because I don’t see the point and I don’t want to pay for it.
From the “jambs” in the cabin, I notice an incomprehensible “glitch” with the radio. One day she simply refused to work. I went to the dealer, they plugged in the scanner and everything came back to life.
If we talk about the engine, then I took the version with a 1.6-liter “aspirated” with a power of 100 horsepower. Of. and 5-speed “mechanics”. The engine is not bad for quiet city traffic, but you have to constantly monitor the oil level. I didn’t know this and almost paid the price at first. Arriving at the first MOT, when the counter was at 13,000 km, the master showed that the lubrication level in the engine was below the minimum! It turns out that when assembling engines at a factory in Hungary, a certain batch of units did not completely “drowned” the valve stem seals. Hence the maslozhor, black candles from soot, as well as a tendency to coke. You can only solve the problem if you “climb” in, and I don’t want that. Therefore, I regularly check the level of the lubricant and replace the candles.
Problems with the EGR valve are not bypassed. After the first 15,000 km, it became clogged with soot and the Check Engine caught fire on the “clean”. The node was replaced under warranty, but after 20,000 km the problem recurred. In addition, the engine stalled at idle speed and when braking. I replaced the node again, already at my own expense. 250 paid. e., that is, dollars. But after 18,000 km the problem came back. As a result, I “muted” the valve by installing a new “firmware” in the ECU. No more problems. I know the Chevrolet Viva originally came without EGR, so there are no issues with these cars.
As for the suspension, it is exemplary. About the 90,000 km that I have driven on the Astra were only the A-pillar supports to be replaced. All! That’s why I only replaced the brake pads, along with cleaning and lubricating the mechanisms. In general, I boldly recommend a used “German” to buy.
Source: Avto Vzglyad
I’m Sandra Torres, a passionate journalist and content creator. My specialty lies in covering the latest gadgets, trends and tech news for Div Bracket. With over 5 years of experience as a professional writer, I have built up an impressive portfolio of published works that showcase my expertise in this field.
