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bub2006

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We are looking for a smaller car. Wife has declared she needs something easier to park and misses our old vectra. We need an auto and have been having a nosy through eBay and seen a few motors. Vauxhall astra 1.6 club auto,looks like the conventional gear box on these same as the vectra b. Also seen a vectra c 2.0 dti auto but these are tiptronic sort of things. Are the older style boxes on the astra/vectra better than the tiptronic things on the vectra c? Any other not too old motors to consider? No larger than 1.8 petrol or 2.0 diesel?

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There are three types of Autos, conventional - such as your Vectra, CVT which a lot of small autos tend to be these days, they are an update of the DAF/Volvo rubber band system, or a Manu-matic - as featured in the Corsa, Saab 9-3 'Sensonic', which in my experience are hateful things.

 

The Astra I believe has a conventional Auto, as does the Focus of the same era.

 

Tiptronics can be any of the three, Conventional with a separate gate to hold/move between gears, CVT with a stepped programming to appear like it has different gears (MGF's had these, also the Honda Jazz) or the Manumatic which Alfa used in the 147 called the Selespeed.

 

It it was me, I'd look for a conventional auto with a torque converter, but avoid Renaults and Nissans as they have an atrocious reputation.

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We haven't got a vectra at the moment,we used to have a 03 plate 1.8 manual. We at the moment have a Mercedes e200 auto. I know my wife wants another vauxhall vectra but as said I am put off by the tip tronic of the new vectras. Bit of a problem when wife doesmt want something to old!

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Personally I wouldn't touch any of these semi auto things, they all seem to be the Achilles heel on whatever car they're fitted too, and in the case of a £2k shitter will easily write the thing off when it goes phut. 

I'm old school enough to think that if you want (or need) and auto, you stick it into D at the start of the journey, and back to P at the end of it, with the occasional foray into R as and when required. I never see the point in playing with the lever, if I wanted a say in things I'd buy a manual.

 

My advice would be, if it hasn't got the old fashioned PRNDL type selector, walk away.

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As with the above DON'T touch a Easytronic semi-auto astra,corsa

 

Taken from another Forum regarding semi auto problems not all of the post below will be relevant but gives an idea of the problems that occur

 

 

This problem keeps cropping time and time again. The simple answer is if it goes wrong ,ie any faults that include non starting! or poor or no gear selection! or the selector panel showing blank, or F, you are pretty well stuffed .Seems apparant that most of you have no idea that this is actually a normal 5 speed F17 manual gearbox. Car is often mis- sold/described as an AUTOMATIC, or TIPTRONIC,when it is a SEMI-AUTOMATIC, with this electronic control clutch actuator bolted on to it, and the gear change is controlled/operated by this unit.( there is also a small fluid container to be kept topped up as with a normal fluid clutch)When it fails ,as it often does ,it can only be repaired and recoded by a specialist,V/X being the most expensive way to do. OTHER GARAGES WILL TAKE IT OFF AND SEND IT AWAY FOR REPAIR ,Hence the two weeks wait,there and back to them .Most likely sent to these people>>www.ecutesting.com<< to be repaired,who specialise in repairing all manner of electronic units. They can only rebuild your own unit,as they are coded specifically to your car, so fitting a second hand unit is not an option( as some people have tried, and cannot access the codes/parameters to do it) Look on their website ,and see the options they provide, for this and other cars,often uprating them with a two year warranty.If you can get if off and send it,its a very quick return ,and is far cheaper than other options.As I keep saying give them a call/e/mail,they have the answers.

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Those 8 valve Mk4 Astra autos have an honest quality about them and the 4-speed OLD SKOOL GM auto (is it a Turbo Hydramatic of some kind?) is pretty robust.

 

I've had good value out of my Accord auto, 187k and counting, but then again I know it's had fluid changes every 36k or sooner.

 

With any old auto - regardless of whether it's supposedly 'sealed for life' or not - evidence of regular fluid changes is what you want to see.

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If your wife wants something newer circa Vectra C age, what about a mk5 Astra 1.8 petrol auto, the 1.8 is a reliable engine (I had a manual 1.8 which was brilliant) I'm no expert on autos but they seem like the old fashioned PRND but with 3 gears you can select if you don't want to just leave it in drive and let it change by itself, you have to move the lever from 1 to 2 to 3 to change them, none of this paddle shift pish or nudging the gear lever like you would on the "easytronic" semi automatic ones. Mpg shouldn't be too terrible, most come in decent spec like Design or Elite trim (2 highest spec models) with alloys, half leather, all round electric windows, electric mirrors, air con, mp3 cd player, remote locking, plus all the other modern pish like abs, multiple airbags, etc and the elite has full heated leather, climate and cruise control, most are ex motability so have low mileage, FSH and been well kept, plus they are dirt cheap because no one wants them, 3 year old ones were going for under £5K so an 05/06 could be had for about 2K

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Only got a budget of between 5 and 800 depending if the merc sells mate. Money at a premium these days

Mk4 Astra should do the job at that money mate. Should be able to pick up a decent 52/03 with decent spec and tidy condition.

 

I had a 52 1.6 "Comfort" spec before the mk5 and there were loads of auto variants of that trim about as its giffer spec "fake wood dash console and gear knob" but decent kit, alloys, air con, cd, remote locking, all round elec windows and mirrors. Just be careful of the "fluffy" velour seats, everything sticks to them.

 

Also check it doesn't swallow loads of oil, valve stem seals likely fooked, 1.6 ecowreck Vauxhalls are notorious for it.

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If your wife wants something newer circa Vectra C age, what about a mk5 Astra 1.8 petrol auto, the 1.8 is a reliable engine (I had a manual 1.8 which was brilliant) I'm no expert on autos but they seem like the old fashioned PRND but with 3 gears you can select if you don't want to just leave it in drive and let it change by itself, you have to move the lever from 1 to 2 to 3 to change them, none of this paddle shift pish or nudging the gear lever like you would on the "easytronic" semi automatic ones. Mpg shouldn't be too terrible, most come in decent spec like Design or Elite trim (2 highest spec models) with alloys, half leather, all round electric windows, electric mirrors, air con, mp3 cd player, remote locking, plus all the other modern pish like abs, multiple airbags, etc and the elite has full heated leather, climate and cruise control, most are ex motability so have low mileage, FSH and been well kept, plus they are dirt cheap because no one wants them, 3 year old ones were going for under £5K so an 05/06 could be had for about 2K

have one of those, 58 plate 1.8vvt club auto .... thought about slightly older one astra h but went for a newer generation vvt ecotec which is less likely to leak coolant into auto gearbox .... club spec also avoids the continental/teves/ate mk60 esp (electronic stability program) which is known to go wrong, fail MOT & cost a lot to fix .... safest bet with more limited funds would be an astra g 1.6 8v auto as it's the older pre-ecotec engine!

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I know its a lot smaller but have you considered a Polo Automatic.

Wife can only drive an Auto. Currently she has a Scenic, so thought it best to get a back up.  :-D

 

Bought a P reg 1.4 Auto, and its fantastic. No good on the motorway, but around town its great. Was going to get rid and buy something else, but its been that reliable decided against it.

 

Conventional Auto as well,

 

Just something else to consider.

 

Cheers

 

- Dave -

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Needs to be big enough to fit a dog in boot,shopping when dog not there,mother in law when no shopping so doubt a polo would be ideal. I need to be comfy too so ideally astra size,maybe vectra sized. Not keen on Ford focus,wouldn't say no to a golf but scene tax put paid to that!

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This is a peculiar trim. Its a club but got aircon but no electric windows. Not seen any astras that age under a grand. Our 03 plate vectra only cost 950 though

Early Club models were like that. Just like early LS models had electric windows but half unpainted bumpers and no rev counter.

 

Post 2000 the Club got electric windows. I sold my 52 plate 1.6 comfort Astra with 85K full folder of receipts and fully stamped service book, mint condition bodywork and clean as a whistle over 2 years ago for 1800 so I'd have thought they'd be about half that by now.

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Early Club models were like that. Just like early LS models had electric windows but half unpainted bumpers and no rev counter.

 

Post 2000 the Club got electric windows. I sold my 52 plate 1.6 comfort Astra with 85K full folder of receipts and fully stamped service book, mint condition bodywork and clean as a whistle over 2 years ago for 1800 so I'd have thought they'd be about half that by now.

 

Keep a special eye out for the rare "In the Club" models- came with 44 years finance, 3 child seats in a puke pattern cloth, an out of date tax disc and sat nav with POI's pre programmed with the Job centre, Mc Donalds and the local smack dealer.

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