Roffle GM dizzler Mk3 Astra - £4 a ticket

[RobT]

Might aswell start a new thread for this fine piece of Vauxhall goodness.

Yesterday was an early start, and most of London wasn't awake yet.



6.15am and second train achieved at Herne Hill.

Fast forward to 8.30 and stripped fred kindly collected me from Leicester to go and collect the car from Ashby. The big reveal...



Double length garage with room to move around in. Me want!

I then drove to back to Leicester where another shiter, Al Bundy, set about fixing the MoT fails (welding and rear brake flexis). I stood around like a spare part whilst Al did the business.



The flexis looked fine to us, so Al cleaned them up and greased them, so hopefully they'll be OK on the retest.

At this point I deviated from the plan of getting an MoT done locally, and opted to stay overnight and drink beer instead in a pleasant pub/hotel in Kirby Muxloe. Online pre-booked MoT was sorted in London for the morning and I headed off at 6am today. I don't like the M1 particularly, so opted to head across the M69 etc down to the M40, which was shut at the Bicester junction so a little detour around Oxford was made. Must admit I was getting a bit twitchy on the M25 as the rozzers were about, but I made it home fine and decided to quit whilst ahead and cancelled the MoT. I apologised to the garage but they were fine (I bet others just don't bother calling) and I'll get my usual place to do it this week hopefully.

Anyway, the car. It's flippin' great! Easy to drive, engine pulls well and isn't that noisy for an old school dizzler, and sits at 70 on the motorway no bother. I did have to change down a cog when I hit the cut on the M40, so gearbox rowage is required on hills (I'm too used to autos doing that sort of thing for me). 205 miles since yesterday at close to 60mpg, assuming the fuel gauge reads correctly. And it came with plenty of dizzle in the tank already, cheers fred!

I've been looking forward to getting the two maroon K platers together (both on original dealer plates).





Almost complete fleet shot. I may have to turf the Safrane out of the garage, seeing as the Astra is without tax and test. Or just park it on the estate and hope no curtain twitcher makes a complaint or something. But it's SORN and on private land so they can swivel!



So next up is to give it a wash, sort the MoT, and figure out whether to keep it. The main thing was to save it and have a good collection caper, but I'll definitely get some use out of it for a few months. Be good if it could stay on here, so I won't advertise it to normal people...

[KruJoe]

From what S_Fred said, the Astra's previous owner might even want it back! (Due to moderns being more shit than all Vauxhalls.)

Well saved team, good effort.

[paulscavalier]

Cracking job

[320touring]

Good effort Rob:)

 

If only you had a metallic red Vectra to complete the lineup;)

[stripped fred]

Great write up Rob. I'm glad you like it. I think now you've got the rust sorted it can soldier on for a while longer. Between us we might even get it to the magic 200k mark! I have no reason to doubt it can achieve that, mechanically at least, as it feels strong.

[stripped fred]

From what S_Fred said, the Astra's previous owner might even want it back! (Due to moderns being more shit than all Vauxhalls.)

Well saved team, good effort.

I'm tempted to have it back myself at some point!

[cms206]

TEMPTING

 

The best company car I ever had (in 2007!) was a white n/a 1.7D Merit with moon miles on it, K730 ANV. Of the seven cars we acquired with BA it was the eldest and the only one we operated. Once we sorted the brakes it ran fine and it was eventually robbed off us by Belfast Airport after repaint and delicensing. The bastards.

 

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[RobT]

That one looks brilliant in povvo white with the beacon on top!

 

I went all two bucket wrong 'un on it earlier, and may have overdone the bumper gel...it'll wear off

 

[RobT]

From what S_Fred said, the Astra's previous owner might even want it back! (Due to moderns being more shit than all Vauxhalls.)

Well saved team, good effort.

That would be great, as with a full ticket and all cleaned up I reckon he'd be well chuffed with it. Or failing that it could become another AS bike, with the goal being get it to 200k! Only 23,000 to go.

[nacho man]

Looks cracking that, I had a van with the same engine, was brill.

[stripped fred]

That one looks brilliant in povvo white with the beacon on top!

 

I went all two bucket wrong 'un on it earlier, and may have overdone the bumper gel...it'll wear off

 

getPart-20.jpeg

Looks like it's straight out of the showroom! Glad it's getting some attention.

[trigger]

That looks lovely now, i really rate the Mk3 Astra, i learned to drive in a K plate saloon 1.7TD and it was ace and i even owned a K plate 1.4 Si which was bloody fantastic.

[HMC]

Top save! Is it the isuzu 1.7 in this? I had this lump ( plus turbo) in a cav of similar age- k286ncm is long gone but it wasn't the engines fault just everything else was tired. I remember it being really economical too- you could easily get over 600 miles on the 60L tank.

 

Astras in that colour always remind me of the tv launch campaign....

https://youtu.be/WeWYZgP9G8c

[stripped fred]

It's the GM diesel engine, not the low blow or the isuzu which followed. They did seem to have quite a few types of diesel engine. I'd like to know why they switched to isuzu power although I know they were a good engine.

[wuvvum]

I always found the Isuzu engine to be a bit more refined than the GM, so that might be part of the reason.  Although I must be one of the few people who actually quite liked the GM low-blow - I had an Astra thus equipped as my daily for a while and found it a perfectly acceptable means of getting to work.

[Ghosty]

Good show!

 

Will those dealer plates be accompanied by a set of (more) correct wheeltrims? Those Corsa C/Astra G ones are surprisingly good lookers on it (more than on a G!), but they just aren't right.

Then again, I suppose the plates are post-2001 too!

[RobT]

I did have a look for the correct trims on eBay, but none were cheap so will probably just keep these. Plus you're right about the plate. The history shows a new one bought in 2002, so it's good the previous owner got a proper dealer plate rather than cheapest possible (I tend to do the latter!).

[Ghosty]

True, haven't seen any old Vaux trims for a very long time (I bet 4wheeledstool would find some instantly, NOS!). The exception being a knockoff version of the three spoke Corsa B ones with no badge, but that just wouldn't be right.

 

I bet this would've had the six-spoke (sort-of) windmill-looking trims originally.

[overrun]

Nice work with the sparkly stick @Boldon Red

[Al Bundy]

Nice work with the sparkly stick @Boldon Red

4:13  cant you sleep after the excitement of yesterdays match  Good to meet you Rob how was your night in Leicester?

[lisbon_road]

Looks good Rob. I saw a 13" wheel trim in a ditch a while back when out on my bike. I will get it for you next time I pass. This 90s Vauxhall thing is hard to kick, maybe we can do a line up sometime.

[RobT]

4:13  cant you sleep after the excitement of yesterdays match  Good to meet you Rob how was your night in Leicester?

I stayed at a place in Kirby Muxloe in the end. Dinner and a couple of pints went down a treat.

 

If you ever have the misfortune to be in south London again, you're welcome to pop round for a cuppa!

[JohnK]

Was it the Castle Hotel (Chef & Brewer) you stayed at in Kirby Muxloe, Rob?

 

4 years ago I was sent to work in Leicester for 6 months and I practically lived in that place Monday-Friday in that time. It is a nice place.

 

Car looks great - well saved!

[RobT]

That's the one John. Nice relaxed place and not too busy.

[BorniteIdentity]

Played, Rob.  60 Emm Pee Gees?  Just shows how 'progress' in the DERV market has been over the 20 following years...

[RobT]

I may have overestimated that, as the needle was further down after I cleaned it yesterday. Still not far off 55 though.

[Rusty_Rocket]

Mine has done 54mpg, every tankful in the last 5yrs. That's 'round the doors', slogging to work, nipping to Tesco, taking a bootful to the tip etc etc. On a run they're even better. Best part is, no DPF, no DMF, not even an EGR valve 

I still think it smells better than modern common rail cars, less smoke too.

 

Apart from the power figures, diesel engines have steadily been going downhill since they did away with fully mechanical fueling!

[Cavcraft]

That looks even better now you've polished it up, what an ace looking car. 

[RobT]

Dropped the GM dizzler off this morning for my friendly mechanic Les to sort the MoT.  I shall wait with bated breath...

 

He's got a heavily pogged Felicia diesel in at the moment, and he's pondering its fate.  Drives fine apparently but previous giffer owner used it as a mobile shed, so interior is rank and full of odds and sods. Les being the optimist reckons it'll clean up OK!  Will probably end up with CarTakeBack though.

 

[rantingYoof]

Calendar shot RIGHT THAR!