2008 Vauxhall Astra Twin Top Goes for a Drive
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- Опубликовано: 22 мар 2020
- Vauxhall go in on the folding hard top act with the Astra Twin Top based on the Astra H.
If you're tempted by this for summer, its for sale from Lloyds Vehicle Consulting - / @lloydvehicleconsulting
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You cant review one of those cars with out folding the roof it's the main party trick
Not my car so Im not going to go against the owners request
David Bates agreed, also if he's selling the car the roof needs to work multiple times anyway not just break when used once 😂
The roof was checked twice in the last month and it does work, but when Matt was making the video, it was raining on and off, and I asked him not to use it just in case.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting GIVE YOU 100 QUID BETTER THAN SCRAP VALUE
@@mancavehobbies6213, thank you, it's a bit low, I am afraid.
You know you're getting old when a strikingly modern car you seem to recall being released only a couple of years ago actually turns out to be 14 years old. The reflection I see in the mirror every morning is looking decidedly careworn these days too. Still, I can always buy a nice Astra convertible for my mid-life crisis I suppose. And with all the money I've saved through not being able to buy anything from the supermarket the last couple of weeks, I can afford one now. Yeh-hay. 👍
Very pleasant motor for not a great deal of money. I always liked the 'H' series Astra in any shape. Good review, thanks as always Matt.
Always perfect timing for a video, this channel has helped me through a really dark time.
so thank you and keep up the amazing videos!
Its an awful time and Im glad to have helped out even a little
The owner needs to give that a damn good clean before anyone will buy it, it’s grubby as hell lol
agreed, the car is so dirty it looks like it's got Coronavirus lol.
I shall do!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting - no need to rush after Johnson's pronouncements tonight shut the country down.....or did it? If you need a car is a visit to a dealers essential travel?
@@darrenwilson8042 , that's an interesting question. I don't know if it would be considered essential travel to visit a car dealer any more!
@P Mc That's what I hate about receiving used goods from many people in the UK, as they have low hygiene standards and little if any pride / self respect. Contrast this with things from Ebay sellers in Germany, and they pack and send things in beautiful condition, and so clean without any smell too. Normally I always clean anything I get before using it, but from Germans I never have to.
I bought one last winter for £700 and sold it for £1600 when the sun came out. Lovely car to drive. Wish I'd kept it.
Very good value for money indeed, the secondhand prices really are very low!
Astra had much more elegant appearance than equivalent focus convertible at that time
My Mum had one of these from new on lease in 2010 until 2013, I liked it when it was new when I was 9 years old, by the time it was 2013 and I was 12 I grew to dislike as I was tall and getting into it was always a pain to watch yourself that you wouldn’t bang your head on the roof. I remember sometime from 2011-2013 my Mum had a puncture in one of these at near her work, my Grandad drove down in Good Old, Fantastic Rover 25 to sort it out but there was only tire weld stuff and he had to buy a spare wheel from an Astra or a Vectra for it. But my Grandad kept the spare wheel when he got a 2010 Meriva B after and then a 2015 Vauxhall Mokka and he left that Spare wheel in the Mokka when he traded it in for a 2017 Qashqai two years ago.
always count on a Rover 25 to get you out of trouble!
I had myself an Astra H and a Corsa D , both come without temperature gauge. I liked the turn signal that would blink 3 times for a light touch , or just normal , very useful especially changing lanes. Good review 👍
Probably too late to tell you this now, but you can get a temperature reading from the "secret menu" in Astra H. With the radio on, press the "Settings" button until you hear a beep, then scroll through the secret menu with the "BC" button until you see a screen with two readings for V and T at the bottom. T is coolant temperature. Not something you want to do every time you use the car, but it is handy if you suspect the car is over/under heating!
'Netanyahu' - Adj. The feeling one gets when one wishes to retract the roof of a Vauxhall Astra Twin Top whilst on the move and realises that the boot net has already been deployed in line with the manufacturer's instructions.
This was a great review with lots of details. Of course I wanted to see the folding roof, but since I'm not planning to buy this particular car it's ok.
Thanks for posting this!
Other “folding roof” videos featuring the Astra are available on RUclips - but yes, that’s what we all tuned in to see...
The roof on these aint so bad as people make out, once you understand how they work and the common faults there quiet easy to repair. Its mainly the wiring thats the problem and the winglet cogs.
I had a 2005 elite model with panoramic sunroof and ruise control which I had noticed the two buttons on the end of the left column stalk. The sport mode I agree with your comments. Very good memory of this car.
Most say one of my favourites.
It’s quite a nice looking car, never looked into these before so thanks for making this review
Great video, as usual! I could imagine having one of these as a second car. And thanks for the warning about the roof.
Yes, they are a lot of fun, I am going to miss driving her!
Fantastic review. Much enjoyed thank-you
Thanks very much indeed again for reviewing our Astra, sir!
You are quite welcome!
@@furiousdriving, hopefully I will have another car for you to review soon!
Great review and a rather nice rare car, I agree with you about the design although I prefer the blacked out headlights that features on SXi and SRi models
I personally love this Astra, extremely unique. Too bad GM did not bring this over as the Saturn Astra. 1.8 litre was the only engine available on the US Astra, so acceleration was "leasurely". And I believe the automatic we received was only a four speed.
And yes, The Cascada was sold as a Buick, but I believe it has been discontinued. That was only sold with a 1.6 litre turbo when it really needed the 2.0 turbo the Regal (Insignia) has as standard.
And it does look like the Eos, but better looking, more unique.
Shame, they both needed more power to be good sellers
Even if the roof wasnt electric still like it as a coupe. The mk4 astra coupes were nice too.
The automatic is a 4 speed and there is a temp gauge if you hold the setting button until it beeps it comes up with a temp reading
Hi Matt, great review on this Astra Design,these ain't too bad,never driven one,i think every car has its querks,you don't see many of them.a nice valet and it will look smart.
Desire? Or design? I have too disagree with you mat you dismissed the diesel to quickly I think you need too drive one. I have a 150 cdti and so much torque and economical upto 50mpg. There's so heavy it wheels spins on exceleration when turbo spalls up. Very underrated car and future classic. Not that many on the road. Mine is 6 speed 07 plate
peter amberley I agree... even the 1.8 sounds utterly gutless to me.
Diesels at least have the torque to make them feel a bit more alive.
I also have the 1.9 diesel (the one with a red ti on the back) and it is a phenomenal car. The low-down torque is amazing - I can keep up with modern BMWs etc without changing out of 6th gear. I've had it since 8 months old and it has never let me down. The only downside is that many of the cities around here (Bristol) are going for diesel bans, so the future is bleak.
Ive only driven diesels as my daily cars for at least 15 years now and love them for the reasons you give, but Id not have one in a soft top, unless it was a V6 or Alfa 5 cylinder, but even then it would need to be tuned! Is your 150 in a hard top? If so Id agree its an excellent choice.
@@furiousdriving no it metal roof cabriolet like the one you test drove.i have a clk500 cabriolet so I get where your coming from. But Jump in a new BMW 335d or a 640d cabriolet and test drive that, il await your response 😎
@@grahambray5517 I allways liked vauxhall S you get the usual problems with the egr valve and inlet manifolds but easy too repair.
"You will be hearing from my lawyers promptly."
-Mr D DeMuro
Sure, my address is 1060 West Addison
The folding roof was notorious for not working correctly and getting out of sync. People who bought them liked the idea but rarely used them, the second owner who bought it some years later found that some of the joints were stiff from not being used and once opened was a pig to close with everything lined up. They then went to vauxhall where, if lucky , was the one mechanic who knew how they worked and could fix them. After an examination and quote followed by resusitation the customer would decline and leave having been badly shaken. The car then probably sat around as its hard to sell a convertable that you cannot demonstrate " converts ". My mate at Vauxhall had a black belt in these and was the go to man, but rarely had one to fix. When he retired the dealership just declined to have anything to do with them.
Had one of these when they first come out, always had problems with the roof.
That does seem to be the issue with these, as I mentioned here, this one has just had its roof repaired!
It's the Design trim. I'm not sure the term 'Desire' would suit a 1.8 Astra 😂👍🏻
Vauxhall's are very underrated, great cars in every way! Sad that PSA took over vauxhall
Opel quality went down slowly, but noticeable during the last 30 years. The Opels of this generation are well known for their shit paint quality and electrical problems.
I woudnt say they are underrated. It is what It is.
...this model of the cabrio is a looker...
Three years ago, have i been watching that long!
Even though we don't see too many of these now i think we will see even less when the tax apparently goes up to around £700 a year from April.
I'm actually considering one of these late 00's / early 10's 4-seat hardtop convertibles for my next car to replace my Rover 75, and I do like aspects of this one like the 3-piece roof mechanism and the closed silhouette on this one a lot. Unfortunately, it's still a mid 00's Astra inside and at the front so I associate it instantly with my sister's and her husband's old astra wagon that's falling apart, which is why I'm more considering a facelifted Ford Focus CC or Peugeot 308 CC since they're a bit more exclusive and definitely more rare. If only the Astra Twintops successor the Cascada had a hardtop.
@@lukemallory7832 I do like a Saab, however I think the rear lights on the 9-3 convertible (the latter one since I'm not looking to buy anything pre-2006) look a bit off, they're a bit too large. If I was to get a soft top I'd probably go for an Opel Cascada or BMW 1-series convertible however I live in Southern Finland so a hard top convertible definitely is a safer bet as a year round car. You could do a soft top too, but really I'd need to rent a garage at that point.
Did you finally got one of those if you don't mind me asking? I just got one of these, the 150ps diesel one, and so far seems pretty fine, thus, I'm not planning to keep it for long. Mine came with OPC front bumper and an Irmscher spoiler on the trunk and it looks actually good (also a weird front grill that I'm not too big of a fan, but is not bad either), I guess you can find these options not expensive, along with maybe the black headlights and you won't associate it so much with a standard looking one if that's a problem. I also have a 2006 Focus hatch with the 115ps Ti-VCT and sadly I cannot recommend Ford so much, I like them but they feel so weak, I don't know how they became so well supported it's so far the car more problem has given me and I see is not just me having problems they seem to always have some noise here and there or bad shape interior trim even with low mileage.
Astra H models did have DAB radio, if you had the "Elite" model with CDC40 Opera sound system from 2005 onwards.
Asked you on Sunday if you ever had a cabrio then this crops up. I had a couple of twin tops. I liked them but the roof was temperamental. Even the dealers cringed when i had issues. The later Cascada is my favourite ever car. A cruiser not a bruiser but the bargain of the millenium. Ceased in 2017 and a real looker...
Hi Sid, thanks for joining me on Sunday, I do think its a good looking car but the Cascada was really pretty, shame it didnt get made for long
Indeed the cascada was sold as a Buick in NA and as a Holden in Aus/NZ.
I do like these but I really hate the fact that there is no temperature gauge on these my step dad had a 1.7SRI it went like stink and is still going strong with 250000 miles on the clock. My favourite Astra has to be the Astra G (MK4). Great video as always.
You can get the coolant temperature on these via the secret menu! See my comment above!
Literally just bought the same model car, 2008 1.8 66650mls £1700 new mot and immaculate inside and out. That’s great value for money, I know about all the possible problems and yes not having water temp gauge is annoying so I am going to fit Bluetooth scanner and connect to phone with digital dash view.
That GM 1.8 exhaust note has a gruff sound to it. Very familiar sound, all the way back to the Astra Mk1 GT/E
Is the 1.8 and cambelt or a chain? Reason I ask is I have an astra H coupe with the 1.6 petrol with a cam chain. It's coming up to the ten year interval but it's only don't half the miles!
your right about the info display looking a bit dated and pixelated.............reminds me of a computer in the 80's, which was way behind its rivals!!
A very handsome car, much like the Coupe version of the Mk4 Astra
The next version of the Astra, the Astra J had a Watt's Linkage on the rear torsion beam that transformed the ride and handling. Every Focus I have driven were good to drive but felt like they were made out of a wet paper bag. I was a happy owner of an Astra J until I stupidly wrote it off. They are marvellous cars to have a crash in by the way.
Thats always good to know - there are a couple of cars Im always happy to ride in knowing how well they protect you, interestingly new Minis are very good!
I think the second gen Focus handles very poorly performance-wise. And yes, it feels like it's going to auto disintegrate, and actually kinda does it.
I owned Astra GTC 1.8 on manual gearbox more than 8 years ago, it was a very nice car!
Today I decided to get this one again, but in another form - without roof =D
Just noticed a good car selling nearby, it's in the highest trim and dark grey colour...
Hey, do you remember which RPM you've got on fifth gear and 70-75 mph? From my past experience I always wanted to have 6th gear, RPM on the highway are a bit high. I guess numbers are absolutely the same as on GTC, it would be a wonder if Twin Top have another gear rations or final drive...
Lovely Jubbly.
In New Zealand these were sold as a Holden. We only got the 2.2litre. I think they sold heaps, like about 10 of them
That didnt come up in my research, good to know! We should have had a 2.2 as well but you always got bigger motors!
Sadly, Holden will be expunged by GM next year: Holden didn't help itself. www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/inside-legendary-carmakers-stunning-withdrawal-from-aussie-market/news-story/0d1e17d2d71a8dc34d0dd11adb0be964 www.whichcar.com.au/features/why-it-failed-one-year-on-from-holdens-aussie-factory-closure
The previous generation had the 2.2. Not that great
There is a way of finding the engine temperature. Press and hold settings and on the radio display it will say audio. Then keep holding it for a few seconds more. Then it should come with random gibberish then if you keep scrolling through it will come up with the temp
Thats easy and helpful design..
@@furiousdriving Haha
@@furiousdriving Later 9nes came with a real temp gauge like the fuel one
Thats the same "LCD" display as the vauxhall omega which is over 20 years old now.. Vauxhall love building new cars using 10 year old components "ere bob look what i found box of old nova switches were use them on the new corsa"
I think you can blame GM corporate, penny wise, pound foolish.
it didnt discontinue in 2009!! i own a astra H (caravan) and its from may 21st 2010!
Had a brand spanking one of these in black on a '58' registration. It was alright.
Does anyone know where the replay is situated for the low beam
Does anyone know what the United States variant of this car is? I have seen this car in person (unless it’s just my imagination), but can’t find anything on the internet supporting this. Apparently, Saturn sold the Astra in 2008, but only in the hatchback variant, both 2-door and 4-door. I have never seen one of these hatchbacks, but rather only the convertible. Saturn also sold the ‘Aura’ from 2007-2010, which had nearly identical headlights and taillights, but is said to be directly related to the Opel Vectra, and doesn’t have a convertible variant. I am confused!
The only time the 1.6 noticeably lacks power is going up a steepish hill. And possibly when travelling four-up, which I’ve yet to try. It has decent acceleration around 2000-2500 rpm. Annoyingly the Sport model doesn’t come with the sport button, which only comes with the Design model - go figure....
I've got one now for sale but roof won't go down not sure why
i have a astra 2.2 petrol soft top,its a 52 plate..but id like the newer astra..
I'd love to see you review a mk1 skoda fabia
I have a 55 plate astra elite top of the range and i love it. YOU DIDN'T EVEN TOUCH ON THE COMPUTER LOTS OF THINGS YOU MISSED.
If I start going through the computer it would be a 2 hour video!
Can 3 person sit in back seat? Children allowed to sit in back with open roof ?
I only paid just over £900 for 2009 TwinTop 1.8VVT and it's a superb car!
where
@@bizjakboris UK
I paid £800 for mine, 2008, 62k miles. Fsh. 1 owner. 1.6vvt, its not slow either. Would like to have the 1.8 or an automatic version though
I live in the states and the front end of this car looks like a car we have called a Saturn Aura, the Aura was a 4 door sedan though.
Yes its a GM car sold around the world under different brands
Nice review, can you please review a Tigra now??
I really like this generation of Astra despite it being a Vauxhall. Vauxhalls don't excite me really. It seems the rear headroom is similar to a 1st gen insignia I can't sit in the rear at all. I wonder what it is with vauxhall and a lack of rear headroom?
Not a bad looking car ,but couldn't be do with the messing about with the roof though. It's a good new theme any way, like these monday clips.
They do have a temp gauge, if you know where to look. Press and hold Settings for 5 seconds. Then press BC 3 times and you will get water temp on the digital screen.
phew, at least one of the most vital warning gauges in the car isn't buried awkwardly
@@furiousdriving I think the general feeling is that the average motorist does not need to know. If the temp does rise 15c above normal a warning will come up on the center display indicating to STOP.
I've got a Sport model which seems to be the only one that doesn't have the sport button, bizarre.
Bought it for cheap with low miles, FSH...and a broken roof. Fixed it myself for £50 and a few hours work and research.
No it's definitely not sporty, but any car can be improved by cutting the roof off and I reckon the Astra is pretty good to start with.
I'd still swap it for the XR3i cabriolet I had a few years back mind..
What was wrong with your roof. I bought one £620 69k 08 and they say the roof doesn't work. After watching some videos on RUclips I dare not even try pressing the button 🤣
This car looks like a miniature version of my Pontiac G6 convertible, but I think it's more handsome tbh. The windows even automatically retract a bit during entry and exit. BTW the roof on the G6 is a 2 piece, very much like the original SLK but on a larger scale.
If you buy the optional wind deflector and use it roof down, if effectively renders the rear seats useless, as they can't be used. This is the case for all coupe-cabriolet models with a folding roof, metal or fabric. Also many coupe-cabriolet models are generally limited in the back for rear seat space, on the Peugeot 206/207/208 CC and 306/307/308 CC models, the rear seats are virtually useless as there is barely any useable legroom or space at all for rear passengers. Only the VW Eos has realistic space for four adults.
Not if the EOS had a wind deflector. And the Astra has more space for the rear seat passengers over the smaller VW.
Thank you. I am looking for a fun car and astra convertible is on the list
I have the 150hp diesel. It's not fast. Probably needs a bigger turbo and remapping. Oh and I hate 6 gear setup. You have to change into second at 22 mph and third at 40. I had a Maestro diesel and you could get up to 70 in second gear. I miss that car but it didn't survive the dry stone wall it flew through in the Yorkshire Dales 😅
I just bought one of these today, for not a lot of money. :-) Mine's a turbo though......
Great - a convertible where you darn’t put the roof down for fear of it breaking.
sadly so
Mate is it a 6spd
My mate had twintop black elite lovely motor shame about the shitty roof motors. Regarding windows. There’s a button on the roof to open all the windows
next time find an owner that isn't scared to lower the roof. The roof goes up in 20 seconds
everyone with these is scared to lower the roof
Great video as always Matt! Would you consider a video of your car history? They also released the Astra in North America as the Saturn Astra.
Over the next few weeks Ill do anything I can think of, so yes I probably will! (adds car history to notes)
Nice car, but too much elephant grey in the interior. Did it come with any other colours?
Mk3 cavalier was my last vauxhall i think it was called a diplomat ,great car .... But like my mondeo mk3 petrol to much to change!!!!!!! Great content☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕👍👍👍👍😄😄😄😄
Lots of them were 6 speed. The ones with a turbo
I had an 08 Vectra c with the same engine. It did 170k miles without a problem.
It is a tough motor
Having a 2009 Focus Estate, I will say that it is more "likeable" than the Astra, and the Astra with its simple cheap rear VW Golf-like suspension is not as nice to drive either. But in the details I think the Astra wins in terms of quality. An example could be the electric window winders on the Focus. Reealy cheap without "safety stop" or over load stop, so they sound really cheap when winding the window up you can hear the electrical motor just slowly gives up and you hope the window is properly shut. NO automatic wind up and down either. So you have to keep the fingers on the buttons, really annoying when turning off the car with its windows down. This was so much nicer on my 2001 Corsa.
Rune On most Vauxhalls you can put the electric windows up or down with the key fob. You don’t need the engine running
On the convertible you can use the remote to open and close the roof.
There was a huge PR and counter PR push between Ford and Vauxhall/Opel over _one touch windows_ .
Ford considered them a danger and not a benfit... Who can forget the Tony Bastable demonstration with the apple!?
Simpler times.
@Jay Leno :-) What does that mean? I'm not good at English.
the 1.6 is not 104 its 115 which is the z16xer engine with vvt the one with 104 is the older twinport 1.6 z16xep
Can you do an Astra g hatchback review please?
Im sure we'll to those
Excellent review as always! Reminds me of the Chrysler Sebring Convertible. I used to see those all the time but that style convertible has gone out of style. Any chance you can snag a Cadillac BLS for a review? That's an interesting car we didn't get in the US.
I think people got bored of fixing them! BLS would be good to do, there are alot of American car personal imports here
This BLS Estate (wagon) looks impressive. The problem is GM UK didn't really support them, so you were on your own when the warranty ran out. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cadillac-BLS-T-ELEGANCE/372867588636?hash=item56d0a3e21c:g:F24AAOSwfiNd66zQ
Lovely looking motor, I really have not seen this model before, living in Russia, not to many of these girly motors.......bet it looks good in Black or Tartan ........only joking about the Black!!!....on the serious side, its a bit pants that you are reviewing a convertible without showing her with her top off.....!
how much is asking price
I think its gone now
It was Peugeot who was the first to use tin top I think?
Friend had this car in black nice to drive but as a passenger in thr back for long journey was painful
would you like to review my 2007 peugeot 407 coupe se in blue its a 2.2 16v 6 speed manual petrol and is fully loaded specced with every option apart from the leather dashboard and its in very good condition
Hi, yes, once this is over! email me on bodyintheboot@gmail.com
All about the roof and no operation, how disappointing,!
Sorry, didnt want to go again the owners wishes
I think you are being kind in your comments to the H series Astra I've driven a few of them when I used to deliver cars and I dislike them intensely..very dull and bland and hate the stupid light touch indicator and wiper switches and I would reject the car on that point alone .My message to Vauxhall is look at how the Focus is built and COPY IT
12:15 honk! honk!
Rear seat belts in the middle aren't a "foible", lol. It's because the folding roof prevents the traditional location of the seat belt anchor points. Obviously. 🙄
It's a nice looking car but the hatches are far more versatile. I bought a Astra H SRi 1.9CDTi 150 3 months ago as a commuter hack, for £1k. Absolutely faultless. Had had it remapped to 190bhp and 400nm - a proper, black, stealthy, rapid cheap car and 50mpg!
How much for the re map? Where did you get it done? I'm finding 150bhp slow from 0-70.
@@ciaranbyrne62 MY 1.9CDTI IS MAP TO 190 BHP. IT'S AS FAST AS MY BUDY 2.0 TURBO NOW 0-60 IN 7.9
@@shaun9480 Nice. I'd like that remap. Where did you go and how much? Just got back from Nürburgring I need more power.
5:56 It looks ike the bottom half of the Renault badge.
Ауто камере Србија / Dash cams Serbia no
Would rather get a Astra g gsi turbo
Many don’t know this.. the engine temperature gauge is hidden in the radio setting, press hold the Setting on dash then press scroll several times, a bizarre set up.
So a key read out for the safety of your engine is hidden, as good as in the basement behind a sign saying 'beware of the leopard'?
furiousdriving I know strange, not sure why they took it off the binnacle and concealed it in the menu display, I believe the 2011 onwards J Astra got it back where it should be lol
Clicked to see the roof going down. So im dissapointed
That was an expensive car in Ireland and only bought by the more well off who probably wouldn't have even opened the bonnet. They have mostly disappeared these days. Insurance would be abit loaded I'm sure.
It's OK but you can't beat the ford focus convertible it's miles ahead I know I've got one 😉
is this the special edition leaky roof model? i heard u pay extra for that!,all jokes aside ive seen many of these and tigras with a tarp over the roof
I think its a feature...
A review without taking the roof off is sort of pointless