A Grand Monday: Vauxhall Astra Mk4

It’s very much rooted in banger territory right now, but the Mk4 Vauxhall Astra is a car that has a pretty loyal following, thanks in part to its better than average rust resilience and also for its indestructible powertrains - petrol or diesel, all but the high performance Mk4s are pretty hard to kill. 

It’s 21 years since it went on sale, and while it may have looked a little staid at the time, age has been kind to it - it arguably looks less dated than the car that replaced it, thanks in no small part to its unfussy styling. 

This example looks to be in rude health and is barely run-in with just 52,000 on the clock - even in 1.4-litre form, the GM ‘Family 2’ powerplant will cover three or four times that providing that you keep on top of its fondness for consuming oil. They all do that, sir…

At £895, then, this one is twice the price of many examples on the market, but you can tell just from the photos that it’s more than twice the car - the interior is almost spotless and it manages to just sit and look ‘right’ in the way that only a genuinely well-loved and cherished car can. Examples like this need buying and preserving while they still exist…

• Read our Vauxhall Astra Mk4 review and buyer's guide
• How many Vauxhall Astra Mk4 survived? Find out
• Find a Vauxhall Astra Mk4 for sale