Bargain fun in the sun - Mk4 Astra Convertible Goes for a Drive

[@al557uk]

This is probably the best Astra ever made. Certainly better than my 20 plate Astra K.

[@ianjenkins4641]

Apart from how hard the seats were. It was like sitting on a park bench!!

[@skimmingstoness]

Astra J is decent in the right engine and Elite trim level

[@paultaylor9652]

I find my Astra K Elite Nav very well built compared to my 63 plate Focus.

[@ozakki8719]

Fully agree. I’ve had every shape Astra since this one and it was all downhill in terms of reliability. The K was a huge step in quality but mine at least was plagued by problem after problem. H Sporthatch was the best looking.

[@kevinnye5132]

Strange Matt this car was never on my radar , can’t really even remember it 🤔, but wow I really like it and the styling is spot on and looks great fun to drive 👍🏻.

[@Elias_Giannakakis-GTI1985]

It is a shame that manufacturers have stopped making cars with character ( cabrio ,convertible etc.) and instead they produce elephants on wheels ( suv ,crossover....) .Thank you furious Driving for reminding us with these beautiful cars!!! Cheers!

[@benlambley7171]

I own a Bertone coupe and love it to bits goes well and handles well

[@kacperstick]

6:47 The front and rear bumpers are Cabrio/Coupe specific. For the Opel version the grille was different too, not sure on the Vauxhall variant. Front headlamps also had the black inserts, unlike regular mk4 astras, but later production cars also got the black inserts.

[@jarlrise]

I had the coupe, and was told the only external parts interchangeable with the standard Astra was the headlights and doorhandles.

[@kacperstick]

@@jarlrise You can swap many external parts to a regular astra, the front bumper mountings are the same across all models. The rear one will only fit the saloon tho. Side skirts can also be installed on all body types, but you get a gap near the rear wheel arch. Opel used the Coupe sideskirts for the OPC performance variant, and with those you got little rear arch extenders to cover the gap.

[@bodybuildingandpaintingana8167]

Super video. Nice looked after car. Love the Becker CD player too. Sign of class from the owner to upgrade to this :)

[@Daz_Stap]

I do love a quality Becker head unit, especially with added Bluetooth streaming.

[@kdri155]

Good looking car with the roof down, we had a Mk 1 Megane convertible which was replaced by 206cc after a couple of acts of vandalism to the hood.

[@robincook3367]

Mk4 Astra came out around the same time as the first Ford Focus. I preferred the Astra to the focus, much sportier to drive.

[@Daz_Stap]

Great video Matt! This car has been such a lot of fun at a bargain price! (Looking through your videos of my cars, I can now see why people ask if I have a preference for Vauxhalls!)

[@furiousdriving]

75% of the videos of your cars have been! You need to buy some others to reduce the % count!

[@andylaauk]

Bertone did also build the mk2 Astra convertible and the mk3.

[@markdoyle6414]

That style of hatch back/coupe style convertible never did it for me but this is an exception. Lovely looking car.

[@gwengo4167]

I had a mk4 1.8 SRi. With and Irmscher factory body kit, spoiler, exhaust and front grill. It was one of the best car I ever owned.

[@paultaylor9652]

Another fine car from Vauxhall, I bet the people who detest them have probably never owned one. The Astra K is much better than my previous Focus which startd to rust at 3 years of age.

[@mournfulmaurice2009]

How often still? My Focus is 7 now with 200000 km on the clock and looks like new without me pampering it. Astra G is a very good gar, but the Focusses are too.

[@SteveMachen-p5q]

Lovely astra love the colour and fantastic condition for its age . Good video

[@seancooke7332]

These are the most beautiful version of the Mk4 Astras which were a car that seems to be Very long lived, I know of at least three local 2001/2002 five doors still on the road. They were current with my 1999 Citroën Xsara 1.9 TurboD which was an amazing car. Sadly the Xsara met its demise thanks to my bad judgement during a downpour/flood combined with Peugeot and Citroën's genius placement of a diesel air intake under the front bumper. Anyway the Mk4 Astra was discontinued 20 years ago and plenty still give reliable service, when did you last see a Citroën Xsara or Mk1 Citroën C4 for that matter?

[@williamwales6619]

Lo again Matt. yer fairly pumpin the vids oot bud. Rag tops in Western Scotland? Not likely. That's why ive never sat in one of these. I had a saloon version for a while. Every one to their own. Thanks for the vid. Excellent commentary. Later .

[@Daz_Stap]

It should be coming to Scotland in a couple of weeks time

[@fhwolthuis]

Still a very pretty car. When I was shopping for a convertible, about 10 years ago, it was just a bit out of reach so I got a Golf 3 cabriolet but this is a lot nicer!

[@maxidyne]

Never was really a fan of the Astra G, but the Convertible and Coupe are very elegant and sporty to look at. And this is one of the few convertibles that looks good with the roof up and down. Nice review Matt!

[@furiousdriving]

thanks, and yes they nailed the design on this!

[@timJones-u8z]

I have 2 of these cars my main one is Bertone 2.2 its convertible too I've owned it 8 years.. It came with private type plate. This year 2024 I spent a fair bit on it so its nearly looking its best.. I actually bought a 2nd Astra Bertone 1.8 in exact same colour but that has broken down.. Love the car. I have 3 other Vauxhalls the Astra twin top convertible 2007 and the Vauxhall Cascada convertible 2013 also have my very favorite Vectra estate this is 2009 last of that car. Cool Video

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

I liked this over the conventional Astra Hatch, a pretty car in a lovely colour. An excellent review as always Matt.

[@joshbrailsford]

The previous Astra Cabriolet was also built in Italy by Bertone.

[@andrewmarriott4033]

We had one for many years certainly one car I regret selling shame I haven’t got a barn like you or it may be residing in it

[@mr-wx3lv]

What a smashing little car. I always did like those. Bang for buck fun motoring. 👍

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

Great looking cars these, the Vauxhall Cascada is worth a look at for a review, too.

[@furiousdriving]

yes, I thought they were great looking cars

[@janpellegrom9649]

I had a mk4 Astra at one point and it was a cracking wee thing! You use to see them everywhere but a rare sight now.

[@chriscringle7740]

My mk3 cabriolet had bertone badge too ,got some nice colours in the mk4

[@seldom_seen_kid]

This took me back. I had a 2001 coupe in silver with red interior. Came fitted with an Irmsher chin spoiler. The dials were white and backlit like something out of Das Boot. My first new brand new car. One of the good ones.

[@DJTMCR]

So I’m looking at the parts shared with my Corsas 🤣 the light switch’s, vents, steering wheel radio display from the Corsa B, the dials look similar to what I had in my Corsa C. Another great video Matt

[@adrianrowden8266]

If you're building different size houses, might as well use the same handles and switches etc.

[@taficegaming]

I love the astra g I had a 2003 1.6 8v active in lightning silver I loved it

[@mustsilm]

I miss this whole segment of cars when you could get a Escort, Astra, Golf etc as a cabrio. Not too fancy to worry when smth goes wrong (scratchmarks or envy people doing some damage), still could have some fun. As a 2nd car for weekends with a loved one straight to the beach or picnic. Not a fan of these coupes to cabrio hard top monsters they/particularly the french started to make mid or late 2000s.

[@tonysargent7787]

Nice car think they did a metal roof version called a twintop Another great video has always matt and family 👍

[@davidrumming4734]

Vauxhall had the barefaced audacity to call that engine an ECOTEC. I am amazed it managed to complete the test drive without breaking down. ….this is based on my experience of owning a MK4 regular Astra hatchback 1.8 petrol back in the day when it was only 3y old with just over 30,000 miles on the clock. Absolute lemon of a car. I had to get rid as it could seldom do a months driving without it developing a major (expensive) fault. My then workplace then went and bought a diesel 1.7 Astra van based on the MK5 Astra…..that was also a lemon! Btw, mine was nearly fully loaded…it had climate control + cruise control. The fuel gauge is clear to read because you need to watch it like a hawk. When the low light comes on…..get petrol immediately.

[@R1CH130]

I absolutely loved my Bertone convertible! I had Titan Gold with the cream leather! The Bumpers are unique to the Bertones btw! Interior options were cloth, with various patterns options, depending on if it was the Coupe or convertible, Cream Leather, Black Leather, Red Leather, Red and Black in the Linea Rosse, Black and Blue (black leather, blue Alcantara) in the SE Coupe, a darker Tan Leather in the Edition 100! Incidentally, I think the one in this video, probably didn’t come with cream leather from the factory, as the grey dash trim, was usually a champagne/beige colour to match the leather, if it had cream. The grey trim usually only came with black cloth, or the other leather options, basically, everything but cream! The edition 100 was black, bar the bottom part around the heater controls etc, which was silver! Mine also had cream carpets, to go with the cream leather. You could also get different roof colours on the convertible. I’ve got a 2009 Twintop now and it’s not a patch on the Bertone! On that note, the Diesel option became available on the Twintop.

[@morgman43]

I had no idea that Bertone folded! When I was a teenager, this car was desirable to me becajuse it had that Bertone badge. Likewise the 406 Coupe because it had the Pininfarina badge. The followups to both cars (the Astra Twin Top and 407 Coupe) were both ill-proportioned and undesirable and ultimately became the end of line for that type of car for both marques. They should have kept using the Italian coachhouses.

[@LeftIsBest001]

The camera shake gave me Parkinson's Disease.... But seriously, I like cabriolets. How about a Ford Focus cabrio next? 😛👍😁

[@tjshill82]

Hi Matt agree with your comments on the seats. You sit on them not in them. Probably my only major complaint about the model if I’m honest. (Bertone Coupe Turbo owner)

[@theyellow8834]

20 year old convertible. Not quite old. But still fresh for age.

[@joshbacon8241]

I remember a boy from my sister's former primary school whom she was friends with in Year 5-6, whose mum used to have one of these Mk4 Astra Convertibles back then. If I remember correctly, the one his mum had had the black interior, but I do know that it was a 2003 (03-reg) model in metallic blue, with the 197hp 2.0-litre turbo engine. 💪

[@KylieBeattie]

I'll give you a laugh I went for a 6:09 drive with my dad to Edinburgh then on my way back home I saw someone in the back of a mini cooper convertible holding a plank of wood haha

[@edsmith1158]

The front and rear lights were slightly different from the hatch/saloon.

[@James-ld2jc]

Nice review. The coupe was a good-looking car. Hard to believe it was an Astra. Used to have a bog standard Mk4 with automatic. Can't remember anything about it!

[@thedeadstig123]

The mk4 Astra was considered a boring design back in the day but compared that to car styling in 2024 its a handsome design

[@KylieBeattie]

I remember a friend I new had a bright blue astra but no door handle think you had to press from mirror and very loud had TV on the back of the headrests the astra growled

[@Jon-bx1ij]

Looks cool.

[@zubzero4493]

Nice car

[@skyll4141]

Always found the interior a bit cheap on them like the solid plastic sun visors. plus it looks like a convertable police panda car

[@jameswarden9136]

Can you please do a review of the Suzuki Wagon R+ or the very similar Vauxhall Agila mk1 :)

[@worldhello1234]

@6:49 I prefer the coupe but most of them seam to be ruined by ricers. Opel or Vauxhall and style usually don't compute but this one is different.

[@johnc9228]

Used to have one of these my self only convertible I've ever owned only sold as it just wasn't practical enough there was a 2.0 turbo version with the coupe but not to sure if they did it with the convertible

[@darrenwilson8042]

at the time we got Vauxhall company cars. They were a hit with a few of my female colleagues sadly they all found issues occurred with the roof

[@KylieBeattie]

I like the 2015 astra gtc

[@daniel-ino]

I always hated this era Opel/vauxhall because they inevitably came in gray over black in Europe with these nasty gray plastic inserts . But I have to say with a few splashes of color it's rather attractive in hindsight

[@anakinskywalker4113]

That’s some serious camera shake there. That would drive me absolutely bonkers. 🤣🤣 also that oil use is absolutely BS. I have customers in Australia with these engines that have none of those issues. Using less than 1/2 litre in 5000-6000 miles between oil changes. Bigger issues are the timing belts & water pumps which are known failures of these cars. You just have to take care of these cars. If they have been run on a budget then forget it they will be a bag bolts & not with scrap value.

[@lesklower7281]

We have these Holden Astra convertibles in Australia but these got the nick name Disastra and they have such a bad reputation as a car this isn't from me car wholesalefs won't touch them and l saw a Holden Astra sell on an online auction for aud $400 because they are terrible there are still a couple floating around but at very cheap prices soon to disappear from Australian roads which is no great loss

[@Jam3sA]

This may be a slightly controversial take, but I preferred the late mk3 interior to the mk4. The mk4 coupé, in turbocharged form at least, was a decent performer though

[@Mirage8v]

As a Calibra owner I feel the coupe is just a Calibra with an ugly Astra G nose and butt grafted on. Having had the 1.8 in my Tigra TwinTop I agree with lack of toque (or power of any kind). It's just kinda lazy. Opel seats are one of the best though.

[@tug1345]

The Mk 4 and Mk 7 were the best Astras

[@chucky2316]

I had a red mk2 gte bertone for a while that was a nice car aswell better than this even

[@jasoncornell1579]

Did u use the tea shelf?

[@furiousdriving]

not this time

[@tug1345]

The 1st Volvo C70 has inboard rear seat belts

[@ianjenkins4641]

So did the E36 convertible

[@tug1345]

@ianjenkins4641 the C70 had inboard rear belts on both the coupe and convertible

[@byronmills5952]

The Peugeot 206 and 307cc also had them fitted.

[@ianjenkins4641]

Holy scuttle shake!!

[@josephprice1210]

Have you tried the punto cabriolet?

[@furiousdriving]

we used to own one! Loved it but traded it for a Barchetta in the end

[@josephprice1210]

@@furiousdriving Ahh very nice! I am intrigued by Barchetta ownership. I currently use my cabrio daily.

[@furiousdriving]

@@josephprice1210 We loved it, the car was great, but the dealer was useless as the hood leaked and they couldnt fix it

[@billgriffiths1685]

Yipee I'm 7th today

[@DanielRut]

How tall are you?

[@tahsin28]

I do not like old economy car interiors; fight me.

[@daniel-ino]

the problem is these were quite expensive at the time

[@petertrinder3127]

I had a 2003 100 edition one 2 owners 38,000 miles I offered for your page but no reply

[@MyManiacGamer]

No coupé or cabriolet should have a diesel engine, take the Alfa GT for example, it should never have been offered with a diesel, imagine starting a lovely car like that up and it sounding like a tractor 🤢

[@Karim9100]

What year was it?

[@Daz_Stap]

Late 2003

[@giulianomarco]

😁👍

[@cosmicsman666]

You cant have fun in the sun in a vauxhall. You have much to learn nerdy bloke. On The mercedes... if you sell all parts off it on ebay you will make a fortune, Then get 550 scrap for the carcass, Its a heavy old thing.. Sun visors and seats go for lots. Youre welcome.

[@Daz_Stap]

I beg to differ, I've had a great deal of fun in this. Bargain motoring through and through.

[@cosmicsman666]

@@Daz_Stap Bargain motoring is one thing, But Bargain shite motoring is another.. Matalan have a sale on for Elasticated trousers if youre interested .

[@Daz_Stap]

@cosmicsman666 sounds good, have you got a link for them? They'll go well with my taupe jumper.

[@cosmicsman666]

@@Daz_Stap And your action slacks.

[@Daz_Stap]

@cosmicsman666 oh no, that would suggest a sports car, not an Astra convertible! 😂