Thoughts on the Saturn astra

One may have fallen in my lap. 08, 5 speed, xr, leather and heated seats, 18 inch wheels, xenon headlights, 92k.

Cheaper than i can find a motor for my mazda for.

Plan is mileage sponge. 200 miles a day, mostly highway. I get reimbursed. .54 a mile at work. Will be cycled out at 200k.

Seems like a no-brainer. I know its due for tune up and timing belt. Drives, runs, and looks better than any of my proteges that cost 3x as much.

What says the hive?

Basically a Chevy Cobalt hatch with a different motor. I'm not sure if the motor was offered in the US in any other GM.

If cheap enough, run it hard.

It will be less than challenge budget.

Seems that the 1.8 ecotec (at least according to Google) was used in the cruze and sonic.

My ex had one from 0-about 60k miles with the auto. The gearing on the auto was absolutely awful, but I have heard the manual makes things much better. Only problem we had was the cam solenoid for the VVT. This is a common failure on the modern GM 4 bangers. They're only like $50 and very easy to replace.

One weird thing with the car is that it didn't kick out the AC pulley during hard acceleration. During scenarios needing every last bit of HP (passing/merging) we'd kick off the AC for a noticeable bump in power.

We ran premium in it all the time for a noticeable bump in mpg, enough that it made up the ~40 cents per gallon price difference. If you look up the ratings for that engine in Europe, it requires premium, but GM listed it for non-premium in the US.

It's a Delta chassis car, so we added the Whiteline rear sway bar for a Cobalt for a nice increase in handling. It uses a different front strut mount than the Cobalt, so you can't just use struts from one.

I always wanted to get the tune that was available for this engine that added roughly 30 HP in the lower RPM (2500-3500) where I always felt the car was lacking.

I do remember some difficulty sourcing a replacement rear wiper blade. Perhaps that has now been addressed by the aftermarket.

All in all, I'd own another as long as it was a manual.

Dusterbd13 wrote: It will be less than challenge budget. Seems that the 1.8 ecotec (at least according to Google) was used in the cruze and sonic.

It is a slightly different 1.8, with the code Z18XER. GM changed the PCM and other electronics for the Cruze LUW/LWE.

I just recalled that the coil pack was fairly expensive to replace as well, being in the $400 range. Keep in mind, my information is now about 4 years out of date.

One last comment, the headlights are projectors that take typical halogen bulbs, not xenons.

This would be about the time I would go out to Rock Auto and review availability for common items and things you think it might need.

Did that before even posting. All common service parts are readily available either at the flaps, rocauto, or Amazon. Except front struts. Haven't seen them yet.

Edit: rocauto has them.

So pretty much im over thinking this, right?

In all my Google binging, im coming up with what sounds like normal car problems. Coils, ac compressors, window motors. No horror stories or anything except for people who didn't change the timing belt.

Its a gm. It really can't be that good, can it?

Sure it can: it's an Opel, and Peugeot liked it so much they bought the company!

Be warned, if you need to take it to a GM dealership for any programming of any sort, they may not be able to do anything with it. The Astra required some weird programming procedures and even a weird setup on a scan tool (you had to have a Tech II with a special cartridge and the CANDi module removed from the cable). Our dealership won't really touch them anymore because we don't have some of the special tools or even a scan tool that works on them, and it's not worth it to buy the stuff because they're a bit rare.

What kind of things would require that

Any modules being replaced. Any diagnostic issues that require more than a basic code reader. I know programming new key fobs requires a Tech II and even then, the process is really screwy.

So, it sounds like drive it for 100k miles, then when a module breaks, either toss in trash or LS swap.

Robbie wrote: So, it sounds like drive it for 100k miles, then when a module breaks, either toss in trash or LS swap.

And after looking for modules and a few other more necessary, but less common parts, think im going to have to pass on this thing. Seems like for my purposes, and having to find parts at mail order, it would be less than ideal. Mazda, ford, mopar, honda, toyota is where my needs would bets be met.