Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

DarrenH 1989 astra merit D estate

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • DarrenH 1989 astra merit D estate

    I went to view this yesterday just up the road from me, it was being sold by the "trade in" yard of a local dealer. kent registered in our local capital town, history says it was bought new from my closest vx dealer in 1989 buy a guy who lives up the road, sold to a guy 3 mins across town in 1991 who owned till present, randomly i have never seen the car in my life !??



    vauxhall wallet with the original bill of sale and guarantee card, old MOTs from the computerised era. The security pamphlet is hilaious, which basically says its "its got door locks mate"



    arches good, bit of scab but very savable



    sills, excellent !



    front wing return, excellent !



    strut tops, perfect !



    headlight bowls, spotless !



    rear inner arch tubs, bit of scab starting but preventative measures will halt further





    engine type 1699cc, heavy oil! it runs really sweet, no knocks or leaks, when its up to temp not too bad on the diesel rattle. it had a new cam belt 4000 miles ago, but that was in 2005



    interior, smells like a new car !







    wtf is this thing, no tape deck and only MW !!

    Last edited by DarrenH; 22-04-2016, 07:54 PM.

  • #2
    Blimey Darren nice find and a very very clean example. That boot floor doesn't look like anything has ever been placed on it before!!
    Given you say the cambelt was last changed 4000 miles ago but that was in 2005 are you saying that the mileage at 10,000 on the clock is genuine?
    I'm sure you will have endless fun trying to tune the radio in to a decent channel. How times have changed LOL
    Got any plans for this one?

    Comment


    • #3
      Yes, spill.

      Comment


      • #4
        this is basically a shoe in for the white merit. gonna use it for a bit, get the land rover finished, then go a bit "1994 BTCC Rickard Rydell" at a later date

        the history says its been round the clock unfortunately, although as you can see the car belies it. The lions share of those miles are in the first 6 years (dealer book stamped up) and anecdotal evidence says it was garaged for the rest, couple hundred miles a year at best. they must have driven round with cling film on the paint and sitting on a cloud!

        Comment


        • #5
          how do the long ol estates handle compared to the 3 and 5 door models ? ... mega-boat ? or not too bad

          Comment


          • #6
            it feels pretty tight! the rear axle is huge compared to the hatch back. estate doesnt have the rear suspension turrets (presumably to get whole load area square and flat) so chassis rails are wider, spring perches further out. also the fuel tank is behind the rear beam (hatch back is infront) so it might actually be better weight balance than hatchback

            Comment


            • #7
              Very nice Darren, I like it

              Comment


              • #8
                Nice it was the one from the Facebook post seems 2016 is the year of the Estate & van

                Comment


                • #9
                  What a nice looking estate - or CaraVan as they were called over here. Have you driven it enough to be able to calculate the fuel economy? Have you tried driving it at the motorway, I'm curious to know the rev count at cruising speed in a diesel.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    total rust bucket... scrap it already man

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Very nice Darren, I had no idea they still made the three-door estate on the facelift, I thought they died around E-reg or so. Looks in lovely condition too, inside and out (the radio is a DN272 and I haven't seen one in years and years ;-) ). I did actually wonder if it perhaps hadn't gone round the clock given how tidy it is...

                      Do these still have the diesel cold-start knob you have to operate like a manual choke?

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        its all posh now, glow plugs, bosch pump, even has a heater on the diesel filter !

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          spent saturday morning stripping the front brakes, they were binding badly when i drove the car home on friday. like 2nd gear on hills, and not having to press the pedal at junctions at all

                          turned out to be the pistons, so polished them up with 1500 grit paper and silicon grease, all is well there. also spotted offside track rod balljoint boot was shredded so swapped that.

                          CV boots are cracked but not torn, infact that was an advisory for the most recent MOT (2012) and the one before that. ordered a pair, but put it in for MOT regardless, tomorrow 9am !

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Very nice and well looked after, well done in saving it. That must be one of the rarest radios!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              MOT pass! advisory on cv boots as expected.

                              we're motoring !

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X