By Matt Bird \/ Monday, 6 November 2023 \/ Loading comments<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s be grateful for the car carers. Those people who cherish and dote on their vehicles, even if they aren\u2019t exactly bonafide classics worth enough to retire on. In recent years it\u2019s become all too easy to part with old cars and switch them for newer, shinier ones; some iffy old-school build quality won\u2019t have helped survival rates, either. While it has brought benefits for many, it\u2019s hard not to bemoan the chronic lack of variety now on our roads in regular use. Even to an eagle-eyed enthusiast, everything can feel quite samey. <\/p>\n
Which is why this Mk3 Astra GSI is such a great find. They\u2019re never, ever seen nowadays, and it\u2019s hard not to raise a smile at red 16v badges, a twin exhaust and racily pinstriped upholstery – the old hot hatch hallmarks are present and correct. By rights, it really shouldn\u2019t have survived all this long; even by the less-than-stellar standards of the early 1990s, this wasn\u2019t a class leader. Moreover, this is a 1.8-litre GSI, introduced after the more powerful 2.0-litre red top – presumably because it was a more insurance-friendly way to get the handsome GSI look at a time when joy riding almost killed off the hot hatch entirely.<\/p>\n
Despite all that might have ended the GSI – there will have been many years when it was down to Shed money, too – it\u2019s still here 30 years after first registration. With just 70,000 miles, too. And, most importantly, it looks terrific. We\u2019re used to saying cars have been lavished with love and affection over the years, but this old Vauxhall really seems a very special one indeed.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s inevitably a bit of wear (let\u2019s hope the headliner is repairable), though it all seems commensurate with considered, careful use. The exterior in particular is superb, with wheels and paint in fantastic order. It\u2019s hard to stop going through the pictures again and again, because here\u2019s the first GSI for sale on PH in yonks – and a belter to boot. <\/p>\n
Even more encouragingly, the ad states it\u2019s had a lot of parts recently renewed, which should mean less to do for the next owner. The work included a cambelt, water pump, springs, dampers, brake pads, discs and lines – a chunky spend, surely. That\u2019s on top of a comprehensive service history, lots of receipts and the original GSI brochure. They just really don\u2019t come up like this any longer. <\/p>\n
Like so many of the hot hatches, saloons and sports cars that were once quite common and are now never seen, the Astra must be one a few will regret selling on for a grand not long ago. Nobody could’ve imagined the days of a \u00a315k GSI, yet here we are. Whether it\u2019s worth that will probably depend on how fond your memory of the 1990s and old Vauxhall Astras is. But whoever you are and whatever you pay, please keep this GSI as good as it is now – we need survivors like this to be bringing a smile for years to come. <\/p>\n