Astra – why I think it’s a cabrio steal
Great article on bargain convertibes ( CCW, 5 Ferbruary) – buy why not include my latest love, a Vauxhall Astra Twintop?
Having sold a mildly modified
MG TF 1.8 in 2017 as I had mobility issues after a brain haemorrhage, and selling my Reliant Scimitar GTE last year after 22 years, I had a garage gap and a yearning for a convertible that I can get in and out of.
After viewing a few to ensure access wasn’t an issue and to learn some of their common faults, I decided on an Astra Convertible. Just before Christmas 2019 I purchased a 1.8-litre manual Twintop. Downside? The roof lasted a week before failing to proceed.
I did research and got a load of advice, but it wouldn’t play ball. In the end, I rang a specialist in Manchester – a 130-mile round trip and after two hours’ work I was back home at 2pm with a fully working roof for a lot less than I expected. The brand new pump relays I’d bought turned out to be defective, so the specialist simply took those from his own Twintop and put them in mine.
He told me of lads who manage to buy Twintops for under £500 with nonfunctioning roofs, and then fix them for under £100. Care must be taken to avoid a bent roof mechanism – replacing one costs £600 more than the lower end of values for these cars. ❚ Richard Andrews, via email
We didn’t include the Twintop as values are still on the way down, but we reckon it could have future classic potential - Ed