Not entirely sure you chaps would consider this retro, but from when I bought it in 2009 to now I just don't see them any more. I've been floating around for a while and signed up a while back, took some time to remember what email account I had used to sign up 
Anyway, she is a 1994 Mk3 Vauxhall Astra Merit, absolutely boggo basic (no PAS, Rev counter etc). Bought in a hurry after some roundabout hijinx resulted in a rather bent Sierra (my own fault, thought I was a drifting God at 18, then really bent it on a high kerb and realised I was a complete asshat). Anyway, 1 lady owner from new, 90k on the clock, one caved in side but 12 months ticket for £300. This is how it looked the day after I bought it, after getting some Wolfrace Voodoos from a friend
This didn't last long, and a few months later it had a full GSI kit on the outside, and some 17's added. I'd never lowered a car at this point and was too scared to start messing however my bro bought me some -60mm springs, and told me not to be daft and so that got done, along with spending a whole weekend ripping out the entire interior to change it from disability badge blue to black, along with GSI seats. Apart from the odd wheel change it stayed like this until I happened upon some original GSI fanblade alloys and tried to go with an OEM theme, then a kind of rally theme due to where I was working at the time being over run with badgers and hitting at least two a week
Anyway I digress. By 2015 it was really starting to get tatty and generally tired, I had put 60k on it at this point with just regular servicing, and had not encountered one single breakdown. She's been to both ends of the country several times tat hauling for friends (most notably a v6 engine which fell over in the boot, and emptied all its oil through the boot floor bung) so whoever followed me down the m6 that day I apologise profusely. Even managing a 13 miles dash in 10 mins the day my daughter was born, and bringing her home again. Lots of brilliant memories in this car that far outweigh its tiny money value. Anyway after the birth of said offspring, it was time to get a car with 4 doors which is when the unhealthy and frankly ridiculous fascination with Vectras started, and this got laid up on my grandads drive for over a year...
Then a rather large change in circumstances happened which meant selling the daily Vectra for a house deposit, so the Astra needed recommissioning. 2 lower arms, droplinks, top mounts, exhaust (kudos to friend for making me one), and a change in wheels sees it as it was until New Year's Day when she let me down for the first time...
Although I do look after it she's no show queen and does get taken wherever I feel like taking her sometimes, also started to try an early 90's theme here with the venoms, and orange indicators
Anyway after getting home life sorted to a degree she's been a kind of emergency backup, and last October the daily Vectra shat it's water pump, so she was pressed back into it again. However New Year's Day I was taking the daughter to grans, and coming down a not inconsiderable hill there was a complete and total failure of the braking system, pedal to the floor. So after managing to pull up safely, the daughter was walked the rest of the way and I went back to have the car recovered home, and she's been there since
. Being a single full time dad I only tend to get the light evenings to work on cars so hopefully there will be some progress soon, it had new pads/discs last MOT so before it sees the road again it will have new rear shoes, cylinders, master cylinder and brake lines. Also now I can get insurance on a classic basis, I really think it's time the 170k 1.4 was retired now, it's just so tired but don't want to go the normal red top/Saab turbo or v6 route so still not sure there either.
Anyhow, let me know what you guys and girls think, I know she's a shed but she's become part of the family now
Anyway, she is a 1994 Mk3 Vauxhall Astra Merit, absolutely boggo basic (no PAS, Rev counter etc). Bought in a hurry after some roundabout hijinx resulted in a rather bent Sierra (my own fault, thought I was a drifting God at 18, then really bent it on a high kerb and realised I was a complete asshat). Anyway, 1 lady owner from new, 90k on the clock, one caved in side but 12 months ticket for £300. This is how it looked the day after I bought it, after getting some Wolfrace Voodoos from a friend
This didn't last long, and a few months later it had a full GSI kit on the outside, and some 17's added. I'd never lowered a car at this point and was too scared to start messing however my bro bought me some -60mm springs, and told me not to be daft and so that got done, along with spending a whole weekend ripping out the entire interior to change it from disability badge blue to black, along with GSI seats. Apart from the odd wheel change it stayed like this until I happened upon some original GSI fanblade alloys and tried to go with an OEM theme, then a kind of rally theme due to where I was working at the time being over run with badgers and hitting at least two a week
Anyway I digress. By 2015 it was really starting to get tatty and generally tired, I had put 60k on it at this point with just regular servicing, and had not encountered one single breakdown. She's been to both ends of the country several times tat hauling for friends (most notably a v6 engine which fell over in the boot, and emptied all its oil through the boot floor bung) so whoever followed me down the m6 that day I apologise profusely. Even managing a 13 miles dash in 10 mins the day my daughter was born, and bringing her home again. Lots of brilliant memories in this car that far outweigh its tiny money value. Anyway after the birth of said offspring, it was time to get a car with 4 doors which is when the unhealthy and frankly ridiculous fascination with Vectras started, and this got laid up on my grandads drive for over a year...
Then a rather large change in circumstances happened which meant selling the daily Vectra for a house deposit, so the Astra needed recommissioning. 2 lower arms, droplinks, top mounts, exhaust (kudos to friend for making me one), and a change in wheels sees it as it was until New Year's Day when she let me down for the first time...
Although I do look after it she's no show queen and does get taken wherever I feel like taking her sometimes, also started to try an early 90's theme here with the venoms, and orange indicators
Anyway after getting home life sorted to a degree she's been a kind of emergency backup, and last October the daily Vectra shat it's water pump, so she was pressed back into it again. However New Year's Day I was taking the daughter to grans, and coming down a not inconsiderable hill there was a complete and total failure of the braking system, pedal to the floor. So after managing to pull up safely, the daughter was walked the rest of the way and I went back to have the car recovered home, and she's been there since
. Being a single full time dad I only tend to get the light evenings to work on cars so hopefully there will be some progress soon, it had new pads/discs last MOT so before it sees the road again it will have new rear shoes, cylinders, master cylinder and brake lines. Also now I can get insurance on a classic basis, I really think it's time the 170k 1.4 was retired now, it's just so tired but don't want to go the normal red top/Saab turbo or v6 route so still not sure there either.Anyhow, let me know what you guys and girls think, I know she's a shed but she's become part of the family now
but not the end of the world. So by this point I'd taken the rear interior out and and decided to remove the front as well, give it a dam good clean. Really wish I hadn't.
I've ordered a tool to pull the pins, last time I mullered them with Mole grips and a hammer, bought new ones of them as well.
