What are the rules the govern picking cars up with no mot or tax?
You need to trailer it.
I've seen an Astra GTE...
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The older Astra are truly *TERRIBLE* cars ! Open your eyes - there are infinate numbers of better cars in the class. And what's more, that piffling underpowered Astra will cost you a bucketload to insure.
If you want a small hatch, then you want a Focus. If you want a bit of poke then look at the ST170. If you just want something average, then look at the
2.0 - hell, even the poverty-spec 1.8 prolly makes more power than that Astra (can't be bothered to check) !
If money's tight, then go back a generation - look at a Pug 306 for example.
2.0 8v lump in the XSi is nice enough, or there are the 155bhp S16 and
167bhp GTi-6 if you don't want something underpowered.
Old Fords and Vauxhalls aren't to be touched with a barge-bole !!!!