Wind roar can be intrusive if rubber window seals on body are torn or distorted or door shut lines are disturbed in a crash.Flush-fitting bumpers on Magna provide small protection compared to full-size Verada items especially at rear, so look for poor boot lid repairs.Front overhang and easily disturbed plastic splash shields lead to broken front underbody shields dragging along the road — a common sight on this model. V joints last well providing boots are not split. Check for power steering leaks. Front strut inserts can become noisy with age.Alloy heads and water pump must have fresh coolant. Oil and filter should be changed no later than 10,000 km, otherwise expect rattly hydraulic lifters and worn valve stem seals. Oil consumption will increase without warning in most Mitsubishi V6 engines from around 110,000km as valve stem seals harden, but they are among the few that can be replaced cheaply without removing the heads. Engine can go beyond 300,000km providing owners fix valve stem seals before running out of oil.Big service requires cam belt change and replacement of expensive long-life spark plugs in the back cylinder bank. Check that both have been done if the car has travelled over 100,000 km.V6 manual is best choice for trouble-free long life with its double-synchro first, second and third gears, although clutch may be worn. Early autos had a seal that failed but most will be fixed by now. Early auto also had aggressive adaptive shift with computer that could get tangled for harsh changes. Simple fix is to disconnect battery to reset it.Although engine hardware stayed much the same, improved computer power transformed both V6 engines over this series. The original 8-bit ECU (engine control unit) went to 16-bit in 1999 and is even higher today. The autos had a reprogrammable computer from January 1998; the manual from December 1998, allowing software upgrades to improve performance and economy.Check front brakes for undersize rotors and vibration. Used Opel Astra
