Opel's Not-So-Excellent Transatlantic Adventure

"Blake Noble" (no-bull) 02/23/2014 at 09:18 • Filed to: Obscure Car History

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In under eight years, I've owned more than a dozen cars and trucks. While I know that sounds like an absurd statement to some folks, at the end of the day I can say with an honest smile on my face it was worth whatever amount of money was spent to have owned so many interesting and less-than-interesting vehicles. Somewhere down on that mixed-bag list of purchases, after the wheezing Olds 307-powered Buick Grand National clone and the disco-bumper Chevy Camaro whose interior resided mostly in the trunk, is a blue Saturn Astra hatchback.

Maybe I'm just a bit tipsy from nostalgia, but I don't feel that my Saturn Astra was a car any less interesting than those two malaise-era V8 D-average derelicts. I still think its probably the best looking three-door hatchback to have ever been sold in the United States and it was certainly miles ahead of its "gimme my Skoal and Wranglers, these colors don't run dammit, pass me another Miller" Bowtie-branded cousin, the Chevy Cobalt.

It's also been the rarest production vehicle I've driven on a daily basis — with less than 19,000 Astras sold in North America before the Saturn brand went bust during parent company General Motors' bankruptcy late last decade, you're more likely to see a Porsche Boxster hogging up space during rush hour than this particular compact car. Ford, comparatively, had an easier time selling Merkur XR-whateverthefucks back in the '80s than GM did selling Astras back in the late '00s.

You know, thinking about it, that's exactly what the Astra was; GM's version of the Merkur. Like the Merkur, the Saturn Astra is a car that can be credited to everyone's favorite auto executive and bomber plane enthusiast, Mr. Bob Lutz. Both cars were also captive imports — meaning that you basically play the whole "if you can't beat em, steal their product and quietly change the name" card — sourced from the country that kept David Hasselhoff's career afloat after Pamela Anderson left Baywatch to dominate the amateur porn industry. When you stripped away the pretentious badges, the Merkur was actually a Ford Sierra built by Ford Europe based in Cologne, Germany and the Saturn was a NHTSA compliant version of the Opel Astra built by GM Europe subsidiary Adam Opel AG based in Rüsselsheim, Germany.

But unlike the Merkur, the Astra wasn't the first time GM had attempted to offer its European designs a full-time position Stateside for everything to end in a frustrated hangover.

Back in the 1950s, the unexpected rapid growth of Volkswagen in North America was a cause for concern at General Motors. Worried the tiny air-cooled Beetle and Type 2 Microbus would eat into its marketshare because their only offerings included fifty billion flavors of the big-sized Bel Air and a pickup truck, the Detroit auto giant was quick to move and decided a preemptive strike was in order.

It was out of this bout of paranoia the Chevrolet Corvair and two !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! were developed. But just a few short years before the Corvair's debut, GM also introduced its successful line of Opel cars from Germany through Buick dealerships in order to effectively combat VW's clattering ass-engined blitzkrieg. And while the Corvair would soon meet its fate at the hands of a greasy lawyer from Connecticut, Opel would prove itself to be a small sales success for the General and a popular brand with import buyers. GM's marketshare was safe, if only for a brief moment of time.

That success, however, would also prove to be short lived. While buyers in the late '60s and early '70s especially were fond of their Opel GTs and its Shrinky-Dinked Corvette styling, and the later Manta that looked like a muscle car if you had cataracts and squinted a lot, they turned on Opel on a dime when prices somehow began escalating. Thanks to an exchange rate between the dollar and the Deutsche Mark that was favorable second only to a lobotomy, by 1975 the price of Opel's bargain-bin Chevelle wannabe had risen above the Chevrolet Nova-based Buick Apollo with which it shared a showroom. Obviously, your typical import buyer wasn't going to be conned into buying a feckless white-walled lie with a Landau top, so they became early adopters of the cheaper Japanese brands that would succeed where Volkswagen failed in taking GM's lunch money a few decades later.

It didn't take long at all for GM itself to turn on Opel, declining to ship any more of them over the Atlantic and instead choosing to stand outside of every Toyota, Datsun, and Honda buyer's window with a cranked boombox playing Peter Gabriel. As a result, in 1976,the General launched what has to be the most confused vehicle ever sold in America — the Buick Opel by Isuzu.

Yes, that was its actual name.

The Buick Opel by Isuzu was a Buick for reasons I'm not entirely sure, an Opel by technicality, and pretty much all Isuzu (since GM owned a major share in the Japanese automaker at that time). What the Buic— the Mutt actually was after you cut away the marketing and PR bullshit was an Isuzu Gemini, which itself was cobbled together in Japan from an Opel bodyshell and a few underpowered Isuzu engines. GM thought the Mutt would be the end-all, be-all import car. They tried capitalizing on its cheaper price, Japanese workmanship and German-sourced name to woo back the import buyers they had lost, and tried pitching Buick's dealer network to fair-weather domestic buyers only for the whole thing to end up flat on its ass. Because the Mutt was a dismal failure, all traces of the Opel name vanished from American soil in 1980.

... Except, GM is a glutton for punishment, so not really. Okay, okay, look, I know you probably want to go back to scanning the unmanned corners of YouTube again, but hang in there just a little bit longer and I promise you'll be able to go back to your epic quest for nipple slips and cat videos in just a moment.

Even though Opel had been deported, the biggest of the Big Three still kept in touch. Starting in the late 90s, GM repeatedly brought over various Opel cars in an effort to fill gaping holes in the corporate portfolio. The first failed experiment conducted in 1997 involved bringing over the Omega flagship sedan and positioning it at the bottom of Cadillac's line-up so that the emaciated luxury brand could throw a weak punch at the knees of the BMW 3-Series with something other than a Cavalier with a bicycle mustache wearing a cheap imitation Armani suit. Three years after the Omega-cum-Cadillac Catera began rolling up at Floridian golf courses and rural bingo halls, GM covered Opel's Vectra family sedan in body panels made from melted down Tupperware and two-liter Coke bottles and rechristened it the Saturn L-Series.

While it wasn't a runaway hit, it's the L-Series that sparked the relationship between Opel and Saturn that would eventually culminate in the German automaker taking the "different kind of car company" over. The 2007 Aura, which was a Pontiac G6 that Opel reconstituted to actually look like a Vectra, was the first under ripe fruit harvested at the new Saturn. After the Aura came the second-generation Vue, which was an Opel Antara with an interior crafted in a cement factory. There was also the Sky roadster, which heralded the revival of the Opel GT in Europe and its "Vette for peasants" spirit.

That all leads us back to the Astra, which followed the introduction of the Sky, and signaled Opel's full return to American shores. And while its US revival was ultimately short-lived yet again, Opel didn't just leave for home this time around. In a fit of irony, the car that was intended to be the next-generation Saturn Aura — the Opel Insignia — wound up in Buick showrooms wearing Regal badges. And if it, the Verano (an Astra sedan), and the Encore (an Opel Mokka) are any indication, Opel will be building more of our Buicks in years to come. Whether or not that means long-term success for both the Buick brand and Opel considering the latter's track record, I can't really say.

For some European automakers, crossing the Atlantic has been an easy process. Some of them have even woven themselves into our own pop culture, as is the case with the car that brought Opel to our shores in the first place — the VW Beetle. But in Opel's case, it has never quite found that level of acceptance and love here, instead being treated like that one kid in high school who was always friendly and tried to invite everyone over to that amazing house party he was going to have while his parents were away, only to wind up hanging out with two of his loser friends and a VHS copy of Hell on Heels, worrying about how to explain to his father how he wound up with a $100 dollar beer tab. That kid deserved a chance. He never tried too hard to fit in, he just wanted a few more friends to hang out with. You know, as long as Opels will be Buicks in the future, maybe we should reconsider showing up to that party this time around.

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anonsagainstanonymous > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 10:09

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Wow, I actually didn't know about the Buick Opel by Isuzu, and I consider myself well versed in Opel lore.

It's based on the Kadett C and holy hell those coupés are handsome. The Kadett also came as two door sedan, four door sedan, three door wagon, pickup truck, hatchback and targa top.

The problem with Opel is that most of the things they do are half arsed. Sometimes it's their own fault, other times it's GM telling them to make a car this and this way so it won't interfer with their main american cars' market.

Blake Noble > anonsagainstanonymous 02/23/2014 at 10:26

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The Kadett was available as a pickup? Now that's something I didn't know.

*goes to Google*

Huh. Now that's sort of neat.

anonsagainstanonymous > anonsagainstanonymous 02/23/2014 at 10:30

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A good standard of GM's ”meh” attitude towards Opel must be the Cadillac Catera. The Omega was introduced in 1994 and at that time, deplorable engine choices aside, I'd venture as far as to say it was ahead of it's time.

Fast forward to 1999(?). The Omega had become old, aged by its mid nineties design and betrayed by the rapidly changing market for executive cars (sluggish, big comfortable cars just didn't have a future among the Audis and BMWs of the time). Now was the time to import it to America. Brilliant. ”And make sure we use the old design from 1994 in our marketing campaigns instead of the facelifted one that will hit the market” the PR gods at GM HQ proclaimed.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 10:48

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I thought that the Corvette itself was for peasants.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 10:59

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Yup, at least here in Brazil. It was called Chevy 500 and it was basically a Chevette with a bed. Small car based pickups have been popular in Brazil for decades, though now they're most sought after by the "xuning" crowd, which are basically ricers, but with more underglow and speakers...

smackela--extra-wagonated > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 02/23/2014 at 11:16

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Right, but read carefully—the Opel GT was the Corvette for pheasants .

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > smackela--extra-wagonated 02/23/2014 at 11:19

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Hadn't noticed, good eye.

Blake Noble > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion 02/23/2014 at 11:26

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I'm almost afraid to ask, but ... pics, please?

Aldairion > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 11:45

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I am absolutely taken by the Regal GS. I think it's a fantastic looking car, it's quite unique and unconventional, and I've been hunting one down to test-drive so I can see whether it's still worth lusting after. I really want to make it my next car.

Blake Noble > Aldairion 02/23/2014 at 11:47

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I quite like the Regal GS myself. I mean, I still wish GM would've offered it with all-wheel drive like the Insginia OPC, but hey, if that's all I can complain about, then that's minor.

Maxxuman > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 11:49

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Daddy?

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 11:53

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Sure thing. This one's a VW Saveiro, probably the most popular pick up among the xuning crowd

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 11:55

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And another

anonsagainstanonymous > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 11:56

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My memory must have been a bit corrupted. It wasn't available as a Kadett C pickup from Opel, but rather as the Saehan(later Daewoo) Max in Korea.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 11:58

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And a Chevrolet Corsa based Montana, a spiritual successor of sorts to the old Chevy 500

Brazilian modding at its best :/

Scrape > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 12:04

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Good read. I looked an Astra 5 door when they were new and when GM was sort of having it's fire sale. It was still overpriced. The issue comes as the Astra was built in Belgium for the US market in what is GM's most expensive plant labor-wise. And as anybody with more than $50 in the bank will tell you, you can't make decent profit on a small car when you build it in your most expensive plant. Such was the deal with the Astra. Saturn's "no haggle" policy also led to the downfall, as the sticker on these was REALLY high for the level of stuff, and the Spartan euro-centric interior did not feel like it was worth it...but Saturn dealer's could not do anything about the price, so they rotted on the lots. Let alone that Saturn also had crap-tonnes of unsold new Ions when the Astra came over that were better equipped and were less money...and they STILL could not sell them.

A few corrections. The Sky/Opel GT/Pontiac Solstice was a fully American car that did not share a platform with anything from Opel. They were only built in Delware (now the famous Fisker plant) and exported to Europe. As well, the Buick Verano is not a true Opel either. It is based on GMs Delta II platform from the Chevy Cruze, which is a Korean (Daewoo) developed platform. In fact, the Verano's twin is actually the Chinese produced Buick Excelle GT. The platform also underpins the Astra, as well as the Cruze, and the Chevy Orlando and the European Zafira Tourer.

Maxaxle > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 12:25

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...I thought they were a domestic brand for some reason.

Jared Glentz > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 12:45

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my opel! (not my pantera):(

tapzz > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 12:45

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Fair or not, Opel (and Vauxhall) don't have that much more brand equity here in Europe either. They're forever trying to escape a beige, dull and cautious image.

Except for the Manta: that poor thing is the very definition of boneheaded, be-mulleted vulgarity across most of Northern Europe.

jthj > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 12:56

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I almost bought an Astra but bought a VW Rabbit instead. Considering the resale value of the Rabbit after 5 years when I traded it for a Focus ST I think I made the right choice.

Carlos Silva > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 13:05

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Opel in europe has some good cars, but they go to far in their R&D, whats results in lost money.

Personally i own a 1996 Opel tigra and i love the looks of the car. In the same time there was the opel calibra, a sports sedan that was the mos aerodynamic car for some years (o,26). the new astras hatcbacks, especialy the gtc and opc versions are quite good and good looking too

duurtlang > Scrape 02/23/2014 at 13:08

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About your Verano correction; as far as I know, and I'm quite but not 100% sure, the GM Delta II platform was designed by Opel in Germany and not by Daewoo in South Korea. The introduction of the Cruze (2008) does predate the Astra J (2009) by a year, but that in itself doesn't say much about the origin of the platform. The Verano and Excelle GT are mostly slightly reworked Opel Astras. The vast majority of recent FWD-biased GM engineering comes from Opel anyway. The big exception is the Spark if I recall correctly, that's mostly South Korean in origin.

Clutch > Scrape 02/23/2014 at 13:23

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Hmmmm. I've seen "Delta II by Daewoo" comments before, yet Wikipedia says it was developed by Opel in Germany. Puzzled.

urdum > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 13:31

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Um, they do.

http://www.tflcar.com/2014/02/first-…

CALUSA > Aldairion 02/23/2014 at 13:41

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But it doesn't look like a Buick AT ALL.

CALUSA > tapzz 02/23/2014 at 13:43

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Dull?

CALUSA > Maxaxle 02/23/2014 at 13:45

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They were/ are also very big in the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK I thought.

RoadToad > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 13:49

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Luxus, Lexus.. -BOOM-

Bueller > Carlos Silva 02/23/2014 at 14:14

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I really dug the Calibra, a sort of 90s' Manta, which I dug too, much to the chagrin of some German colleagues.

Aldairion > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 14:15

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If it had the Insignia OPC's drivetrain (2.8 liter turbocharged V-6, all-wheel-drive, six speed manual) I'd jump at one without question, but I think that would make it closer to $45,000 - $50,000 car...which seems like too much for a Buick.

Scrape > Clutch 02/23/2014 at 15:40

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If you look at the Chevy Cruze entry, the platform was developed mostly by Daewoo with some of from Opel in Germany. Most of it was done by Daewoo. It is their global platform, so it is likely that bits and pieces were done all over the place for different market needs. Wikipedia was not the only reference I recall seeing for this platform, so the Delta II entry is not entirely correct.

flyingstitch > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 15:46

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When I was a kid, by far the most interesting dealership in town was the Buick-Opel-Mercedes store.

frontiersoundtrack > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 16:04

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A few corrections...

The L-Series floorpan, chassis and powertrains were the basis for THETA, the platform the first and the second gen VUE is built on. THETA is also what underpins multiple generations of Equinox, the Terrain, Suzuki XL7, the Antara and some crappy korean version. The first gen VUE was a Saturn inhouse design. Aside from the japanese sourced CVT(junk), its a solid, reliable vehicle that will not rust. Interior is cheap...but the second gen VUE had as nice an interior as any of the modern small utes.

The SKY did run on a home grown platform, but the shape, the styling was from the Vauxhall VX Lightning. All Vauxhalls these days are nothing but re badged Opels and the occasional Australian sedan.

Ready for one more Saturn / Opel connection? The original Saturn SC Coupe, nice little car- very light, good performer for the day, bears styling cues from the late 60s Opel GT.

Saturns and Opels are much better cars than the public, much less the Jalops, give them credit for being. I've owned an Opel GT, a Saturn SC, and a vue.

nigelastydameiaburn5 > Jared Glentz 02/23/2014 at 16:20

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I had a '74 Manta as my first car (red, with same hubcaps as yours). It was automatic, sadly (so my mom could drive it if she had to) and wouldn't start once in a while (but wait 15 minutes and it would!). Loved that thing, nice lines, and that very Bavarian face. Yours makes me miss it!

Jared Glentz > nigelastydameiaburn5 02/23/2014 at 16:47

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unfortunately mine is auto as well.

MN > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 17:02

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I'd love to have a new 74 or so Manta....even though in wrecks the things were death traps.

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > Jared Glentz 02/23/2014 at 17:27

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we're prepping a manta for lemons, I kind of want one to restore the more I work on it

Jared Glentz > itranthelasttimeiparkedit 02/23/2014 at 17:32

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swap out the 1.9 for a 2.0 out of a solstice gxp/sky red line! then u'd win ioe and 1st place at the same time!

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > Jared Glentz 02/23/2014 at 17:48

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pfffft there'd be so many BS laps it wouldn't even be funny

Hollywood Kold > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 17:53

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There is a old guy down the street from here daily drives his Opel to the country club.

scot > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 18:10

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~ Hhhmmm....... if i had to pick just one GM-tagged Opel derivative......... ???

. how about this ?

Stefus > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 18:32

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This kid I knew in high school had an Opel GT(?) under a tarp in his yard. I don't think I've ever seen it on the road though, it's a shame, good looking car.

vc-10 > tapzz 02/23/2014 at 18:41

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Top Gear's current 'Reasonably Priced Car' is a Vauxhall Astra.

Says it all really.

scot > scot 02/23/2014 at 18:50

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Frankenbike666 > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 20:43

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I'd be interested if they just made them exactly like the European Opels. They don't.

OkieRed48 > nigelastydameiaburn5 02/23/2014 at 21:01

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I had a white '75 with a red interior and a 4 speed, and it was, and remains, my favorite car. The seats, the steering, and the suspension (after I installed Bilstein shocks) were outstanding for the time period. I still miss that car.

Blake Noble > Jared Glentz 02/23/2014 at 21:48

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Sweet! I'd ask you how much you'd want for the Manta, but you'd probably want to hang on to it. It is all original?

Blake Noble > Hollywood Kold 02/23/2014 at 21:51

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That old dude knows what's up.

Blake Noble > urdum 02/23/2014 at 21:59

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Ah! I had completely forgotten they made all-wheel drive an option for 2014.

Well, I guess I just can't complain about the Regal at all then.

LocalSP > anonsagainstanonymous 02/23/2014 at 22:27

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As someone who worked on Opels many years ago and was there for the change from German to Japanese the best of the bunch was the 1969 Opel Rally with the 1.9 liter. Light car and fun to drive. The GT wasn't to bad but it was a pain to work on.

Jared Glentz > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 22:55

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i rolled it over to 28,000 miles so yes all original. only thing not are the 2 front tires, the fan belt, the brake pads on the front right, a brake line, and the radio(but i have a original replacement to put in come spring, oh and i ditched the solex in favor of a weber! everything is for sale.....just takes the right amount:P

Blake Noble > Jared Glentz 02/23/2014 at 23:20

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Even the two back tires are original? Holy shit. Where'd you find that gem? Seriously. I've scoured my local CG in search of an Opel like yours and all I've managed to dig up are the remains of a 1900 wagon and a GT without a title.

Right now, I have not-that-many thousands of dollars in cash. And a box full of diecast cars. And some pocket lint. If that's not enough, I'll even throw in the shirt off my back. It's new. In fact, I just bought it tonight. :-P

Jared Glentz > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 23:45

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lol i found it on craigslist. a retired dealer acquired it from the original owners and never resold it, not even after he quit selling cars. well due to health issues he decided to toss it up on CL in 2011 and i bought it on a whim lol i was just BSing on cl when i saw it and was like well i dont do foreign cars buuuuuuut its still GM so i bought it.i trailered it home got out the old weedkiller put new gas in and got the brakes to mostly work and immediantly went on a 500+ mile roadtrip to a car show......which was a huge mistake.....made it there and back by the skin of my teeth! man was that a story.... but anywho worked out most the kinks with the only problem now is last fall the fuel line plugged and this time i couldnt unplug it so come spring i will have to replace the fuel line. i put a little over 3,000 miles on it over the last two summers.

Mirror Universe Stig > Blake Noble 02/23/2014 at 23:52

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My first car was an Opel 1900 (the Ascona in Europe). Great little car, good handling, peppy engine.

puddler > Blake Noble 02/24/2014 at 01:08

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my kadette rallye while shaving the driprails. please excuse all the badassery thats in the way.

Ben C > Blake Noble 02/24/2014 at 02:53

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I want a Manta so bad...

cohulen > Scrape 02/24/2014 at 05:24

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The Delta II platform was developed in Germany by Opel (Full disclosure, I worked there, so I know what I´m saying).

The Cruze was based on that but was not the lead vehicle for the platform. Timing-wise, yes, it came before the Astra, but that does not mean it was the lead vehicle, it had to do more with model lifcycles in the different brands.

The Verano is more closely ralated to the european Astra than to the Cruze, sharing many components. The main differences are due to the FMVSS requirements for the Verano. I guess this is what makes the Astra GTC difficult to become a Buick as it probably does not have the headroom to spare.

@duurtlang is mostly right, most FWD engineering is done at GME.The Mini platform for the Spark was an exception, as well as the current Global Gamma (that underpins the Sonic, Mokka/Encore/Tracker and brazilian Cobalt, Onix, Spin and Prisma), both were developed in Korea (so the Encore is not Opel based, is actually GM Korea based).

The Epsilon platform was partially developed in Germany, specially the SWB variant (Opel Insignia, Buick Regal and Chefrolet Malibu). The LWB had a lot more GMNA input (Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Impala and SAAB 9-5).

Also... don´t believe everything wikipedia says ;)

AlexZJuH > tapzz 02/24/2014 at 07:31

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Even worse, in homecountry germany, they made an entire film about it, starring Till Schweiger (Hugo Stiglitz, inglourious basterds), called MANTA MANTA!

AmericanWhalingLeague > Blake Noble 02/24/2014 at 09:26

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The first car I drove was a Manta that Dad brought home as a loaner. A couple of years later, Dad and Mom brought home a Buick/Opel by Isuzu two door to add to the family "fleet" that included a Cutlass, LeSabre, VW Beetle and Toyota Celica. The Buick/Opel by Isuzu was lightyears better than the Beetle, but the Celica had a much better suspension, and the five-speed made a world of difference. As bad as the reviews were of the B/ObyI in Road & Track, the car really was fine. However, it had postage stamp sized brake pads, and I replaced those in the driveway at about 16,000 miles.

Set the clock forward to "present," and last year while shopping for a car for my college -aged son, we came across a low mileage Astra. My son is used to driving a Miata and a C-Class, and from his perspective all the cars in our price range ..."They drive like you're in a bubble." But we all like the Astra and he's put 30,000 trouble-free miles on it. It has rekindled my appreciation for enjoyable hatchbacks. It's really a damn shame that GM didn't figure out to bring the Opels over as Saturns all along.

The people I know who bought Saturns did so because of the "conflict avoidance" methodology of sales. Given that I live in a liberal part of New Jersey, I used to see a LOT of non-Opel Saturns here. Buyers were usually journalists, educators, social workers, artist types. These folks were the kind who did NOT care one iota about driving dynamics, and only wanted transportation without conflict during acquisition.

One wonders, "What would have happened if GM had brought in the fun-to-drive Opels and sold them as "conflict avoidance" products?" We'll never know.

AmericanWhalingLeague > Jared Glentz 02/24/2014 at 09:27

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The Manta is a nice car. One of my friends in college drove the wheels off hers.

AmericanWhalingLeague > Frankenbike666 02/24/2014 at 09:32

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Other than different badges, the Saturn Astra and Opel Astra were identical.

Aldairion > Blake Noble 02/24/2014 at 11:43

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More power would be cool.

John McPherson > Blake Noble 02/24/2014 at 14:40

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Loved my Manta. Light and tossable. 40mpg on the interstate. Great car for the money.

Frankenbike666 > AmericanWhalingLeague 02/24/2014 at 15:47

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That was a criticism of the current Buick versions of the Opels, rather than the Saturn Opels.

I felt that Opel should have gone to Chevy, and Buick should have gotten Holdens. I don't like what Buick does to their Opels.

I had an Opel Kadette and GT when I was a teenager/early adult in the '70s. They weren't exactly good cars, but they were OK. The main problem was the engines really didn't want to last beyond 80,000 miles. By the time I got rid of them, each of the Opels was burning a quart of oil every 100 miles, with less than 90K on the clock. But then I didn't expect much, since I don't think I paid more than $500 for either car, even though they were only a handful of years old, so they were priced used correctly for the time.

The Cruze should be an Astra. And there should be an SS version of it, which would be a rebadged VXR/OTC hatch. Whatever the Buick Verano is underneath, it is no longer an Astra VXR/OPC. It isn't as powerful, doesn't handle as well and just isn't nearly the same.

Carlos Silva > Bueller 02/24/2014 at 17:04

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thats manta b (the more ugly one). Manta A was more beautifull.

There are several other beautifull Opel's, and some sedans super packed with technology

Jared Glentz > Blake Noble 02/27/2014 at 21:13

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here you go. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Opel-Manta…

Blake Noble > Jared Glentz 02/27/2014 at 21:36

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Holy crap! That's an awesome find. It's a Rallye model, too.

Thanks for linking me to it. I'm going to have to, uhh, investigate my options now.