Well Presented 1969 Opel GT on eBay...

[newman27]

This eBay listing is very well done and really presents the GT in a great light - fun to read too with little bits of humor thrown in as well. I hope she sells to a good home and raises the bar on what a well preserved Opel can sell for.

Matt

[pecje]

I saw the add earlier last week: man, what a nice car, even the chrome trim under the grill is present.
Here in Holland you would have to pay at least $ 12.000 for a car in such a state. The car is resprayed in a very professional way, even the black paint under the front window is as it should be.

However a few things caught my eye.
In the beginning of the add and on the picture of the VIN number, the VIN number is 941697957. Thus an early 1969.
However the car has a later type of ashtray, warning switch, a middle console around the handbrake (and no carpet) and a left-side door with a high possitioned handle. The dash and the back shelf are covered with carpet.

One of the pictures showing the MFD by GM sticker says 11/69 and a VIN number 941992350

But despite of that: a GREAT car

[heimue]

A working odo and antenna, and a matching underbody paint (black or white) would make this car an absolute showstopper!

The original auction ended on Dec. 2nd, with 10,002 $, and the winner could not pay...

Dieter

[grslightng02]

Beautiful car, but not quite show stopping "original" when you can see the original red paint on the floor pan.

Awesome example of a great restoration though!

[BMWonly]

Is that just me, or could it be that the driveline is aligned incorrectly???
When you look at several of the underbody pictures, it seems like the driveshaft and the torque tube are at a slight angle at the center bearing. I never noticed that on mine.

Overall, it seems to be a GT in very nice shape worth the money.

Dieter

[opelgt73]

My biggest complaint is that behind the wheels, especially the rear the metal looks banged up. The front belly pan is also gnarled up on the sides. I would have a hard time paying over $6K for that car unless I could see it in person.

[greenopelgt]

As an owner of a 1969 Opel GT - I like seeing the bids going up and up. Truly restored and "near" original but not really "original". Bid boys on this now white Opel GT.

[Dennis Texas]

Originally Posted by newman27 is very well done and really presents the GT in a great light - fun to read too with little bits of humor thrown in as well. I hope she sells to a good home and raises the bar on what a well preserved Opel can sell for. Matt

Saw that ad a few days ago but blew it off with the description, but it is a very nice car very good shape restoration must be recent. the ad said unmolested with less that 13000 miles on it.
The paint has been redone the window rubbers replaced and evidently the person who drove it started it a lot and rode the clutch, the gas pedal rubber is gone the clutch peddle rubber is worn and looks like starter pushbutton next to tunnel on drivers side has been added. The unmolested car has aftermarket radio in a cut out dash insert and speakers in the rear. What I found interesting is ( my 68/69 is older than this one according to the vin numbers but just about 300 digits earlier but this one has three point belts and the heater control valve is under the hood not dash as the pre 69 models had. The solex didn't last long evidently, it is sporting a weber with a home made modified cleaner assembly, looks like the coil has been changed. Not bad for an early original unmolested car with less than 13000 on her, the driver door is later model also few other oddities for a pre 69 car but make no mistake it is a beauty. It will be interesting to see what the take is on it.

[opelgtboy70]

My biggest concern was behind the rear wheel wells. In one pic it looks like its filled with bondo.

Karl

[rrossjr]

Originally Posted by Dennis Texas Saw that ad a few days ago but blew it off with the description, but it is a very nice car very good shape restoration must be recent. the ad said unmolested with less that 13000 miles on it...

I was also watching this one the last time it sailed through eBay. I was very happy to see it top $10K, but I agree that the seller misses the mark by pitching this as a "bone stock, unmolested" Opel GT. It welcomes the kind of scrutiny that we Opel heads (notorious nit-pickers) view as a challenge. If it was my car (and I wish it was!) I would position this as a very nicely done restoration.
(By the way, is that a windshield washer pump?)
Ron in Indy

[chilly_75]

My favorite claim is the "under 13,000 miles", but if you read closely, you'll find:
ODOMETER 12,995 MILES SHOWING (exempt & Inoperative)
So, what it should say is, "Odometer was at 12,995 when it stopped working"
Judging by the observation of the pedal wear, maybe it stopped working at 112,995. Maybe even 212,995!

[ungermm]

The back drop for the photo shoot is spectacular. However, lots of questions come to mind when looking at the pics. This car may have just been taken apart and painted up recently to look nice. The stripes look to have some bubbling or some other irregularity going on. There is poor body work in places. The dash has the covering to hide the cracks. The rear panel under the window has a covering that isn't original and shows a stain that could be from a leaky rear window.
Still looks pretty good, just not that good.
Jerry

[Mistrbones]

Unless they changed the mirror style before I bought my 1970 GT, the side mirror is also a replacement. Probably gives a better field of vision though.

[yellaopelgt]

If you read the ad carefully...it says there was a bedliner type of substance used on the front and rear quarters to prevent rock chipping. Maybe thats what some of you think is bondo......I thought the same until I read everything. I would have to see it in person to really say how original it is......so its difficult for me to put a $$$ amount on it. Pretty nice looking ride though.

[opelspyder]

Most ads like these submitted by a dealer are like this, they do not know what is original and not, but they will tell you it is, and it is undergone the most tedious restoration, but yes the belly pan is bangged up, red paint underneath, not dead original, but still nice. I would say a 6K car, not a 10K.
All the ad is missing is this salesman quote:"Oil Leak? No, that is sweat from all that horsepower!"
Keith

[Johnvan]

Looks like the typical used car cleanup "splash" job in white which won't show all the defects.Black duraguard on the edges is an old trick to hide surface rust or holes on the edges and this car has duraguard under the exterior paint behind the wheels as well.Front fender rear bottoms look lumpy and the lower rocker seams are covered in duraguard .A stripe is a great selling aid.Overspray on rubbers in the engine bay show a quick job along with peeling paint around the wiring harness.Mileage is likely over 100,000.The car would probably need a new paint job soon.What else are they hiding?
Regardless the car has a lot of good trim etc. and shows a good low level of rust for an Opel.This would be a good car to restore.I don't think it is worth the money.I agree with Opel spyder's price recommendation.

[OpelGT-de]

Originally Posted by opelspyder I would say a 6K car, not a 10K.

My friend checked this car couple weeks ago, before it was listed in ebay.
Body has some bondo areas, wires not (poor) masked before painting, "Quick sale" paintshop,....value max 4.5K for somebody who has the time for a complete restauration.

[Gordy]

I think the car was originally red by the underside photos and the fact (at least I think) that white exterior GTs came only with a red interior. Correct me if I'm wrong on that one.
If that's the case the 69 has been repainted and who knows what that hides.

[kwilford]

I just sent this note to the seller:

Dear remarkableautos,

You might want to inform potential buyers of a small item. The VIN numbers don't match between the VIN plate on the cowl (#941697957) and the driver's door (#941992350). What is the VIN # on the dash? It is pretty clear that the driver's door was replaced (it was originally yellow, and the car was originally Fireglow Orange, and the date of manufacture indicates the door came from a 1970 GT not a 1969), but conflicting VIN #'s can cause problems when registering, especially out of State.

Also, the antenna is probably not electric, as the OEM antenna had a locking feature that prevents it from being raised (and hence vandalized) without the matching key tool.

This is still a very nice car, but it deserves to be represented correctly. It actually has garnered its own discussion thread at
http://www.opelgt.com/forums/general...tml#post179417

HTH

Keith

- k_wilford


Another item worth noting is the custom exhaust downpipe, which has been extended as dual pipes past the transmission cross member. IIRC, this is a modification suggested by RallyBob to improve low-end torque, so long as the diameters are kept small.

[Gary Sullivan]

I also think it is a great looking car, but I also had an 69 and this one has a pretty long list of mods. Seems strange to represent it as "unmolested" and "original" with that undercarriage, carb, and muffler. They put a lot of work into it, but I think they need to say more about the resto.

[opelenvy]

Originally Posted by kwilford I just sent this note to the seller: [I][B]Dear remarkableautos, You might want to inform potential buyers of a small item. The VIN numbers don't match between the VIN plate on the cowl (#941697957) and the driver's door (#941992350). What is the VIN # on the dash? It is pretty clear that the driver's door was replaced (it was originally yellow, and the car was originally Fireglow Orange, and the date of manufacture indicates the door came from a 1970 GT not a 1969), but conflicting VIN #'s can cause problems when registering, especially out of State.

Another indication of the drivers door being replaced is that on the 69 the window crank was down low, just like the passenger side and with no map pocket. At least that is how all the 69's I've seen are.

[newman27]

Wow - it's at $10K and the reserve has been met so it will sell...

[69adamopel]

Hello, my name is Tom and I work for Viva Las Vegas Autos, Inc. located in Boulder City, Nevada. (just outside of Las Vegas near Hoover Dam)
I research and write the ads for all the vehicles we market for sale including the eBay listing for the 1969 Opel GT discussed in this thread.

We welcome comments and suggestions from knowledgeable individuals within a particular cars' enthusiast community - in fact, this site was one of my sources of information. Although I have a lengthy automotive background, my knowledge of Opel GT's was limited until I began reading in preparation for this ad.

First, to set the record straight; no one has come to look at this car the entire time it has been with us. I question the motivation of the post in this thread from Opel GT-de, that claims a "friend checked this car couple weeks ago". We welcome pre-purchase inspections (before the auction ends) but there has not been anyone come see this car during the 3 or 4 months we have owned it.

I appologize for the length of this post but we feel our credibility has been an important part of the enormous success our company enjoys. I chose to use the term "near original" because, not being an Opel GT aficionado, I would not necessarily know that the caburetor had been replaced in the 40 years since this car was built. I feel the term "unmolested" is appropriate for a car that has the appearance of not ever been restored or modified and yet presents as well as this car does. As stated in the ad, the engine had a recent tune up with a new thermostat, etc. We also recovered the front seats, replaced a missing outside rear view mirror and gave it a good detail. The car came to us painted white (not a recent finish in my opinion) with red side stripes. It was a pretty straightforward process, no more or less than the other dozens of vehicles that come through our system each month.

That's what is so amazing about this car; 4 decades old yet it needed so little to make it easily the best Opel GT for sale on eBay. Is it so unusual for a 40 year old car to be repainted? Does a new paint job necessarily have to "hide" something? At least two posters in this thread quote us as saying the car had "under 13,000 miles" yet nowhere in the ad does it say that. We truthfully indicated the mileage on the odometer, do we think it has 13,000 original miles? Believe me, if it really did have that few and I could prove it, I would have used all caps and lots of exclamation points!!!

This Opel GT does indeed, deserve to be presented "correctly." And, just like every vehicle we sell, it was presented honestly and correctly. The discussion in this thread is possible only because the owner Doug, my boss, took pictures of every nook and "hidden" place on the entire car. Few are the sellers on eBay that present thier vehicles with the large and up close detail that we do. In our efforts to be forth coming, words and/or intents were attributed to us that simply were not anywhere in the ad.

Your site has been a terrific resource for me and we appreciate the opportunity to respond and have a civil conversation. If there are any real mistakes in the ad, they are mine alone and come from my own lack of specific technical knowledge about Opel GT's. I can say, unblinking, I wrote nothing I knew to be untrue.

Thank you again for enduring my long response,
Thomas Blackmon
Viva Las Vegas Autos, Inc.

[69adamopel]

Untitled Page

After reading information from the page linked above, it appears that indeed, the driver door is probably from a 1970 but only from chassis #'s 94-1925380 through 94-2265861. The car came to us with a valid Utah title and the new owner will have no issues with registration. Would the car have been better presented with a bashed in door? We did not replace the door, it came to us as you see it.

Also, this Opel GT does have an electric antenna. Looking from the passenger front wheel area, there is an odd shaped thing at the base of the antenna with wires coming out of it. Any casual observer can see that it is clearly a power antenna that currently does not function.

Pardon me for coming off a little defensive but can anyone here show me a better, more "deserving" presentation of an Opel GT? One with more large photos that show the car from every conceivable angle, up close "hiding" nothing? Can anyone here step up and acknowledge the attention to detail and sincere research I gave this car?

We never said it had less than 13,000 miles.

No one has come to inspect the car since we have had it. OpelGT-de post stating his "friend" checked the car out is simply untrue.

The paint job is not new, "recent" or "hiding" anything.

We never said the car had a "tedious restoration," we simply said it has never been molested with botched or incomplete modifications or fixes as many GT's are.

Okay, I feel better now.

Thomas Blackmon
Viva Las Vegas Autos, Inc.

[Dennis Texas]

on second thought