How old are you and tell us a story...

[jlthunder]

I'm 40 and I had Opels since I was 16.

My first Opel was a 72 Manta Raylle Auto with 135,000 on the clock. It was a Bondo Buggy and was running with a camshaft which was badly worn. I towed it home(more like dragged) and had the cam replaced. I kept it for 9 months and had to sell it because it wouldn't pass PA State Inspection but before I sold it, I came across a 74 Manta Luxus 4 speed with a blown motor, dragged this one home too. Switched the gauge package from the Raylle to the Luxus(never got the oil gauge sensor for the motor), dropped a used motor in and we were good for two more years until the frame rotted out(car was from CT). Got a 72 GT in 83. Drove this one home. Ran it for two years and got into an argument with a guard rail(moved the rear axle over 2 inches). The rear axle locked up 6 months later. Towed this one(sense a theme here) on a car dolly backwards from NC to PA. Rebuilt the drive train and then it sat for 12 years in various garages. Body work complete in 02 and on the road in 03 with antique plates.


Sorry to drone on, but Opelitis can never be cured, just goes dormant.

[kbishop]

I'm 42 and purchased a 1974 Manta Rallye in 1978 which was totaled for the last time in 1986. Since then, I have owned 3 other Manta's, a '73 parts car, a '72 Luxus (t-boned in an intersection) and '72 Rallye. The '72 is currently my E-Prepared autocross car and contains parts from all 3 of my previous Mantas.

[GT-Freak]

I'm 44, as I've been told. Opel nut since 1969.

(1) 1970 Opel GT (blue)
(2) Kids (girl - 3 and boy - 6)
(2) Weiner dogs (Lucy and Linus)
(2) Wives (One at a time. They've never met; therefore, never shared stories. Thankfully. Although, both believe tools are something that are somewhere in the garage.)

[Sander]

Hi everybody,

I allready told you my age in an earlier post...

here's the story:

Born and raised in the Netherlands.saw first GT at age of three, felt in love with at age of 15. At the time I was legally old enough to drive a car on the public road I could not afford the GT. So after a couple of french junkers I bought myself a '72 Manta which comes close to the GT. Driving the manta around for a couple of years I traded it for a wrecked '70 GT from California. After replacing the engine and tranny (2.0 + getrag) it has been resprayed a couple of weeks ago.

At this moment I'm saving up for all the windshield-gaskets and a truckload of other tiny parts to make my dreamcar finally run.
I have driven it only six miles since I got it.

Trading the Manta left me without transportation so I bought a small opel corsa from an old granny ( I worked at an opel dealer back then so I got a good deal)
Driving this tiny car around was no fun so I traded her in for the bigger Omega.
On a trip to germany I blew the engine on the Autobahn and had to leave it on the local junkyard.
to presend I'm driving a opel Astra turbo-diesel wagon.

[manyopels]

Looks as though I belong to one of the majorities in this poll, at the age of 44. Like many of you, I cut my teeth - so to speak - learning to drive a GT my father had purchased in 1974. I'm sure that was his episode of male menopause! No doubt, my driving lessons added a few gray hairs to his head. Wow, but did that clutch pedal seem mighty stiff to a 15 year old...!! Somewhat shamefacedly I would add that he still has that same GT 'squirreled' away...being a bit of a collector (packrat??) himself, I hesitate to confess to the number of Opels we have between us. Let's just understand that I have been a sucker one too many times to his excited phone message, "Hey, you'll never guess, but I found another Opel that only needs _______..."

Hence, the handle of 'manyopels'.

Lessee...I still have the '70 Kadett LS I drove in the mid/late 70's to college...a '70 GT...'71 Kadett Caravan, and...well, those are the ones residing on my property, so no question of ownership there.

No doubt there must be an Opelitis gene somewhere in most of us.

[Excelsior]

I am 32, soon to be 33.

My first sighting of an Opel had to have been around 1986 or so at a car show. Ever since then, I have always said I would own a GT.

Then in 1990 or 1991, I had a little extra money and purchased my first GT and moved back to NY from RI with it packed full. This car stopped running one day around 1994 and I have not had the time, money or GARAGE to do anything with it.

I also purchased my second Opel(a Manta) in the fall of 2002. This is a decent car that I really enjoy driving and showing now.

If I had the funds, I would own one of GT and Manta of every color with a few of the other models thrown in.

[opelgt71]

I'm 41, no kids, still raising my '71 GT. The first time I saw a GT as a teenager I knew I would one day own one. Bought my '71 a couple of years ago on ebay. Engine has been rebult and running strong. At the moment, I am rebuilding front and back suspension, exhaust system and brakes before finishing with the body.

Jim

[Buck]

I'm 35, married for 13 years with 3 children, 1 boy and 2 girls, and have been around GT's since I was 15. I remember going out with my dad to buy my mom's first GT. It was a dark rainy night, (when isn't it here in Washington!) and he paid $300 for it, it ran and the electrical all worked, but the body was in terrible shape, which is probably why the owner wanted to sell it at night! My dad not being much of a mechanic just let it sit and rot into the ground, which didn't take long considering it was pretty much there when he bought it. GT #2 he bought a few months later, it ran, sort of, but had a solid body and interior, so once again, dad not being much of a mechanic, the GT sat. GT #3, my dad just went out and bought mom a solid running, good looking daily driver GT which my mom drove for years until it was run over from nose to tail by a logging truck that took a turn too wide, so now we had 3 GT's sitting in the yard. Shortly after GT #3 was run over, Dad once again went out and bought Mom a solid running, good looking GT which she uses as a daily driver to this day, so if you are ever in or around Tacoma WA. and see a brown haired lady driving a stock red 73 GT, that would probably be my mom! In the mean time, I took GT #2, got it running, replaced the fuse box by transplanting from Opel #3, did some minor body work, and have had my 1970 GT in storage pretty much for the last 18 years since the Navy dosn't like to keep me in one location for too long. I now have just over 2 years until I can retire from the Navy, have bought a house here in Washington State and am getting ready to break my GT out of storage and start restoring it. After I bought my house, I was driving through the neighborhood and not a block from my house I've spotted a yellow GT under a tarp, looks to be in excellent condition, some rust on the nose, but stock wheels(with center caps) all emblems, lights, and no apparant damage, I may be having an addition to the family if they are willing to sell and the price is right! Wow, that's longer than I intended it to be! So I definately have some Opelitis and once I can get a normal job and some time at home it will really flourish! We're currently underway again (I'm on the Carl Vinson) so no Opel Tinkering for me for a while. :-(

[opeldean]

THE BODY IS 46..

I HAVE ENJOYED A LOT OF HOBBIES OVER THE YEARS...FISHING,HUNTING,BIKING,BIKE MECHANICS,CHIEFS FOOTBALL,GARDENENING AND MAGIC BUT ...

THIS OPEL GT IS THE BEST OF ALL...NOT JUST THE CAR BUT THE PEOPLE I MET AND THE FRIENDS I HAVE MADE THROUGH THAT LITTLE OPEL...AKA CELESTE

BY BROTHER AND I HAD MANTAS IN THE 70'S..THEY WERE GREAT CARS...
HIS 73 WAS MY FAVORITE.

ALWAYS WANTED A GT...I WATCHED THEM COME AND GO IN THE NEWSPAPERS THROUGH OUT THE 70S AND 80'S..THEN THERE WERE NONE..DIDNT THINK THERE WERE ANY LEFT...I FOUND MY DREAM ON EBAY...I GOT THE CAR ...

THEN I FOUND OPELGT.COM...FOUND OUT I AM NOT ALONE...THANK YOU INTERNET..

I WILL HAVE MY GT TILL I DIE WITH A BIG OL SMILE ON MY FACE...

[kevinfier]

I'm 47 and have been nursing my Opelitis since '78. It started w/ a '69 Kadett wagon. Over the years I have had 5 Kadetts, 2 75 Mantas, 75 Sport Wagon, 72 wagon, and 70 GT. I currently have a 70 Kadett 2.0 w/ AT & 38dgas, 75 Manta 2.0, and 73 Manta w/ AT, 32/36 & 50k on OD. I am also lucky enough to have a great wife who understands my affliction
Kevin

[camaroguy2007]

I am 18 and bought my first gt on sunday the 11th of 04. This will be my first restore without my dad supervising. and I am building this car as an engagement present to my girlfriend.

[tekenaar]

Originally posted by camaroguy2007 I am 18 and bought my first gt on sunday the 11th of 04. This will be my first restore without my dad supervising. and I am building this car as an engagement present to my girlfriend.

Does she realize how lucky she is!!!

[opeldean]

I agree..the gt would be a better gift of love and trust than an
engagement ring...

the gt will keep you home and out of trouble..

[tracyfam]

I'll be 37 this year. Been hanging onto a 72' GT body I pulled from a Florida junk yard in 89'. I actually traded the guy the body of my father's 70' GT which was severely suffering from body cancer. As a kid I loved Dad's GT. All my older brothers and sisters got to drive it back and forth to high school, till my brother and a friend of his decided to rebuild the engine. Never ran again. I towed it down to Florida, from Wisconsin, and my neighbor and I dragged it around the block a couple of times to try and get it started. Fired a couple of times and run for all of 10 seconds (very rough) I tore the motor down and rebuilt it only to find that the timing chain was off by 2 links. Ran great after that. I had purchased two other GT's before getting Dad's. Paid 1400 for the first one and the guy through in a pickup load and a half of parts. Money got tight, sold the GT for 1600 and picked up another for 150. Ended up striping that one down and selling the body to the same guy I sold the first one to for 600. The engine in the second was really bad. The number 1 piston had a hole in the top and crumbled when I took it out.
Got orders to go overseas in 90 and convinced my folks to store the card and parts till I got back. Jump ahead to 2000- I get an assignment to Milwaukee. Get a house and then the folks ask when I will be getting my crap out of their garage. So now the car and stuff are in my garage and I still haven't gotten very far. I did pick up a 74 wagon along the way. Tried to sell all my stuff because of a upcoming assignment but that was canned so I may be able to hang onto what I have for a while longer.

[jeff denton]

I'm 44 but act like 17 a lot.
Opel story? OK, in junior high my swimming coach had a GT and we (myself and some team mates) picked it up out of the parking lot and set it in the raised brick flower planter beside the Natatorium steps. He did not think it was funny. We did pick it back up and position it where he could drive it away, though. Nice kids, we.
So a better one is about a friend's "first car" handed down from his big sister. We're sophomores at the time. It was a 67 Kadette. Real cute for cruisin Main... didn't pick up ANY chicks in it. But it won a hill jumping contest out in the gravel pits late one night and survived just fine. The next year it was replaced by a 68 cougar GT which did not enter any jumping contests but dramatically increased our possibilities of actually having a sex life.
Hey, it was the seventies!! Obviously most of you weren't even born yet!!

[TeenageOpeler]

Im 18, and ive been helping my dad work on opels as far back as i can remember.

Ive had my opel (74 ascona with manta front end) since i was 15.

[gto_rob]

im 36 from germany--MUNICH (oktoberfesttown)--i have the 3.t OPEL-GT with 2.2 engine---the first i by 1988---for 10000 dollar.....
much rust....after 5 years i put him to junk yard------the second was a USA GT (4000 dollar)---but he have a crash----i want him to restore---but after 2 years i bring him also to junkyard-------and the 3.t-----from sanfrancisco------good condition!!!---i give 3500 dollars for him----and ´2000 for paint----thats the last GT i have!!!!see on my fotos-----the red 1 was my

[Mr.MikeDMan]

ok well, i am freshly at the age of 20. my first car was a 73 dodge dart that i picked up for $500 from my neighbor. i really wanted the opel gt that was down the street but the guy was asking $3000. well after i drove the dart into the ground for about 2 years i found a gt for $800 (got him down to $600 ). it looks nice and it likes me back (so far anyways). its costing a little more than planned to fix my dear old gt, but seeing how i am selling the dart for $1200, i am well on my way to paying for parts i need for the gt. i hope it treats me as nicly as i will be treating it.
yay for me and my very first opel gt
mike

p.s.- i sure miss the extreme amount of room i had to work with in the dart but its well worth it...

[Thom71GT]

Im 35 and have had my GT since my Father bought it new in 71. It was my baby when I turned 16 and then it went into storage when I was 19 and I just got it out about 2 years ago.

Yanked out the motor and rebuilt it, but it looks as if I am going to have to rewire it. Ugh!!!

Im getting ready to move again, so after the move, Ill tear into the wiring, fix the small amounts of rust on the body, repaint her and start driving it again.

[billiard13]

I'm 40 and my first car was a '66 4-dr Chevy Bel Air. Since that time when I was 16 and they came out with RX7's around that year (79), it and Opel GT's have been the cars I dreamed about one day owning.

After I got married while in the military and then started a family, I never realized my dream of owning either. I only recently (2 months ago) purchased a '94 RX7 and yes, I gave it away....to my son for an upcoming graduation present (he's graduating H.S. and going off to engineering school this fall at Tennessee Tech University....i'm proud!).

So then I decided to make it a full sweep and started looking for an Opel GT to yes, you guessed it...give away to my soon to be 16 daughter, hehe. At any rate I intend to have fun watching them drive the cars I always dreamed of owning.

As a side note, i'm getting a parts car with the Opel GT that i'm hoping is in good enough shape to possibly restore and turn into my own fun little car to finally own and drive. I'm told the rear end is wrecked but i'm hoping I can find a rear clip to replace it as the rest of the car is functionally sound.

billiard13