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What's Next ?

2K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  The Cub 
#1 ·
Classic Motorsports July 2021 issue's cover story is " What's Next ? 50+ cars that market insiders want to buy now "

Opel GT described as " really up and coming and offer more bang for the buck........"
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#2 ·
This brings us to the never ending cycle of is a GT worth the asking price? There are a couple strato blue GT's for sale right now that are overpriced in my opinion. The cars aren't perfect. If they were, maybe they would be worth the asking price. Something that impacts this discussion is private sales. We can't force people to disclose the sale price in a private sale but that info would help. I don't believe Keith will tell us what some of his GT's have sold for, or how much has been spent on some of his GT's. But this info would help the community. It could influence valuation guides.
 
#3 ·
Hi Joe, we constantly hear from people who have sold their GT and people who have bought a GT. They will always share what they sold it for and what they bought it for if we ask. Over the past two years one thing is clear ... people outside of the Opel Community value these cars a lot more than people inside of the Opel Community.

With regards to perfect or not: with other marquis' like Porsche, the original cars with it's life long patina will often fetch more money than a perfect one. You never know what floats someone's boat with regards to buying a classic car! :)

It does seem like it\s a very good time to have a "Classic Opel" these days ")

Richard @ OGTS
 
#4 ·
I think the thing that people miss on articles like these is that it is not the hardcore Opel people driving up prices. Its the 'other' people getting priced out of the market on the already 'cool' stuff and looking for alternatives.
 
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#6 ·
That is the other part I forgot about. People that knew of Opel 'back in the day' also knew where they fit in the grand scheme of things. This meant you liked them for their simplicity/reliability/etc or you dismissed them as having no pedigree (cheap, dull, no real enthusiast status). Even more so today, people have no sense of where Opel fit into that grand scheme and have no bias against them because of it. They have a fresher honest perspective that allows them to like or dislike without baggage.
 
#8 ·
I hesitate to make promises on behalf of VerticalScope, but I have been having some success this past week in discussing some of the current platform's deficiencies with the VS admin support folks.

The main deficiency that ESPECIALLY irks me is the inability to see the sub-forums listed under the "Main Technical Forums" while using the (apparently outdated but not yet replaced) AutoGuide app for browsing this Forum on an Android phone. With luck, that should be resolved shortly.

The other major deficiency is the loss of the downloaded pdf's of the Factory Service Manual and associated wiring diagrams. A VS tech has been working on that this past few days, and proposed a solution this evening.

Dare to dream, Billy, date to dream...
 
#13 · (Edited)
In 1965 my parents bought their first Opel. It was a Kadett and it was purchased to reduce expense while running errands all over town. They were a lot more economical then the big V8 Buick's and Ford's they also drove. That was cemented into my mind forever! They continued to buy Opel's. Another Kadett or 2, then a wagon. My brothers, sister and I all loved the cute / odd little cars.

* OGTS - when I first started working here, the purchases made by the majority of the customers were to repair and maintain their economical Opel's. A smaller group of customers were more enthusiastic about their Opel and purchased parts to upgrade or take their Opel to a higher level of restoration. Then there were the 1 percenters! :) who took the Uber approach to their Opel life style.

BIG Changes: During the 50th anniversary of the GT a few years ago, there has been a lot of media coverage with a plethora of articles, top 50 / top 10 car lists they started popping up in. This has been world-wide and it seems to have been moving the perception and value of the classic Opel's in the positive direction for people in and out of the Opel Community. The last 3 years has been an example and living proof that a larger percentage of the people in the Opel Community are working on their Opel's to get them to a higher level. Whether that is to make them more reliable, more capable, more enjoyable or simply "Pride or Ownership" I'm not sure. Maybe all of that?

So far this year, we have had more Opel owner's working to get their Opel(s) back on the road after sitting 5, 10, 20, 30 and even 40 years. They all have their motivating reason's, but the common thread is to enjoy them one more time before they are not able. Kind of like experiencing their youth and all of the wonderful memories.

New Owners: the past few years and especially 2021, there has been more new owners then I've seen since working here. After asking why or what motivated them to get an Opel ... I hear all of the basic reasons that we in the Opel community would identify with. But, they are the ones that come into the Opel world with a higher perception, value, and appreciation for these cars then most of us. They are approaching the repairs, upgrades, maintenance, and restorations as if these are BMW's, Mercedes, Porsches, etc. Classic Opel's are now being repaired, upgraded, and restored by serious collectors and are now being auctioned which we've never seen before. Kadett's going for over $20 grand. GT's going for over $30 grand. It is a good time to own a "Classic Opel" :)

The BIG Change Within: So, when you have helped all of the existing and new Opel owners taking their Opel's to a higher levels for a few years, it get's into your physic and challenges those perceptions and mind set that was established when I was a boy. I am now starting to view my Opel in a more worthy way. Worthy enough to get it out from under the car cover and re-start the restoration. It has now become a desire to get it back to new condition with added upgrades like the braking system, cooling system, anti sway bars, etc. so that I can enjoy it like I never have :( and believe me ... I am a serious Opel Lover! I guess the good thing about this delay in life for changing my mind-set about these Opel's, is that pretty much everything is available to restore them to original condition and even take them to a higher level then ever before. One can easily turn these into really capable machines that match their incredible design's! Bottom line ... I am cranked and ready to seriously put my GT into a condition where I would choose if first over a number of real nice cars I have to take a drive, run an errand, and even a road trip.

Rewards: it is rewarding to talk to people all over the US and around the world that share a passion for classic Opel's. It has officially and thoroughly motivated me to restore and improve my own like I have never before! :)

Richard @ OGTS
 
#14 ·
Thanks for the behind the scenes snapshot and I’m serious when I say that at least once or twice a day I get a compliment from someone, it’s a rare day when I don’t hear from someone. My GT is nowhere near showroom quality it’s just a nice looking Opel. A good conversation starter, lots of people are coming out of the woodwork to talk about their experience owning an Opel these days. Some days I actually get tired of the nice comments, I always try to thank the person or wave to them and be kind etc. I’ve owned it for over 30 years and never received the kind of attention it gets nowadays. So… this thread starter all makes sense to me. It’s a double edged sward, the pricing is being driven up, that’s good in the sense that our cars are becoming more valuable. The flip side is that it will eventually be more expensive to upgrade and purchase car insurance etc .
All in all a very fun time to own & drive an Opel right now that’s for sure, thanks for the interesting and enjoyable thread 🤙🏼
 
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