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