1967 Opel Kadett 1.1 from North America
Summary:
Excellent little scooter on flat pavement only
Faults:
Don't remember all of the maintenance details. Too many years have passed.
I remember minor stuff; hoses, filters belts, brakes, normal maintenance mostly.
General Comments:
This was my first car. It handled very predictably in dry, wet, or snowy conditions. It had lots of empty space in the engine compartment. You could sit on the fender with your feet inside the engine compartment to work on it.
Great gas mileage for its era, easily in the high 30's on long highway trips.
The 1100cc version had one big problem. It was very underpowered. If you ever had to climb a hill or pass anything on the highway, you were out of luck. That little engine struggled miserably. New Jersey has plenty of rolling hills & I remember flooring it at the top of one hill to gain as much speed as possible to make it up the second hill. The 1900cc version had twice the horsepower. That's the model I wish I had owned.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 20th January, 2009
10th Jan 2009, 14:55
I am with you! I had a 1967 Opel Kadett Rallye back in the early 70's with a 1.1 and a 4 speed. Great car until it was rear ended and totaled. Now, after owning many Opel GT's (still have 2) and a few Manta's (down to 1 of those- a 28,000 mile original 1975) we are about to embark on our next Opel adventure! We are buying a 1967 Opel Kadett Rallye (a California car in good solid shape) to add to our collection. It is a 1.1 L 4 speed which needs some TLC, but we can't wait to get it shipped here! 1967's are a little harder to find some parts for simply because fewer were made and imported than the 1968, 69 and 70 models (which were 2nd in import sales only to the VW Beetle in those years. Most mechanical parts are readily available because they are shared with the Opel GT and even some parts retailers (Auto Zone, Napa etc.) carry some common parts.
For an era where most American cars were getting 8 to 12 mpg, the little Opel showed its bloodlines were very much European, where fuel was always much more expensive than here, and they built cars that sipped gas rather than guzzled it. Reliability came standard with every Opel, and after driving the cars for almost 40 years, I wish all cars were built so well!
Anyone thinking of buying a good dependable car who does not mind doing a little searching to find parts for, will certainly love the German Opels.