Faults:

Commutator at 138000.

The fuel injector at 145000.

General Comments:

Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad car, it's just too old. It was probably great 18 years ago.

I'm not sure if it's time to renew the suspensions, or the car is just simply uncomfortable. It feels every bump on the road, which can be very annoying on longer trips.

Of course it is incredibly rust prone. Every few weeks I detect a new rust area.

I had a few situations when I could not start it in the winter time.

Despite all the annoying things, it has never ever let me down on the road.

Faults:

Rust spots showed up here and there.

The carburettor (Pierburg 2E3) developed some intermittent faults (pretty hard to locate).

General Comments:

Pros:

A good deal for a "my first car".

Handles very well.

Starts well, regardless of outdoors temperature.

Good fuel economy (6.2-7 l/100km).

Almost maintenance-free engine. Very quiet, too.

Cons:

Some carburettor problems (on carburettor models) are hard to locate and fix. Also, carb gives erratic cold engine idling.

Dieseling (running-on) seems quite frequent in these engines.

Dashboard and underneath elements develop a concerto of rattling noises.

Faults:

The head gasket blew at 104,000km. I was lucky to have a second hand car warranty, which paid for most of the bill.

A new catalytic converter was fitted at 132,000km.

The central unit of the engine management had to be replaced at 144,000km.

Apart from this there was some usual wear and tear like tires, shock absorbers and a battery.

General Comments:

I'm still impressed by the fuel economy and the large boot.

Equipment is generous (sun roof, metallic paintwork, tinted glass, velour upholstery etc).

The service at the local Opel dealer couldn't be better.

Unfortunately the Kadett is very prone to rust (above all at the rear arches and the boot lid). I've already paid more than DM 1,300 on measurements against rust.

The suspension could be more comfortable.

In my eyes the Kadett is still a good choice if you are looking for a cheap family hatchback.

Faults:

My father gave me the car a few months ago but I only just got insured a month ago. The car is ten years old and has never broken down. The only problem ever encountered has been a flat tyre.

General Comments:

I love this car. It's great fun to drive. The 4-speed gearbox is great fun to use. Powersteering would be great, though. It's a very fast and nippy car for a 1.2. It feels solid, it has brilliant fuel economy and it's cheap to insure. The boot is huge for a 3 door hatchback. Always starts, even on cold wet mornings. The manual choke was a pain at first but I am used to it now.