1975 Opel 1900

Ascona Sedan

4 - Cyl.

Automatic

L11N55070677

Gasoline

Up for sale is a beautiful example of a 1975 Opel 1900 (Ascona in Europe). I've owned it for 20 years, and it pains me, but it's time to let someone else enjoy this interesting car. I bought it when it had ~50,000 miles on it. It's only been driven in summers by me and stored indoors. The previous owner was an Opel mechanic. The car is essentially original except for the paint, which was re-done 7 years ago. It was originally "Rallye Gold", but I had it painted Opel "Antique Bronze", which is very similar, but darker and richer than the gold. There was some door ding repair, and rust repair behind the passenger side rear wheel. The frame, battery box and jack points are solid (see pictures) and the paint and clear coat have held up very well with no rusting after 7 years and no new dents. There are some very small stone chips on the rocker panels, but you have to be on the ground to see them. The black rubber trim on the front bumper is weathered and could use replacement. The chrome trim strips around the front and rear glass had weathered are were removed. The hinges on the rear windows are detached as usual with this species of Opel. The upholstery and interior is original except for the speaker panel in back. Great carpet and original floor mats. The dashboard has the usual center crack near the vents. The front seats could use some addition padding as the original stuff breaks down, but the vinyl is free of tears. It has a tachometer and Manta Rallye gauges. The Opel radio and the clock do not work. I had the antenna hole welded over when the car was painted and never could decide where to mount a new antenna. The white headliner has the usual yellow perimeter stain from the factory adhesive. The heater blows very hot. The rims are 1970 Opel GT, and they fit nicely over the larger front calipers used only in 1975 Opels. The tires are Dunlop SP40 P185/70R 13 with ~12,000 miles on them, new 6 years ago. The rear axle is quiet, filled w/ heavy-duty synthetic gear oil, and doesn't leak. The exhaust system is quiet, though the muffler has some muffler putty along one seam. The brakes and parking brake work perfectly. The fuel-injected 1.9 liter engine starts well and runs strong. It leaks a small amount of oil in the Opel tradition. The fan clutch has been replaced with a standard solid-mount fan. Every so often when starting, the starter hits a worn spot on the flex plate, letting out the awful "groink", usually when you're showing off how good it runs. It's done this since I bought it; in fact the seller gave me a replacement flex plate which I never installed as the problem hasn't gotten worse and is very intermittent; maybe twice a month when I use it as my daily driver in summer. The new owner will receive the replacement flex plate, front and rear transmission seals and a new transmission pan gasket and filter. Your local Hans & Fritz German car repair shop will make quick work of it if you don't feel like doing it yourself. The fuel injection has been very reliable for me. I did replace, as a matter of routine maintenance, the fuel injectors, the fuel pressure regulator, and installed a new fuel pump 5 years ago. The mileage went from the low twenties to the mid-twenties range ever since. The original gas tank was dented so I replaced it with one from a '74 Sport Wagon. The Bosch Jetronic injection system was widely used in other German cars and parts are available from Opel GT Source if ever needed. The 3-speed Turbo-Hydramatic 180 transmission is one of the finest automatics you'll find from those days. They were used in Chevettes, Vegas, and produced into the 1990s for Suzuki sport-utes. Parts are available but I've never had trouble with an Opel automatic. It shifts smoothly but firmly. So, this is a survivor from a by-gone era. 1975 was the last year real German Opels were imported to the USA. These are hard to find in this shape and I hope it goes 100,000 more miles for the right owner. The car is near Rochester, Minnesota if you want to inspect it personally.