In the 1960s and 1970s, you could buy Opel-branded cars at Buick dealerships in the United States. That was because Opel was a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors – and Buick needed a smaller car to sell. The Opel Ascona was better known as the 1900 in the U.S. and was available between 1971 and 1975. The seller has a superb example from ’71 that would easily qualify as “the nicest one left”. Having recently been serviced mechanically, this Opel looks ready to go anywhere from its current garage in Middletown, Delaware. Available here on craigslist, this 1900 can be driven home for $8,900.
The Opel 1900 got its name from its 1.9-liter engine (they couldn’t be more creative than that?). Within the GM family, the car competed in 1971 with the new Chevy Vega, which was U.S.-built instead of being built in Germany as the 1900. Unlike the Vega, it could be purchased as a 4-door sedan (the seller’s car), and most of the true competition was from imports such as the Datsun 510. Buick switched to Japanese imports in 1976 due to more favorable currency exchange rates.
We don’t know much about this vehicle. From its condition, it looks like it has been babied for the past five decades. 55,500 miles on the odometer suggests the car spends much more time in the garage than out on the road. Which is interesting in that it’s a simple, ordinary economy car whose contemporaries have long since retired to the junkyards of America. Overall, it seems like a solid machine found for us by Rocco B.
A manual transmission is paired with the four-banger, and we surmise it drives as well as it looks. The seller (or another party) has tuned it up and given the little auto all new fluids. The paint has been redone, but the interior is tidy, though spartan. The seller has some specific requirements for sealing the deal and says he/she “will not run any additional reports,” yet we see no evidence of ones like a Carfax having been requested.
Why would you “forget” to take undercarriage pictures of a 50+ year old car in a rust prone state when there is a lift clearly visible in the background? The seller says it’s comparable to a Datsun 510, how so, does it have independent rear suspension or did it compete on price? It may be rare, but the seller needs to justify the asking price in a segment of the market that competes largely on price.
Steve R
The Ascona does not have an IRS. Solid tube axle.
Interesting car,as you almost never see one anymore.
This one’s been for sale for a while now.
What the Vega should have been.
GM should have imported these and rebranded them as Vegas instead of building millions of those disasters.
I had three Opels, two wagens and one Manta. All very sporty and fun. I widhed for a five speed, wich was my only complaint. Sad, but you simply cannot buy this sort of car anymore. Simple, easy to work on and for me reliable.
But you can buy this one! Seriously this is a nice car and fits in with the Buick lineup at the time. Just nicer all around than a Vega.
I had a red ’72 1900 wagon. When I bought it, it would pop out of gear at times. I crawled underneath, saw that the transmission mount bolts were loose (as was the transmission!) tightened everything up and that car ran great all the time I had it!
Nice to see it’s a four speed. Nice looking little Opel. These were competent in show room stock racing.
I too had a red 1972 1900 2 door Wagon. Bought it in 1975. Had it for several years as my daily, so my 1974 Challenger could reside in the garage.
Absolutely loved that little car. If this was a wagon, I’d be all over it! 😁
Believe it or not, these were decent little cars. Those 1900’s had good power but alas: 90 mph was as fast as they would go. These were finally more refined than the Opels of the 60’s!
Perhaps this will bring some interest from outside Delaware… this car has been listed for a LOOONNNGGG time… doesn’t seem locals are very impressed…lol.
Ah yes, Opel. My first car was a 1968 Opel Kadette with a whopping 1100cc inline four and 4 speed manual. You never forget your ‘first’!
Great, fun little car! My dad bought one in 1972 to beat the gas crisis and have a commuter car to join the 1965 Pontiac Catalina in the garage. In 1977 I inherited it, never gave me any trouble, and never got stuck in the snow (lived in Chicago at the time). It was plenty fast for zooming in and out of city traffic. It was bronze with a tan interior, this one looks good in blue.