SfanGoch Posted December 21, 2015 Posted December 21, 2015 Ran across this a little while ago:Could Opel’s baby Corvette return after a 45-year hiatus?I always liked the GT, a pretty cool looking car.
bbowser Posted December 21, 2015 Posted December 21, 2015 No mention of price. As I recall, the original was affordable, making it a "working man's 'vette".
SfanGoch Posted December 21, 2015 Author Posted December 21, 2015 "Affordable" is a relative term. The new Opel GT is to be built on the existing Astra hatchback platform. That car sells for around 16,000 Euros, or $17458.68 in real money.
Tom Geiger Posted December 21, 2015 Posted December 21, 2015 The last version of the Opel GT was a Saturn Sky clone. That represented the only time there was a US made Opel sold in Germany.
Chuck Most Posted December 21, 2015 Posted December 21, 2015 2007 was 45 years ago? If this one makes it to production, I wonder if it will make it to the US. The previous GT was sold here as a Pontiac and Saturn- those makes are gone. It's hard for me to picture it with a Buick badge, ironically.
Snake45 Posted December 21, 2015 Posted December 21, 2015 It's hard for me to picture it with a Buick badge, ironically.Yeah--doesn't look like there would be enough room for a big goofy looking grille.
Chuck Most Posted December 21, 2015 Posted December 21, 2015 Yeah--doesn't look like there would be enough room for a big goofy looking grille. Never say never, though.
Tom Geiger Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 It's hard for me to picture it with a Buick badge, ironically. History repeating itself! Opels were sold by Buick dealers.
espo Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 In the mid '60's Buick dealers were in need of a compact car and they sold the Opel GT which in deed looked somewhat like a Corvette on a dark night, and about a block away. They also offered a compact coupe and a two door wagon for a time.
Tom Geiger Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 (edited) In the mid '60's Buick dealers were in need of a compact car and they sold the Opel GT which in deed looked somewhat like a Corvette on a dark night, and about a block away. They also offered a compact coupe and a two door wagon for a time.Buick sold Opels, the Kadett range and the GTs until the German Mark made the cars too expensive to compete in the US market. I was in Germany when the mark went from 4 Marks = $1 to less than 2 Marks for a dollar! That was when GM first brought Isuzu to the USA, selling them as Opel by Isuzu. It was the same car Opel sold as the Kadett in Europe only made in Japan. And we cannot forget the Opel Manta, a two door sport coupe aka Isuzu Impulse. The Geo Storm was a rebodied version of this as GM went global. We had a Storm. It was bullet proof. Edited December 22, 2015 by Tom Geiger
Chuck Most Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 History repeating itself! Opels were sold by Buick dealers. That's what makes it ironic. That, and take a look at the concept and see if you can picture the average Buick customer (a little old lady or an upwardly mobile Chinese worker) buying one...
Rob Hall Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 Buick does have an Opel-based convertible in the their lineup now, the new Cascada, but it's a FWD 4 seater...
Joe Handley Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 (edited) I saw earlier tonight that GM supposedly copyrighted the name E-Ray, wonder if these could be tied together. Edited December 22, 2015 by Joe Handley
Tom Geiger Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 Buick does have an Opel-based convertible in the their lineup now, the new Cascada, but it's a FWD 4 seater...Nice looking car, much more money than I'd want to spend on it though!
charlie8575 Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 Nice looking car, much more money than I'd want to spend on it though!I agree, it's quite expensive for what you're getting in terms of size especially. The new LaCrosse, though....if the price stays about where it is, will be a pretty good deal relative to what else is out there now. Charlie Larkin
Tom Geiger Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 (edited) I agree, it's quite expensive for what you're getting in terms of size especially. The new LaCrosse, though....if the price stays about where it is, will be a pretty good deal relative to what else is out there now. Charlie LarkinI'm like the guy who thinks kits should still be $2 when it comes to 1:1 cars! I haven't bought a brand new one since 1996, I cannot accept the thought of car payments. My formula is to find low mile cars that I can buy for around $10,000 cash. I've been pretty successful at that. My last purchase was the 2006 LaCrosse with 30,000 miles on it for $8000. I guess that means I'll be in the market for a Cascada convertible maybe eight years from now! Edited December 22, 2015 by Tom Geiger
bbowser Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 Not many cars out there you can get for $17K. I would consider that affordable in this day and age.
Phirewriter Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 (edited) I would rather see it have rear drive like the original and compete with the likes of the BRZ, Toyota 86, Genesis coupe, etc... The car shown looks good though, will be interesting to see the final product. Edited December 22, 2015 by Phirewriter
SfanGoch Posted December 22, 2015 Author Posted December 22, 2015 Not many cars out there you can get for $17K. I would consider that affordable in this day and age. $17K cars are the ones that make me feel like the driver figures found in some open cockpit slot cars - cramped. Also, no rear leg room for anyone more than 4'7" tall and model car quality interior appointments. I like a hood long enough to accommodate a squadron of F-14s, trunk space I can rent out to a family of six, comfortable, roomy seating for the same number in the passenger compartment and enough headspace to wear a stovepipe hat without scraping the headliner. Something like a 1967 Coupe De Ville.
Matt Bacon Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 £12K for a sports car...? That's entry level hot hatch money over here. £15-16K for an MX-5, £17K for a Fiesta ST, £15K for a SEAT Leon Cupra...The BRZ is £25K, the GT86 £27K...That is seriously affordable for a new car......now, as to what your £12K would buy in the used car lot... I can think of a few alternatives!bestest,M.
MrObsessive Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 (edited) I wanted one of these when they were new..............2007-08ish. Unfortunately, I was literally too big for the car as my head stuck above the windshield! .......And that was with the top down, Heaven knows I probably couldn't get in the car if the top was up! IMO, FWD "sports cars" never look right to me. Not enough real estate between the leading edge of the door, and the trailing edge of the front wheelwell. It's one of the reasons I let my Saturn go. As it was a good running car, I hated taking long trips in it. I need legroom (and foot room with size 15 shoes), and my Challenger suits me perfectly. Hopefully as was mentioned above, the new Opel GT will be RWD. Buick hasn't had one for ages and they sure could use it! Edited December 22, 2015 by MrObsessive
Harry P. Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 I'd only be interested if it looked like an Opel GT. Otherwise it's just another genericar.
Rob Hall Posted December 23, 2015 Posted December 23, 2015 $17k today is entry level tiny 4cyl econoboxes like the Chevy Spark or Sonic.
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