1988 Opel Ascona

Max_Damage

I was looking through Carzone and spotted this rarity:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=457512

(Ok, I know it may not be a 'classic' so to speak, but they are rare enough these days and will probably be a classic in the near future).

It's a good looking car, it even has pre-Euro Band reg. plates! Price is a bit steep though, isn't it? I'd nearly be half tempted to purchase if it wasn't so expensive.

Wishbone Ash

Here's an older one.

Max_Damage

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Here's an older one.

Well that definitely isn't worth €1,600!

ds20prefecture

OK - I'm not trying to troll here, but have you ever driven an Opel Ascona?

From the moment you touched the door handle, to when you gripped the wheel, turned the key and heard the distant thrum of precision German engineering you are left with the unnerving feeling of unwanted participation in necrophilia.

Seriously - these were god awful bland garbage when new. I once drove a brown (of course) 1.6 diesel. Not turbo diesel, just diesel. It was only 2 or 3 years old at the time and EVERYTHING about the car felt wrong. The door handle operated like a broken stapler, then the door opened (dropping a little, of course), then you perched your bum on unyielding brown velour seats, then you grabbed the thin, hard, plastic wheel. You turn the key - the glow plug lights. And stays lit for about 1 minute.

Then you fire it up, (starter sounds like the battery's flat, but it isn't). A Massey 135 sounds smoother. You jab the throttle in the vague hope it might smooth things out. The weight of the pedal seems to imply that you're physically helping the flywheel spin through it's less-than-impressive 2500rpm rev range. You attempt first gear through the hard, cold, plastic gearknob to find that you'll need a couple of goes to get through the baulky, notchy gate. When you do engage, you can feel every revolution of the engine through the lever.

You let the clutch out through its unnaturally small bite point and accelerate glacially up to the top of the rev band in first. 15mph. Second it is and onward to 26mph. Third is nice and long and allows you to use all that torque that diesel is famous for. Except it isn't there. At this stage the dash is vibrating in harmony with the engine - the hard, squeaky plastic like a symphony of angry starlings.

You decide enough is enough and pull over to kill yourself. The indicator stalk is as precise and well weighted as a blancmange. The flasher relay sounds like a hammer hitting an anvil. You take one last look at your surroundings, only hoping that blowing your brains out will liven up the decor a little and perhaps that you might find one redeeming feature to stay your own hand. But alas no - the straw that breaks the camel's back is when you look up and see elastoplast-type roof lining - THIS IS 1987 FFS.

Anywhoo, not really a fan as you might have gathered. The competition was the Peugeot 405 (beautiful, fabulous ride, excellent diesel, good performance, well equipped and cheaper) the BX (likewise, but a good bit less beautiful than the 405 and somewhat flimsy) the Sierra (adventurous, spacious, good handling, reliable) the montego (excellent packaging, well equipped and a surprisingly cheerful place to be by comparison even if it was a BL)

The Ascona C was a nail. Its successor, the much pilloried Vectra, was an infinitely better car in almost every way.

Wishbone Ash

ds20prefecture wrote:

Its successor, the much pilloried Vectra, was an infinitely better car in almost every way.

Jesus, that says it all. I've never driven an Ascona but the Vectra is on of my least favourite cars. Mrs Wishbone Ash used to have one and I can't think of any redeemable features about it. A truly awful car, and you say that the Ascona was worse? :eek:

ds20prefecture

MUCH worse. My dad had a couple of Rekords around that time and they at least had a little bit of presence. But that was it. Big Opels in the 80s were what VW are now: overrated, bland, uninspiring designs that are the inevitable product of a company run by accounts and marketing departments.

Max_Damage

Right so, €1,600 is a bit over the top then!?

Your experiences of them would explain why their isn't many around anymore!

Can't say I ever drove one, but my uncle had an '88 one a few years back and it seemed to be a nice enough car.

ds20prefecture

Ah sure don't take my word for it. Apparently I'm a car snob. Give it a test drive and let us know how it is!

€1600 buys you an awful lot of what was good in 1988. A 320i, or an Alfa 75 for example.

Or this Peugeot 505

macplaxton

Ugh! I've had the misfortune to drive a Vauxhall Cavalier (same thing) of that vintage and it wasn't a laughing matter....:D

Alfasudcrazy

I agree with DS on that model Ascona. Horrible just horrible. In fact all 80's pre Vectra mk I Opels were just dire things.

It was the default car for most in my job at the time and I could not believe people would spend good 80's money buying a new one. Many ex cortina owners took fright at the new sierra and opted for this heap of junk instead.

We had a Mk II kadett at work at the time and I dreaded having to get in it let alone drive it. The new vectra was a revelation however even if it was a bit sluggish in 1.6 petrol form. I liked it so much I bought my own - a 1.7TD which had much more poke than its petrol sister.

maidhc

My grandfather had an Ascona Diesel too. All I remember is how the entire car seemed to resonate at certain RPMS!

Blue850

I had a 87 Kadett 1.2 which was dreadful, and I was thinking of buying a 1.6 diesel one that was traded into the garage I worked at, but it was damn near impossible to start in the morning, and that was after new glow plugs were fitted. I had a 1980 Kadett 1.3 which was a great car.
As for the much maligned Vectra, I had a 1.7D which was dead slow but super economical, I have a 94 1.7TD for the past 7 years which my mechanic reckons is the most reliable car he has on his books, its at 242,000 miles and the only times its given any trouble is when I've done something stupid with it like driving thru floods too quickly which shorts out the alternator or letting it run out of diesel:D

2cv

I know where there's a one owner 1984 Vauxhall Cavalier (same difference) for sale. It's diarrhea brown with a similar interior. It's in pretty good nick. Yer man said he wanted €1500 for it and i just laughed! :-)

My parents drove a 1972 Opel Ascona somewhere in the seventies. I loved that car!

8~)

I liked the Asconas. They were a 'strong' car, ideal for towing stuff and economical too.

But I still opted for a Montego at the time.

green-blood

8~) wrote:

I liked the Asconas. They were a 'strong' car, ideal for towing stuff and economical too.

But I still opted for a Montego at the time.

brilliant

MercMad

Whist I agree that the 80's Opels were nothing to write home about, at least this particular car, the Sprint, had a half decent interior, factory alloys and wasn't Mexico red or Nordic (Garda) blue !

They werent great to drive, buit only when compared to French cars, everything else was sh1te too ! The French were just so soft, both in suspension AND bodywork !

At least the Opels were durable and cheap to service. I may have even sold that partciular car from new BTW !!

I agree about the diesels BTW, its only when you recall those vehicles that you realise how far we've come !

8~)

green-blood wrote:

brilliant

I suppose you could see some irony here.

But really, if ever there was a maligned car the Montego is it. Compared to rest of the mainstream offerings, Pug 405 excepted, it was a good car.

Max_Damage

Blue850 wrote:

I have a 94 1.7TD for the past 7 years which my mechanic reckons is the most reliable car he has on his books, its at 242,000 miles and the only times its given any trouble is when I've done something stupid with it like driving thru floods too quickly which shorts out the alternator or letting it run out of diesel:D

Those 1.7TD engines are built by Isuzu, hence the reliabilty. My cousing had a '93 Vauxhall Astra with the same engine, had over 200,000 miles when he got rid of it. The bodywork fell apart, engine though wouldn't die in it!

Isuzu made a 1.5TD too, which went into the Vauxhall Nova and Isuzu Gemini, the were incredible economical and fast too. The 1.6 non-turbo diesel's were made by GM as far as I know, and they were shíte, and incredibly slow aswell.

2cv

Max_Damage wrote:

The 1.6 non-turbo diesel's were made by GM as far as I know, and they were shíte, and incredibly slow aswell.

Tell me about it... My very first car (back in the early 90s), was a 1982 Opel Ascona 1.6 D... Kept it for 2 months and then replaced it by a 1986 Saab 900 Turbo slight difference in performance

AsphaltRisin'

that ascona's been up there for AGES! seems a bit dodgy that it's been there so long.
I wouldnt go for one anyway, much prefer the rear wheel drive opels.

gyppo

8~) wrote:

I suppose you could see some irony here.

But really, if ever there was a maligned car the Montego is it. Compared to rest of the mainstream offerings, Pug 405 excepted, it was a good car.

True, even though the montego was ridiculed, the diesel engine (which i think was a perkins unit) was supposed to be a gem.

2cv

I saw an Ascona in Clonmel on Sunday! It was the second model, late seventies i'd say. It was the biggest pile of sh**** i've seen in my life. Amazing it was still running :-)

Max_Damage

Vauxhall Cavalier TV Advert:

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=CjiHuLnVcAs

'It's better by design!'

zilog_jones

Max_Damage wrote:

Isuzu made a 1.5TD too, which went into the Vauxhall Nova and Isuzu Gemini...

Was the Gemini officially sold in Ireland? I was always confused by their Japanese-size number plate holders on the boot, yet there seemed to be a good few round. And if so, who sold it? Opel dealers?

junkyard

I had a 1981 Ascona 2.0 and I loved it, I always loved the shape of them and it was a lovely car to drive.

MercMad

Was the Gemini officially sold in Ireland? I was always confused by their Japanese-size number plate holders on the boot, yet there seemed to be a good few round. And if so, who sold it? Opel dealers?

........it was officially imported, nothing to do with Opel though !

unkel

junkyard wrote:

I had a 1981 Ascona 2.0 and I loved it, I always loved the shape of them and it was a lovely car to drive.

That's an Ascona B. My dad had one, a '78 1.9 petrol and it's the first car I ever drove. Solid car to drive. I've never driven an Ascona A or C but the latter was the first one to be FWD, no?

2cv

The Ascona A was a lovely little yoke to drive. My parents had one, a 1.2 2 door. 1972 if i remember correctly.

manta mad

well with all the slateing the poor old ascona is getting here,
its time someone backed it up a bit :mad:

why was there so many sold ? theres a few around still, much more than your old horrible french cars of that era.

it was the best selling car in west germany & spain when it came out.
the irish bought loads of them & loved them.
their was much more on irish roads than the horrible citroens,peugeots, renaults & they lasted longer & took more hardship than the above cars

ds20prefecture

manta mad wrote:

their was much more on irish roads than the horrible citroens,peugeots, renaults & they lasted longer & took more hardship than the above cars

Yes. Cancer is hard to kill too.

High sales, durability or popularity do not make a car interesting or involving to drive. E.g. the Mk IV Escort, the toyota corolla, the Austin Allegro. These cars sold in their millions but are (generally) automotive porridge.

This isn't a badge war thing, Manta Mad. I was only relaying what the Ascona C I drove was like. My friends had a B and loved it. The A looks like a fine car. I think the Manta is class, likewise the GT and the Lotus Omega.

Interesting that there was no Manta based on the Ascona C, no?

And on the durability thing - I see an awful lot more Peugeot 405s still on the road than Asconas. Likewise Audi 80s. I suppose the reason is that their owners look after them because the cars are enjoyable drives. Unlike the Ascona.

Max_Damage

ds20prefecture wrote:

And on the durability thing - I see an awful lot more Peugeot 405s still on the road than Asconas. Likewise Audi 80s. I suppose the reason is that their owners look after them because the cars are enjoyable drives. Unlike the Ascona.

The diesel engines in the 405 were indestrucible. Same can't be said though for modern Peugeot's.

In general, their isn't many 80's cars left on the roads anyway (and the Ascona left the scene in 1988). The only few 80's cars that you would see 'regularly' would be the like of Nissan Micra K10's, Starlet's, among a few other Jap cars.

Eric318

I had one of these in Zambia. Pretty dire craft indeed, but it survived the Zambians potholes, seemed pretty indestructible. Sold it a few months later for a 40% profit after replacing the front shocks and hammering in the dents on the bonnet that the dead shocks heads had created!!

Blue850

ds20prefecture wrote:

And on the durability thing - I see an awful lot more Peugeot 405s still on the road than Asconas. Likewise Audi 80s. I suppose the reason is that their owners look after them because the cars are enjoyable drives. Unlike the Ascona.

Surely you should be comparing the Ascona with the Peugeot 305 for survival rates? The Vectra A (89-95) was current with the 405.

ds20prefecture

Blue850 wrote:

Surely you should be comparing the Ascona with the Peugeot 305 for survival rates? The Vectra A (89-95) was current with the 405.

True - the 405 was only on the market from 87. Still, the Ascona in the original post is an 88.

G Luxel

MercMad wrote:

........it was officially imported, nothing to do with Opel though !

I spotted one of these yesterday morning on its original 88 D plates, said Gemini, had square plates at the rear and a go-faster stripe. The 70s Isuzu gemini is based on an opel Kadett C (72-78). I do remember seeing a few of these Japanese import saloons in the early 90s but I guess they are long since gone. Even stranger is the fact that this car appears on a South Korean Stamp as it was also sold as a Daewoo.

As for the Ascona, there is one Ascona that I know of, thats currently sitting in a field. The car dates from the mid 80s and is the rarer 2 door Ascona so maybe this is worth I600 euros....?

Citroen Guru

Been using an 84 Cavalier 1300 in a very fetching faded pale green. Super old car. One previous owner with full history. 72000 miles. 18 months NCT and taxed all for 200 euros and wait for the best bit - got paid 150 for 4 hours filming in the new Heineken advert. More fun than the XM or DS! Want several thousand for it now - look what happened to Mk 111 Cortina's after Spiders From Mars.:D

manta mad

great stuff .:)

whens the ad out ?

any pics ?

Citroen Guru

Here it is in all its glory. Advert is going to be Europe only but not UK or Ireland. So I've got spies out in Germany and France.

Max_Damage

Not too bad, a few sheets of sandpaper and a bucket of paint and she'll be as good as new. How much is she going for?