Well, after a long dry spell here’s a car I actually checked out. I’ve written about other Kadetts in the past, but I don’t believe there’s been a Rallye featured. The interesting thing about this specific car is that while I was growing up in Los Altos, CA, I used to see this parked out front of Reitmeir’s Werkstatt while I was delivering papers in town. Even then, I thought it was pretty cool with the rally-style striping, foglights, and sporty phone-dial style steel wheels.
This car’s been on the market for at least a month now – the seller is obviously not trying urgently to get rid of it, which is unfortunate since it’s sitting outside on the street. From the decay on this one, you can see why they didn’t last any longer than your average European car in more stressful climates. It’s for sale in the hills of Burlingame, CA for an asking price of $3000.
You can see an example of a restored 1969 car for inspiration. If you are as pedantic as I am, you will notice the cleaner, more delicate design elements in the lighting and grill of the earlier car featured today. And the steel wheels and silver paint add to that impression of lightness and simplicity.
When I went to check out the car, I was genuinely interested. It’s lost its double Solexes for the common single-Weber upgrade to make it driveable, but one thing to bear in mind is this car only has a 1.1-liter engine, according to the seller. Since all the usual online resources suggest the car should have a 1.9-liter, is it possible the early models got something smaller? Unfortunately, by California standards this car also had extensive rust: the passenger floor was gone, as was the spare wheel well on the driver’s side of the trunk, and the tips of the front fenders. Bubbling could also be found elsewhere; unfortunately, the day I saw the car was rainy, so I didn’t crawl around underneath.
Blue plates show the car to be a long-time California resident, and the only major issue visible here is the peeling chrome on the bumper. One other development when I went to see the car was that the battery was flat, supporting my assumption above that the seller is not really ready to part with the car. The original vinyl seats were also torn, as you’d expect in a car of this age.
Sweet vintage fog lights! The seller did his best to highlight the neat period boy-racer touches, such as these lights and all the extra gauges in the dash. Sadly, he’s not doing his best to sell the car – his availability to actually show it was very limited. For the price, I would expect a lot less rust, a running car, and maybe some new tires. If you’re willing to take on a project, the selection is limited, so get your offer ready!
Rusty But Trusty 
February 1, 2012 at 2:27 pm |
Buy American !
February 1, 2012 at 4:05 pm |
So a German-built product from a GM subsidiary sold by Buick dealers qualifies, right?
February 2, 2012 at 11:16 am |
Great title for your post. It’s not easy to find a Kedett these days, Also, while this car may be rusty, I really doubt the trusty aspect.
February 3, 2012 at 11:18 am |
Haha, I suppose the goal would be getting it trusty in this case… and maybe a little less rusty so I don’t have to worry about falling out the bottom.
March 16, 2012 at 11:02 am |
I almost bought an Opel Kadett as my first car – for $50 – fifty 1986 dollars. I passed on that in favor of a 1976 Pontiac Grand-Prix (with a 400) for $300.
August 22, 2015 at 4:32 pm |
I had a 67 when I was in high school about 300.00.It was wonderful ,dependable and ecconomical.It was a big part of my life and the most memorable of all the cars I have owned.