Astra OPC $28K makes me cry

[dutchy]

The people I really feel sorry for are those who paid full price for their Opel before the closure was announced. They have been screwed, and I think Opel/Holden owe it to them to do something to compensate them for the destruction of resale value that their abrupt withdrawal from the market has wrought. I'm not sure what, maybe an extended warranty, discounted servicing, etc.

I've been down that path with Opel customer centre and there is nothing, nil, nada, niks, zilch they want, can or are willing to do. According to them we must be "happy" that Opel arranged for Holden to take over warranty and service. A few weeks ago I promised myself not to write, think or speak about this topic anymore........ here I am making a comment Ah well, just hope that we're being treated fairly and honestly by the Holden dealers (for myself, if I'm not, they can shove that car ..........)

Warning: This is an Old Thread This discussion is older than 120 days. information contained in it may no longer be current . Please think of the children before resurrecting this ancient thread!

[chris_r]

I've been down that path with Opel customer centre and there is nothing, nil, nada, niks, zilch they want, can or are willing to do. According to them we must be "happy" that Opel arranged for Holden to take over warranty and service. A few weeks ago I promised myself not to write, think or speak about this topic anymore........ here I am making a comment Ah well, just hope that we're being treated fairly and honestly by the Holden dealers (for myself, if I'm not, they can shove that car ..........)

Are you sure you contacted Opel and not Hyundai? Sounds something like their "customer service" would pull.

[dutchy]

Are you sure you contacted Opel and not Hyundai? Sounds something like their "customer service" would pull.

[Wraith]

This was bound to happen when Opel decided to pull out...

Unfortunate as mentioned above for anyone who payed full price before Opels departure - poor buggers...

On the flip side it's an opportunity for anyone interested in any of the remaining vehicles still available, or any near new ones selling...

[kabel]

This was bound to happen when Opel decided to pull out...

Unfortunate as mentioned above for anyone who payed full price before Opels departure - poor buggers...

On the flip side it's an opportunity for anyone interested in any of the remaining vehicles still available, or any near new ones selling...

Do not think this is unique to Opel.
I have seen 12 month old Audi S3`s for sale extremely cheap.
Audi introduced the new model $12,000 cheaper than the one it replaced.

As for problems with cars, nearly everyone I know that has issues never look after them.
They do not check fluids, tyre pressures, service intervals or even wash the cars and thrash them immediately upon start-up.
Reap what you sow !

I have had four Astra`s and my girlfriend has had one. All have been reliable and all have been regularly serviced.

That actually goes for the other brands of cars I own also.
I currently have a mid 70`s V8 being rebuilt, this car has been in the family for 37 years and still has the original bottom end.
The mechanic said he can tell the car has had regular oil changes as everything is really clean inside and the bearings,etc are in good condition. Same goes for the auto transmission.

If you intend on keeping your Opels for a while do not get fixated on the depreciation, just enjoy them !

[chris_r]

Do not think this is unique to Opel.
I have seen 12 month old Audi S3`s for sale extremely cheap.
Audi introduced the new model $12,000 cheaper than the one it replaced.

As for problems with cars, nearly everyone I know that has issues never look after them.
They do not check fluids, tyre pressures, service intervals or even wash the cars and thrash them immediately upon start-up.
Reap what you sow !

I have had four Astra`s and my girlfriend has had one. All have been reliable and all have been regularly serviced.

That actually goes for the other brands of cars I own also.
I currently have a mid 70`s V8 being rebuilt, this car has been in the family for 37 years and still has the original bottom end.
The mechanic said he can tell the car has had regular oil changes as everything is really clean inside and the bearings,etc are in good condition. Same goes for the auto transmission.

If you intend on keeping your Opels for a while do not get fixated on the depreciation, just enjoy them !

I paid $33k for my POS van, I'm probably lucky if I'll get $6k for trade in, not to mention in the four years I've owned it since new, it's probably cost me close to $20k in repairs alone. Oh well, write it all off in tax I guess.

As for servicing and maintaining cars, what you said here cannot be drilled into some people's minds enough. I admit, I used to be pretty relaxed in regards to servicing the Hyundai until the big ends went at 68k. Since that, I've been religiously servicing it at every 10k (book says 7.5 or 15k, but I drive metro all day, so I probably do the 10k in about about 2.5 to 3 months) and I was unfortunate enough to suffer a broken oil pump chain 110k later. But at least I'm sure in my mind now that since the first rebuild, I have done everything better than what's in the book and looked after it as best I can and the last failure was down to the fact that there truly are defects in the iLoads that I'm sure Hyundai aren't aware of (or are just not saying anything about them).

But in regards to depreciating Opels, it would probably annoy me spending the money on the car and watch the value drop quickly at first, but having said that, if I were driving an OPC, I'm sure the smile on my face would be worth every cent and I'd be happy to keep the car long enough that depreciation means nothing in the end. And if you want the car enough, you probably forget about the money when you're out on the road in it and having fun. What good is money when you can't take it to the grave and the government is likely to tax it out of you anyway?

[mondo]

That's right, some cars depreciate badly. Ordered my Mondeo in Dec 09, paid $48k on road. Wasn't delivered till April 10 and just one month later they announced they were ceasing production and started selling for $41k new. 12 months later, $36k new. Car is 4 years old, have just sold it for $18k.