Opel: 600,000 kilometers with the Astra
STRONG PERFORMANCE The latest addition to the Opel Classic vehicle collection is in almost as good a condition as an annual car: a 2003 Astra Caravan with a diesel engine and 600,000 kilometers on the clock. It is one of the late Generation G models with a 1.7-liter diesel engine and 80 hp in Elegance equipment - including [...]
It is one of the late Generation G models with a 1.7-liter diesel engine and 80 hp in Elegance equipment - including auxiliary heating. Most of the time, the car drove with its owner Henning Barth day in and day out from the Hunsrück region about 100 kilometers to Opel's headquarters in Rüsselsheim and back again.
Purchase price of 5000 euros with 100 000 kilometers
The Astra and its owner have clocked up 500,000 kilometers without any significant repairs. Henning Barth once bought the station wagon used for 5,000 euros with a hundred thousand on the clock. Then came the completely trouble-free half million - so that now 602,998 stands on the speedometer exactly to the kilometer.
Even the clutch is still in original condition
Henning Barth: "The really amazing thing is that the Astra hasn't really aged in all these years and at this mileage. Admittedly, I do clean and maintain it a lot, but the fact that nothing has ever been done to the engine, transmission, turbo or high-pressure pump is quite amazing. Even the clutch is still in original condition."
As a replacement an Astra Generation J with 165 hp
But now the two are parting ways: Henning Barth has donated his Astra to Opel Classic, where the station wagon will be given a place of honor in the Rüsselsheim vehicle collection. As a replacement, Henning Barth has again opted for an Astra.
This time it's an excellently preserved example of Generation J with a two-liter diesel engine and a lively 165 hp. And there's a mission: Barth wants to surpass the mileage of the predecessor.
