(time) capsule
The station wagon converted into a commercial vehicle is a body style that we hardly know today. This car type was once commonplace and Opel had such a model in its range for years with the Kadett – and later with the Astra. The chance that you will meet another one is very small given the hard lives they often had. This makes it very special that this string-tight copy is in the used car range.
Look at it, with its bright red paint, unweathered bumpers and hubcaps and bump on the roof: this order Astra takes us right back in time. Up to and including the Astra H (2004 to 2009), Opel supplied a three-door (!) van for its Astra, after having done the same for years with its Astra predecessor Kadett. Where the Germans from the Kadetten also made three-door station wagons in a passenger version, they no longer did so from the first generation Astra – which came on the market in 1992. If you wanted a new three-door Astra with a long and straight roof from that year onwards, then you were dependent on the two-seater orderer.
This is one of those. The Astra F has not completely disappeared from the streets, especially as a hatchback, but it certainly has as a van. As a commercial vehicle, they could never count on the care and love of a private owner, so they were often used until they were exhausted – whether or not due to the rust devil. The VT-47-LZ was spared a hard life and, according to the registration history, stood still twice for a longer period of time, although this copy also suffers from rust on both sides of the rear fenders.
However, these are – in addition to two dents in the tailgate – the only signs of age that the red station carries. The paint, plastic parts and the interior still look like new and the mileage is also downright low for a commercial vehicle with a diesel engine with 90,860 kilometers on the counter. In addition, the workers who may have ever used the Astra have never smoked in the car. At least; the cigarette lighter was never used, as evidenced by one of the photos that the provider placed with the advertisement.
Long pauses
The Astra has always had the same owner since it was built in 1993. If we look at the years in which it was MOT inspected, we see that the Opel has been off the road twice for a longer period of time. Both between 2003 and 2010 and between 2013 and 2022, the car was not checked by an inspector. That happened again last week. The car company from the Frisian Kootstertille that offers the Astra has prepared the car for a second life with four new tires, a major service and a new timing belt. You can now play the leading role for €3,450.
For that money you buy an empty space miracle weighing exactly 1,000 kg with a luggage compartment that even looks like new. The curb weight is 1,100 kg, so you can stow up to 435 kg of stuff in the back before you reach the maximum car weight of 1,535 kg. If you do that, you have to take into account decent acceleration figures. We do not know what the official figures for the 0-100 sprint are, but with the undoubtedly willing and 57 hp delivering 1.7-liter diesel in the front, it is certainly necessary to be careful from time to time.
This makes the Astra well suited for the unhurried road user – take a holiday maker. We owe you the exact dimensions of the luggage compartment, but with a bit of luck it will be long enough to sleep in it. In addition, the hump on the roof also makes it possible to sit upright ‘in bed’. Due to the environmental zones that you find in more and more places in the Netherlands and Europe, the station wagon with gray license plate and old-fashioned diesel is no longer so attractive for business purposes, but for the better adventurer it may offer a good, charming basis.
You may be able to sleep in this with slightly raised legs.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl