Enthusiasts hate automatic transmissions. Right? Given the choice, we’d always rather have a manual gearbox, especially in an old and/or interesting car. But what if the automatic is the rare choice, and the car isn’t exactly a performance machine anyway? Can we love the automatic then? That’s what we’re investigating today.
Yesterday we looked at two extra-capacity versions of cars that are usually seen as sedans, and it was a close one. Only fifteen votes gave the Mitsubishi Diamante wagon the edge over its Mazda 626 hatchback “Touring Sedan” rival. But a win is a win, and this round goes to Mitsubishi.
I’d take the Mazda, personally. I’m very fond of the Mazda GD platform, especially with a five-speed manual. I had a Ford Probe with the same engine and transmission as this 626, and I loved how it drove. This one has probably had some more of the niceness worn off it, but I bet it’s still a good driver. And I bet there’s a way to swap in 1988-89 model year non-motorized seat belts.
I can’t even count the number of times I’ve seen an otherwise interesting old car for sale and thought, “Too bad it’s an automatic.” We’ve all done it. And inevitably the thought creeps in about the difficulty of swapping in a manual transmission, to “correct” the “defect” from the factory. But because this happens so often, I’ve sort of turned the corner on automatics, especially in cars where they don’t belong. Yes, they’re unbearably slow, and dull to drive – but that slowness and dullness has kept them from getting trashed over the years. Some of the cleanest and most original examples of old cars around are automatic versions of cars that are usually manuals. These aren’t the cleanest examples of these two cars I’ve seen, but they’re pretty damn nice for the price, as long as you’re willing to give up the clutch. Let’s take a look.
1969 Opel Kadett 1900 L – $2,600
Engine/drivetrain: 1.9-liter OHC inline 4, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: La Mesa, CA
Odometer reading: 104,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
When you think of a General Motors car from 1969, I bet this isn’t it. A Chevelle maybe, or a Camaro, but an Opel Kadett? GM sold this little German import through Buick dealerships, where it must have looked a little funny alongside the Skylarks and Electras. But GM sold more than 400,000 of these little things in the US over the course of six years. They’re all but gone now; this is the first Kadett wagon I’ve seen in several years.
The Kadett is powered by Opel’s 1.9-liter “cam-in-head” engine, a tamer version of the engine found in the Opel GT. Typically, you’d find a four-speed manual behind it, but a TH180 automatic was an option, and that’s what this car has. It has had an absolute ton of mechanical work done to it, and the seller says it’s a reliable driver. The seller says they have all the service records too, which might make for interesting reading.
It’s extremely well-preserved inside; the last Kadett wagon I saw in person was street-parked in Portland, and it was not nearly this nice. The seat upholstery looks a little grubby, but it’s intact, which is saying something for fifty-seven-year-old vinyl. I see a couple of cracks in the dash, but nothing worth worrying about.
It could use some freshening up outside. The paint is chalky, and the window seals look hardened. I’m not sure how much of that stuff is still available for a car like this; it’s probably a good thing it’s in sunny southern California, where dried-out window seals don’t matter so much. Still, even as it sits, it’s charming and cute, and it would certainly draw a crowd at most car gatherings.
1976 Honda Civic CVCC – $2,900
Engine/drivetrain: 1.5-liter OHC inline 4, two-speed semi-automatic, FWD
Location: Monrovia, CA
Odometer reading: 78,000 miles
Operational status: Ad just says “runs”
Every hero story has an origin, and for the Honda Civic, it’s this little bubble. The first-generation Civic was once a common sight on the roads, but I can’t remember the last time I saw one in person; alas, this is also the origin of Honda’s reputation for rust. This one seems to have escaped that curse, thanks to Southern California’s dry air.
Honda made headlines with this car, specifically for its clever CVCC engine, which was cleaner and more efficient than other designs, able to meet emissions requirements without a catalytic converter. It displaces 1.5 liters and makes 53 horsepower, which may not sound like much, but this car weighs about as much as an empty shoebox, so it’s plenty. Most Civics had either a four- or five-speed manual, but Honda also offered the two-speed “Hondamatic,” a semi-automatic transmission with a torque converter. As I understand it, you have to shift between high and low gear yourself. I can’t tell you much about this one’s mechanical condition; all the seller says is that it runs.
The interior is in really good shape, though it seems to suffer from an overabundance of floor mats. There is something missing from the dash; I think it’s an ashtray that goes in that blank space. The rest of the dash looks nice, including the wood, which I believe is real wood on these.
The seller describes this car as “rust free,” which isn’t quite the case, but I guess this is about as rust-free as a first-generation Civic gets these days. You could call it “patina,” I guess, and just leave it. I do wish it were more evenly faded; it’s too many different shades of blue.
Yes, you’re right – both of these cars would be more fun to drive with manual transmissions. But they might both have been run into the ground by now. They might very well owe their current condition, possibly even their existence, to those leisurely automatic transmissions. You could find the parts to convert either of them to manuals, I’m sure, but I think I’d rather just sit back and enjoy the slow ride. Maybe I’m getting old. What say you all? Which one would you rather drive slowly and with only one foot?
This is a tough one: mom had a ’68 Kadett and dad had a ’75 Civic. But since the Kadett was gone by the time I came around, and I have numerous fond memories rolling around in that little green Honda (dubbed the “Green Pickle”), I’m going with the Civic. Just wish it at least had the 4-speed like my dad’s.
DAMN, these are in good condition! Another tough one today.
Better photography and less peeling paint has me leaning toward the Opel, but I think that if actually choosing, I’d need to smell them first. I’d also see how much of the shadowing on those Civic seats is dirt versus just lighting on the cloth. I’m not a fan of vinyl seats, but I believe they are less likely to trap odors.
We had a ’70s Opel Kadett when I was a kid in Sweden and it was a giant pile of crap. One time I opened one of the rear pop-out windows and it did exactly that and fell out of its frame.
Most cars had that window problem after a few times they were as easy to pop back in as putting a slipped off loafer or slipper back on your foot.
That Kadett brings back happy memories.
Dad brought home a new white 68 fastback coupe when I was a wee lad – White w/ Red interior – 4 speed.
Our family did all kinds of daytrips in that car thoughout Northern California.
I even have a photo of us driving thru the redwood tree.
It was later sold after we received orders to move back to Upper Michigan.
I have been to that $5 redwood tunnel up in Northern California right off the 101 in Humboldt County. Living in Eureka was a teaching moment of learning to get along with liberals. I have seen 80 groovy multicolor Volkswagen Buses all around Arcata town square and it wasn’t even a car show. I enjoyed my time there but not the Vegan Buffet Restaurant.
I mean really what is a vegan buffet but a glorified salad bar
That Opel feels much more rare in a good way.
I can’t say no to a teal interior. I just can’t. Plus it’s in good enough shape that I wouldn’t mind repainting it in an OG color to make it shine.
I was tempted by the weirdness of the Civic’s semiauto transmission, but I like the Kadett’s condition better. I’d give the dusty brown paint a good polishing and call it a day on the cosmetic stuff.
Opel please, I’m putting a Miata powertrain in it!!
Opel – having owned a ’68 Kadett as my first car, manual, a 1900 Rallye, a GT, .and a Manta why not, lol. The Kadett only weighed 1800# with a GT engine if I remember correctly and could stay with a 289 mustang convertible until the end of third gear, perfect for the city. Had a factory tri-y exhaust. A guy I meet had the class record at Detroit Dragway with one with minor work including a 2 barrel carb.
Because Japan. Opel, give me a break.
TIL: GM used those square “GM” badges in the ’70s as well. I loathed how they put those on every single car fender/front door in the ’00s-teens models. It’s like they wanted to make sure that you might be buying a Pontiac or Buick, but deep down it’s the same crap as a Chevrolet.
Yes, it boggled my mind when they placed them on Saturn, which at one point had made an attempt to distance itself from the GM mother ship, luring unsuspecting import buyers into their grasp. I guess at that point they were a dead company walking and just rebadging other GM vehicles after GM starved them of new designs.
GM survived by buying the competition and bringing them down to GM quality
A rare “I’ll walk” day.
If you buy either of these, yes, you’ll probably end up walking.
The mileage on these cars would like a word with you.
By today’s standards, yes, but both of these are 50 years old (57 in the case of the Opel), and cars from that era just don’t run for hundreds of thousands of miles like today’s hardware. 80 to 100 thousand miles was about all you could reasonably expect, depending on manufacturer.
The Civic has fewer miles, but it looks to be in worse shape than the older (by 49 dog years) Kadett.
I suspect neither of these would serve as effective daily drivers for very long.
I’ll take the Opel. It’s just a lot more interesting and unusual. These old Civics pop up more often than folks realize. They’re cool, and a historically significant model, but not particularly unusual. 40 of them on BaT history, most selling under 10k in excellent condition.
Hmm… the Opel, which misspells both “opal” and “cadet”…
or the CVCC, which stands for “Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion”, but everyone things they just misspelled “Civic”.
Either way, I’m explaining a lot of things. I’ll take the Opel because I have to explain why there’s not back doors and that’s more to explain. And I like explaining things on weird cars.
Neither are misspelled: Opel is the founder’s last name and that’s how you spell Cadet in German.
You tell Mr Opel he spells his name wrong.
Go ahead.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Opel
And no – The Civic was not named after the CVCC engine.
The Civic came first in July ’72.
The engine came in Dec 1973
Boy did I step in it this time. Let’s just cover things in advance here…
Next time I’ll just make a smart-ass remark about BMW turn signals instead.
And I love you guys. Never stop knowing things.
Good thing you corrected it you were sounding like that 78fiatspider guy
Kadett because it will look great next to my GT.
It would get an engine swap anyway so having an automatic is really a moot point for me.
I learned how to drive on an Opel Kadett with a stick shift. I’ll take the Honda. Not sure why. Must be some repressed memory.
Being both autos, that doesn’t narrow it down.
But the Opel is cool, and way more rare for C&C than an old Civic.
Adding a third Civic to the fleet is on my To Do list, but not this one. I actually like the Opel and could see myself tooling around in it, that poor Civic is too far gone.
Today’s build:
Not much really, give it a really good Frieburger Comet wash to see what’s left of the paint, maybe some of that Patina Wipe stuff to give it a little luster.
The Interior should come back nicely with a solid weekend of scrubbing, steaming, vacuuming and conditioning.
The window seals can probably be replaced with generic ones, back then they all were more, or less; the same.
Give it a solid dose of maintenance and maybe hide a Bluetooth radio in the glovebox for funzies.
Nothing crazy just a neat weird old car.
I’m grateful the Civic was made, because it’s brought a lot of improvement to the compact car scene over the years, but that Opel is just vastly more interesting. Plus, the longer the roof, the longer my interest, so that’s my pick!
My mom had a similar vintage Civic from 1986-1988 or so, when she traded it in on a 1985 Civic hatch. It replaced a 1977 or 1978 Corolla. Even as a child I remember how tinny it felt. But I voted for it out of nostalgia.
This is amazing. Amazing, as in I have experience with both of these obscure examples.
I did a lot of growing up in the back seat of a ’67 Kadett – but ours was the Rallye with the fastback. “Fast” is just a word here, don’t get excited. And my mom still has a 1971 GT whose engine Dad and I rebuilt from individual pieces of metal. That one is an automatic, too. I still remember where the vacuum line connects under the transmission. The Kadett is pretty much the same car as the GT, especially as far as the drivetrain is concerned.
My first car was a 1976 Civic with the “Hondamatic.” “L” would take you up to about 50mph, “H” will take you everywhere else. Most of the time you could just leave it in H because, light as it was, the torque converter was enough to get the car moving without shifting at all.
Honestly I would be strongly inclined to take both of these vehicles, just for the sake of the nostalgia. But looking for a daily that is easy to live with, I’d go for the Honda.
If forced to choose for nostalgia, I still want the Honda. That was a fun little car.
“Put it in H!!” actually applies to a real car?!?
Amusingly, the little Civic with the Hondamatic was borderline peppy – certainly for a late-70s Japanese econobox. Mash the gas in L and it would hop right along.
The three-speed Hondamatic in my Triumph (or, in Triumph-speak, a Triomatic) works the same way. Each gear ratio must be selected manually; the three forward ratios are called L, star, and OD but for ordinary driving it’s expected that the driver will just leave it in star for everything from a standing start to highway speeds, thereby using nothing but second gear:
https://images-stag.jazelc.com/uploads/theautopian-m2en/Triumph_Shift-scaled.jpg
I would love to buy the Opal and brag about my classic European shooting brake and then pull up in the old Kadett.
A 1970’s 1.5L with 2-speed auto would be best described as “leisurely” paced.
Opel Kadett is adorable and a long-roof. It’s also more likely to reach speed before nightfall. So gets my vote.
I think it’s das Kadett today. 1) my dad’s first car was a later one, 2) it’s a longroof so it’s useful for stuff. 3) if there’s one thing GM got right it’s Automatics.
I’ll take Oliver’s long roof cousin today, please and thank you.
OLIVER!