Rare Survivor: 1964 Opel Kadett Wagon Listed as a Turnkey Driver

A little slice of mid-century German practicality has surfaced for sale in Vermilion, Ohio: a 1964 Opel Kadett station wagon, offered on craigslist with an asking price of $8,500. The Kadett was never a glamorous machine, but it once populated American roads in large numbers, and examples as clean as this one are genuinely hard to come by today.

Opel’s story in the United States is a complicated one. The brand stopped bringing genuine, badged models to American showrooms at the close of the 1970s, yet its hardware kept arriving in altered form for years afterward, reworked to satisfy federal safety standards. The Cadillac Catera, Saturn Aura, certain Buick Regals and the Buick Cascada convertible all trace their roots back to Opel platforms. The Kadett itself was a familiar sight on these shores between 1962 and 1972, even though production of the nameplate carried on elsewhere until 1993. This particular car belongs to the Kadett A generation, built from 1962 through 1965 and sold as either a two-door sedan or a wagon. Roughly 695,000 units are estimated to have rolled out across that four-year run, which explains why the model was once so commonplace.

What sets this example apart is its condition. The seller describes it as a “turnkey driver,” and the presentation backs that up: the paint still holds its color without fading, the chrome retains a healthy shine, and the body panels look straight. Perhaps most importantly, no rust is visible, a critical point since corrosion is a well-known weakness of this generation. Under the hood sits a 1.0-liter inline-four making about 40 horsepower, paired with a four-speed manual transmission, which was the only gearbox offered. The seller calls it “fun to drive” and mentions numerous recent mechanical repairs without detailing them, so a buyer would be wise to ask questions and inspect in person.

Inside, the cabin is spartan but honest, exactly what you would expect from a compact of this vintage. The fabric seats appear to have been reupholstered and the carpet looks like a replacement, while the dashboard remains strictly functional. The cargo area is similarly no-frills, though it is reported to be in solid, un-abused shape. The listing closes by calling it a “unique vehicle that’s fun to drive and practical.”

The real question is whether this Kadett can justify its $8,500 price tag. Its rarity is undeniable, but everyday usability is another matter entirely, and anyone considering it should treat it as a weekend curiosity rather than a daily commuter. For a collector who appreciates overlooked German compacts, though, it may be exactly the kind of oddity worth preserving.