Opel Manta, due to go up in value ?
Opel Manta, due to go up in value ?
Author
Discussion

J4CKO

Original Poster:

46,970 posts

230 months

Friday 8th February 2013
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Just saw a photo of my old Manta (Red D reg GTE Hatch) which got me thinking, had a look and they have gone up in value but still aren't worth much in the scheme of things, £1500 to £2500 seems to be the going rate, whether they sell for that I dont know. Anyone think these due to shoot up in value as they have rally heritage, look pretty good, have a kind of droop snoot, are RWD, are tunable and are as a minimum 28 years old.




They seem like a nice alternative for those who cant quite run to a RS Ford nowadays, but I suppose if it has to be an RS, then only an RS will do to the faithful, but I suspect there are a lot that arent that bothered and fancy something Retro.

SimonV8ster

13,020 posts

258 months

Friday 8th February 2013
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I've seen some go for a lot more than that so some people are already happy to pay more.

falkster

4,258 posts

233 months

Friday 8th February 2013
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They will do but not to the extent of RSs. Now if there happened to be a 400i then that's gonna be worth a pretty penny.

jas xjr

11,309 posts

269 months

Friday 8th February 2013
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I would rather one of these than a mk2 escort

s m

24,492 posts

233 months

Friday 8th February 2013
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J4CKO said:
Just saw a photo of my old Manta (Red D reg GTE Hatch) which got me thinking, had a look and they have gone up in value but still aren't worth much in the scheme of things, £1500 to £2500 seems to be the going rate, whether they sell for that I dont know. Anyone think these due to shoot up in value as they have rally heritage, look pretty good, have a kind of droop snoot, are RWD, are tunable and are as a minimum 28 years old.




They seem like a nice alternative for those who cant quite run to a RS Ford nowadays, but I suppose if it has to be an RS, then only an RS will do to the faithful, but I suspect there are a lot that arent that bothered and fancy something Retro.
It does surprise me as well - in many ways better than an RS rwd Escort and appreciated in Ireland ( where my old GTE went ) long ago. I wonder if spares are a problem now limiting 'rebuildability' ......?

chevy-stu

5,392 posts

258 months

Friday 8th February 2013
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I hope they do go up a little to keep them valued worth repairing and not scrapped, but not to the silly prices of mk1 and 2 escorts. .

I'd consider another one day as a fun car.

interloper

2,747 posts

285 months

Friday 8th February 2013
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Try finding a decent Manta coupe for pennies! They seem to be getting fairly rare and are slowly going up in value. I wish I had bought a GTE coupe when they were going for less than a grand and seemed plentiful.

rigga

8,806 posts

231 months

Friday 8th February 2013
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is200 or i240 for me please.....


Rather have a HSR chevette tho.

s m

24,492 posts

233 months

Friday 8th February 2013
quotequote all
interloper said:
Try finding a decent Manta coupe for pennies! They seem to be getting fairly rare and are slowly going up in value. I wish I had bought a GTE coupe when they were going for less than a grand and seemed plentiful.
You had a hatch didn't you chap?

Getragdogleg

10,251 posts

213 months

Friday 8th February 2013
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I have had many Mantas, currently got two, one an 86 Coupe in white with a 2.4 engine in it, an 87 Coupe in Ford Imperial blue with a 4 litre V8, I also have a 1980 Opel Ascona.

The values are rising, a good unwelded Coupe is now pushing the £4000 with ease, especially if low milage and near showroom condition, if it is a limited edition i200 or even a 400 then the prices higher.

Give it a few more years and they will be even more expensive.

J4CKO

Original Poster:

46,970 posts

230 months

Friday 8th February 2013
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Might be that the hatches are cheaper, still like them, I loved mine, seemed very grown up and powerful back then, used to rev it and the whole car rocked a bit, actually wasn't all that fast, my Golf GTI Mk1 1600 GT was faster and the 1.8S didnt seem much slower and was a nicer, revvier engine than the old Iron dollop in the GTE, never understood why they persisted with the old Bedford Van 2.0 when they had the OHC 1.8 Vauxhall engine on carbs and they had had available the 2.0 SRi and 130 engines, even the 16 valve Astra engine, all have been transplanted since, probably a fairly simple conversion. I know they did some very limited run ones but I think the Manta had potential but never got more than 110 bhp for normal versions, surely there was a Capri 2.8 rival in there somewhere or did they not want to tread on the Monza's patch ?

interloper

2,747 posts

285 months

Friday 8th February 2013
quotequote all
s m said:
interloper said:
Try finding a decent Manta coupe for pennies! They seem to be getting fairly rare and are slowly going up in value. I wish I had bought a GTE coupe when they were going for less than a grand and seemed plentiful.
You had a hatch didn't you chap?
Yep loved my GTE hatch even if it was short lived, best £300 I ever spent!

s m

24,492 posts

233 months

Friday 8th February 2013
quotequote all
interloper said:
s m said:
interloper said:
Try finding a decent Manta coupe for pennies! They seem to be getting fairly rare and are slowly going up in value. I wish I had bought a GTE coupe when they were going for less than a grand and seemed plentiful.
You had a hatch didn't you chap?
Yep loved my GTE hatch even if it was short lived, best £300 I ever spent!
I had the coupe - owned it 7 years and over 100k miles - 2 litre > 2.2 > 2.4

Both Polar White as I recall

windy1

396 posts

281 months

Friday 8th February 2013
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The picture is showing a Manta 400, a completely different beast. The road car is not closely related to the competition version, unlike the Escort.
Ari Vatanen hated the Manta for its understeer, and I vividly recall him struggling to get the car round a bend through 2 gate posts and a cattle grid flat out in top on the Isle of Man.

rigga

8,806 posts

231 months

Friday 8th February 2013
quotequote all
Memories of Russel Brooke's v JImmy McRae. Heat for hire v AC Delco liveried mantas
I was a trainee vauxhall tech around this time and the Manta and the earlier chevette rally cars were and still are THE cars for me, you grew up with motors that will always have a grip on you, whether they were actually crap or not.