Niki Soilemetzidou wrote an email to the Opel Post. The lines she wrote – they are a declaration of love to her “star”. This is the Greek translation for Astra. The silver-colored Opel model with lightning bolt, built in 2001, has been a reliable companion for the young woman for many years.
So reliable that she would like to give him an honor: “Can you add my Astra to your gallery of mileage heroes?” she asks. And whether we can do that. The two criteria for inclusion in the ranking are met: on the one hand, the Astra has over 450,000 kilometers on the clock, and on the other hand, it is loved. A lot.
Niki Soilemetzidou has been proudly driving her Astra for twelve years.
“It never needed any major repairs, my Astra was always a loyal companion.”
The model with lightning has reliably accompanied her throughout many milestones in her life.
Even if it wasn’t passion at first sight: it’s been a good twelve years since her family gave her the Astra G, remembers Niki Soilemetzidou. It was a present to mark the start of her mechanical engineering studies. “I previously drove an Opel Tigra. In comparison, the Astra G was a rather conservative, perhaps even boring model,” says the young Greek woman. But the bond grew. Every day when she drove to university: “The Astra offers me protection when it rains, warmth when it’s cold, and great music during our journeys.” It never needed major repairs, it was always a loyal companion. “It’s a car full of pride and loyalty.”
The Opel accompanied her through every milestone of her life – the bachelor’s degree, the master’s degree and her first job. “Of course my star was always serviced in a timely manner,” she emphasizes. Aside from the usual signs of wear and tear, there were never any unpleasant surprises. The Astra only broke down once, “but only on my doorstep.” She is certain: “It held out until I got home safely. I’m not joking!”
Still in good shape: The Astra G was the first Opel with a fully galvanized body.
As proof, the mechanical engineer sent a photo of the current mileage.
“Perhaps the era of my star is coming to an end. But maybe not.”
But a few weeks ago she had to think about saying goodbye for the first time. The problems suddenly announced themselves with white smoke coming from the exhaust. The cylinder head gasket is defective and water has entered the engine compartment. “I understand that my Astra is tired – I can’t blame him.” After all, he is now 24 years old and the odometer shows 452,761 km. And yet she can’t separate from him.
“Perhaps the era of my star is coming to an end. But maybe not.” She hopes that the Astra can be repaired. Because: “In my opinion, it is the most reliable car ever,” says the mechanical engineer. Our list of kilometer heroes proves her right: Most recently we introduced the Belgian Gerry Dirix there. His Astra F has driven over a million kilometers – with the original engine and transmission. Maybe Niki Soilemetzidou’s Greek star will also cover many more kilometers. He already has a place in our gallery of reliable ones.
January 2025
Graphics: thousand and three, photos: private