Changing definition of shite

[155V6]

Mk 1 Orion,Mk 2 Cavalier Estate,Alfa 33,& I saw a Nissan Almera saloon today but they can't have sold many of those in the 1st place?

[Volksy]

I saw a Nissan Almera saloon today but they can't have sold many of those in the 1st place?

Funnily enough I saw one yesterday and though the same thing!

[reallyloud]

Citroen BX hatchback, and even estates are getting thin on the ground. Not seen a Fiat Regata for at least 4 years and anything with a Lada badge (especially the Samara) is rare these days.

[bassman77]

Funny we were having this discussion at work today, now I work in a motor factors so I see all sorts of shite come in, but there are a few I can think of that are a bit thin on the ground these days.Montego/MaestrosMk2 CavaliersPeugeot 309Mk4 escort vansOrionsFrog eye ScorpiosFiat tiposThere are loads more, however Im always amazed at what pulls up in the car park each day!

[Josh_Cohen]

I know this isn't Shite and a bit off topic but has anyone ever seen an R31 skline in th flesh

[Volksy]

I know this isn't Shite and a bit off topic but has anyone ever seen an R31 skline in th flesh

Only in NZ, but mainly the 4dr version.. Loved mine.. Red buttoned velour seats mmm

[Guest]

Saw a Kia Mentor a few days ago. P reg but ticked all the boxes: Matt White, Four-door saloon, Poundland wheeltrims. Is that the newest candidate in with a good chance?

Sounds very similar to one I saw except this was a hatch. Plain white with grey bumpers & it had me looking at it wondering if there could be a better example of a completely unremarkable povo spec car in this day & age. A car bearing it's 'I'm at the bottom of the ladder' credentials for all to see! These days different levels of spec on cars are much less obvious, on the outside anyway, sporty ones apart.

Thats got me thinking, for some time I have been looking out for Mentors and seen a handful, I'm still thinking of them as newish cars tho.What I did see today was a Hyundai Sonata in careworn condition, probably about 8 years old or so. Which made me realise I haven't seen an original (1989?) style Sonata for utterly yonks.

[Pillock]

I'm always amazed at the rapid disappearance of what were once very common models. Someone mentioned the Orion - they were everywhere once, now nothing. Same with the original Rover 200. It's almost as if cars that were originally not so common stick around longer, the really everyday stuff suddenly vanishes.

[MrRegieRitmo]

It's almost as if cars that were originally not so common stick around longer, the really everyday stuff suddenly vanishes.

Maybe it's because we never really paid too much attention to the mundane vehicles when they were just everyday street furniture but now they're not, they stick out like a sore thumb when we actually see one.You'd think that cars rare in the first place should in theory disappear quicker, or maybe it's just that the more common vehicles had a greater height to fall from being in much higher number & therefore a higher mortality rate. I don't know, it's puzzling....it could all just be how it seems in the mind.

[Dead_E23]

I suspect that being commonplace is related to actual or perceived cheapness to run, and is therefore a path to careless ownership. (Haven't thought about it much though, so I'm ready for hundreds of counterexamples!)

[AnthonyG]

I saw a Peugeot 305 estate today (driven by an old giffer), I haven't seen a non van version in the flesh for a good 3 to 4 years I reckon. A lot of the stuff mentioned above is still quite common in West Wales - specifically 205s, 405s, Lagunas, Mk3 Astras & Cavaliers, 'wedge' Rover 200s, Rover 600s, Mondeo Mk1s, but Metros/100s do seem to have all gone in the last year, and Mk3 Fiestas and pre 1995 Escorts as well.

[Richard]

Lagunas are still relatively common round here too, but I don't think they will be for long. They have been the disposable car of choice for quite a while now.

[FredTransit]

I'm always amazed at the rapid disappearance of what were once very common models. Someone mentioned the Orion - they were everywhere once, now nothing. Same with the original Rover 200. It's almost as if cars that were originally not so common stick around longer, the really everyday stuff suddenly vanishes.

Between the once booming (credit driven) economy and last year's scrap prices, they have largely been seen off. Also the price of any repairs (if you are not capable of doing them yourself) doesn't help. The more toys they have on them, the more there is to break. If you have some leccy thing go on a car that costs £4-500, and said leccy thing costs £350 to buy/dig out/fit what are most civilians gonna do? Scrap it, that's what.What I am wondering is what is going to happen to the classic/car collector's scene in the next decade? Next year will mean 1990 was 20 years ago. How many early 90s cars will reach classic status?

[pogweasel]

What I am wondering is what is going to happen to the classic/car collector's scene in the next decade? Next year will mean 1990 was 20 years ago. How many early 90s cars will reach classic status?

Quite a few I'd say - in fact a good smattering already have.... As far as I'm concerned the 'Concord moment' for the automobile came around 1990 - look at some of the QUAL stuff that reached it's pinnacle around then - Hot hatches like the Mk2 Golf, 205GTi, Escort RS Turbo, fast saloons (Sierra Cosworth, E30 BMW etc), sportscars like the MX5 and re-born Elan, all at the absolute pinnacle of fast, relatively cheap cars that were genuinely thrilling to drive and yet civilised enough to live with. From there on in, it all gets tamer, more civilised, more refined and ultimately blunted to the point where everything is a bloated, silent, 'safe' armchair.

[FredTransit]

What I meant was how many will actually survive against the tide of high scrap prices and the disposable society that hung over from the 80s? I am sure I am not the only one having trouble seeing 90s cars as classic, and if they don't get that following they just get binned.

[garethj]

How many early 90s cars will reach classic status?

Early '90s was the last time that VWs and Mercs were really reliable, like head and shoulders above most other stuff. And they're still trading on that reputation now

[Spottedlaurel]

I know this isn't Shite and a bit off topic but has anyone ever seen an R31 skline in th flesh

Yes, I used to own one. Bought from a Colchester scrapyard in 2002:

 

 

 

Dutch plates in the second shot as it was just about to be taken to Holland by its new owner, who still has it.

 

As it was champagne in colour and a saloon with a caramel leather interior, I think it probably was a little bit shite.

[Justin Case]

I am sure I am not the only one having trouble seeing 90s cars as classic, and if they don't get that following they just get binned.

I'm with Fred on this one, I think of pre-90 cars as the 'carbs and coil' era and later ones as from the 'electronic age' I feel that this will be a dividing line just as the one that separates the cruder cars of the 50s from the more refined fare of the 60s and 70s. The Mk2 Golfs and early Mazda MX5s are great cars, but they seem just too much like today's fare to rate as classics.

[sdelasal]

One thing to consider is that thru the 90's a lot of cars picked up a lot of electronic modules. Great when they work ...but as they age ... and have to work with damaged or corroded wiring and suspect earths - .. more likely to get problems that become uneconomic for 'average joe' to have repaired and too complex for 'DIY joe' to repair themselves... then you have to consider the price / availability of replacement modules. All tend to increase liklihood of 90s+ cars being scrapped I think. steve

[FredTransit]

One thing to consider is that thru the 90's a lot of cars picked up a lot of electronic modules. Great when they work ...but as they age ... and have to work with damaged or corroded wiring and suspect earths - .. more likely to get problems that become uneconomic for 'average joe' to have repaired and too complex for 'DIY joe' to repair themselves... then you have to consider the price / availability of replacement modules. All tend to increase liklihood of 90s+ cars being scrapped I think. steve

Exactly, like I said earlier, it's the electronics that will kill them. Electrics are not my strong point, but my stuff doesn't have much so what goes pop gets replaced. God help tat lovers when the early 00's cars get to be 20, if they ever do!

[25v6turbo]

My personal list of rare Renaults includeAny 25( A reg)Any Safrane phase 1(K reg)Early F reg 19C reg 21sB reg phase 2 5 TSESavannahs as said alreadyH reg cliosX reg laguna 2(yes a bit modern but look out for them,total shite..)Y reg OLD shape Lagunas(couple near me)E reg 21 turbo(Had one a pre launch car)5/21/25 Monacos

[AnthonyG]

My personal list of rare Renaults includeAny 25( A reg)Any Safrane phase 1(K reg)Early F reg 19C reg 21sB reg phase 2 5 TSESavannahs as said alreadyH reg cliosX reg laguna 2(yes a bit modern but look out for them,total shite..)Y reg OLD shape Lagunas(couple near me)E reg 21 turbo(Had one a pre launch car)5/21/25 Monacos

I think you're being a bit too specific there, I could say that N reg Montegos are rare but that is because they only made about 1000!I don't know about Surrey, but any 25, Safrane or 21 is a very rare car in most of the UK these days. They can't have sold more than a two to three thousand Safranes over the entire model life cycle in the UK? 21s and 25s were much more popular new but I remember 7-8 year old examples getting junked regularly due to a combination of costly mechanical failure and zero residual value in the early to mid 1990s.

[AnthonyG]

How many early 90s cars will reach classic status?

Early '90s was the last time that VWs and Mercs were really reliable, like head and shoulders above most other stuff. And they're still trading on that reputation now

Mercs aren't any more - almost any intelligent carbon based life form knows they can be very troublesome these days - even the official owners club magazine occasionally hints at this (although of course the very latest models given to test drive are naturally trouble free !)

[andrew e]

Renaults? 5 turbos (and Uno turbos for that matter) have vanished, 16v Clio's and williams are heading that way.

[AnthonyG]

Renaults? 5 turbos (and Uno turbos for that matter) have vanished, 16v Clio's and williams are heading that way.

I though Williams Clios were modern 'classics' and therefore would have a highish survival rate, or are trackday 'accidents' culling them effectively ? I'd certainly have one - which is rare for me, as I'm not into many French cars. I always thought Mk1 Clios were durable little beasts as a rule.I doubt many Uno Turbos survived beyond about 1995!

[Timewaster]

And (on a personal note), I must be the only person who drives a Peugeot 405 in my area and doesn't wear a hi-vis jacket while doing so, so a sighting of one with a driver in normal attire is a rarity too

Guilty.

[trigger]

Just passed a bogo White E reg Vauxhall Carlton with a crap aftermarket boot spoiler, Not seen one of them for a while.

[Josh_Cohen]

I saw one of these they probably are loved by some one but to me they are the ultimate shite mobile LOL

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w96/jlc1287/yugo3.jpg[/img

Any Thoughts

[Milford Cubicle]

And (on a personal note), I must be the only person who drives a Peugeot 405 in my area and doesn't wear a hi-vis jacket while doing so, so a sighting of one with a driver in normal attire is a rarity too

Guilty.

Why do you need to wear a hi-vis jacket while driving?!I have to wear hi-vis sometimes at work, but it gets chucked in the boot as soon as I leave

[Split_Pin]

I reckon the Vectra will become scarce, as a lot of them are being scrapped due to the high labour costs of replacing the rear trailing arm suspension bushes, which are a weak point. Volvo 340s are now rare, even the 1st generation 440's are pretty thin on the ground too.MK1 Rover 200'sEarly 90's Honda Civic saloonsThe original style of Renault Trafic and Master vansSquare-lights Freight Rovers and LDV'sI saw a J-reg MK3 Orion today too (that would be MK5 in Escort money). Dont see many of the early ones of that shape anymore.Hyndai Stellars and early Sonatas.