Cars you have owned that suddenly disappeared from the roads

[Wibble]

Unless you stalk me or @Schaefft you’re unlikely to spot on of these, other than the one on eBay recently 

[Soundwave]

On 28/04/2024 at 23:25, RoverFolkUs said:

What better to do on a Sunday evening than browse Facebook marketplace in search of a Rover 400 HH-R 

Except I can't seem to find any that tick the right boxes for me

I don't know what it is about them but part of me really wants to get another one like the one I used to have - A hatchback nightfire red 414, manual. 

I can't seem to find one for sale anywhere. 

Went on 'how many left' which claims there are just 12 left 414I S models currently taxed! And roughly 50-60 on SORN. 

Where did they all go? I know that is just one very specific variant of a pretty obscure car but it does sadden me to think that they've pretty much all gone! 

Alternatively there is a very lovely looking 420, but unfortunately it's a saloon and £3k. Yes, it's rare, and low mileage. But is it worth £3k? Not to me, not sure about anyone else. 

My main preferences are a 414 or 420 in nightfire red, ideally hatchback, must be manual. It's got to be cheap because if I was spending £3k I'd get something more universally desirable. 

I'm absolutely kicking myself for calling it a day and getting rid when the clutch went in my 414, but they were totally disposable back then and there were plenty more around.. yet they seem to have disappeared so quickly 🙁

It won't come as much of a surprise if I said another car from me which fits the title of the thread is a Daewoo Tacuma... 

Did you see this one? Ad is a few days old mind you...

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/467421382332188

Ticks the hatchback and manual boxes, but falls down on literally everything else including colour and engine. Sub £800 though...

[RoverFolkUs]

9 minutes ago, Soundwave said:

Did you see this one? Ad is a few days old mind you...

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/467421382332188

Ticks the hatchback and manual boxes, but falls down on literally everything else including colour and engine. Sub £800 though...

Aye I saw that one on car and classic but thanks for the heads up

I'm sure a doom blue L-Series diesel is prime autoshite but it's not really for me! 

The red one that dropped to £1k keeps winking at me but head is overriding heart at the moment!

[Agila]

I feel like I'm admitting to war crimes but I reckon I must have killed a fair few of these listed. Sorry but this was before my autoshite days.

Several rovers that were just throw away stuff but would be lovely on here now. Various old accords from 1994 era. It's actually quite depressing. I didn't realise how simple they would be compared to modern crap now. All mid nighties, escorts/fiesta etc. 

[Scruffy Bodger]

On 29/04/2024 at 19:58, Twiggy said:

Peugeot 405 s.

 

On 29/04/2024 at 20:34, N Dentressangle said:

I had one of those.

And given they don't rot that badly, you'd think there'd be more still around. Folks just don't seem to want to drive older cars, or pay the odd garage bill. Scrappage scheme killed many, with PCP / finance addiction doing for the rest I reckon.

 

I knew my SRDT was rare but looking things up just it's indicating less than 300 405's currently on the road with an MOT now. In comparison 306's are seemingly abundant with over 4300 showing with a ticket. 405's do rot in a few places but hide it well so unless it's an Mi16 it's more than likely going to get fragged. People seem to remember them fondly but not enough to want one. Estates are still cheap, comfortable and useful if you can find one, it cost me 55 quid in bits between MOT's last year.

My SRDT is one of 2 with MOT since 2021, showing 21 all in with SORN included. 

[Soundwave]

@RoverFolkUs... wrong colour, but ticks all the other boxes. Ad's been up for 11 hours though, and I can't see it hanging about at this price! Last MOT seems clean, although it's had a bit of sparkly stick action in the last couple of years.



https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/526982946735418/?ref=browse_tab&referral_code=marketplace_top_picks&referral_story_type=top_picks
 

[RoverFolkUs]

24 minutes ago, Soundwave said:

@RoverFolkUs... wrong colour, but ticks all the other boxes. Ad's been up for 11 hours though, and I can't see it hanging about at this price! Last MOT seems clean, although it's had a bit of sparkly stick action in the last couple of years.



https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/526982946735418/?ref=browse_tab&referral_code=marketplace_top_picks&referral_story_type=top_picks
 

Holy shit batman! Thank you! Sadly no room at the inn now as I've filled it's place with the ZR. But you're right, that ticks most of the boxes. I could definitely compromise on the colour especially at that price

Many thanks for thinking of me

[Soundwave]

Marketplace always seems to throw a lot of Rover stuff into my eyeballs, since I've used it to buy parts for my R8 before (heck, the car itself came from there!), so I've always kept half an eye out for these. I'll stop if you're not looking any more though.

Still, you can at least be safe in the knowledge that at least one still exists out there!

[RoverFolkUs]

26 minutes ago, Soundwave said:

Marketplace always seems to throw a lot of Rover stuff into my eyeballs, since I've used it to buy parts for my R8 before (heck, the car itself came from there!), so I've always kept half an eye out for these. I'll stop if you're not looking any more though.

Still, you can at least be safe in the knowledge that at least one still exists out there!

Please carry on, you never know what might tempt me at the right moment!

Indeed I'm relieved to see that one still exists 😅

[Lord Sterling]

The E46 BMW. I was honestly once a hater of these, then I got one and absolutely loved it. I hardly see these anymore, but then they don't have much of a following unless someone wants to make a bad "M3" example out of one. Most people who want a BMW want one that is less than 10 years old.

I'm noticing less and less of these Vectra Cs about these days. Like the E46, they don't appear to have much of a following, and again, those that want a Vauxhall want something more recent,  if you can afford a Vectra C, your likely to be able to afford and to find its replacement, the Insignia at a similar price. I loved mine, it didn't have much faith in it's own engine though. 

To be fair, there weren't that many of these 407s to start with compared to say the E46 or Vectra C. There are, however, a load of estates.

[ProgRocker]

Already mentioned but definately mark 2 SEAT Ibiza. My old one was a very solid car. Until I crashed it. 

[Metal Guru]

Original Ford Orion. (1984). Not that many equivalent Escorts either and they were everywhere.

 

[Jazoli]

I don’t know why cars disappearing of the road is a surprise to anyone, most of the  ones listed are 20+ years old on this thread 🙄

The average lifespan of a car is about 17 years in the uk, it’s not rocket science is it?

 

 

[JeeExEll]

Cortina Mk4 2.0S and 2.3S.

The 2.3S was quite a rare car even back then, often specced with a manual steel tilt/ slide front sunroof.

[bangernomics]

M reg Mk3 cavaliers. Poof! Gone.

Around 2005 they were still a common sight, I dailied one 30k a year between 2004-2007, it was dead after that at 195k and a nice man bought it for his collection.

A reg Mk1 astra/kadett D GTE, dissolved and was chopped up. Replaced by cavalier above.

K reg Sierra Mk1, 1.8 that leaked and burnt more oil than it did petrol. Lasted 60 days until I got paid from the job I needed to get to with it. Total nail. Replaced by rotter above.

Just a few of my unremarkable motors.

[808 Estate]

Audi 100 Avant.

[morrisoxide]

This shape Kia Rio it was an LE Auto no less.

This is the only pic I have of it.

I can't remember the last time I saw one.

[EyesWeldedShut]

Horizons
Simca in a frock - did rust get 'em?

My Dad back in 1983 with his* first, and only, Talbot

*so I never actually owned it, just got to drive when back home for a stay

[AnthonyG]

Like Alpines, earlier ones rusted badly. By the time they worked how to make them last more than about 7 years people had lost interest.

Even by ‘A’ reg they were considered very out of date, although they soldiered on until mid 85. By the time the Pug 309 (the last car designed as a Talbot) was launched in very early 86 the Talbot brand had been dropped for cars, and the Samba, Horizon and Alpine/Solara were all withdrawn from the market at the same time. I’ve seen ‘85 ‘C’ plate Sambas but not sure about the other ones.

@Talbot probably owned most of the surviving Horizons in the 90s! 

[Alfaisti]

Ladies and gentlemen I give you the Daewoo Lanos in green, had one in the 90's, never seen one since. The engine on mine started making noises resembling a Singer sewing machine leading to its eventual demise and re-use as a tin can.

[plasticvandan]

Two automotive cockroaches that were everywhere, noticeable by being the oldest cars I saw regularly were the k11 and MK1 Yaris,in the last 2 years the k11s have virtually disappeared,and this year I've seen few Yaris,so don't think they are far behind.

[EyesWeldedShut]

8 hours ago, AnthonyG said:

Like Alpines, earlier ones rusted badly. By the time they worked how to make them last more than about 7 years people had lost interest.

Even by ‘A’ reg they were considered very out of date, although they soldiered on until mid 85. By the time the Pug 309 (the last car designed as a Talbot) was launched in very early 86 the Talbot brand had been dropped for cars, and the Samba, Horizon and Alpine/Solara were all withdrawn from the market at the same time. I’ve seen ‘85 ‘C’ plate Sambas but not sure about the other ones.

@Talbot probably owned most of the surviving Horizons in the 90s! 

I had a boss in 1986/87/88 who bought a brand new, end of the line Chrysler Alpine in a very bright orange colour* for pin money - he'd traded his  Talbot Solara against the Alpine - those are rare buggers too nowadays, no idea when I saw one of those last or even if I'd recognise one if I did.

*We used to rip the piss out of him about both the car and the colour but I know he was still driving it around in the mid 1990s so I guess he had the last laugh on us and our (so-called) hot hatches. 
 

[Talbot]

11 hours ago, AnthonyG said:

Like Alpines, earlier ones rusted badly. By the time they worked how to make them last more than about 7 years people had lost interest.

Even by ‘A’ reg they were considered very out of date, although they soldiered on until mid 85. By the time the Pug 309 (the last car designed as a Talbot) was launched in very early 86 the Talbot brand had been dropped for cars, and the Samba, Horizon and Alpine/Solara were all withdrawn from the market at the same time. I’ve seen ‘85 ‘C’ plate Sambas but not sure about the other ones.

@Talbot probably owned most of the surviving Horizons in the 90s! 

This is true of the entire range as far as I can tell.  Last-of-the-line Horizons, sambas Alpines and Solaras were on a C, with a very very few Solaras on a late registration madness D-plate.

And yes, I did own rather too many Horizons, including three diesel ones. 45mpg was phenominal when most of my friends had late 70s/early 80s shite that barely managed 30mpg with worn out carburettors and weak ignition systems.

If I'd known about running on Veg back then, I'd definitely have been doing so.

[Talbot]

On 12/05/2024 at 11:53, Scruffy Bodger said:

Looking things up just it's indicating less than 300 405's currently on the road with an MOT now.

That is a very surprising statistic.  I really rated all of my 405s  Brilliant all-rounder cars, and in higher-spec trim are well appointed.

It's just a shame that a W210 merc estate is more useable than a 405, and I fit in it better, otherwise I'd still be blatting about in a 405 XUD turbo.

[Scruffy Bodger]

6 hours ago, Talbot said:

That is a very surprising statistic.  I really rated all of my 405s  Brilliant all-rounder cars, and in higher-spec trim are well appointed.

It's just a shame that a W210 merc estate is more useable than a 405, and I fit in it better, otherwise I'd still be blatting about in a 405 XUD turbo.

You're not wrong, a well specced one isn't a bad place to eat up the miles. 

A Merc Estate is too lardy for me,  nice as they are, 90 bhp and a good wedge of torque and you an hustle mine along quite spiritedly, much to the shock of others sometimes I'm sure. I can fit plenty in the 405, especially so with the roof bars as extra.  I'm scrawny so me fitting in it isn't an issue either.

[Captain Mainwaring]

MK1 Migraine. 

Mine met it's end after a failed Starsky and Hutch roll saw me jumping straight onto the windscreen rather than the bonnet, and then not being able to afford to replace the resulting spider-web. Silly 21 year old me. RIP S213 HUA. 

[2flags]

2 hours ago, Captain Mainwaring said:

MK1 Migraine. 

Mine met it's end after a failed Starsky and Hutch roll saw me jumping straight onto the windscreen rather than the bonnet, and then not being able to afford to replace the resulting spider-web. Silly 21 year old me. RIP S213 HUA. 

Still have mine. 23yrs old and still going strong. Just have to get it MoTed again, [already booked in] and it'll be good for another year. 

[Missy Charm]

Ford Pumas.  They were everywhere a few years ago and now seem to be nowhere, which is strange as the model has always had its fanatics.  I saw one on the road last night for the first time in a long time, as it happens.  Thought it was my old Puma at first because same colour. 

Most people now don't seem to know what the Ford Puma is if you mention it and assume you're referring to the modern fat hatchback thing.  That said, nobody remembers the Ford Cougar.  

[catsinthewelder]

Rover 200s are getting thin on the ground but I've seen one of each generation locally in the last fortnight, the SD3 was a suprise!

[puddlethumper]

After owning my 30 year old Mazzer 323 estate for 18 months I have yet to see a 323 in any guise. Maybe they weren't that popular. Coming down from London to Brizzel today I was obviously the oldest heap vehicle on the road which I find quite amusing when overtaking some PCP Fatmobile. Honest occifer I was only doing 77 mph which is the limit plus 10% innit.