Old Car Forums

[JayB]

Reading the recent post about the Retro Rides forum and its downfall has left me feeling properly nostalgic for the old-school car forum era.

Back in the day, if you owned a particular car - or were even just thinking about buying one - there was almost always a dedicated forum for that marque or model. Not just somewhere to ask questions, but a proper community. These days, the traditional internet forum feels like it’s slowly but surely fading away.

I know there’s now a cacophony of Facebook groups covering pretty much every car imaginable, but please forgive my snobbishness - they often seem to be frequented by uncouth bellends who can’t spell and don’t seem interested in anything resembling community. This place, by contrast, is a broad church. Like any forum it has its problems and a few characters who test patience, but I’ll take that any day over txtspk, memes, and noise.

Anyway, I’m digressing. It got me thinking: what were your favourite forums of old? For me, a few really stand out.

Honda (R)evolutions
My first two cars were both Honda Civics, and I spent an inordinate amount of time on here. It started life as Honda Revolutions before a bit of internal mutiny saw the “R” quietly dropped. I vividly remember the forum’s absolute aversion to street racing posts - nothing quite like an innocent newcomer proudly announcing they’d “beaten an RS Turbo at the lights”, only to be instantly piled on by the forum massive.

BMW 5 Forum
I bought a very nice E39 540i Touring through this place. After selling it, I then actively pestered an F1 mechanic on there who owned a lovely manual 530d Touring, asking for first dibs when he wanted to sell it. A genuinely knowledgeable and friendly forum - a real shame it’s no longer around.

Autobahnstormers
This may still exist, but I’ve not been a member since getting rid of my 24v Carlton Diamond. Loads of great, knowledgeable people on there, and particularly welcoming to a slightly wet-behind-the-ears Carlton owner finding his way.

There are probably plenty more I’ve forgotten, but those were very much my go-to forums back in the day.

[robt100]

28 minutes ago, JayB said:

BMW 5 Forum
I bought a very nice E39 540i Touring through this place. After selling it, I then actively pestered an F1 mechanic on there who owned a lovely manual 530d Touring. A genuinely knowledgeable and friendly forum — a real shame it’s no longer around.

 

Not this one?  Similar name and had a bit of a full-reset by mistake a while back? Wouldn't say its very active now mind you...

https://www.forum5.co.uk/

[sheffcortinacentre]

I'd say alot of faceache groups are run by keyboard experts who know very little on the subject they just regurgitate the same old cliches then spit their dummy out when corrected ( one of reasons I won't go on Cortina ones), I even had one guy circa 50 tell me in person when asked about something that I couldn't know that much as I wasn't on faceache ,I just laughed & said well there's no point in explaining any further then.

At the time I was stood by my MK3 cortina touring car chatting to a couple of other people about a problem they were having who replied great yes I see what's wrong now.

I don't blow my own trumpet but I've helped owners as far as Australia,turkey,Canada, plus plenty  of other places at home & abroad & am happy to do so, but people like this guy can't be helped, so I don't bother I let them waste their & money on projects.

[Split_Pin]

I was on loads of Forums back in the day, all for Vauxhalls and I found them no different to my current experience of FB pages in terms of knowledge. Theres obviously not the same sense of community but that brought with it plenty of narcissistic, bellenderous owners, admins and just plain trolls who should have kept taking their meds, plus a few good guys who I'm still friends with now. 

I've encountered lots of really helpful people across the car FB groups, it's dependent partly on the make of car and partly how you come across. Bini groups are useless but most of the others I use such as Saab, Rover, Range Rover and especially Audi have been great.  Yeah some Saab owners are a bit weird and there's an omnipresent band of hat-wearing jingoists across Rover groups but it's all good 😂

I'll go against the grain and say I don't miss one-make car forums, mainly because of the trolls and psychos. I found this place back in about 2006 and joined in 2008 right when I was a member of about 6 other Forums and this place was my favourite right from the start. It was like the past, today, and that's something like how the slogan went at the time. All the others faded away but this place has moved with the times while still retaining a notion of the past. Heck, it's very existence is now even a calling of days gone by, a car Forum!

I hope it keeps going for at least as long as my lifetime.

[fatharris]

I used to be on the Nissan Primera Owners Club quite a lot, and stayed long after the car itself disintegrated.

Other good ones for me was Rovertech, which had a fantastic build thread of a diesel 200 bubble by the website owner, but he deleted the site before the car was ever finished, leaving me very unfulfilled.

75/ZT owners group was/is very good too and their dedication to keeping them on the road is to be applauded.

Ditto mg-rover.org, did my 620ti clutch change based entirely on John McFeely's (RIP) how-to post.

After that, Facebook groups came in thick and fast but I still prefer using this forum on the basis of a wide knowledge base and a shared common interest.

[chatsharris]

Honda Car Forum was always useful for me, Barryboys was always a laugh as well.

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[jon.k]

Mx5nutz

[scooobydont]

I am still on a few, if you have an issue, it will be on a forum somewhere. I also think if you are looking for a particular car (older), getting one from an 'enthusiast' may result in getting a better one:

M3 Cutters: https://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/

Lotus: https://classifieds.seloc.org/

Cliosport: https://cliosport.net/

VW: https://www.volkszone.com/forums/

Subaru: https://www.scoobynet.com/ (pretty dead now)

Boxster: https://www.boxa.net/

Z4: https://z4-forum.com/forums/

You usually have to be signed up to see the classifieds and have a few posts (no different from here).

[mk2_craig]

There’s still a forum over at xrtwo.com but back when it was really busy to save server storage the owners set up some sort of auto purge, where threads that hadn’t been replied to in 6 months were deleted. So an awful lot of useful reference material started evaporating, much like the cars themselves I suppose.

You can now count the number of posts made annually on the fingers of a single human hand. 

[chatsharris]

I think the death of the forum was twofold - first was Facebook and photobucket going back on their free hosting of images. So many useful threads were rendered useless.

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[Dick Cheeseburger]

I used to spend a chunk of time on a local one - swdubs - and HPOC when I owned my mk3 Hilux a few years back. The Hilux forum soldiers on but it hanging on by a thread, I think. Swdubs was binned a few years back then rebooted 18 months ago as the owner wanted to see if folk would use it again. The lack of traffic suggests otherwise. 

This place remains unusually successful. 

[danthecapriman]

I think I must be one of the very very few people now who doesn’t have a Facebook account! 
Here and a couple of other forums are about it for me.

I still have a login for the Volvo OC forum and do have a quick look in very occasionally but that doesn’t have the masses of posts it used to get. Plus, there’s a few strange types over there, very up themselves.

Part of the downfall of forums is undoubtedly Facebook but I’ve found particularly for the older vehicles, the vehicles themselves aren’t nearly as common as they were back when forums were ‘a thing’ so there just isn’t the amounts of people posting about them now. Using the Volvo OC forum as an example, the 700 series and 200 series sub forums are a ghost town compared to how they used to be. But it’s probably because those cars are no longer common and have thinned out hugely. People aren’t using them so much as cars now but classics instead so you just don’t have the amount of posts anymore.

[Brigsy]

Ive been on loads of forums since 2000 and i think most that have been a one car wonder fail when the owners move on/numbers dwindle down to nothing. 

Facebook is a load of shite in comparison to a good forum, alright for buying stuff and finding occasional bits of info.  Ive ran the renault 5 gt turbo owners page on there for years and between the constant bickering/scammers, it used to be alright/busy. Now its pretty dead, i think its just down to the numbers of cars left. 

[Markeh]

I was on a couple of the Corsa/Vauxhall forums at first. Never really joined much else other than here. I was on the Qashqai forums too which are still going. I was in a couple of J12 Qashqai Facebook groups, and am now in a couple of X-Trail owners groups on Facebook - mostly people complaining about the ePower system shitting itself or 12v batteries going flat!

My folks used to be on the worryingly named now I think about it UK cruisers for the PT Cruisers they owned - I think that's still going. They used to do meet ups and all sorts.

[Lonestar]

11 hours ago, JayB said:

Autobahnstormers
This may still exist, but I’ve not been a member since getting rid of my 24v Carlton Diamond. Loads of great, knowledgeable people on there, and particularly welcoming to a slightly wet-behind-the-ears Carlton owner finding his way.

I'm a member of ABS. Forum is still going, but quite quiet.

[Timewaster]

I think ABS existed as a club long before the Internet.

I recall someone I knew being involved in the mid 90s.

[New POD]

3 hours ago, Lonestar said:

I'm a member of ABS. Forum is still going, but quite quiet.

The omega owners forum had/has got really useful IP 

Everything you ever needed to know about owning an omega is in one of many guides. 

All for free (apart from the Cambelt replacement DVD) 

 

I found ABS too "lotus carlton" obsessed. 

[Lonestar]

2 minutes ago, New POD said:

I found ABS too "lotus carlton" obsessed. 

There is certainly a bias towards the 6-cylinder models. From what I can gather, it's only relatively recently that owners of 4-cylinder Carltons/Omegas were even permitted to join.

[r.welfare]

Older 4 cylinder Opels were eligible 20 years ago when I had a couple of late 70s Rekords.  Never used the forum though.

Omega Owners Forum was excellent when I had a 3.0 around the same time, the cambelt DVD in those (just!) pre-YouTube days was a revelation.

[High Jetter]

I agree that, sadly, Farcebook has killed off a lot of forums. The Micro Van Owners Forum (not a forum for tiny van owners) mainly covered Daihatsu Hijets and the equivalent S85 Piaggio Porter and was quite busy when I joined in 2010, especially considering the relatively low numbers of these things. There were 2 outstanding experts on there as well as many very knowledgeable ones but they've all drifted away or to FB - and I'm another one who continues to avoid using that.

The only other motoring forum I'm a member of is the 75 & ZT  Owners club which was helpful when I had the ZTT - and I was directed to the ad by a post on here - but it's a bit dry as a forum.  

I guess AS works so well as there's something for almost everybody with an interest in motoring, as much or as little as you want to consume and contribute. Plus, we're all a bit mad here, of varying amounts. 😀

[Bren]

I joined autobahnstormers in 1995 when I had my senator B. Back then it was only six pot cars.

The french car forum was a font of knowledge when I had my xantia.

[Imhotep]

On 31/01/2026 at 12:08, Markeh said:

My folks used to be on the worryingly named now I think about it UK cruisers for the PT Cruisers they owned - I think that's still going. They used to do meet ups and all sorts.

Despite never owning one (or wanted to) a friend of mine imported herself a US spec turbo cabriolet model and was heavily involved with them, I’m sure somewhere there’s a photo of my very ropey Peugeot 106 with their cars. 
 

And speaking of 106s. I miss 106Owners (though I know what happened with that forum and why it died), and Saxsport for Saxos. Wealth of knowledge on there. 

[Split_Pin]

75/ZT forum fucked it for themselves when they decided to not even let you post unless you joined up as a paid member. 

Jokes on them as there's plenty of info on the FB pages. All the DMGRS chaps are regular posters plus other very helpful folk like Tom Force.

When I joined here in '08 I was a member of several other car forums but theyre all dust in the wind now.

This is the only one left from those days and its as great as ever IMO because nobody really gives a fuck who you are or how much money you don't/have. 

[beko1987]

I've joined a few marquee specific forums over the years but when I no longer own the car, drift away. But all long enough ago that they were proper busy places 

Project Puma was awesome. I went on a few of the drive days they did (was a local one that my clutch fully died on, I had a Ford racing puma behind me and knew the roads and it was the worst possible time 😂 Ragging the fuck out of it worked. I've still got my showplates from there, 1 permenantly bent to the contour of a Ford Puma parcel shelf as I kept one there 24/7 like a fucking saddo.

206oc was another. Back when I had my 206 it had a good source of how to guides. It was a 206hdi guide I vaguely followed doing some work on my 2.0hdi in the xsara a few years ago.

The Corsa C owners club. A fucking horrendous place I only joined to access the technical parts when the ex had her basket case corsa c I bought round slowly (the car not the ex). Discussing actually repairing things was alien to them.

There's probably more, but over the last (fuck me) 15 years this place and occasionally the French car forums have been all I need. I have looked at the qashqai forums that are out there but their shit for anything more than "my car broke in a really common way which makes this thread the 3th hit on Google for <common problem>.... The dealer fixed it, dunno what they did m8 🤷. Hence I went for a 1.5dci as there's plenty of decent info for that elsewhere and the rest was pot luck

This place does me fine in every way I've ever and will need. It's shaped who I am as a person...

[Leyland Worldmaster]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

75/ZT forum fucked it for themselves when they decided to not even let you post unless you joined up as a paid member. 

Jokes on them as there's plenty of info on the FB pages. All the DMGRS chaps are regular posters plus other very helpful folk like Tom Force.

When I joined here in '08 I was a member of several other car forums but theyre all dust in the wind now.

This is the only one left from those days and its as great as ever IMO because nobody really gives a fuck who you are or how much money you don't/have. 

I set up LCOZ some years back and it's a pity to see how the social side- the thing I was trying to save-  die away.

The move to pay before posting was shortsighted.

Keep in touch with friends made there by text and chat; miss the socials- POL was an absolute fucking scream! 😎

[sheffcortinacentre]

The MK3 cortina oc one is the same only accessible to club members & full of rivet counters who wouldn't know one if it ran them down.

[tooSavvy]

Imp Club seems to have migrated into arsecrack...

I *reactivated my Forum login over a year ago... just tumbleweed >> except, so cute, a younger guy was bashing onto it - I think he may have been SA.

Never Revisit Your Past [OK, Arena excepted 🤣]

🚙💨

[stuboy]

i always on a forum called cavweb evolved into vxon, stayed on long after i bought a ford..............

 

Vauxhall Owners Network Forum

[Lord Sterling]

AROnline

The very first forum I ever joined was AROnline through my love of the Mk1 Rover 800. The forum no longer exists but the name does carry on, a few from there have joined on here too.

MacDroitwich 

I am very aware of MacDroitwich and used to regularly browse on there but never joined officially. I believe MacDroitwich was created in response after a fall out with some on the AROnline forum iirc. A bit like the Dark Wob vs Autoshite.

Rover800.co.uk then Rover800.info

I eventually drifted off AROnline as talk was often of Maestros and Allegros rather than 800s and eventually, I found the Rover800 forum. However, when I joined, it was a .co.uk site, and again, after a falling out with the original owner of the forum who kept .co.uk but took the forum down after a massive strop, the .info site was created by Richard Moss who led the 'revolt' against the original creator of the .co.uk site and all of the members from the .co.uk site migrated over to the .info site, this would have been about the time I joined Autoshite.

Both myself and VeryTallBrad, a good friend and once serial collector of everything Rover 800 were very regular contributors and even considered stalwarts. I inserted the humour I found here on Autoshite to there, many found it funny, some other grumpy twats didn't. I'd had my ups and downs on there and even got a taste of being a moderator.

However, both myself and VeryTallBrad left the forum for good within weeks of each other for different reasons. Eventually,  Richard Moss (who I have to say was a great help to me over the time I was there, despite me being a bit of a gobshite) had other personal stuff going on his life, like moving to the UAE etc... and he found he had very little time for the forum so the forum was handed over to some other Rover 800 owning chap who was, as far as I know, also an IT technician, by that time, I'd already long left. The chap ran the forum for a good while after, but eventually as members left and moved on to a point that it was down to literally a couple of die-hards, he decided to completely shut the down the forum. 

I enjoyed my time on there mostly. But it was also a massive learning curve for me, learning how to interact with people and understanding that not everyone is on the same wave length. There were a couple of people who did join to see to simply want to have a pop at me, one guy was quite racist and another seemed to want to troll me massively like some sad bastard stalker.

Micra.org.uk

I also, for a time, joined the Nissan Micra forum on the K11 section. I did meet a few people but it was generally all about modifications rather than keeping a car standard, in fact, mine was a hand a handful of maybe 2 or 3 cars at the most that were kept standard. 98% of the traffic were "mOdZ" and "slamming it to the floor" etc... I was already bored of it and never really signed back in.

Others

I had joined a couple of non-car forums such as a Brookside Close chat forum, but the traffic on there was very few and far between. Generally a very quiet forum.

Others I remember but never joined were AutobahnStormers. I tried to join the R75 forum too but was rejected. Thier loss as I only wanted to post up photos of a couple of S and T-reg'd Rover 75s seen in the wild. Never joined RetroRides, neither MIGWeb nor Barryboys, but I did lurk on there.

[motorpunk]

Barry boys, now that was fun.

I have no FB and am just about done with all things digital in general. I used to enjoy Instagram, until I posted a comment relating to Roy James. Someone, in caps, shouted that I was wrong and told (not asked) me to STATE YOUR SOURCE! I’d literally written the bloody book on Roy James’ life! And I made the mistake of replying before realising that it’s all a total waste of time.