How many of your past cars have mostly disappeared from the road?

"fhrblig" (fhrblig) 09/29/2014 at 11:10 • Filed to: None

0

52

I've had a few, actually.

First, the Pontiac Phoenix. I had a sea green 5-door. It was the worst car I've ever owned, so I guess I'm glad I got that out of my system I did see a 2-door coupe a few months back and did a double take.

Next, the Chevrolet Celebrity. They are rare enough now that I'm surprised when I see them, but they are understandably more common than the X-cars. It was a great car, definitely beige but I loved mine.

I had a 1st-gen Mercury Sable, those aren't around much either.

The ones I really miss, though, were my 2 Chevy Sprints. They were the granddaddy of the Geo Metro. I had 2 silver 5-doors, one that was bare as barebones could be and the other actually had things like a/c & cruise. They were not fast, but they were great on gas and cheap to run. I've searched Craigslist for them, but most of them are the 3-door.

What about the rest of Oppo? How many of your past cars are ghosts now, like a Mitsubishi Tredia, a Renault anything (for North American Oppos, that is), an Eagle Summit, or whatever?

bob and john > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:13

0

My parents 2 previous cars, first gen volvo S40 and first gen saab93.
That being said, Ive started to see mroe fo the volvos lately. dunno why

fhrblig > bob and john 09/29/2014 at 11:14

0

Yeah, the S/V40s are still plentiful here too. I like them.

mcseanerson > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:15

2

Renault Encore

Nissan Pulsar

Rainbow > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:16

0

While they're still common, they're nowhere near as common as they were just a couple years ago. For the first car in a long time to actually beat out the Corolla as the best-selling car in the world, you'd expect there to be at least 3 times this many still out there. I have no idea what happened to all of them.

Rainbow > mcseanerson 09/29/2014 at 11:18

0

There's a light blue Pulsar near me. I keep hoping to see a for sale sign in the window, because it's just too awesome.

Cé hé sin > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:19

1

All of them (Volvo 66, Escort Mk 3, BMW E30, Audi Coupé). Truth be told, my present one (FTO) is all but gone too.

505Turbeaux > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:20

0

so many it isnt even funny, like 90% of my fleet. 2 alfa and 2 peugeots. C2 Audi 5000's, Volvo 740 turbo diesels. I dont know, go down the list and see! Probably why I like this sort of car so much

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:21

1

I'm actually surprised that Celebrities are as rare as they are. Parts cost nothing, and mechanically, they're decently rugged and have plentiful spares. I guess they've mostly disappeared on the strength of rust attrition and owners saying "oh, fuck this" and getting tired of them. I see more Centuries than them by a large margin.

My past/current cars list is limited, and quirky enough that there will always be some out there maintained by cultic owners. Rare sights, but never *gone*. In fact, I saw two of the cars on my list just Saturday: VW rabbit pickup, and Series IIa Land-Rover. The Landie was in the Barnes & Noble parking lot all "ain't no thing", and was the same color as mine is but with a canvas top.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:22

0

goe metro and subaru loyale, but because i live in the rust belt very few of these survived. my geo ate it with a combination of rust, 800lbs of dudes crammed inside of it, and hitting the brakes a tad too hard

i get excited when i see either one...i wish i still had the subaru just for a beater car

As Du Volant > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:23

1

First car: 1990 Nissan Stanza. I don't think I've seen one in five years.

Others: 1989 Subaru RX and several Subaru XT's of various years. I miss my old Subarus.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Rainbow 09/29/2014 at 11:23

0

They had some serious mechanical flaws, and I suspect a lot of owners that *liked them* dumped them for new. Despite all that, I still know people driving them.

Rainbow > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 09/29/2014 at 11:27

0

Yeah, my dad's (the first car I ever drove) died three times. The first time was just barely under warranty, and the second one happened as a result of a botched repair the first time. Then it lasted another 5 years or so until I was driving my friend home one day and it just cut out forever.

Leon711 > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:29

2

my first car. 1988 Polo Ranger, mine was Jade Green.

this obviously isn't mine, mine had kickass mk1 golf gti wheels.

fhrblig > Rainbow 09/29/2014 at 11:31

0

The very first ones were terribly unreliable. I've heard they got better from 2003-on.

fhrblig > mcseanerson 09/29/2014 at 11:31

0

I have driven an Encore! It was a white 5-door. That is the nicest thing I can say about it.

fhrblig > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 09/29/2014 at 11:34

0

In Colorado we're blessed to be relatively rust-free. There's still lots of Loyales and Metros bumbling around. Last week I saw an early 80's Subaru GL 4WD wagon on my commute. I've always liked those.

My citroen won't start > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:34

0

My Citroen ZX Dakar, 160hp wonder.

I can't remember ever seeing another one.

fhrblig > 505Turbeaux 09/29/2014 at 11:35

0

Someone in Lakewood (west of Denver) has 3 or 4 Peugeot 505's in front of their house. I really want to meet the dangerously crazy person that lives there.

Nobi > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:36

1

I never see my first two cars on the road ever. My first, 1985 GMC Sierra, 2WD, V6 (with quadrajet), four speed manual, short cab long bed. Mine in particular was sold to a junkyard and used as a yard truck. The owners son thought it would be funny to drop a sea container on its bed, squishing it flat. My second car, a 1995 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Z34, I also never see. Lots of LS's, but very very few Z's. Mine met its demise when I was waiting to turn left into the parking lot where I work, and a jackass in a Chevy Impala fell asleep behind the wheel, rear-ended me, which shoved me into oncoming traffic, where I was then T-boned by a lady in a brand new Toyota RAV4.

505Turbeaux > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:38

0

I know lakewood well. I worked in the DTC but the restaurant I used to manage had the flagship at 6th and Sheridan. Interesting

twochevrons > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:39

0

They were always rare in the US, but it's amazing to think about how the Triumph 2500 has disappeared from New Zealand roads. Despite having gone out of local production in 1979 (3 years after they stopped building them everywhere else), they were still incredibly common – like '90s-Camry common – when my parents bought their '76 2500TC in 1991. By the time I started learning to drive in it, in 2005, they were all but gone, having fallen victim to rust and hooning.

Wacko > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:40

0

Sentra 85 wagon My first car back in 1995

Hyundai S'coope my Second Car

then I owned a few civic's and cavaliers,

Skater Dad > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:42

0

I don't see any early 80's Honda Accords anymore. My first car was a 1981 Accord Hatchbatch w/ 5-speed. 70hp of pathetic acceleration!

80's Cadillacs are getting a bit rare now also. Mine was a 1988 Cadillac Deville.

mcseanerson > Rainbow 09/29/2014 at 11:42

0

Mine was light blue. It's like Nissan's Integra.

mcseanerson > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:43

0

Mine was brown and I got it to turn over once and I was so proud of that. That's all I got.

Rainbow > mcseanerson 09/29/2014 at 11:45

1

Yes! And the front end always reminds me of an AE86 briefly.

Plus, you can get it as a shooting brake, sort of.

fhrblig > Wacko 09/29/2014 at 11:47

0

The Scoupe (and 1st-generation Tiburon, for that matter) are both nowhere to be seen. I know the Scoupe wasn't the most reliable, but I'm surprised how few Tiburons are around.

fhrblig > Skater Dad 09/29/2014 at 11:49

0

Someone that works at a hotel near where I live daily drives a light blue 1979 Accord hatchback.

mcseanerson > Rainbow 09/29/2014 at 11:49

0

The reason I got rid of mine was I couldn't find parts or help in working on it or troubleshooting. Now that I'm older I realize it's basically a fancy Sentra.

fhrblig > Leon711 09/29/2014 at 11:49

0

I wish VW would have sent us the Polo.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > mcseanerson 09/29/2014 at 11:50

0

The town where I used to live had 2 Encores. My new neighborhood has an early 80s plymouth colt, too

Rainbow > mcseanerson 09/29/2014 at 11:50

0

Ahh, yeah. Still, at least you had one. That's something most of us will never be able to say. :P

banjo cat ghost of oppo past > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:50

0

Can see a general trend, nearly all of them? Vanagon, fj80, Audi CQ, GSX that isn't severely abused with a giant wing and tired engine. ..

fhrblig > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 09/29/2014 at 11:50

0

CenturyLink has a fleet of old Chevys that I see from time to time, like 1st generation Cavaliers and a few Celebrities. Most have been rusty, which is an accomplishment here.

fhrblig > My citroen won't start 09/29/2014 at 11:52

0

I always thought the ZX was a cute car. Too bad they never came here.

Leon711 > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:52

0

It was awful yet brilliant, and was solid and reliable. 1.3 litres/ 55hp in 750kg so not fast.

fhrblig > Leon711 09/29/2014 at 11:55

0

Not fast isn't necessarily a bad thing. My Sprints both had 48 fire-wheezing horsepower. But when gas briefly dropped to below $1 per gallon back in the 90's, it cost $5.60 to fill and that got me 320-400 miles. Honestly, my Fiat 500 is a substantially better car that gets as good or better mpg, has over double the hp, and lots of toys; yet I still miss the Sprint.

Skater Dad > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:56

0

Nice! Mine was light blue also.

In true 80's fashion mine also had neon yellow pin stripes, fuzzy neon yellow steering wheel cover, and neon yellow windshield wipers. I left all that stuff on since it was so funny.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 11:58

0

A friend of my dad's had a Celebrity in that nice malaisey blue for decades on end, but I think he finally did away with it some 5-7 years ago with an impossible number of miles on it.

Funny story, the disc brake conversion going on my Falcon's front wheels uses Celebrity calipers. Something like $12 a piece at any auto story.

Wurrwulf > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 12:01

1

Two of my old cars are few and far between: '85 RX-7 and '99 Contour SVT. My last car and current car ('06 xB and '02 Outback, respectively) are far more common on the roads around here.

The Transporter > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 12:12

0

Including my current car, I've only owned five. My first was a '79 Fiesta that was well on the way to returning to the Earth when I sold it and I imagine that the task was completed sometime in the past 17 years. Two of my cars were totaled, and I don't mean "totaled" by an insurance company, I mean wrecked to the point that it would barely be usable to a pick 'n pull. The last car I saw just the other day with a large bash in the rear bumper that wasn't there when I sold it.

fhrblig > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 09/29/2014 at 12:19

0

My Celebrity was originally that color blue, but the previous owner painted it an even more malaisey blue. I guess the original color was too exciting.

fhrblig > The Transporter 09/29/2014 at 12:21

0

I'd bet those first Fiestas have to be one of the rarest cars in North America. I remember when I was 5 one of my aunts came out to visit us and they rented a light green Fiesta. Why do I remember shit like that?

ColoradoTaco > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 12:29

0

For me, just one. My first car was an 89 Ford Bronco II, looked just like the one pictured but was brown upper and lower with tan center. 4x4, 5spd, 2.9L V6. Was a cool little truck until the water pump quit while I was on the hwy and seized the engine before I could get off. Haven't seen one in years.

I also hardly ever see other B5 S4 avants (current dd) but that's due more to number produced rather than them disappearing.

fhrblig > ColoradoTaco 09/29/2014 at 12:31

0

There was a semi hauling crushed cars on the freeway the other day, and it made me sad to see that at least 3 of them were Bronco II's.

Roundbadge > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 12:34

0

First two cars were Hondas, an '81 Accord coupe and an '86 Civic Si. Obviously those are still around. My next two were a '92 Chevy S-10 and a '99 Dodge Dakota, both of which are no longer with us. My gf's Saturn SC1 is a living ghost with 210K miles.

ColoradoTaco > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 12:36

0

Nooooo! That's a shame. Too bad current CUVs aren't closer to these rather than just being lifted awd (sometimes even fwd) wagons. Small SUVs deserve real 4x4 too.

miken > 505Turbeaux 09/29/2014 at 13:02

1

LOVE that Audi 5000! I had one that drained my wallet dry, but still drove better than anything else in south Texas in 1980. I last saw it six months after I sold it, when the rust weevils had exploded and the doors were literally falling off.

505Turbeaux > miken 09/29/2014 at 13:04

0

oh yeah I had an 80 diesel whose door skins were coming off the frame. They did drive damn nice though. My introduction to the joys of turbochargers right there

LumberJunk > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 13:54

0

Chevy Citation - I literally haven't seen one of these since they were 5 years old (biggest pile of shit ever - 75 trips to the dealer in its first year of ownership - got all money back)

E24 BMWs

I'm seeing less and less Tercels which is making me sad - I loved that car

rodassecondo > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 14:50

1

Ami break!

Even in the 90s, when i had it, i never saw another.

The dutch and french probably still have a small few.

ranwhenparked > fhrblig 09/29/2014 at 21:30

0

Almost all of them, at least here in the Northeast. Volkswagen Super Beetle, Volvo 940 Turbo, Cadillac Fleetwood, Honda CM450A.

Of course, Mercury Grand Marquis are still common.