Although I appreciate older Volvos well enough, their simplistic Scandinavian squareness is hardly head-turning styling. But driving through an empty parking lot on a drizzly Sunday morning, this appropriately taupe 1993 240 sedan did catch my eye, for this exact reason I might add. Catching glimpse of this final-year 240 made me realize something – I haven’t seen one of these in ages!
“Ages” might be overstating it a bit, as I’m sure I’ve seen another 240 in the past month or so. But it seems that very recently these cars used to be everywhere. The 240 was produced from 1974-1993, to the tune of over 2.8 millions examples sold worldwide. This long production span allowed the achievement of exceptionally high levels of quality, and thus durability, by the later years of the 240’s run. It wasn’t common for later 240s to go for hundreds of thousands of miles and over twenty years of loyal daily-driver service.
Along with other slightly newer Volvos, these were very popular in hometown. Many friends’ parents drove 240 sedans and wagons in the 1990s and some into the early-2000s. By the end of that decade, they’d passed them down to their kids or even bought a used 240 to serve as the designated “first car” for each child, who’d pass it off to the next when they left for college.
One of my best friend’s first car was a blue 1989 240 wagon (exact one pictured above) that had previously been the first car of his older sister and several older cousins. By the time it was sent to greener pastures in 2012, it had accumulated over 300,000 miles, not to mention over two decades of New England winters under its belt.
I’m sure there are still a great deal of Volvo 240s still out there serving as daily drivers. However, after almost a quarter-century since the last 240 was produced, time is beginning to get the better of these durable and iconic vehicles. The 240 is by no means alone in this losing battle. Which car or cars that were once everyday sights have you stopped seeing in the past couple of years?
Related Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1984 Volvo 240 sedan
The boxy Chevrolet Caprice used to be everywhere…any busy intersection would have at least one within sight waiting at the light. Also the nineties Town Cars are not as visible as they once were. I am in Ohio so I know in some parts of the U.S. those would never have been commonly seen even back when.
I remember the boxy Chevrolet Caprice as well as some of the BOP siblings mainly the Canadian Parisienne and Laurentian. I also remember the G-body Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme both sedan and coupe who was everywhere.
ditto on the Parisienne- used to see them everywhere
VW Fox. I saw one parked under a tree covered in pine needles a couple weeks ago. I haven’t seen one in years.
Mk2 Jettas and Golfs are becoming rare, even at the Upulls. ’67-’72 Chevy PU, haven’t seen one for quite a while. Sometimes I wish I kept the ’89 240 4 door 5 speed with 275k miles I sold in 2008 that only needed clutch and shifter linkage after driveshaft bolts fells out. The body, interior and beige paint were still in good condition. Neighbor had a Fox Wagon in the yard but had it towed awhile back, wish I would have asked about it, those were neat looking little 2 door wagons. Neighbor said something was wrong with the transmission, probably only a simple shifter linkage problem.
Foxs, particularly the wagons, were always thin on the ground where I have lived in Michigan. Think the last one I saw on the road was in the late 90s.
…until I was at a car show at the Gilmore last summer. Saw this one and had to check it out, especially as it had a “for sale” sign on it.
First I noticed the really careless repaint, with spots of yellow showing, like on the front bumper…and the rust poking through on the top of the right front fender. Looked underneath. First thing I noticed was the flange at the jacking point was bent over flat. Then I noticed the hole in the driver’s footwell big enough to stick a football through.
So what was the guy asking for this refugee from the U-pull? $5,000! And the guy was the head of the local VW owners club.
80s era BMWs…3 series and 5 series. I could buy 528e sedans all day long for $500 in running condition as recently as 5 years ago…now I almost never see any. Plenty of Volvo 240s around Cincinnati, but they are looking more and more ratty and decrepit all the time.
Square Ford Panthers are getting thin on the ground around here too.
I actually owned a VW Fox once…paid $400 for a white 2 door with tan tweed and a 4 speed. Had to loosen two bolts at the base of the shift level to get it into reverse, then tighten the bolts before I went into forward gears or the ball at the base of the shifter would pop out of place…so I always tried to pull into places where I would not have to back out. I kept a ratchet and socket in the glovebox just in case I needed reverse.
I used to see Ford Aerostars everywhere, and those mid 90s Ford Escort wagons. Same thing with the late 80s VW Jettas
The guy who runs the radio station at the university I work for somehow managed to find 2 Aerostars that he bought for station vehicles. I have no idea how he managed to find one, let alone two. Or why Aerostars.
I still see a fair amount of those Escort/Tracer wagons, but Aerostars have become a rare bird lately.
Ford Taurus, especially from the first and second gen…they used to be everywhere, now…and old Mopar A-bodies, once common, now not so much…
Actually a lot of pre-fuel injection cars and trucks are more thin on the ground now…it seems I smell ’em before I see them! As much as I love old wheels, I am old enough to remember just how AWFUL most of them smelled…at least we didn’t really notice back then, i don’t think, as everything left a stink, and with an oil slick down the centre of the road to boot. And the smog! Cripes, I remember going to LA in ’74, and boy, that was interesting! So, I like old iron, but am not sorry to see the advent of good emission controls. The wifey wanted an old Beetle ragtop for a while, but she couldn’t stand the gas fumes that were attached to all of them like a fog, so no go!
One of the main reason the old RWD Volvos disappeared in the north is the rust finally got a hold of them. Down in the south they’re definitely not as common as they once were, but they are still a common sight. There are at least three 240’s in my neighborhood.
I can’t believe it, because they are still everywhere in Detroit metro where they dump salt as if it’s free.
The trick with spotting Volvo 240s is to buy one and then you will see them everywhere. When I had my Volv0 240 wagon, everywhere I drove I saw at least one or two(that were not mine)
As for cars that I never see much of, here are a few:
1. 1997- 2002 Ford Escort- These used to be everywhere but now are scarce.
2. 92-97 Cadillac Seville
3. Volvo 850
4. Volvo 940
5. 82-87 & 88-94 Chevy Cavalier
6. 1995- 2005 Mercedes Benzes
Volvos were never common here in Aussie they were not NZ so not seeing them is just normal, what has disappeared from the landscape are the commonly used Holdens, Falcons,and Valiants and other once common 6 cylinder offerings from around the globe, replaced by the cheap and often nasty ex JDM used imports.
They were quite common in Australia when they were locally assembled. Later 240s like this would have been imported, and few people bought Volvos by then.
I still see a fair few Volvo wagons around, not a lot were sold here but the survival rate was high.
Where have all the older Fords have gone though? I can’t remember when I last saw a XD/XE series Falcon on the road and the Cortinas and Telstars from the 70s and 80s all seem to have vanished too!
You still see some of these oldies in country towns. Cortinas used to be all over the place. When I moved to this town 17 years ago there were three here, but mine was the last when I sold it seven years ago. There are still two XFs in my town though, and a P6 LTD. No Telstars though, but there are still plenty of bubble-back Lasers.
1.Ford Tempo/Mercury Topaz
2. Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon
3. Dodge Aries/Plymouth Reliant (Really any K-derivative)
4. Gen 2 and Gen 2 Mopar Minivans
5. 1979-1991 Ford Panther bodies
6. Saab 900
7. Pontiac 6000
8. 1986-1991 Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable
9. Original GM J-bodies
10. 1989-1997 Ford Thunderbird/Mercury Cougar
I’d echo on the Tempo/Topaz, Omnizons, and K’s. Would also add Chevette.
Chevettes have only become uncommon in the past couple years? Wow, they must have held up better wherever you are! I feel like I haven’t seen but a handful of Chevettes in the past 10+ years.
I’d have to go with vw fox too, don’t remember the last time I saw one. I’d also nominate the ford festiva. There are still quite a few of the later model 240s like this around here.
This is a subject I’ve been thinking quite a bit about lately, as there are a number of cars that were common here a few years back that are now rare, if not extinct. Before I get to some of them, one car that’s not at risk yet is the Volvo 240. I have dubbed it the official CC of Eugene, and there’s still a quite healthy number around. Of course, the numbers are shrinking a bit.
As I think about it, I can’t really answer it readily, since the list would go on for a long time. Just about all the older daily drivers are reduced in numbers, and the automotive landscape has changed a fair amount. Undoubtedly, a substantial part of the blame goes to the improved economy, as more folks can afford a new or newer car.
One car has really changed in representation here: W123 Diesel Mercedes. The big bio-diesel boom of about then years ago brought in hundreds of used old diesel Benzes, and there were two shops that specialized in “importing” and servicing them. Now that’s mostly over. There’s still some clattering away, but not nearly as common as it was 5-10 years ago.
In the 80s and 90s it seemed like you never saw a beater Mercedes. They’d go for 20 years when most cars barely staggered past 10, and they’d look new or close to it the whole time without so much as dropping a hubcap – then they’d fall off the face of the earth. Now they’re just another car, and one with higher than average maintenance costs at that.
Has got to be these Chevy Cavaliers. I used to see them constantly out here in California up until about five years ago now not so much.
Curvy Cavaliers (in contrast with the old-school Benzes I described above) seemed to reach beater stage faster than any other modern car; by 2010 they were all at least a bit rough except the one-elderly-owner ones, and by now even those are starting to rust. But they’re still out there.
Trust me, 3rd gen j-bodies are still holding forth deep in the bowels of Appalachia
Curvaliers?
Volvo 240’s are like cockroaches here in the Portland area. The tinworm isnt such a factor here. Judging by the demographic that tends to drive then, Im beginning to think those tough old bricks actually THRIVE on neglect!
Back in TN when i was in H.S. The road was clogged with N bodies…in particular, Grand Ams. 99.9% of these things were either white or maroon…grey cladding included. Iron Dukes clattered away for years then POOF….gone.
Cavaliers and Berettas/Corsicas had a similar cycle.
Suzuki samurais and the tracker/sidekick clones were once plentiful too….likely beat to death offroad trying to follow Jeeps….
Yes! Everyone and their brother around here owned a Corsica, Beretta, or Cavalier of that generation up until 2007 or so and they all just vaporized all at once. I haven’t seen a Beretta in at least five years. I don’t know how that happens.
I see by your post below that you are also from Pittsburgh. I see a yellow Beretta Indy regularly on my commute to work, and also there is usually a white Z24 that I see occasionally too. I had an ex girlfriend that drove a ’90 Beretta GT, and was really into them, so I guess I notice them more than most. Now, Corsicas… can’t remember the last time I saw one of those.
I’m from Pittsburgh, too. Do you remember in the late 80s and early 90s when the city police force used fwd Delta 88s and Bonnevilles? Or did I make this up in my head?
I don’t remember (I was a little kid and living in Westmoreland County), but I do know two cops that drove the the Deltas and Bonnies, one of which is now an undercover cop. The last Corsica I saw with regularity was a barely drivable wreck owned by my best friend’s father, who lusted after his neighbor’s Parisienne. When I drove it, my friend could flick her cigarette ashes out of a hole in the door,
I live in Carnegie these days and there are plenty of ’50s rides on local lots, but not many ’70s and ’80s rides anywhere. A neighbor had a worn, but still gorgeous second gen Cutlass Supreme. It appears that the city towed it out.
I agree with you and there is a Volvo shop in Southeast Portland just north of Powell Boulevard that last year had at least 10 200-series Volvos around it.
1990s GM passenger vehicles are getting somewhat thin on the ground, but they will be around for a while. I got passed by a pristine bright Red Corscia on I-5 North which really caught my attention and last month I photographed a Corsica Hatchback in Southeast. Still a few Corsicas about and I am curious what it is like to drive one, but I have not seen a Beretta in a while. There is a Cavalier around here that has been riding on a doughnut for at least a month, but then again most Cavaliers look abused and/or worn out. A housemate’s partner might still have their 1984 Cavalier Estate since it was still running in early 2015.
Fully agree on the Grand Am. I’ve seen two in the past week, but both of them made me say “wow, haven’t seen one of that generation in a while.” It seems like the majority of surviving N-bodies are Aleros and late 90’s Malibus, the Grand Ams have all been beaten to death.
Richmond has to be up there with Portland and Eugene as far as 240’s are concerned. The bricks are still all over the place, in conditions ranging from fully ragged-out to pristine. There are even two of the limited production final-year Classic models in my old neighborhood.
Except for the 240s and the first gen Taurus, I still see most of those mentioned on a semi regular basis here in Pittsburgh, the city of rustbuckets. I suppose people just drive them until there’s nothing left. My first car was a ’90 Bonneville, which I rarely see anymore. Sometimes you catch a surprise though. I just bought a largely rust free ’78 Grand Marquis just sitting in a lot with a sign, having not seen a member of the LTD/Marquis/Continental trio since 2004! Along with those and the Volvos, the large coupes (Toronado, Mark series, Cutlass Supreme, Coupe de Ville) have completely disappeared from this area.
’78 Grand Marquis? Nice…I’ve not seen a pre-downsized big Ford or Mercury on the road in quite a while.
She was just sitting in a former car dealer lot across from Vinnie’s Pizza in Forest Hills. She is literally the first Marquis from that generation that I have ever seen. A friend who’s into old cars and older buildings saw it first and called me, knowing I love landyachts.
GM X-body cars built from 1980-85, up until the mid 90’s I remember these cars were everywhere.
These are the first ones that come to mind for me as well. Given how prolific they once were, they seemed to disappear remarkably fast.
I don’t see very many older later model Honda’s i.e 5-6th gen (1994-2002) anymore….its like they reached the best before date…..see more older ones or at least notice them…..
1994-2001 Chryslers (any)
for older cars I would say
Chrysler Fifth Aves (both Fuelie and Carb)- used to see one or two still kicking about – can’t remember the last time I saw one
Box Lincoln Towncars
I also rarely see any 1st and 2nd generation Pontiac Grand Am around anymore either along with a first generation Toyota Rav4
There are at least seven or eight of those Hondas in my subdivision alone – four of which are silver, including my wife’s 2001, which is going strong at 170k.
I own one of them, and I see TONS of these Accords in Rhode Island, a lot of them the same color as mine – Heather Mist – that silvery beige color which was very popular back then. In fact my wife and I comment every day about how many of them are still roaming the streets, even at 13+ years old! Mine has 183k miles on it and still runs & drives like new! Sometimes I see two or three at a time at a red light!
This is her the day I took her home. So far no problems and over 40k miles of great driving. I’ve since added a factory rear spoiler, mud guards and sunroof deflector.One of the best Accords ever made, IMO.
Here in Southern Cal I see the 98-02 Accords just as much as the 03 to current Accords, heck there are a lot of the 90-93 and 94-97’s rolling here as well. Some of them are in pretty good shape, now the 86-89’s I don’t see nearly as much anymore. I think Honda upped its game with the intro of the 90 model!
Interesting, I still see a *bunch* of Accords of those two generations. The two prior (’86-’89, ’90-’93) are less common, but not hard to find. The Accords that are becoming truly rare here are the 2nd-gen ’82 to ’85 cars, which as of about 5 years ago were still frequent sights.
I’m driving back from a week in Oregon (well, my wife is actually behind the wheel as I type this) and the real question is, what HAVEN’T I seen recently? Old Euro and Japanese stuff in Portland; old Detroit stuff along the Hwy 97 corridor.
Chevy Lumina APVs, Berettas, Citations, Prisms, Toyota Corolla based Novas, 1st gen Cavaliers, and Chevies older than the mid-1980s are not terribly common in Portland unless they are a truck.
Just about every VW once they get a bit over 10 years old. MKIV Jettas (and to a lesser degree MK2 and MK3s) used to be EVERYWHERE… they’re still out there, but rapidly dwindling. I rarely see MK2 and MK3s anymore, even in sunny California. Add Audis to that list too. Anything older than the original A4 has become a rare sight, and those are rapidly dwindling as well.
You make a good point about the original A4. I saw a very nice example at a stoplight over the weekend, and my thought was “I haven’t seen a clean one of those in a while.”
Guess I’m an exception (though I have an A4 Golf, rather than a Jetta)..it is 2nd model year (2000) so 15 years old now. I also kept my A2 GTI I owned before that for 14 years (1986-2001). I’ll have to admit I don’t keep my car up as well as I’d like anymore (haven’t had the time, with aging parents who keep me busy) but these respond well to regular maintenance. Maybe also helps that I live in the sunbelt
Volvo 240s are still fairly common in central Virginia, but I’ve noticed that early Ford Tauruses, the pre-ovoid models, are suddenly scarce. Box Panthers aren’t as numerous as they once were, and the same goes for GM B-bodies. What surprises me is that the creatures that I thought would inherit the earth, the GM J-cars, are rarities now. I haven’t seen one in a long time.
My post would be once common cars from 1999-2004 that seemed to vanish in past 2 years.
GM: Grand Ams, Cavaliers, Auroras, Aleros, U body vans. [Of course Azteks, but they were not all that common, except SE Michigan]
Ford: Windstars, Escorts, FWD Cougars, Sables
Mopar: Pre-2007 Sebring/Stratus, Neons, LH cars
Asian: Mitsubishi Galants, Lancers, and Eclipses. Isuzu anything. pre-2000 Nissan Sentras. Mazda 626/Protege.
Mk 3 and 4 VW Jettas were once all over Chicago’s Yuppie North Side, now, lots of silver/grey unidentifiable CUV’s
Brendan,
Since you are a fellow resident of the northeast, I’m sure you can attest to the lack of CC’s, as the rust monster makes anything older than 20 years old a rare sight.
Here are cars that I used to see regularly in upstate New York:
1. First gen Taurus/Sable – These have been mentioned already, but it really is startling how glaringly absent the cars have become. Also, all SHO’s from generation 1-3 are no where to be seen, but its more plausible that those are being stored somewhere for safe keeping. Ironically, the current gen SHO’s are very common around my neck of the woods.
2. Any Volkswagen Golf, Jetta, and Passar from the 90’s, to the Mk. IV – I assume the repair bills relegate a lot of these to the junkyard.
3. 1st generation Dodge Caravan/Chrysler Town and Country – Like the other cars featured here, they were just used up and thrown out.
4. First and second gen Ford Explorer – These were so common in my area its hard to believe they’re almost all gone, and Cash For Clunkers likely helped dwindle their numbers big time.
Ditto on the first gen Taurus/Sable, Volkswagens, and first generation Explorer (the latter of which I saw my first one in a long time the other day; an emerald green Eddie Bauer – weren’t they all?).
I’ll go even further with the Chrysler minivans and say that 2nd generations are only about a once in a month sight. Even the third generations have become no longer everyday sights.
Oddly enough, I still do see a decent number 2nd generation Explorers, including two 2-door models that I saw recently, though I agree they certainly have dwindled a lot since Cash for Clunkers.
When my 95 Voyager and I left the Southern Tier in 2012 I knew of only about 6 other 2nd gen Chrysler Minivans around and when I went back to visit about a year ago I found less than that. Once in a Blue Moon I would see a 1st gen Chrysler Minivan.
To add, for the 2005-10 era, it seems that Cobalts [G5] and Aveos [G3] are fading fast.
Wonder why? [sarcasm]
Going to ‘cockroaches’, the GM boxy A bodies are finally dying off. Rust is killing the last former ‘cream puffs’
I can’t recall seeing all that many Cobalts recently either–but I’m not sure if that’s because they’re becoming uncommon, or because I never really “saw” them in the first place. They do fade readily into the background.
Still a decent number of A-bodies around me, including a handful with the pre-facelift quad sealed beam noses.
240s are still fairly thick on the ground here in Sacramento.
240s and 740s are a common sight in LA. The wagons look cool with worn paint or even primer spots, kind of like how VW vans and El Caminos were when I was growing up. Also see a lot of rough but running w201, w124 Mercedes and E30, E36 BMW. They get to a point where no one wants to steal them and people can leave them unlocked. A big plus if you don’t have RKE.
The Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera and the accompanying Cutlass Cruiser wagon were in practically everyone’s driveway and in supermarket and shopping mall parking lots in the late 80’s and early 90’s. They are a very rare sight now, even in relatively rust-free California. You could even say that the Cutlass Ciera was America’s 240GL.
I still see a lot of them here
My neighbors had an 85 wagon cutlass and drove it for 20 years and 240,000 miles. They always used synthetic oil in the 3.8. But he admitted it wasn’t a reliable car. Numerous transmission and emission control problems and an expensive airflow sensor that would break when the engine mounts got weak and allowed the engine to twist to much.
1. First Gen caravans
2. Chevy celebrity, there is a celebrity wagon that popped up for sale in town a few weeks ago. Hadn’t seen one in years.
3. Corsica/Beretta
4. Chevy Astros are still around but getting few and far between.
5. K car. Aries, reliant. Been a few years since I seen one on the road.
6. 91 and older econoline vans. Still see a few here and there.
7. Chrysler cloud cars. Stratus, cirrus, breeze.
8. Ford countour, mercury mistake.
9. 86-95 taurus I almost never see. Oval tauri are getting rare.
10. 83-92 camaros, if I have seen one driving in the past year. 93-02s are not as common as they once we’re.
7. Grand ams. First Gen, though the last body style is starting to dry up around here.
A friend of mine bought an ’83 Dodge 600 a couple of years ago. While it looked immaculate, he just couldn’t afford to keep it on the road. He said every little thing that could possibly go wrong died on him, sometimes multiple times. His mechanic likened it to an older person at the end of their life where everything is just shutting down all at once. He sold the car, still looking new, a few months ago to another enthusiast.
This is in central Indiana btw. I keep thinking of more.
Pre-96 Chevy vans
Geo metros.
Omni/horizon
Pre 88 Chevy pickups. 95 to 98s are getting rare as well.
Kia sephias
Chrysler Sebring convertibles
2000-04 impalas
N body Malibu 97 to 03?
In my part of Oregon (near Portland)
Early Ford Explorer
Base model K cars
Early 80’s Hondas
VW Bugs
Gran Torino station wagons
Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon
Early VW Rabbit
Early and mid RX7
Porsche 924/944
80’s/90’s BMW 3 series
Ford Aerostar and Windstar
Tricked out 70’s vans (they used to be everywhere)
And many more…
Really, Beetles? I see nearly 1/2 a dozen or more vintage Beetles a week in Portland, but I agree that K-Cars are nearly extinct.
In comparative terms, yes, beetles are rarely seen!
I was a car-watching kid in the 70’s and it seemed like one out of four cars was a beetle back then.
They were so common that you could spot six just stepping out your door.
VW Bug, the original air cooled varieties. Don’t see them anymore.
My personal missing-CC is the fourth-gen ’85-’89 Toyota Celica hatchback. I bought an ’87 GT hatchback new and drove it daily 11 years. Sweet car, fast and practical, great styling (with hidden headlights!), and a Toyota. These were fairly common in their time, at least here on the West Coast. This Celica also came as a notchback, but those were rare when new.
Now I occasionally see a notchback, but it has been many years since I’ve seen the once-common hatchback. A puzzling switch!
It had an exceptionally long weatherstrip which started leaking into the rear fender wells on mine. That’s the only reason I can think of for the Celica hatchback’s seemingly complete demise.
Same here, I can’t remember the last time I saw a hatch
Good call, those seem to have disappeared, and they did used to be numerous. I haven’t even seen but a couple of the notches lately.
Ford Cortina
Ford Sierra
Vauxhall Cavalier
Vauxhall Viva
Hillman Hunter (& any of it’s relatives)
Austin Allegro (maybe that’s not such a bad thing)
Morris Marina (see above)
In terms of the UK, I’d add the following to Gem’s list:
Any Ford Escort
Vauxhall Carlton/Omega
Rover 600
Rover 800
Any Triumph, apart from Heralds/Vitesses, which are a left-field alternative to a Morris Minor. When the roads are still thick with Midgets and Bs, where are all the Spitfires?
Any Rootes/Chrysler UK/Talbot
Renault Megane Scenic, gen 1 – used to be everywhere
Mk 2 Range Rover
Jaguar XJ-S
80s/90s BMW 3-series
Any Daimler
Nissan Bluebird
Toyota Corolla
Fiats that aren’t 500s or vans are thinning out
I’m sure I’ll think of more…
From the other side of the North Sea, in addition:
Opel Ascona & Vectra A, Kadett (all of them)
Peugeot 305, 405 & 406
Renault 19, 21, Mégane coupé
Ford Escort 90-92, Mondeo 93-97, Scorpio
Lancia Kappa
Mazda 121, 626 (all of them)
Honda Civic 91-95
Nissan Primera 90-95
Ladas
Volvo 240s are rare
Chrysler Voyager 91-95
older Toyota vans (like the Corolla, they all went to Africa)
W210 Mercedes and E36 BMW 3-series are still very common though, the latter particularly in Nürburgring public day crashes.
Almost anything, really, if you go back some decades.
I remember when the highways were full of cars from all manufacturers that had tailfins. They’re gone. Cars from the independents like Studebaker and Rambler were common sights and they’re all but gone now. AMC lasted about 20 years longer than Studebaker, but most of those are gone now too. (I remember when Gremlins, Hornets, etc., were a common everyday sight.) When was the last time you saw a Renault Dauphine on the road? Or even the much more recent Alliance? (I do still see VW bugs on the road on occasion.)
Heck, go back far enough and Ford Model Ts and Model As were a common sight that are now pretty much gone from sight aside from shows and parades.
I recall standing at an intersection in the late sixties and noticing 3 gray VW beetles in a row waiting for the light to change ….. haven’t seen one in ages here. In 1979, I also remember a VW dealer trying to sell TWO VW convertibles (a red one and a blue one) for $14,000 – even if I’d had the money, I thought they were a bad deal. Ouch!
The original VW beetle was like cockroches. They were everywhere and they had an exhaust note that you’d recognize without looking. Now I know how the old-timers felt about the Model T fading away.
I agree with the comment about Ford Explorers (1990-2005). GM smaller SUVs of the time were less common then, but vaporized just as rapidly. It’s as if everything that was really popular from 1990-2005 disappeared overnight sometime before 2010. I see a LOT of older cars in LA, but these are gone, it’s as if the Lexus RX is the only vehicle of that approximate size to survive the rapture.
I also think that everybody who ever bought a BMW Z3 has either garaged it or traded it for something else long ago. Those used to be the “fun” BMW, and seemed very common. Another allegedly fun car I haven’t seen recently is the PT Cruiser.
On a recent vacation, I did a lot of interstate driving, as I had about 4k miles to cover. I saw one Volvo 245, I think in Iowa. One 90s Ford Escort that was being driven hard. But in general, the interstate system is a bit of a CC desert. There’s plenty in towns, and cruising the highways, but they don’t travel long distances much… The master of the US interstate, though, is Volvo. Volvo Trucks, that is.
It’s unfortunate that the majority of BMW Z3s I see are in as rough condition as most 5-Series and 7-Series of the late-1990s. Faded paint, a lot of scratches, yellowed headlights, well-worn leather, and some I’ve even seen with ripped tops. This is likely to happen to any car, but it’s sad seeing it happen to one of those “it” status cars of my childhood.
I may have just CC-effected myself, as I saw a Z3 sitting behind my office building, the first one I’ve seen in a long time. (There are a lot of Z4s still around.) Unfortunately, it was parked in, so no photos.
I agree that down-at-heel prestige or luxury cars can be distressing. I haven’t seen too many Z3s in “tired Miata” state, fortunately. The composite plastic headlight lenses make so many cars of the 90s look bad; a tired Mercedes W210 looks rheumy and wears neglect on its face as no Mercedes before. But my ultimate decrepit luxury car story comes from Somerville, MA–years ago I was looking for an apartment there with an agent who had an XJ40 series Jag XJ6. This realtor’s chariot had a sagging suspension, squeaking brakes, and weather seals fallen from the doors dragging on the ground. The red paint was not fading uniformly, so there was cherry, tomato, radish, very possibly beet. His stock was remarkably like his car.
The typical W210 has aged about as well as “Batman Forever”.
It’s true, I have hardly seen any Z3s in years, yet I see its competitor, the Lexus SC430 convertible all over the place as daily drivers.
+1 Everything made between the Contract With America election and 9/11 seems to have disappeared into thin air. I think I see more box Delta 88s, Volvo 240s, MB 3 and 500s, and K Cars than I do a lot of cars from the mid 1990s.
Early 2000s Impalas are dying out, as is pretty much anything with a Pontiac badge. You still see Pontiacs out here, but you can tell that the numbers are really starting to dwindle.
I don’t see hardly any Dodge Intrepids, either.
Intrepids are a good call, especially first-gen models. They may not have disappeared overnight, but they’re at the end of a long decline.
Yugos
Renaults or anything French
Anything Japanese built before the late 80s
Pre 1995 hyundais
Geo storms or any Isuzu built car
Any pre 90s subarus or mitsubishisis
Chevettes and pintos
Amc Eagles
Any 80s model j-body
First and second gen Chrysler minivans
Ford aerostats
Geo metros
Suzuki samurais
Pre-1995 ford explorers
I talked to the owner of a Citroen DS a couple days ago at the DMV. His car was imperfect, but gorgeous nonetheless. It was the first French car of any make that I’ve seen here since the nineties. The owner said he’s never seen another DS in the state in the fifty years he’s lived here…
I haven’t seen a DS in New England since the late 70’s. They were always painful to watch in their last days, parked in someone’s backyard with their hydraulic suspension squatting low. Once the mud started to suck them in a little they were just not long for the world.
A few more
Original k-cars
Dodge omni and Plymouth horizon
Hardly see any of these anymore
1988-93 Pontiac lemans haven’t seen one outside a junkyard in years
Ford tempo/Mercury topaz have mostly dissapeared
Chevy Corsica and beretta-there’s one that as been sitting in my neighbors driveway for a few years
Seconded on the LeMans. They all seem to have vanished. Omnirizons, too–they’ve been getting less common for a long time, but the last one I can clearly remember seeing was probably 4 years ago.
Older non 3 series BMWs and Audis! 5 and 7 series, and all Audis from before about 2000 seem to be all extinct. Still seem to be a fair few M-B and Lexus from that period though.
My friend’s parents had one until about 1999 until it met the back of a semi’s running gear on the LIE. At this time, you could either have a real truck-like SUV a Chrysler minivan or one of these…
Ford Country Squire
Most have already been mentioned, but I was actually thinking of the early 80s Ford LTD (the small ones) a few days ago, and how they used to be everywhere, but suddenly are not. The 89-93 Cadillac Deville is another one that comes to mind, it seems that everyone in Pittsburgh was driving one of those back in the 90s. Pretty much any 90s GM car with a 3100 V6 is gone, but the ’95-99 Monte Carlo seems to be particularly absent, and sold quite well in its day for being a rather large coupe for the time.
Kid I worked with about a decade or so ago had a mid 80s ltd, he also put some ugly spinning hubcaps on it.
First edition Dodge/Plymouth Neons.
Saw one the other day well past its life cycle, but it passed me going 80 MPH.
I was thinking of these too, as I walked by a 2nd-gen Neon today. Remember these ads?
These ads…
I feel like I stopped seeing these like 10 years ago.
Also, first edition Dodge Aries, Plymouth Reliants.
Especially rare are Chrysler E-Class and Dodge 600 series
That’s a nice pic Chuck. I had forgotten just how clean and nice looking the first-gen K-cars were. My uncle had an ’81 around 1989 or so. Dark green, with a dark green vinyl roof and nice green cloth interior, buckets and console, auto. It was a really nice car, comfy and zippy around town with the 2.2. These cars have all disappeared up here in southern Ontario.
A friend of mine is into K-cars and similar models and tried to save a 600. It nickled and dimed him to death over the last couple years, despite looking mint.
Most cars stick around here, like Eugene. Among post-80 cars, the only one that stands out is Escorts. Super-common in the 90s, now exactly zero. Omnirizons are still fairly common.
I would have guessed the other way around when both were new. Escorts seemed solid, Omnirizons were crap.
I also hardly see any 1st generation Toyota Camry’s around anymore yet those cars were everywhere back in the 80’s/90’s/early 2000’s.
Well, the newest ones are 29 years old, and they didn’t exactly have an enthusiast following.
I’ll chime in:
for me.. I live in the rustbelt, so cars generally last about 20 years before they go extinct.
Once common staples for me include
1. Chrysler minivans (1st through 3rd generations)
2. GM dustbusters
3. Ford Aerostars
4. 1979-1991 Panthers
5. Fox body Mustangs
6, Chrysler LH cars (specifically Intrepids and New Yorkers)
7. GM S-Series second generation
8. 1992-1996 Toyota Camrys
9. first generation Dodge/Plymouth Neons
and lastly (and this kind of hurts to write as they were staple in my household when I was very little)
10. Ford Taurus first and second generation
11. Ford Explorer first generation
Strange. Last week I was thinking about how rare the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique became years ago…yet I happened to see two in the course of two minutes (to be fair, one was a clean SVT belonging to a classmate). And today, after seeing this QOTD be posted, I saw a first-generation Dodge Intrepid and a Chevy Beretta on my campus, neither of which I had seen in a while. Same thing happened a few months back with a first-generation Volvo S80 (yes, a T6).
Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, I guess!
Another nomination: the 1995-1998 Volvo 960/S90/V90. They were a common sight in upper-middle class neighborhoods in New England until about 2010, then they all disappeared. Before I moved from MA to Pittsburgh for school this past summer, I would see one MAYBE once every two weeks – to say nothing of Pittsburgh, where they were probably less popular to start with. And I doubt it’s because of rust, because Volvo had mastered rustproofing well before 1995 (I have never seen a rusty S/V/XC anything).
Fox Mustangs. They used to be ubiquitous, but I see them less and less often and in ever worse shape.
Maybe it’s just where I am, but I don’t really see any first generation Toyota Solaras anymore.
Watercooled Volkswagens, A-1 Rabbits, Jettas and Sciroccos, A-2 Golfs, Jettas, and Passats, even A-3 Golfs and Jettas, also Rabbit and Golf derived cabrios, it’s as if they have vanished, (here in the SF bay area anyway!), used to be everywhere. I suspect the “buy back” program the Air quality people are running is the cause; they have long offered decent cash bounties for scrapping “older” cars, and seem to have effectively eradicated everything with wheels built before about 1994.
I always was a fan of the Bosch CIS and CIS-E fuel injection systems used on some of these VW’s, to me it was still mechanical enough to be “old school” and rarely gave me trouble and proved very reliable over time and several cars. gave up on the “Digifant”, and never owned anything past that era. There was even a guy who adapted CIS to Suzuki samurai motors to replace the complicated carb that vehicle came with.
Somebody above hit it mostly on the head with 1990-2003 or so cars. Everything from the 90s has vanished.
1st and 2nd Gen Ford Taurus/Merc Sable
90s Nissan Altimas and Maximas
90s Honda Accords and Civics except ones with tinted windows and “fartcan” mufflers as PN accurately calls them
90s Camrys but especially the 97-01 generation
Jeep Grand Cherokees pre 02
1st and 2nd Gen Explorers and first Gen Expeditions
Cab-Forward Chryslers—Cirrus, Stratus, etc
Dodge and Plymouth Neon
Some people above talk about box B Bodies and Panthers and A Bodies. I agree they’re thinner on the ground than 5 years ago but it’s been a gradual thinning; some of those, like the 240s, are well over 20 years old.
The difference I guess: I don’t see too many beater 80s American cars but I do still see well preserved ones (and some well preserved old Hondas) with some regularity.
I see almost nothing that was common in 1998…and that’s a sea change from 2010
Interestingly enough, around here those are all rather common except for the first gen Taurus and explorer
Volvo 240s are still a fairly common sight around Charlottesville, VA. Here’s a pair of 1991 wagons and one 1992 sedan owned by an older couple.
I had my 1980 Volvo for 21 years, bought used in 1982. And I’ve passed the 17-year mark with my 1998 Nissan Frontier.
Brendan,
How often do you see Volvo 850s puttering around the Greater Boston area, in particular the early ones (1993 and ’94)?
When I was home in Bennington, VT a month ago I was very surprised to see that the 850s are a dying breed up there. Just 7-8 years ago, I couldn’t walk more than a block without seeing an 850 on the corner. It’s the same thing where I live today, in Alexandria, VA. The 850s are becoming a rare sight on the roads around here – it’s like people are not preserving them, just using them up.
Funny you should mention that. Just this morning I saw an S70 sedan and it made me realize how few 850s I see now. To be honest, I feel like the 850 sedans were never as common in my area as the 850 wagons, but oddly enough I feel like it was the other way around with the S70 and V70. I still see a decent number of S70 sedans, even though they’re only a few years newer.
I don’t think the 850 sedans will be saved and preserved at all, unlike the wagons. All the 850 enthusiasts I know want wagons. I’m just trying to keep the two sedans (’94 and ’96) I have on the road for now.
From what I have heard and seen Volvo signed their death certificate when they switched to front wheel drive. They used to be a more affordable and less flashy Mercedes. After the fwd switch they became just another like everything from Japan or America, but with double the maintenance costs and half the reliability.
There is a reason they are disappearing. The 850 has a fairly complex cooling system that requires special attention in some areas, if it is going to last. Also, the PCV system clogs up, causing lots of issues. If the previous owner has always kept up with the maintenance according to the book, there should be no major issues. However, it is a ’90s Volvo, so annoying little faults will always pop up.
Some more
93-97 Mazda 626 with the exploding transmission
Basically any 90s Mitsubishi that isn’t an eclipse
First gen Mazda MPV, saw one not long ago, the first one I had seen in god knows how long
First gen Honda Odyssey and Isuzu oasis especially
Toyota Previa
First gen gm n body
Any daewoo
Pre-2002 Hyundai sonatas seem to have dissapeared as well
Ford Probe….. You would think vulcan powered probes would still persist, but perhaps Probes in general weren’t too common to begin with.
Really miss the Flat Rock assembled ’93-97 2nd gen Probe / Mazda MX-6 duo. I’ve pretty much abandoned hope of unearthing an MX-6
As several others noted, Omnirizons. Saw several at a Mopar show over the summer, and realized I had not seen one in decades.
81-85 generation Mazda GLC. The first front drive model from Mazda. Best built and most bullet proof car I have ever owned. Besides mine, there were three others in the small apartment complex I lived in in the early 90s. Still saw a couple survivors in the late 90s, but apparently extinct now.
Going way back: 72 Ford Gran Torino. Flocks of them used to be around. According to Wiki, Ford sold nearly half a million Torinos that year, topping the Chevelle for the first time ever. I believe it. Last time I saw a Torino, outside of a car show, was a TV ad for an auto parts store where a kid finds a Torino dead by the side of the road.
Here is a good Volvo 200-series article.
http://autoweek.com/article/car-life/san-francisco-bay-area-volvo-240s-getting-crushed-depressing-quantities
I moved to Portland, OR in 2013 so I have not been here long enough to notice certain trends. 2nd generation Chevy S-10s and GMC Sonomas are not terribly common in Portland, OR, but where they ever? GM Dustbuster Minivans are not very common either. 1997-2004 Malibues are dropping like flies and it is the most common vehicle I find broken down somewhere or close to being dead. I need to check around, but where did 1st gen Ford Escapes get to? I look forward to visiting parts of Oregon without DEQ and seeing what rarities are still driving around. I know in Missoula, MT for example there were a number of rarer vehicles still plodding along.
I moved to the Portland area more recently (about two months ago!) and what I’ve noticed right off the bat is the greatly decreased number of late-model, probably leased, BMW 3-series as compared to LA–every 20-something doesn’t see owning a BMW as obligatory. Thus there aren’t as many older 3-series, either. I see WAY more Subarus, of course, mostly from the past 15 years, but some stretching back into the ’90s. Very few Loyale-series cars, tons of Legacys (Legacies?). I don’t see as many 240 wagons as I think I’d have seen 15-20 years ago, I think the Legacy/Outback wagon is the successor vehicle for the demographic that would have driven those, and Saabs.
I do notice a lot of BMW Z3s, but that’s probably due to my owning one–that and it hasn’t really started to rain that much yet…they’ll all be put up for the winter soon. 🙂
Subarus are also owned by Ski and/or Snowboard Bums with Marijuana use being optional. Also Granolas are another Subaru driver stereotype I see around. Ricer Subarus that may or may not be slammed are somewhat common.
Never really thought about the “Gotta own a BMW” mentality since I only lived in South Central Los Angeles for 6 weeks and thankfully did not spend much more time than that in the LA Metro Area.
Cars I don’t see in Tucson any more: Vegas and their relatives. Very, very, very few Chevettes. Ford Pintos are extremely rare now. Not many of the big 1970s GM cars, although there’s a 1971 Impala four-door sedan I see often. I think it lives in the near neighborhood.
I still see lots of 1977 and later GM full-sized cars, particularly Chevys and Cadillacs. However, an X-body is an extremely rare sighting, although I saw a Buick Skylark sedan (if I have the series right) recently. I was startled to see what was labeled as a 442 (an Olds colonnade hardtop from 1975 or so) just yesterday.
Early Honda Accords have just about disappeared, along with the first couple of generations of the Civic.
I can’t say I see many first-generation Cavaliers and their siblings these days (including, of course, the Cimarron).
Ford Fairmonts and their siblings are extremely scarce now, although there are still lots of Fox-body Mustangs around. Granadas and Monarchs have just about disappeared. Tempos and Contours, however, look so very bland to me that I couldn’t tell you if I’ve seen any of late. First-generation Escorts are pretty thin on the ground, too.
I remember that we enjoyed our 1984 Mazda 626 sedan, and that it was reasonably reliable. But they’ve just about all disappeared.
Ford Tempo/Mercury Topaz
Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon
Dodge/Plymouth Neon
Pontiac Grand Am – Any Model Year, but have not seen a 1985-1987 Model in 20 years
Chevy Cavalier Z24 – 1988 – 1994
Chevy Beretta
Dodge Aries/Plymouth Reliant
Chevy Sprint/Metro Geo Metro, Pontiac Firefly, Suzuki Swift – 1985 – 2000
Ford Escort
Ford Festiva
Mazda 323
I found myself behind a Sprint Turbo in traffic last week and just about fell out of my chair. (Figuratively of course.) I couldn’t remember the last Sprint of any kind I saw, let alone a turbo. It’s been ages since a Spectrum/I-Mark sighting either.
Cars disappear when they rust (most anything pre 1985 or so) or when the benefits of owning them are outweighed by the costs of repair. At this point the owner of a Volvo 240, 740, or 940 has to ask himself, “why does my air conditioning compressor need yet another replacement?” Or, “Really, $700 to replace that cat-back exhaust AGAIN?” And then there is the ever popular 240 refrain, “You want how much to replace my heater blower motor (or heater core in a 740/940)?”
Once you can’t justify these costs anymore on any car, there’s no impetus to keep them, especially when the intervening years have created a whole cadre of newer, more comfortable, quieter, faster, more fuel efficient, and SAFER cars.. Can I have Bluetooth with that?
Here in Austria I am struck by how quickly the Audi A6 C5 is disappearing, they do not seem to have their forefathers’ reliability (those are now almost extinct other than in the hands of enthusiasts), but they are surely too new (last ones were made only 10 years ago). 1st and 2nd Chrysler Voyagers which were like roaches here have been through mass extinctions. Oh, and 3rd and 4th VW Golfs, 3rd gen Passats and 1st gen Skoda Octavias, also very popular car here at the time. I won’t even even mention all French cars – all are massively disappearing after 10 years with the exception being the modern equivalent of the 2CV, the Renault Twingo.
I figure that I’m ahead of the game as long as I spend less than $2000-2500 a year on repairs on my old Volvos. I could lease a new Accord for $249, or buy a $10,000 used car, and spend $700 just in salex tax, and THAT used car will need repairs anyway. My V90 will turn over 200,000 miles in about a month, barring an unforseen catastrophe.
77-79 Cadillac Devilles are almost extinct around here too…just saw a beautiful bronze colored one this morning which made me think of it.
… Oh, it seemed not too long ago that every run-down neighborhood had a US-made Chrysler sedan (FWD 300, Fusion, etc.) parked somewhere, usually with bad paint but still serving somebody. No more…
It’s not just the cars that we don’t se any more, but also the brands. Seeing any car with a BMC or Rootes brand name on it is quite something now.
The ones I miss most from the CC era? Rover SD1, Chryslers Alpine, Leyland Princess and Vauxhall Cavalier Sportshatch
Where have all the Dodge/Plymouth Neons gone? They haven’t even been out of production that long. A sign of its cheapness and less-than-stellar quality for sure, but still, they sold many many Neons and I haven’t seen one in a long time.
The same can be said for first gen Focuses top a lesser extent. It’s hard to find a beater Focus on CL that doesn’t need a new engine.
Just saw a later one in the parking lot at work the other night, which is a good place to find old stuff.
My boss drives a late 90s Neon with manual transmission when he comes into work (he likes to give the image of not making any more than his employees). He must not be good at repairs – he has us fix it when it goes down, including the shift linkage.
Maybe they’re common in the liberal northwest or northeast, but in non-Pittsburgh western Pennsylvania they were true exotics. The local drove good American cars, none of that commie-lib-symp foreign stuff (of course, Japanese cars weren’t foreign).
I don’t think we had five Volvo’s in Johnstown all thru my youth – and the nearest dealer was in Greensburg at the closest. Mercedes were slightly more common due to the nearest dealer in Indiana, PA only twenty or so miles distant.
Flareside pickups are almost never seen anymore and more and more the regular cab with an eight foot bed is getting scarcer. The regular cab is what made pickups cool. The extended cab always seemed to me like adding a back seat to a Corvette, it’s just not the same anymore.
For decades I’ve made frequent trips between Des Moines and Omaha on I-80. Until about five or so years ago, the road seemed almost dominated by full-size RWD V-8 American sedans – the GM B – C range, the Ford Panthers, and the occasional M Body Chrysler Fifth Avenue. Even an R body wasn’t out of the question. Among the Panthers, this included the Box versions that went out of production after 1990. These cars remained very popular and sold well in the American Midwest, in particular in rural areas. Add that small towns and more off the path rural areas don’t get the winter road salt we have in the larger cities, and these remained popular highway cruisers in an era when they were mostly extinct elsewhere.
These cars were so common I was almost convinced that someone had a stash of New Old Stock 1980’s cars hidden somewhere around Atlantic, IA, and they were selling them for decades after they were out of production.
When I was in Florida recently I saw a lot of the old downsized 1980s RWD “box” models still in use.
Up in NYC area I’ve noticed the following change in those cars. Until about 5 or 6 years ago, you would see old Caprices, Cadillacs, Electra Park Avenues, etc. either driven by very old people and in decent shape, or rusted out beaters.
Recently, I’ve stopped seeing the rusted out beaters and most of the old people. What I have seen is nice box B/C bodies, Panthers, and M Bodies out on the road on nice days. In the past 48 hours which have been 2 beautiful days, I’ve seen a Cadillac Brougham, a box Town Car, a Delta 88, and 2 box Caprices. All of them looked to be in really good shape and not donked. This suggests to me that the remaining nice ones were kept and are beginning to move into “classic” territory even if they don’t command those prices yet.
Conversely, the 90s whale/aero boats I see mostly as beaters or, increasingly, not at all. I very infrequently see ’92-97 Crown Vics and GrandMas, ’90-’97 Town Cars, ’93-’96 Fleetwoods, Roadmasters, Caprices of any kind. I haven’t seen a ’93-’96 Fleetwood since I sold my ’93 in April. Perhaps the ones that survived will begin appearing on “nice days” in 2025.
Central Virginia must be a Buick Century dumping ground since they are all over, in various body styles.
It’s been a very long while since I’ve seen an older Rabbit, Caprice or a Grand Am/Grand Prix.
The 4th gen Accords (’90-’93) are all but gone here in RI. I will occasionally see one that looks like it has seen better days, but very rarely. The 5th gen Accords (’94-’97) are beginning to get scarce too. Having owned three of them, I can attest to the fact that they were durable as could be but rust usually got the best of them. The 6th gen (’98-’02) are still everywhere. I own one and it still looks and drives like new.
The 94-95s seem to rust behind the rear wheels, the later ones don’t seem to rust as much.
Rusting behind the rear wheels was a long, time-honored tradition on Accords. We had an ’84 (2nd-gen) and a ’91 (4th-gen) in the family, and both developed rust there. I’ve also seen rust there on the 3rd-gen cars, and probably the 1st-gen too, however I’ve seen precisely one 1st-gen in the past 3 years and was too surprised to see where it might have been rusty…
I will say that was the *only* spot either of ours rusted. The rest of the car was quite solid on both, there was just something weird about the galvanizing or lack thereof in that one spot behind the rear wheels.
Volvo 240’s, and quite a few other old Volvos, can still be seen regularly in Richmond. Cars I’ve noticed start to go missing recently, though, (that haven’t already been mentioned) include:
-Hyundai XG300/350 (and the related Kia Amanti)
-Mazda 323 (Proteges are still common, but the contemporary 323 hatches and prior 323’s, not so much)
-Chevy S-10 Blazer/GMC S-15 Jimmy (Definitely the square ones, also the later versions)
-Isuzu Rodeo/Honda Passport
-Pre-1994 Dodge Ram Vans
Going back a little farther, there used to be hordes of Hyundai Excels on the road, but all those got used up and worn out. And then there’s the strange case of the E30 Toyota Corolla, the mid-late 70’s version. Those were one of the cockroaches of the road of my childhood–they were everywhere, always in the background, looking like the 70’s relics they were. They were there in the 80’s, and into the 90’s, being brown. Then, seemingly overnight, they all disappeared. Every one, as if someone passed an edict forbidding pre-1980 Corollas from ever putting wheel to pavement again.
the E30 Toyota Corolla, the mid-late 70’s version. Those were one of the cockroaches of the road of my childhood–they were everywhere,
Want to talk cockroaches? How about the Datsun B210, especially the “Honey Bee” super cheap version?
I was thinking about excels the other day, they used to be everywhere and now you almost never see them. I’m not sure I’ve seen any this year.
What I did notice a lot of on the road in the late 70s was VW Dashers. Not only have I not seen any being driven in 30 years, in a year of looking on classiccars.com and autotraderclassic, I have not seen a single Dasher offered anywhere in the country.
Saw this survivor at the Gilmore at the same show as the red Fox wagon above. Turns out it sat on display in a VW dealer’s showroom for 30 years, before being put back on the road. 8,000 miles on the clock.
The Porsche 914 in the background of the pic is a pretty rare bird too. Haven’t seen one of them in decades.
There was one for sale on the nh craigslist a while back, the lady referred to it as a “him”
I know of two roadworthy Dasher wagons here in Richmond (that I have actually seen on public streets) and another two wagons in the North Carolina triangle region, at least one of which is registered and in use. Or was as of the last time I saw it (4 years ago, I moved away from there 3 years ago). All 4 have the later quad-lamp nose, and at least 2 of them are diesels.
the last Dasher hatchback I’ve seen, however, was one for sale at a used car lot when my Dad was looking for a “new” used car in 1993. I had never even heard of a Dasher, plus it too was a diesel, and a 1981 model. Nope on several counts.
Eagle premier, been quite a few years since I’ve seen one
Some other cars I never see anymore:
Mazda 626s (all years)
Mazda MPVs
Mazda Proteges
Most Mitsubishis (especially the popular Eclipse and BMWesque styled Galants that were everywhere in the early to mid 2000’s)
Early to mid 2000 Tauruses
Any of the cloud Chryslers. (I did see a Breeze today that looked like it was on its last mile)
3rd Gen Camrys are really getting scarce, and when I do see them they look very tired, same for the 5th Gen Accords
Lastly, anyone else notice how rusted out the mid-2000 Dodge Caravans have gotten? They will all be crushed soon, too!
Today I cruised by an early 90s Hyundai Excel 2-door hatchback in a pinky-reddish sort of color… in surprisingly good shape too.
I haven’t seen a Hyundai Excel of any model year or body style in ages. These were everywhere at one time, but they vanished from the streets a long time ago.
Lots of great examples mentioned. For sure the watercooled VWs, Corisca/Beretta and LH cars. The car that has disappeared the most for me is the IROC-Z generation Camaro. They used to be everywhere.
Mrs. Tom used to drive a Dodge Intrepid…they were all over Phoenix 20 years ago. The ones I see now all look like beaters.
That was replaced by a Volvo S80. Once seen often, the first generation ones I see now look thrashed.
Someone upthread mentioned mid to late ’90’s Chevy pickups. Come to Phoenix and see dozens every day.
I used to see these everywhere, especially the 84-85 4 square headlight versions, the most handsome in my opinion. In the last 5 years they are gone, now all that is common are the Mercedes 190s from that era.
I’ve been thinking about this question for the past two days now, and I finally came up with an answer. Several people have already said fox-body Mustangs, but I’ll go way farther back: first-generation ponycars.
When I moved to the greater Seattle area back in 1995, it was not at all uncommon during my daily commute to see 2-3 1965-66 Mustangs, either being driven by enthusiasts or teenage boys. Now I don’t see any of these being used as daily drivers any longer.
And we have a well-known Mustang parts store in nearby Bellevue (Bel-Kirk Mustang), which also happens to be in the same strip mall as the local Delorean dealer (no joke, dmcnorthwest dot com). So this is a three-fer if you happen to be in town oogling the exotics at Park Place LTD Auto which is a few blocks away.
Come to think of it, I don’t see Deloreans much any longer either. They were obviously never as common as the Mustangs, but there were a few in daily circulation around these parts.
80s Fox body coupes other than the Mustang… aero T-Birds (especially the Turbo Coupe and the Sport trim), 83-88 Cougars (especially the XR7), the Lincoln Mark VII… and while we’re on the subject of the Fox body, the ’83-87 Fox Continentals.
I still drive my 2001 Nissan XE Frontier regular cab 4×2 truck. I still see 1998-04 gen trucks on the road occasionally, but honestly can’t remember the last regular cab that resembles mine, always king cabs. I’m actually quite surprized to see any Toyota truck from before 2000, in fact I could say the same thing 10 years ago (there are a couple of 1986-88 trucks with campers in good condition nearby though). I had a 1982 SR-5 that was eaten alive by tinworm when I gave it away in 1998, and the 1980s Toy trucks were mostly gone by early 2000s, likely either beaten or rusted to death. I miss the Toyota Hi-Lux shortbeds–that was a fun truck to drive. Here in ATL, the Xterra is mostly a memory.
Las time I was in Spain I didn’t say any Renault 9/11, the Euro model for the Alliance/Encore.They were everywhere in the 80’s and 90’s.
In Houston I have not seen a Taurus mk1 for years. I loved that car.
I meant see…. not say, sorry.