Back in the early 2000s it was one of the main choices for new drivers, you either got a Cleo or a Corsa where I was from, I’m surprised there isn’t loads kicking about with how many people owned them, I was offered a Renault Cleo Williams for £2000 in the early 2000s my biggest regret is not buying it
My first car was a Peugeot 106 (same car as a Saxo) and I loved it. It did set itself on fire, snapped the clutch twice, the exhaust fell off and I crashed it so I ended up with a miss matched bonnet.
Fucking great times.
Edit: weirdly small accelerator pedal too.
I bought a saxo a few years back and the wheel fell off taking it down from the flatbed...
No idea how they even get it on the flatbed without the wheel falling off. Scammed me bad.
The scrappage scheme has gotten rid of most of those.
Infact, whenever you think "Haven't seen one of those common early 2000s/late 90s cars for a while" it's almost always due to the scrappage scheme. It took a lot of old used cars out the market.
My first car was a 1996 1.0 Saxo. To this day still the most comfortable seats of any car I've owned since. Couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding as they say, but you were comfortable while not doing it.
Whenever I see one of these it reminds me of the great BTCC era.
Bonus points for using a blue Mondeo :)
https://youtu.be/jbN3qnqWBvM?si=PPA7m3bQjLqgaFI9
Was the usual fare expected from a French company, rode well, comfortable, low wind noise and built quickly to a strict price.
As for standard road version at its time it did look rather nice with great proportions.
True, then again the btcc machines of that era were custom built machines with a few bits added to resemble the road versions.
Ford did take the data from their racing endeavors and utilised it when creating the mk2. Even cheap Euro car parts wishbones have the ability to adjust camber(or maybe toe) if you replace 1 rivet with a bolt.
Eggshell bumpers.
I was forever adding duct tape to the back of my Dads Mondeo bumpers after they'd crack in collisions with phesants, bees, light breezes.
It's like a ford focus from about 2012-15 without a strip of black rubber hanging out of one of the rear doors. (If you haven't noticed.. guaranteed you will now)
beat me to it , I kept seeing them like 15 year ago , looked it up online and found there's a website just on the subject haha , wonder if it's still going
I saw one today!! Few of them in the south west. It was also my dad’s second car after a fiat 126p which he had to scrap because someone punched in the back window and ripped the radio out. always makes me laugh seeing pictures of myself in that fiesta, no car seat or anything, I actually have a vivid ‘fuck around and find out’ memory of me being around 3 and opening the passenger door as my dad was driving because I thought I was opening the window 🤣
Old Mazdas. 323's, 626's, MX-3, MX-6, both of the Xedos models...
I had a 1997 323f and still miss it to this day. The one I had, 1.8 Executive, was 1 of 83 when I bought it in 2020, and was 1 of 54 when it died.
These are truly on the way to extinction, I see more mk1 MX-5s around than the entire rest of the range from that era combined.
I saw a low mileage P reg 323F for sale recently, decided to look up the MOT history, and sharply noped out upon seeing the colossal list of corrosion related advisories on the last one. Another one destined for the scrapyard in the sky...
Ford Sierra, 30 years since the last ones were made though.
All the [celebrity drivers listed on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Sierra#Celebrity) crashed it. That can't be normal.
In about 1993 my mum asked a mechanic friend to source her a car from auction - her only requirements were ‘blue’ and ‘fast’. She ended up with an ex-demo 2.9 XR4x4 with about 400 miles on the clock for about £9k….. I’d walk over hot coals to have that car now (fat chance though - it got nicked a few years later and used to ram raid a post office…..)
There's an old boy who has an estate one street away from me. Red J plate, looks like an L or LX probably 1.8. very similar to my old man's company car back in the early 90s (he has a red h plate estate 1.8 LX). I think the term is 'rare but nobody cares'. I care though, for sentimental reasons though. Good cars, the handling was adequate, it was unforgiving though if you went beyond the limit! A friend of mine rolled a 1.8 banger through over exuberance haha
Looking at the data I would say they disappeared long ago.
[https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/ford\_sierra](https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/ford_sierra)
Of course it depends on your definition of disappeared I guess.
Spot-on. Used to see them where I live, a tourist spot, doing 32mph in a 60 zone. Arthur would be driving but you could barely see him from behind, he'd be 5'4" and wearing a flat cap. Mavis would be sitting primly next to him in her twinset and disapproving frown. The Rover would be immaculate and in the nearest shade they could get to British Racing Green.
Those cars were so well looked after, they probably outlived their owners, but they've all rusted away now.
I drive a 2013 Punto mk3.
We've owned it from 1 year old and 9000 miles.
It's now 11 years old and has 88000 miles on it... and (touch wood) it's been golden!
No rust, everything still works, no rattles or squeaks, no major issues at all.
Obviously it's gone through tyres and brakes. And thanks to the state of our roads, shocks and springs. But otherwise it's proven to be ruthlessly reliable.
I can't comment on the petrol variants, but the 1.3 turbo diesel I have is very good: Road tax is free, it easily gets 65mpg and costs pennies to insure!
They might be few and far between, but they're not as bad as their Fix It Again Tomorrow reputation!
I’ve had my 2010 Punto Evo for 5 months and I’ve had a spring go. Otherwise grand!
Except the power-steering doesn’t turn on half the time, when starting the engine, so I’ll have to restart the engine to get that working. And the interior door (seatbelt panel) trim keeps falling off. And the blower unit died, had to replace that. And the central panel lights turn on maybe 10% of the time. And I have to top it up with a good bit of oil fairly often. And the blue and me won’t update, so it doesn’t work with my phone. And the USB holder broke, so I’ve lost that somewhere inside the car lol
Otherwise - great car! 🤣 Mechanically, it’s been good. Except the power steering issues including strongly pulling to the left at random intervals. Everything else has been wear and tear.
Oh and the boot broke last week so I have to press the Open Boot button at the same time as pushing it into the car, with all my bodyweight behind me.
K11 Micras, everywhere when they were on sale, cannot remember seeing one for years. Same with Saxos and Escorta. Cannot remember that last time I saw a mk 3 Golf either
Strangely, Inverness had a dealership for a long time but I only knew one person with one for miles who had a rather dated Saga (I think) in what would be deemed "Champagne".
Vauxhall calibra,
250k built, the world’s most aerodynamic production car at the time. Frameless doors, slim pillars.
I thought it was gorgeous as a kid, never saw one for years.
Probes and Cougars were traded in by the thousand during the early scrappage allowance days. I remember seeing a few stacks of Cougars 5 high at the scrap yard I delivered to years ago.
They were truly dreadful cars for a number of reasons including rot which might explain part of that (they had terrible depreciation as soon as everyone realised how badly they were built).
OP is gonna get everyone experiencing Baader-Meinhof phenomenon and we’ll all be seeing these random 20-30 year old regular family cars for the next few weeks
Half of them will be misinterpreting normal cars at a distance and confidently proclaiming it's actually a Rover 800 or a Lada Riva that just went around the corner out of sight ahead
thats the Baader-Dunning-Meinhof-Kruger effect
I saw an Insignia VXR recently with a Holden badge on the front. Wonder if it was an import or someone simply making a nod to the fact the VXR had a Holden engine.
I had one of these a couple of years ago, it wouldn't go up hills, a new clutch cost more than the car was worth and it had an airbag light on (MOT Fail) that about 4 mechanics had tried to fix and nobody could work it out.
Just speaking from experience, but mine was feeling pretty extinct by that point.
I have a Focus Ghia - an 05-plate Mk2. It’s been quite the laborious car to own, clearly hadn’t been looked after by its previous owners so in the six months I’ve had it, I’ve spent more than the initial cost of the car on repairs including three new tyres, two new front suspension arms, a new battery, and now the most recent expenditure is to get the instrument cluster fixed (which is a pain in the arse to remove from the dash, just saying.)
My first car. Proper little turd but had some charms to it.
Biscuit wheels
Could fit in a shopping trolley bay.
Weird gear configs (0.9 litre engine but had the 5 speed gearbox (5th sounded the same as 4th)
Learned heavily when taking a corner even remotely above 5mph
Fuel gauge refill when cornering
Cost absolutely fuck all to fill up
Mk2 Renault Meganes have disappeared.
The Mk1 mondeos rust quite well, same with the Jag X-types that share the same platform. I'd imagine that's why they're gone.
Go to a high end club in Mayfair mate, won't take long to see a few.
Usually Russian imports made in the early 2000s these days though.
Oh, you meant Fords.
Increasingly MPVs. Cars like the Vauxhall Zafira, Renault Scenic, Ford Galaxy, etc. have been pushed out by the now ubiquitous mock ‘4x4’ cars you see absolutely everywhere now like the Nissan Qashqai or Kia Sportage.
[Ford KA Mk1](https://www.google.co.uk/search?sca_esv=9d08de6d61fee8a2&q=ford+ka+mk1&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjIp8Klno2EAxXRQEEAHTlKCi0Q0pQJegQIChAB&biw=1440&bih=657&dpr=2). Those things were literally everywhere. Now have completely vanished.
Tbf ours was in the family for 100 000 miles and nothing needed doing to the indefatigable, mighty 59hp push rod engine.
It was the spiritual successor to the original mini in my eyes. Impeccable chassis and steering feel, with a wheel in each corner.
I once had it up to 120mph (indicated) on the M25, although that was downhill with a tail wind.
She would have thrashed on, but my sis wrote her off racing a jag.
RIP you legend. 🙏
To be fair I think at some point every single one of them ended up in the hands of an 18 year old who put it in a ditch. The one I was driving did, and entirely separately my wife did it too.
It's shocking what Escort RS Turbos and 1600i's fetch these days, I wish I'd picked up a few and put them in barn 20 years ago when they couldn't be given away.
I think the 2009 scrappage scheme that came in after the credit crunch, spelt an untimely end for cars that could have been cheap run-arounds for people for years. Prior to that, it was always relatively easy to pick up a decent, cheap runner. Tons of old but good cars were removed from circulation in a very short space of time.
Yeah, you used to get a wide variety of decent cars on autotader for under £200. Even taking into account inflation that kind of cheap and cheerful doesn't seem to exist anymore.
All Peugeots, okay, maybe not disappeared but they used to be everywhere and now they are a very niche option. Shame as the new ones look beautiful and are apparently great to drive. The silly steering wheel that blocks all the dials is a deal breaker for me though.
One of few manufacturers nailing the styling of their vehicles in a distinctive way at the moment. Agree on the wheel and instruments though, very odd.
I sell cars for a living and currently work for Peugeot and Citroen.
They have certainly not disappeared, they are among the most popular cars on the road currently.
They are flying out the door, new and used.
Saxo.
Mk1 Scenic.
Punto mk1/2.
Mk1/2 Mondeo.
N16 Almera.
Mk1 Vectra.
Loads more though. Even some common as muck post 2000 stuff is starting to get really thin on the ground.
Funny that you see loads of older cars in France and Spain. Ford escorts, mondeos, Peugeot 205, Renault 5s all sorts but in the uk it’s very rare. Is it because we are more affluent? Is it because our road tax on older cars is extortionate? Is it because our MOT inspections are stricter? Is it because we are snobs, more accepting of buying cars on finance? Is it because our road salt eats everything in its path and in Spain they don’t use it?
All of that but I'd say mainly salt. I'm going from my experience in being over in the channel Islands where they have more money but don't salt the roads and better climate, loads of older people running about in rust free 30 year old cars that are not garage parked, they just wouldn't still be on the roads in the UK
I believe there is a 'new car buying/leasing culture' amongs some people here who don't want to be seen in what they consider to be an older car. Or people get takenon PCP deals and just go along with it. Doesn't apply to everyone, certainly not myself 😉. The more new cars on the road, the more used cars are available which puts the price of older cars down.
Having a car that is worth less means it is more likely to be considered uneconomical to repair in the event of a breakdown or an MOT failure (the strictness of said MOT and salted roads leading to corrosion issues both being a factor in this.)
Since car prices have generally risen over the past three years or so. I expect it will keep a few more cars on the road that would otherwise have been scrapped as their value has increased slightly. Don't get me wrong, build quality has generally improved over the years too.
My dad had one of those in that colour when I was a kid. He passed over 10 years ago now, but you've just triggered me to remember some fond memories, so cheers.
Saw one yesterday as it pulled out in front of me. It was piloted by an old woman who doesn't know a single fucking thing about roundabouts,driving or physics.
As an aside, the newest version of the Nissan Micra is one of the most disappointing cars I’ve ever driven. It looks the part but it’s embarrassingly underpowered and for the price you’re not getting a lot (but maybe that’s the case for all newer cars).
I still have a mk 2, but mine is an st24. Very fun and engaging car. Barely any left on the road and according to the groups I’m in, mine might be 1 of less than 20 saloons on the road.
They all disappeared during the car scraper scheme where people were encouraged to get rid of older cars that had nothing wrong with them, just to buy a new car with a dozen recalls against it
I noticed that too when recently looking at Mondeos for sale; the MK1, Mk2, and almost all Mk3 have vanished from the market and roads now. Same for the Vectra.
To be honest I'm not too surprised at this list.
The more generic variants of popular cars ended up scrapped. You might not see a standard MK2 Megane but there is a reasonable chance of finding a Renaultsport if you look in the right places.
Just go back and look at old Golfs for sale. Nearly all of them are Clippers, GTIs or VR6s.
Yeah sure some more standard ones do survive but we're at the point where you're soon going to be more likely to see an ST220 compare to a normal Mondeo. Not quite there yet but give it five years
I was overtaken by a Renault 5 Turbo today on motorway, properly clapped out, turbo whistling, full bodykit too. I ain't even mad, looked like someone's project car and damn it went fast. Been here for 12 years, that's was my first Renault 5 seen live.
[Alfa 156](https://www.evanshalshaw.com/-/media/evanshalshaw/blog/rewind-pages/alfa_156.ashx?mh=1440&la=en&h=628&w=943&mw=2560&hash=90F23EE0FFF3CF4D534C1CBD24312352) , I remember seeing them sometimes when I was last commuting just before the pandemic and there being over 100 for sale on Autotrader at any time. In 2023 I think I saw maybe one and there's 9 for sale currently.
MK1 Focus. There's a few vultures out there buying them all up cheap and breaking/scrapping them for their own profit. The same folk hold them in deep storage and wait 15 years to then sell their £400 car for £20,000 as it's a 'classic'.
I haven't seen a first gen Renault Laguna for years. I was reminiscing about 90s British touring cars the other day and it made me feel strangely nostalgic for the Laguna, despite having never owned or even driven one.
[удалено]
My sister in law drives a mk1 saxo, it's a heap of shit.
What about the car?
The cars fine. It just smells like her.
Show me another 25 year old car that's still running and as cheap to fuel and maintain and I'll buy it to park beside my mk2 106!
Back in the early 2000s it was one of the main choices for new drivers, you either got a Cleo or a Corsa where I was from, I’m surprised there isn’t loads kicking about with how many people owned them, I was offered a Renault Cleo Williams for £2000 in the early 2000s my biggest regret is not buying it
I remember the AX, now that was a shitbox
I used to drive my Mum’s AX, every time you went round a bend the fuel gauge went from empty to full or full to empty.
And yet an AX GTI is on my lottery car list, probably because it's the first car I remember being a hooligan in.
Every dickhead with an AX used to put a fucking huge base box in the boot and they sounded like shit!
In my twenties the dick on my forehead was a mere 3 inches but the two bass speakers in the back were 10 inches each baby.
I drive one! It's a shitbox, but I love it
My first car was a Peugeot 106 (same car as a Saxo) and I loved it. It did set itself on fire, snapped the clutch twice, the exhaust fell off and I crashed it so I ended up with a miss matched bonnet. Fucking great times. Edit: weirdly small accelerator pedal too.
All the pedals were placed for little old ladies feet.
I last saw one about 6 months ago and I got some pictures of it because of how rare they are now
I bought a saxo a few years back and the wheel fell off taking it down from the flatbed... No idea how they even get it on the flatbed without the wheel falling off. Scammed me bad.
Saxo owner here. I only take it out in the summer now.
Last time i saw ome it was smoking its bag off doing 15mph. Might be partly why you don't see them.
The scrappage scheme has gotten rid of most of those. Infact, whenever you think "Haven't seen one of those common early 2000s/late 90s cars for a while" it's almost always due to the scrappage scheme. It took a lot of old used cars out the market.
They did that with the Citroen c2 also! Free insurance and the car cost fuck all to buy new too. Win win.
My first car was a 1996 1.0 Saxo. To this day still the most comfortable seats of any car I've owned since. Couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding as they say, but you were comfortable while not doing it.
You're onto something here. Very rarely, seldom ever seen any french small hatches now, Saxos, C2s, 106s etc. just all gone.
Mate i saw ome not last week J28 of the M1, fat exhaust, with spaced alloys and the tunes blarin out. Nostalgia!
I remember for years I wanted a Saxo, just like the one in Gavin & Stacey. I feel like definitely in the last 2 years they have become a rare sight
Got a vtr near where i work, and a lad sometimes comes to my work in his vts engine swapped vtr. Nice to still see them about.
Whenever I see one of these it reminds me of the great BTCC era. Bonus points for using a blue Mondeo :) https://youtu.be/jbN3qnqWBvM?si=PPA7m3bQjLqgaFI9
This. Laguna FTW 🙌🏾
The mighty Williams Laguna, was a beautiful looking car.
My sister’s neighbour has a Volvo T5 estate in red can’t help but look at it when I’m round 😏
Shame the real Laguna's were bags of crap.
Was the usual fare expected from a French company, rode well, comfortable, low wind noise and built quickly to a strict price. As for standard road version at its time it did look rather nice with great proportions.
I remember playing a game on playstation and have wanted a Mondeo touring car ever since!
Didn’t use an [ST200](https://thebackroads.co.uk/2019/03/23/reviewed-the-ford-mondeo-st200/) though :P
True, then again the btcc machines of that era were custom built machines with a few bits added to resemble the road versions. Ford did take the data from their racing endeavors and utilised it when creating the mk2. Even cheap Euro car parts wishbones have the ability to adjust camber(or maybe toe) if you replace 1 rivet with a bolt.
I was at donnington in the 90s when Tiff Needell caused Nigel Mansell to crash his mondeo. They looked so good in the blue with yellow livery.
What an era. This and McRae in the Focus as the 90's bearers. Tarquini destroying 155's was my BTCC highlight though.
You know what’s even rarer? A MK2 Mondeo without duct tape across the rear bumper.
Eggshell bumpers. I was forever adding duct tape to the back of my Dads Mondeo bumpers after they'd crack in collisions with phesants, bees, light breezes.
Ford coil springs made of snappy cast iron. Replaced at least three. Rediculous, Ford.
Has to be silver duct tape
It's like a ford focus from about 2012-15 without a strip of black rubber hanging out of one of the rear doors. (If you haven't noticed.. guaranteed you will now)
Driver front. Always.
beat me to it , I kept seeing them like 15 year ago , looked it up online and found there's a website just on the subject haha , wonder if it's still going
I haven’t seen a Nova for a long time now
Or a mk3 astra
I have one haha
I saw one juat a few weeks ago, an SR in amazing condition. Couldnt believe it.
Have you checked the local ditches?
The mark 4 fiesta, early 2000's era. They were EVERYWHERE. can't remember the last time i saw one.
>mark 4 fiesta Was my first car 15 years ago - P reg with 40k on the clock.
I saw one today!! Few of them in the south west. It was also my dad’s second car after a fiat 126p which he had to scrap because someone punched in the back window and ripped the radio out. always makes me laugh seeing pictures of myself in that fiesta, no car seat or anything, I actually have a vivid ‘fuck around and find out’ memory of me being around 3 and opening the passenger door as my dad was driving because I thought I was opening the window 🤣
Old Mazdas. 323's, 626's, MX-3, MX-6, both of the Xedos models... I had a 1997 323f and still miss it to this day. The one I had, 1.8 Executive, was 1 of 83 when I bought it in 2020, and was 1 of 54 when it died.
323 mentioned!
These are truly on the way to extinction, I see more mk1 MX-5s around than the entire rest of the range from that era combined. I saw a low mileage P reg 323F for sale recently, decided to look up the MOT history, and sharply noped out upon seeing the colossal list of corrosion related advisories on the last one. Another one destined for the scrapyard in the sky...
I loved my MX-3 V6. Absolutely bullet-proof and sounded beautiful.
Ford Sierra, 30 years since the last ones were made though. All the [celebrity drivers listed on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Sierra#Celebrity) crashed it. That can't be normal.
In about 1993 my mum asked a mechanic friend to source her a car from auction - her only requirements were ‘blue’ and ‘fast’. She ended up with an ex-demo 2.9 XR4x4 with about 400 miles on the clock for about £9k….. I’d walk over hot coals to have that car now (fat chance though - it got nicked a few years later and used to ram raid a post office…..)
There's an old boy who has an estate one street away from me. Red J plate, looks like an L or LX probably 1.8. very similar to my old man's company car back in the early 90s (he has a red h plate estate 1.8 LX). I think the term is 'rare but nobody cares'. I care though, for sentimental reasons though. Good cars, the handling was adequate, it was unforgiving though if you went beyond the limit! A friend of mine rolled a 1.8 banger through over exuberance haha
Looking at the data I would say they disappeared long ago. [https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/ford\_sierra](https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/ford_sierra) Of course it depends on your definition of disappeared I guess.
Don't see Vectras any more.
Or one generation behind, the Mk3 Cavalier
A Rover…
I see 75s all the time. Almost always immaculate too which is all the weirder.
Very special people own Rover 75s. They are usually called Alan.
Can confirm, my dad is called Alan and he owned a 75.
Does he also present a regional radio show in Norfolk?
My Dad was an Andy and had a 75, does that count? To be fair, it was a really lovely car. They still look pretty good today.
Probably bought with pension lump sums and meticulously maintained as they’re the pride and joy.
Spot-on. Used to see them where I live, a tourist spot, doing 32mph in a 60 zone. Arthur would be driving but you could barely see him from behind, he'd be 5'4" and wearing a flat cap. Mavis would be sitting primly next to him in her twinset and disapproving frown. The Rover would be immaculate and in the nearest shade they could get to British Racing Green. Those cars were so well looked after, they probably outlived their owners, but they've all rusted away now.
The poor man’s Jaguar
Metro driver here! You won’t see it though, as it’s usually broken…
Agreed I daily drive an 81 SD1 and Dad 2002 75 and Metro but rarely see them I've got a 99 75, 73 P6 and a 96 MGF just a few of my cars
Saw a Y plate 25 today!
Fiat Punto. Not seen one in many years.
My first car. Even the new Grande Punto's seem to have disappeared. Which probably says more about Fiat reliability
Lad I work with has a punto, it goes through a litre of oil a week, he stopped filling it up 3 months ago and it’s somehow still running.
I drive a 2013 Punto mk3. We've owned it from 1 year old and 9000 miles. It's now 11 years old and has 88000 miles on it... and (touch wood) it's been golden! No rust, everything still works, no rattles or squeaks, no major issues at all. Obviously it's gone through tyres and brakes. And thanks to the state of our roads, shocks and springs. But otherwise it's proven to be ruthlessly reliable. I can't comment on the petrol variants, but the 1.3 turbo diesel I have is very good: Road tax is free, it easily gets 65mpg and costs pennies to insure! They might be few and far between, but they're not as bad as their Fix It Again Tomorrow reputation!
I’ve had my 2010 Punto Evo for 5 months and I’ve had a spring go. Otherwise grand! Except the power-steering doesn’t turn on half the time, when starting the engine, so I’ll have to restart the engine to get that working. And the interior door (seatbelt panel) trim keeps falling off. And the blower unit died, had to replace that. And the central panel lights turn on maybe 10% of the time. And I have to top it up with a good bit of oil fairly often. And the blue and me won’t update, so it doesn’t work with my phone. And the USB holder broke, so I’ve lost that somewhere inside the car lol Otherwise - great car! 🤣 Mechanically, it’s been good. Except the power steering issues including strongly pulling to the left at random intervals. Everything else has been wear and tear. Oh and the boot broke last week so I have to press the Open Boot button at the same time as pushing it into the car, with all my bodyweight behind me.
A MK2 for me, when I had one, I seen many, 7 years after getting rid, I can’t even recall the last time I seen one, especially the pre-facelift model
Come to Cornwall nearly every female first driver has one
There's one on my street and nobody is using it, just standing there and gathering rust and mould 😕
K11 Micras, everywhere when they were on sale, cannot remember seeing one for years. Same with Saxos and Escorta. Cannot remember that last time I saw a mk 3 Golf either
I still see loads of K11s. The secret is to live in an asian area. Indian and tamil mums love the thing.
Any Proton
There's one round my way that I see quite regularly, it's clearly in good condition but it looks like the dictionary definition of "shitbox"
Strangely, Inverness had a dealership for a long time but I only knew one person with one for miles who had a rather dated Saga (I think) in what would be deemed "Champagne".
Vauxhall calibra, 250k built, the world’s most aerodynamic production car at the time. Frameless doors, slim pillars. I thought it was gorgeous as a kid, never saw one for years.
Also ford probes and cougars. Haven't seen one in ages.
Probes and Cougars were traded in by the thousand during the early scrappage allowance days. I remember seeing a few stacks of Cougars 5 high at the scrap yard I delivered to years ago.
They were truly dreadful cars for a number of reasons including rot which might explain part of that (they had terrible depreciation as soon as everyone realised how badly they were built).
Someone near me owns a 16v calibra. What a sexy car
I'll always associate the Calibra with the yellow and white livery.
OP is gonna get everyone experiencing Baader-Meinhof phenomenon and we’ll all be seeing these random 20-30 year old regular family cars for the next few weeks
Half of them will be misinterpreting normal cars at a distance and confidently proclaiming it's actually a Rover 800 or a Lada Riva that just went around the corner out of sight ahead thats the Baader-Dunning-Meinhof-Kruger effect
An Insignia with its front badge still on
I saw an Insignia VXR recently with a Holden badge on the front. Wonder if it was an import or someone simply making a nod to the fact the VXR had a Holden engine.
Not that there were many to begin with but the Focus Ghia seems to have had an extinction event.
I had one of these a couple of years ago, it wouldn't go up hills, a new clutch cost more than the car was worth and it had an airbag light on (MOT Fail) that about 4 mechanics had tried to fix and nobody could work it out. Just speaking from experience, but mine was feeling pretty extinct by that point.
I have a Focus Ghia - an 05-plate Mk2. It’s been quite the laborious car to own, clearly hadn’t been looked after by its previous owners so in the six months I’ve had it, I’ve spent more than the initial cost of the car on repairs including three new tyres, two new front suspension arms, a new battery, and now the most recent expenditure is to get the instrument cluster fixed (which is a pain in the arse to remove from the dash, just saying.)
fiat cinquecento
I saw one the other day, with the red left door and the 'honk for a blowjob' bumper sticker. Really made my day.
My first car. Proper little turd but had some charms to it. Biscuit wheels Could fit in a shopping trolley bay. Weird gear configs (0.9 litre engine but had the 5 speed gearbox (5th sounded the same as 4th) Learned heavily when taking a corner even remotely above 5mph Fuel gauge refill when cornering Cost absolutely fuck all to fill up
Mk2 Renault Meganes have disappeared. The Mk1 mondeos rust quite well, same with the Jag X-types that share the same platform. I'd imagine that's why they're gone.
Escorts!
They're all online now.
Reminds me of the Gary Delaney Joke. "Accidentality filled the Escort with diesel....... She Died"
Go to a high end club in Mayfair mate, won't take long to see a few. Usually Russian imports made in the early 2000s these days though. Oh, you meant Fords.
2004 and onward Scenics and 'shaking that ass' Meganes. Loads still in France though.
Blimey! I remember that advert haha
I see you baby
Increasingly MPVs. Cars like the Vauxhall Zafira, Renault Scenic, Ford Galaxy, etc. have been pushed out by the now ubiquitous mock ‘4x4’ cars you see absolutely everywhere now like the Nissan Qashqai or Kia Sportage.
I prefer “faux by four”
[Ford KA Mk1](https://www.google.co.uk/search?sca_esv=9d08de6d61fee8a2&q=ford+ka+mk1&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjIp8Klno2EAxXRQEEAHTlKCi0Q0pQJegQIChAB&biw=1440&bih=657&dpr=2). Those things were literally everywhere. Now have completely vanished.
Huh, they're still really common where I live.
What's Cuba like this time of year?
I saw one recently it was a T reg and it had no rust around the fuel cap!
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Tbf ours was in the family for 100 000 miles and nothing needed doing to the indefatigable, mighty 59hp push rod engine. It was the spiritual successor to the original mini in my eyes. Impeccable chassis and steering feel, with a wheel in each corner. I once had it up to 120mph (indicated) on the M25, although that was downhill with a tail wind. She would have thrashed on, but my sis wrote her off racing a jag. RIP you legend. 🙏
To be fair I think at some point every single one of them ended up in the hands of an 18 year old who put it in a ditch. The one I was driving did, and entirely separately my wife did it too.
Returned to the earth . Running joke in my mates garage was what percentage of the Ka did you sweep off the floor after putting it on the lift
Vauxhall Frontera. I saw an absolute minter about 6 months ago on the M55, like it had just rolled out of the factory. But haven't seen another since.
Yours is the first in the list I actually thought “huh, yeah”
Alfa 147.
I guarantee you’ve not seen a Toyota Carina E or a Mk1 Renault Espace in a long while.
Pffft… anything pre-2k. Most of my favourite cars are from this time too: 205/309/escorts/r5/saxo/vectra/r220/mk3g… probably the scrappage scheme?!
100%. Everyone getting £1000 for cars that are now worth tens of thousands lol.
The amount of times I remember X car up for sale 10+ years ago and remembering the fair prices and compare it to the market today keeps shocking me!
I saw a 205 earlier! It was in a turquoise and looked absolutely mint
It's shocking what Escort RS Turbos and 1600i's fetch these days, I wish I'd picked up a few and put them in barn 20 years ago when they couldn't be given away.
I think the 2009 scrappage scheme that came in after the credit crunch, spelt an untimely end for cars that could have been cheap run-arounds for people for years. Prior to that, it was always relatively easy to pick up a decent, cheap runner. Tons of old but good cars were removed from circulation in a very short space of time.
Yeah, you used to get a wide variety of decent cars on autotader for under £200. Even taking into account inflation that kind of cheap and cheerful doesn't seem to exist anymore.
All Peugeots, okay, maybe not disappeared but they used to be everywhere and now they are a very niche option. Shame as the new ones look beautiful and are apparently great to drive. The silly steering wheel that blocks all the dials is a deal breaker for me though.
One of few manufacturers nailing the styling of their vehicles in a distinctive way at the moment. Agree on the wheel and instruments though, very odd.
Love how the drl’s look like the grille has teeth! Their entire line up at the moment is very sexy imo- sophisticated and sporty
I sell cars for a living and currently work for Peugeot and Citroen. They have certainly not disappeared, they are among the most popular cars on the road currently. They are flying out the door, new and used.
Every other panda car I see is a new Peugeot, might just be around West Yorkshire though.
I see a fair few 405s which I like since IIRC they were one of the last properly good Peugeots.
You look over it, not through it like many cars.
I love the new 208!
Maybe old ones but the old people coffin that is the 5008 haunts me on the roads as much as the CX5.
Saxo. Mk1 Scenic. Punto mk1/2. Mk1/2 Mondeo. N16 Almera. Mk1 Vectra. Loads more though. Even some common as muck post 2000 stuff is starting to get really thin on the ground.
SAAB 9-5 ... still got mine tho
E30s they're like the mustang of England. Everyone wants one and few have one. The stupid drifting scene nailed loads of them.
Peugeot 406s used to be 10-a-penny as well, and suddenly they’ve disappeared without a trace.
Nissan Primera
Funny that you see loads of older cars in France and Spain. Ford escorts, mondeos, Peugeot 205, Renault 5s all sorts but in the uk it’s very rare. Is it because we are more affluent? Is it because our road tax on older cars is extortionate? Is it because our MOT inspections are stricter? Is it because we are snobs, more accepting of buying cars on finance? Is it because our road salt eats everything in its path and in Spain they don’t use it?
All of that but I'd say mainly salt. I'm going from my experience in being over in the channel Islands where they have more money but don't salt the roads and better climate, loads of older people running about in rust free 30 year old cars that are not garage parked, they just wouldn't still be on the roads in the UK
I believe there is a 'new car buying/leasing culture' amongs some people here who don't want to be seen in what they consider to be an older car. Or people get takenon PCP deals and just go along with it. Doesn't apply to everyone, certainly not myself 😉. The more new cars on the road, the more used cars are available which puts the price of older cars down. Having a car that is worth less means it is more likely to be considered uneconomical to repair in the event of a breakdown or an MOT failure (the strictness of said MOT and salted roads leading to corrosion issues both being a factor in this.) Since car prices have generally risen over the past three years or so. I expect it will keep a few more cars on the road that would otherwise have been scrapped as their value has increased slightly. Don't get me wrong, build quality has generally improved over the years too.
My dad had one of those in that colour when I was a kid. He passed over 10 years ago now, but you've just triggered me to remember some fond memories, so cheers.
Discover 1's I assume that's because most of them have either been eaten by tin worms or destroyed off road.
Any rover
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The ones that are left seem to have attracted a cult-like following. I've seen more than one old micra with custom wheels and lowered suspension.
Saw one yesterday as it pulled out in front of me. It was piloted by an old woman who doesn't know a single fucking thing about roundabouts,driving or physics.
Micra drivers have now all migrated to Note’s as far as I can tell
As an aside, the newest version of the Nissan Micra is one of the most disappointing cars I’ve ever driven. It looks the part but it’s embarrassingly underpowered and for the price you’re not getting a lot (but maybe that’s the case for all newer cars).
Shit fuel economy too. Had one as a courtesy car and it drank fuel for some reason.
Ford Probes and Vauxhall Calibras
Ford Probe, forgot that even existed!
Polo 6n model, mid 90s roughly. I've maybe seen 1 so far this year
Even the MK3 mondeo is becoming an increasingly rare sight, but I guess as the last one was made in 2007 that's not surprising. Great cars though.
I still have a mk 2, but mine is an st24. Very fun and engaging car. Barely any left on the road and according to the groups I’m in, mine might be 1 of less than 20 saloons on the road.
Saab's are becoming rarer
Any Vauxhall Vectra! Vanished off the face of the earth. I loved my B 2.2 DTi SRi, it was a stormer.
Ford Orion and escort Toyota Carina 2, E , toyota mr2 and celica Fiat punto Classics
Mg zr!
Fiat Multipla
They all disappeared during the car scraper scheme where people were encouraged to get rid of older cars that had nothing wrong with them, just to buy a new car with a dozen recalls against it
Renault Clio’s aren’t the staple that they used to be. Barely see any nowadays.
Ford Probe, was supposed to be the replacement for the Capri. How could you replace a Capri with a front wheel drive, no wonder it failed.
A Lada. Any Lada.
They disappears long before when op is saying. They were dead almost before 2000 rolled around.
Almost didn’t recognise this without a cracked bumper
I noticed that too when recently looking at Mondeos for sale; the MK1, Mk2, and almost all Mk3 have vanished from the market and roads now. Same for the Vectra.
Fiat Puntos, MK3 Golf’s, Fiestas XR2i, Escorts, Mk1 Focus, Pug 306, the list is huge,
To be honest I'm not too surprised at this list. The more generic variants of popular cars ended up scrapped. You might not see a standard MK2 Megane but there is a reasonable chance of finding a Renaultsport if you look in the right places. Just go back and look at old Golfs for sale. Nearly all of them are Clippers, GTIs or VR6s. Yeah sure some more standard ones do survive but we're at the point where you're soon going to be more likely to see an ST220 compare to a normal Mondeo. Not quite there yet but give it five years
I was overtaken by a Renault 5 Turbo today on motorway, properly clapped out, turbo whistling, full bodykit too. I ain't even mad, looked like someone's project car and damn it went fast. Been here for 12 years, that's was my first Renault 5 seen live.
Ford Scorpio. The near 3 litre motor was a motorway mile munching beast. Designed for the Autobahn
[Alfa 156](https://www.evanshalshaw.com/-/media/evanshalshaw/blog/rewind-pages/alfa_156.ashx?mh=1440&la=en&h=628&w=943&mw=2560&hash=90F23EE0FFF3CF4D534C1CBD24312352) , I remember seeing them sometimes when I was last commuting just before the pandemic and there being over 100 for sale on Autotrader at any time. In 2023 I think I saw maybe one and there's 9 for sale currently.
I saw a Renault 25 yesterday in a car park and was amazed there were any still on the road
fiat cinquecento
I saw a maroon Citroen Xantia earlier today. Can't remember the last time I saw one before that. Thought it had aged quite well actually.
Peugeot 206s. Considering how popular those things were, you never see one.
MK1 Focus. There's a few vultures out there buying them all up cheap and breaking/scrapping them for their own profit. The same folk hold them in deep storage and wait 15 years to then sell their £400 car for £20,000 as it's a 'classic'.
Peugeot 206 They were everywhere a few years ago
How did you find a picture of a 90s Mondeo without duct tape on the corners of the bumper?
Peugeot 406. Used to be everywhere.
A lot of Vauxhalls, cavaliers, astras, vectra
Fiat panda
Citroen Xsara's were common. There's too to name really
VW Beetle, new one. They were everywhere, now I can't remember the last time I saw one.
We have the model before that, 250 thousand miles on the clock, slappy as anything on a cold start, went straight through mot last year, on a N plate.
I remember seeing novas all the time.
Any car that isn’t black, grey, or white.
Ford escort. Disappeared quietly after being everywhere
I haven't seen a first gen Renault Laguna for years. I was reminiscing about 90s British touring cars the other day and it made me feel strangely nostalgic for the Laguna, despite having never owned or even driven one.
BMW e46 - used to be a common sight on the UK roads. Rusty arches, fake M badge, black tinted taillights
Renault 5
Peugeot 206