It's been almost a decade since I last saw a Corsica. Haven't seen a Prelude with the pop-up headlamps in 6 years. I almost never see Chevettes anymore. It's also been 8 years since I last saw a Geo Metro. No other. 15 year-old in the world is feeling as old as me right now.
what a long strange journey this has been,Question;
does anyone know someone who has, today, a 1980/1983 Isuzu I-mark diesel coupe fast back, rear wheel drive? designed by Opel, manufactured by Isuzu, and sold around the world by GM. been trying for 7yrs to find someone who has one, i own one now!
lotsa gassers but few diesels, also lot of 4dr sedans, no fast back coupes!
i think it must be rare. id post some pix but dont know how on this site,(must be me).
Early 90's Lumina Z34 and Beretta Z26s used to be very popular around my hometown, I haven't seen one in a very long time.
Split Rear Window Beetle. Doing 60mph on the freeway and sounding like is was ready to blow up. Complete with Dead Head & Peace decals. Body parts from at least three different Beetles, each one painted a different color.
Driver looked about 20 & being about 20, was texting. Which wasn't esy because, being an old Beetle, it was wandering all over the lane.
Yet Another Beetle! Maybe it's the warm weather bringing them out. I know I never wanted to drive/ride in a Beetle when it was cold!
My wife's best friend in high school had a Karman Ghia whose right door latch would freeze up every winter. So every time she took a hard left turn, the passenger had to grab the door and pull it shut again! And no,like many cars of its' era, this Ghia had no seat belts installed.
The Beetle I saw today I was a mid-sixties+/- model (hell I don't know how to tell different Beetle model years!) black Beetle. It looked better on the road to me than many of them looked when new.
The Beetle's driver was really into the show thing. He had a rear bumper ski rack mounted with a pair of old downhill skis mounted vertically, complete with leather bindings. They were the old style, probably 220cm or longer skis and even the bindings stuck up higher than the roof of his car. BTW: It was about 56* when I saw him. So I'm assuming the skis are part of his show, not snow package.
Rupert wrote: Yet Another Beetle! Maybe it's the warm weather bringing them out. I know I never wanted to drive/ride in a Beetle when it was cold! My wife's best friend in high school had a Karman Ghia whose right door latch would freeze up every winter. So every time she took a hard left turn, the passenger had to grab the door and pull it shut again! And no,like many cars of its' era, this Ghia had no seat belts installed. The Beetle I saw today I was a mid-sixties+/- model (hell I don't know how to tell different Beetle model years!) black Beetle. It looked better on the road to me than many of them looked when new. The Beetle's driver was really into the show thing. He had a rear bumper ski rack mounted with a pair of old downhill skis mounted vertically, complete with leather bindings. They were the old style, probably 220cm or longer skis and even the bindings stuck up higher than the roof of his car. BTW: It was about 56* when I saw him. So I'm assuming the skis are part of his show, not snow package.
Funny you mention the ski rack. In period during the sixties and seventies I never saw one of the thousands of Beetles on the road with either ski rack or roof luggage rack. Now every vintage Beetle I see on the road in the Northeast has one of those appendages. I think it's how the current new generation owners picture them in the day, even though that's not really the way they were. Somebody must be making money on fantasy aftermarket Beetle accessories.
In reply to Gary:I loved in So. Cal. in the '60s & yes near some of the resorts in Cal. or Nevada I occasionally saw one with a rack. But even then I think they were more posers than skiers. A Beetle is great in snow, unless you worry about frostbite while driving!
While serving on the National Ski Patrol we often noticed that the people with all the best ski gear were the ones that skied the least. Though they sure looked good in the lodge! Lots of nice racks in the lodge!
I think that's what we're talking about here as well. And even back then those hugely old bindings this guy had were not allowed in most if any organized ski areas.
I see more Coca Cola coolers on the Beetle roof racks than skis on the trunk racks.
A current trend of some sort.
I welded a rack onto my Karmann Ghia, mostly carried little tiny metal "suit cases."
There are no egg shaped Subarus any more
Very few Neons today, and I see more of the Turbos than regular ones.
I see more Vanagons than Chrysler minivans. My sister had an early Plymouth minivan with a turbo and a stick. I actually liked it.
4WD and 2WD Diamond star coupes are pretty much missing on the roads. I still see a lot of Fox mustangs.
I saw a real clean early Cutlass Cierra, the FWD one, today. A senior citizen was leaving a retirement home in it. Few around. They were gone with the (much newer and uglier) Berettas and Corsicas.
I came close to buying an MX6 GT, which had the turbo back in the day, but was swayed by the leftover new Scirocco 16V on the VW lot, and that became my first new car.
In general, Japanese cars more than about 25 years old are thin on the ground, unless they were special. I rarely see a 240/260/280 Z any more, and they were durable cars.
I'm trying to keep using a Ford Cortina for a daily driver.
Mustang II and early ('67-early 70's) Cougars are pretty scarce up here in MA.
Pretty good list that includes a few of those listed in this thread.
In reply to gearheadE30:Thanks, that's an interesting link. Although as one commenter did point out, there are certainly more of these cars around than would appear at first glance. Hagerty probably doesn't insure many that are not in top shape.
I had a '75 Monza GT, and my folks had whatever the Buick version was called. Later I had a Renault Encore (Alliance hatchback), as did my brother. Folks had an Alliance as well.
You don't see these anymore because they were terrible cars...
Even Ford Contours/Mercury Mistiques, (mistakes?) are dying out. ...I still see Chrysler K cars though!
Chevy II. Not a Nova, a Chevy II. And of course the Vega.
P.T. Cruiser. Are they all in the crusher?
In reply to Rupert:
Yes, roadworthy PT Cruisers seem to have really declined in number during the past few years. And the few I do see around here are on their last legs, soon to disappear. They're pretty much disposable cars, like Neons, and probably won't be missed by most people. (OK, I suppose I'll now be the recipient of scorn-postings from a few goober-dorks out there). Also, GM was late responding to the PT Cruiser with the Heritage High Roof (HHR), which sold in far fewer numbers. But that's another rapidly disappearing model.
Bit of trivia: the PT Cruisers were all built at the Chrysler plant in Toluca, Mexico. Been there. When production ended in 2008 or so, the factory retooled to make Fiat 500's ... another disappointing automotive abomination that will disappear soon after production ends IMO. (More scorn-postings from goober-dork Fiat lovers I expect).
Yes HHR trucks are mercifully scarce. I saw one today and couldn't even remember what it was till I read the name badges. (And I'm a guy who pretty much remembers makes, models, & often even years of most rides.)
I also get heaps of scorn from time to time. It proves people occasionally actually read.
gearheadE30 wrote: Hagerty on extinct cars Pretty good list that includes a few of those listed in this thread.
I saw a chrome bumper 1st generation Scirocco last Tuesday, At Driveline Services of Portand when I picked up the driveshaft for my Cortina. It was being driven by one of the employees. Not quite as extinct as Hagerty seems to think.
To be fair, it's a list of what they insure, not what's out there
mr2peak wrote: To be fair, it's a list of what they insure, not what's out there
Exactly! By publishing this list, they are advertising their insurance. Their big goal, to convince us they are the only reputable collector insurance company to choose from.
Today I saw a few oddballs out there on the road. I saw a nice Vega wagon in a dark metallic green. It was a good looking car. 30 minuits later,in the same spot on Three Capes road just South of Oceanside, OR, an AMC Hornet went by. It had long shackles in back to jack it up in the rear. Nice with stock looking rims and hubcaps and a blatting low compression six/automatic.
There was also a real clean Rambler wagon. Red and white, and with fins. I was driving a 4 door 1968 Ford Cortina GT.
An employee at the local Safeway in Tillamook drives a Fiat 124 TC wagon with an automatic. I would love a Fiat 124 Sport Coupe or 124 TC sedan. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a 124 TC wagon with an automatic. I haven't seen it in a month.
In reply to Rupert:
There's more PT Cruisers in eastern MA than if ever think there would be. Odd, really.
Saw a flat black Chevette out on the road moving under its own power last Saturday. I was so surprised I thought it was a mini truck until it got close enough for me to realize it was a hatchback.
Very few good examples in this thread. It is basically "man, in the 1990's I used to see a ton of cars from the 1980's!"
I do like the PT Cruiser one though. Those were everywhere, now I rarely see them even though they aren't that old. I'll give a nod to the first generation New Beetle as well, along with 90's to 00's Jetta's and Passats. But saying that you don't see a 1990 MY car anymore... well, it is a 25 year old car, and not many people drive something that old.
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