So you're back in 1998...

GERMAN ROCKS

and you want to buy a new saloon car in the d segmeant. has to be the basic model but can be a petrol or diesel. what would it be? eg choice, Vectra, primera, xantia, mondeo etc.
just for a bit of fun

mcshape

Has to be the Xantia at that time, Funky suspension and awesome sound system believe it or not, and it would be the TD

Eric Cartman

E39 5 series

Celly Smunt

Omega.

Mycroft H

I'm biased but the Xantia; something different, something comfortable, something interesting looking and a choice of either the very modern and refined for the time HDi (DW10) engine or the legendary TD.

Tigger

E39 no question

Sobanek

My parents ended up with a Daewoo Tico back in 1998 (it's a long story) but we had put a deposit on a BMW 520i back then.

Fat Nav

Omega 2.5td for me

The Backwards Man

Datsun Bluebird.

And no, I haven't got my decades wrong.

Mycroft H

E39 was a very "meh" design though, like it did everything well enough, but it was fairly conservative in it's looks but it wasn't groundbreaking for 1998. What else out there was pushing the boat out in 1998?

unkel

Eric Cartman wrote: »

E39 5 series

+1

Even a base paddy spec 2.0l manual. The handling of that car is unreal.

Now nearly 20 years old and it still drives better than 99% of 141 plated cars sold today. The car is a legend.

toyotaavensis

I learned to drive on a 2.0 mondeo estate and really liked it. Any chance to drive one of those and I jump at it.

unkel

Mycroft H wrote: »

What else out there was pushing the boat out in 1998?

Porsche Boxster? Out a few years by '98 but real sports car performance, proper Porsche 6 pot boxer engine in the mid/back driving the rear wheels.

Baby supercar for very reasonable money. I remember reading somewhere in the first few years after it came out that it had the lowest depreciation of any car anywhere in the world

SteelyDanJalapeno

Omega, welder

Mycroft H

unkel wrote: »

Porsche Boxster? Out a few years by '98 but real sports car performance, proper Porsche 6 pot boxer engine in the mid/back driving the rear wheels.

Baby supercar for very reasonable money. I remember reading somewhere in the first few years after it came out that it had the lowest depreciation of any car anywhere in the world

Yea, I've heard that about the depreciation, solid car. I'd say they still hold their value really well.

After a bit of a think I'd add the Ford Focus to that list. It was so far above it's class that it really set the standard.

JohnBoy26

unkel wrote: »

Porsche Boxster? Out a few years by '98 but real sports car performance, proper Porsche 6 pot boxer engine in the mid/back driving the rear wheels.

Baby supercar for very reasonable money. I remember reading somewhere in the first few years after it came out that it had the lowest depreciation of any car anywhere in the world

D segment saloon?

JohnBoy26

A D segment saloon back in 1998, I'd probably buy one of these

Sobanek

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

A D segment saloon back in 1998, I'd probably buy one of these

My friend's dad had one of these, back in 2002. What a great machine it was.

pred racer

What was I driving in 98? A Mitsubishi lancer.
What did I buy in 00? A Citroen xantia.
Guess what my choice is

commited

If it was in budget, E39 all the way but it was a class above the Mondeo, Accord etc. If you had to go for that class, I'd wait until Feb '99 and get a V6 Rover 75.

Mc Love

Would the Charisma been about then? Thats my father had as the family car

Stavros Murphy

GERMAN ROCKS wrote: »

and you want to buy a new saloon car in the d segmeant. has to be the basic model but can be a petrol or diesel. what would it be? eg choice, Vectra, primera, xantia, mondeo etc.
just for a bit of fun

Currently smoking around in a 1998 2.0tdi primera as a work roughing-it car..so it kinda is 1998 everyday lately. Quite like it as it happens.

dgt

Back in 1998 when things were simpler and more fun :cool:

E39 i thinks is a class too big here, I always saw it as a mid sized exec car. However if buying new in 1998 I'd have a manual 535i

As for D segment car, Peugeot 406 SRDT. What else comes close

Cleveland Hot Pocket

dgt wrote: »

Back in 1998 when things were simpler and more fun :cool:

E39 i thinks is a class too big here, I always saw it as a mid sized exec car. However if buying new in 1998 I'd have a manual 535i

As for D segment car, Peugeot 406 SRDT. What else comes close

I'd have waited and bought a rover 75 v8..
American V8 and RWD in a rover 75 shell. What more could you want :P

R.O.R

Think my dad had a Laguna (MK1?) as his company car in '98.

Had a Carlton (Omega) in 1990, which was replaced by a Xantia in 93, then the Laguna would have been 96.

Laguna stayed longer than 3 years and he bought it when he was retired off. Always hated the seats in the Laguna - far too soft.

SleeperService

Stavros Murphy wrote: »

Currently smoking around in a 1998 2.0tdi primera as a work roughing-it car..so it kinda is 1998 everyday lately. Quite like it as it happens.

I think every farmer in mid cork bought a primera in or around 98. Mostly that weird green they came in.

Accord or mazda 626 for me. Good pull from the Mazda engine.

Edit, possibly misremembering, may have been the previous model primera that was so common, avensis probably more popular in 98

Sobanek

dgt wrote: »

Back in 1998 when things were simpler and more fun :cool:

E39 i thinks is a class too big here, I always saw it as a mid sized exec car. However if buying new in 1998 I'd have a manual 535i

As for D segment car, Peugeot 406 SRDT. What else comes close

535i? Why not the 540i?

I remember that the price of that new 520i was somewhere in the region of 95000 zlotys which was about $28k USD back then. We had a test drive and everything. The only option however was air con - boggo spec otherwise but back in 1998 all the cars in Poland were like that.

My dad's brother had a 1992 Opel Omega 2.0i back then Loved it too.
In 2002 we were that close to buying a brand new 3.0 v6 Omega, but my dad lost his job.

colm_mcm

alfa 156.
Alfa have invested billions in tooling and technology so it'll be way more reliable than older Alfas the salesman said

dgt

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

I'd have waited and bought a rover 75 v8..
American V8 and RWD in a rover 75 shell. What more could you want :P

What more could I want? An E39

Sobanek wrote: »

535i? Why not the 540? .

Totally not biased atall 535 was a saloon only, no touring option (well the pre facelift ones were)

colm_mcm wrote: »

alfa 156.
Alfa have invested billions in tooling and technology so it'll be way more reliable than older Alfas the salesman said

Salesman was right. Just the gobsh*tes here who bought them didn't mind them

Lets not mention rusty floorpans either :pac:

colm_mcm

I got a 146 instead...

dgt

colm_mcm wrote: »

I got a 146 instead...

I'd say theres no floor in that atall by now

Ded_Zebra

It would have to be a Xantia for me, But I don't know what's wrong with you lot picking a diesel It's 1998 and fuel costs nothing! tax is crazy cheap too so I would either go for the 2.0 turbo of a 3.0 v6:D

I would also consider a 2.5 v6 Mitsubishi Galant… Very good looking car even today.

Old diesel

Horrid tempted to go second hand and buy that 93 KY Sierra Sapphire 2.0 GLSI I used to see on a daily basis (sadly not mine) in early 2007.

Back on topic though - shame we have to stick to the base model - a Xantia 2.1 diesel (I thought the HDI weren't out for another year???) diesel estate with leather would have been nice (I think).

Failing that a normal 1.9 turbo diesel Xantia would have been nice I think - or a 406

f140

my choice would have been
1. 406
2. xantia
3. Passat


I actually love the 2008+ citroen c5s aswell. wonder what they will be like in 20+ times but there probably has been very few bought

cruizer101

Ded_Zebra wrote: »

I would also consider a 2.5 v6 Mitsubishi Galant… Very good looking car even today.

Love that car, what I really would love to get is the imported Legnum, estate Galant with 2.5 v6 twin turbo, knocks on an extra 100hp

Tea 1000

406 would be my D-Segment favourite, but to be fair the B5 Passat at the time was a game changer. It was an Audi A4 with more rear legroom for 6k less!

TestTransmission

Auld fella bought new Primeras in 93,95 and 98.I learnt to drive in the 98.He drove them into the ground, there was plenty of them around at the time too

Old diesel

TestTransmission wrote: »

Auld fella bought new Primeras in 93,95 and 98.I learnt to drive in the 98.He drove them into the ground, there was plenty of them around at the time too

If this was 94 or 95 - id have had no hesistation ib picking the P10 (Mk 1) Primera - which is what your dads first two Primeras would have been.

Supergurrier

If we are sticking to the op and then only picking D segment cars.

Honda accord

Old diesel

Mind you we are restricted to the base models - if we could have the top of the range models - id have a Mondeo Mk 2 Ghia with light coloured leather and the wood dash.

2.0 petrol or 2.5 V6 - lovely.

They did a nice light green on the 99 models (not sure on the 98s) - someone in Tralee used to have the nice light green and a cream/tan coloured leather interior on a 2.5 V6 1999 Mondeo - nice car.

Pretty sure it was an actual V6 too - not just someone messing with putting the badge on

Old diesel

Tea 1000 wrote: »

406 would be my D-Segment favourite, but to be fair the B5 Passat at the time was a game changer. It was an Audi A4 with more rear legroom for 6k less!

The 1.9 tdis fuel economy in what was a big car was awesome for the time too - 50 mpg was very impressive for the level of space and comfort on offer.

MuppetCheck

Always had a soft spot for the Primera eGT's so would be tempted by one.

SleeperService

I think the base model 626 was glx, so 4x electric windows, electric and heated mirrors, relatively decent stereo. ABS plus 4 airbags. 40mpg easy enough on open road. (i may be slightly out here, was never in the 1.8 only the 2.0)

Old diesel

SleeperService wrote: »

I think the base model 626 was glx, so 4x electric windows, electric and heated mirrors, relatively decent stereo. ABS plus 4 airbags. 40mpg easy enough on open road. (i may be slightly out here, was never in the 1.8 only the 2.0)

Id like to got back a year or 2 and have one of the last of the previous models.

While the 98 626 was roomy and obviously very reliable - I thought it was a step back from the previous model.

Which was a stunner when it came out in 1992

SleeperService

Lemme guess, fan of the comprex "supercharged" diesel?

HandsomeDan

406 all day

cabb8ge

TestTransmission wrote: »

Auld fella bought new Primeras in 93,95 and 98.I learnt to drive in the 98.He drove them into the ground, there was plenty of them around at the time too

He drove 93 into ground and replaced with new 95?
95 replaced with 98?
:eek:

Mycroft H

Old diesel wrote: »

The 1.9 tdis fuel economy in what was a big car was awesome for the time too - 50 mpg was very impressive for the level of space and comfort on offer.

The PSA 2.0 Hdi DW10 was just out in 1998. Made the VP Tdi look old hat compared to it.

Old diesel

Mycroft H wrote: »

The PSA 2.0 Hdi DW10 was just out in 1998. Made the VP Tdi look old hat compared to it.

Now that you say it - I seem to recall reading a road test in a Uk magazine of a HDI Xantia in late 98.

When did the HDI Xantia come on sale here????.

Im fairly certain the 406 didn't get the HDI until 99 - I think Peugeot launched the 406 HDI just before the facelift in 99 - but I think they didn't build many pre facelifts. The pre facelifts MAY have been all 110s - but I could be completely wrong on all that.

Must look into it again - but if memory serves me correct Diesel car magazine tested a Green pre facelift (that nice green they did in the 98 model year 406) with the HDI engine.

unkel

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

D segment saloon?

Oops

Suppose the E39 is out then too...

road_high

A reasonably high spec 406 diesel. Still look good, were a fine solid big car with an excellent engine, and were very reliable. Still see quite a few tipping around, particularly in the farming community so they must have been good.