Recent-ish cars that were once ubiquitous but which you don't see anymore

Agricola

James Bond Junior wrote: »

There are quite a few tucked away in sheds and garages up and down the country. Prices are climbing slowly but surely too. I have one but it due to tax it is SORN most of the year.

Same. Have mine under a couple of covers in the shed. Let the classic policy lapse this year, but before that I was taxing it for 6 months. Chape tax in 4 more years!

Gravelly

Toyota Celica's, especially the 6th gen with the round headlights (the nicest one in my opinion) - they are rare as hen's teeth now.
Peugeot 406's seem to have disappeared, and the 407 seems to be decreasing at an alarming rate.
The Landrover Freelander first generation are getting rarer, and, for the same reason (headgaskets) the Rover 75 is nearly gone. I always thought the 75 was one of the best looking mid-range cars of its era.

Gravelly

Although it is probably outside the scope of this thread, the most amazing car disappearance I can remember in my lifetime is the Ford Sierra - one minute every third car one the road was a Sierra, the next they were all gone - it was like a motoring version of the Rapture.

The departure of all the British cars off the road was pretty fast too - the Morris Minor, Hillman Hunter, Austins, Vauxhalls, Triumphs etc. were all gone a short few years after they stopped being made.

Gravelly

Gravelly wrote: »

Although it is probably outside the scope of this thread, the most amazing car disappearance I can remember in my lifetime is the Ford Sierra - one minute every third car one the road was a Sierra, the next they were all gone - it was like a motoring version of the Rapture............

Yeah, considering they were built into the early 90s they did dissapear quickly enough. The 95/96 ish scrappage scheme didn't take too many of them to be fair. Weird one.

fastrac

JoeA3 wrote: »

Yup. Subaru dealer in Galway operates out of a portakabin and his forecourt is filled with a mixture of U.K. imports. Hardly a Subaru to be seen.

The diesel engine problems and insuring the sporty ones killed Subaru here

Midnight_EG

You can pretty much say any car registered before 2005 is rare these days

elperello

theguzman wrote: »

Older Hyundai Santa Fe's are getting rarer thanfully, what an ugly beast they were, they were a symbol of environmental carnage, egotism and low IQ all rolled into one for me.

I got a laugh out of that. No offence intended. I agree they weren't one of the the best looking cars ever.

The only guy I knew who had one was one of the most self effacing people I ever knew.A real gentleman in every sense of the word.He was very clever, degrees doctorate and all. Environmental damage didn't come into it for the simple reason that it lived in a barn most of the time and only came out to go to town a couple of times a week.

Just goes to show you can't judge everyone by their wheels

scwazrh

What was the big Chrysler called that was everywhere during early Celtic tiger days ? Some of them had a Bentley grill on them .Awful car..

Pedro K

scwazrh wrote: »

What was the big Chrysler called that was everywhere during early Celtic tiger days ? Some of them had a Bentley grill on them .Awful car..

300

elperello

scwazrh wrote: »

What was the big Chrysler called that was everywhere during early Celtic tiger days ? Some of them had a Bentley grill on them .Awful car..

300c

Here's one with 5.7 litre petrol engine.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/300c-hemi/20058155

Beast or beastly?

um7y1h83ge06nx

Not quite the same but new model Opel Insignia seems very rare.

Mainly due to the fact that the old model is absolutely crap.

uncommon_name

I don't see that many Hyundai Tucson's out on the road. But then I open my eyes and they are everywhere.
It will be interesting to see what happens to them all in 10 years time.

chicorytip

What a looker!

colm_mcm

chicorytip wrote: »

What a looker!

I think they weren’t that bad looking a car in retrospect. I’d drive one no problem.

mistersifter

I remember my familia having a Lancia Dedra in the 1990s. It must have been a right heap of sh*t as I havent seen a Lancia since!

Voodoomelon

I remember around 2000 when I waitered as a young fella in a restaurant, being told by the management to go around all the tables and find the owner of a Rover 600 outside that was blocking the entrance. I remember asking "Excuse me, does anyone at this table drive a Rover 600?"
Every second table replied "I WISH!".



You used to see 600s and Rovers in general everywhere; it's pretty obvious why you don't any more, but aside from the odd MG they are non existent, no more, they "cease to be"...

Head gaskets made from mashed banana didn't help.

Dero

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Renault Laguna's still around sure but not many.

I drive a 2008 Laguna Mk3, and I actually see a surprising number of them. Maybe it's just that I notice them, but I regularly see two or three different ones every day (including quite a few coupés) on my Kildare <-> Dublin commute. I expected to see very few of them when I got mine in 2015. There are still quite a few Mk2 Lagunas around too, but I see very few of the Mk1s.

Separately, there is an '05 Rover 75 near me here, and every time I see it I'm reminded how few Rovers are still around. They may never have been too numerous, but there were certainly a good few 25/45s to be seen.

swarlb

mistersifter wrote: »

I remember my familia having a Lancia Dedra in the 1990s. It must have been a right heap of sh*t as I havent seen a Lancia since!

Seeing as Lancia stopped producing RHD cars in 1993/4 it's hardly surprising that you've not seen too many Lancia's since ! Compared to many cars of the period they were no better or worse.

Noveight

Admittedly, ubiquitous would be quite a stretch but I cannot remember the last time I saw a Saab of any description on the roads.

mickdw

Voodoomelon wrote: »

I remember around 2000 when I waitered as a young fella in a restaurant, being told by the management to go around all the tables and find the owner of a Rover 600 outside that was blocking the entrance. I remember asking "Excuse me, does anyone at this table drive a Rover 600?"
Every second table replied "I WISH!".



You used to see 600s and Rovers in general everywhere; it's pretty obvious why you don't any more, but aside from the odd MG they are non existent, no more, they "cease to be"...

Head gaskets made from mashed banana didn't help.

Lovely car at the time the 600.
Even the rover 75 is nearly gone now. The 75 is a better car than most believe too.
I've rescued a couple of them. Nothing too scary goes wrong just they have such poor values that they are not worth fixing.
Interestingly, everyone who never had one calls them crap yet most previous owners would kill for a newer one.

Hal1

Maxima's were plentyfull at one stage. A few showing on dungdeal.

Voodoomelon

mickdw wrote: »

There's a fair few 75s all the same about Louth, lads do hold on to them.

V8 Interceptor

colm_mcm wrote: »

I think they weren’t that bad looking a car in retrospect. I’d drive one no problem.

Europe's Crown Vic

Gravelly

mickdw wrote: »

Even the rover 75 is nearly gone now. The 75 is a better car than most believe too.
I've rescued a couple of them. Nothing too scary goes wrong just they have such poor values that they are not worth fixing.
Interestingly, everyone who never had one calls them crap yet most previous owners would kill for a newer one.

I owned a petrol 75 years ago, and drove a few of the diesel ones. I loved the car, but it was frustratingly underpowered. If Rover could have done a deal with someone to provide them with engines more suited to the size and character of the car, they would have been a fantastic drive. They looked great, were extremely comfortable, and handled adequately. I always felt it was a car that needed a 2.5/3.0 engine, for effortless cruising. (I know Rover produced a 2.5 version, but it was troublesome, and there was an extremely rare Ford-engined V8). I think it was a huge opportunity missed - a potentially great car, that, instead of luring BMW / Mercedes / Audi drivers, ended up competing against the Mondeo and Passat. The history of Rover, unfortunately, is full of such mistakes.

filbert the fox

CorkMan_ wrote: »

It is amazing how quick not that old of a car becomes scarce in Ireland and the UK. But definitely Ireland. I spent a couple of weeks in rural France in August and it is absolutely amazing the amount of 205s, Renault 5s, Mk 1 Meganes, Lagunas, Saxos, Xantias, 405s etc still on the road there.

I have a 1997 Mk 1 Laguna since 2004 and I know no one else that has one (cause they are probably more sane than I am!!)

I had an 01 MK 1 Concorde for three years....no trouble whatsoever A/C, half leather, versatile, terribly nice gentleman reminding me that my seatbelt was not fastened or fuel level low.... lovely

pcardin

Noveight wrote: »

Admittedly, ubiquitous would be quite a stretch but I cannot remember the last time I saw a Saab of any description on the roads.

Living in the middle of nowhere? plenty around still

Kintarō Hattori

colm_mcm wrote: »

I think they weren’t that bad looking a car in retrospect. I’d drive one no problem.

Same here, I thought they looked alright in blue.

filbert the fox

Spook_ie wrote: »

Rovers and MGs unappreciated classics.

Cannot agree more. I had a Rover 75 2.0 petrol which i deeply regret allowing it to go.
Current MG ZT190 is a great car - pity the government is so harsh on the bigger older engine.

lassykk

All the boy racer stuff

Must be some heap of it in breakers yards or crushed

Thinking 00/90 corsas, saxos, 206s, starlets

I always admired the owners who didn't buy the 1.1 saxo and stick two tonne of halfords ****e on it but actually bought a VTS. They were sadly few and far between in that scene

ZeroThreat

cml387 wrote: »

Dunno how far back you want o go.
Punto's were ubiquitous at the turn of the century, but now are gone like the snows of winter.

With any luck the Dacia Duster (pleb wagon) will go the way of the Dodo in time too....