Irish motoring in the 1980’s

landmarkjohn · 16-07-2020 10:13am

Augeo wrote: »

........ seat covers

there was a lot more ess eee ex going on in cars in the eighties and a nice warm set of fluffy seat covers increased your chances and comfort

CoBo55 · 16-07-2020 12:20pm

landmarkjohn wrote: »

there was a lot more ess eee ex going on in cars in the eighties and a nice warm set of fluffy seat covers increased your chances and comfort

There was in their fcuk, the terror of the bastard baby hung like a sword over our heads...

colm_mcm · 16-07-2020 1:02pm

CoBo55 wrote: »

There was in their fcuk, the terror of the bastard baby hung like a sword over our heads...

You needed to take suitable precautions, like not giving your real name.

RandomViewer · 16-07-2020 1:06pm

Ringers, multiple cars using the same plates, buying tax books .

swarlb · 16-07-2020 1:11pm

RandomViewer wrote: »

Ringers, multiple cars using the same plates, buying tax books .

Was this something that only happened in 'The 80's' and not any other decade ??

Stallingrad · 16-07-2020 1:12pm

Adding adhesive pinstripes to a Peugeot 205 because they looked great on an BMW Alpina.

Heraldoffreeent · 16-07-2020 1:19pm

Stallingrad wrote: »

Adding adhesive pinstripes to a Peugeot 205 because they looked great on an BMW Alpina.

They also made it go faster.

Arthur Daley · 16-07-2020 1:33pm

RandomViewer wrote: »

Ringers, multiple cars using the same plates, buying tax books .

and cut and shuts. Far tighter controls over VIN numbers these days.

RandomViewer · 16-07-2020 1:37pm

swarlb wrote: »

Was this something that only happened in 'The 80's' and not any other decade ??

More common in the 80's, NCT ended it

NewbridgeIR · 16-07-2020 2:09pm

We had a couple of Fiat 124s in the ‘70s, both blue. By 1980/81 we graduated to the 131 Mirafiori, first was blue then magenta. My uncle also had one, white, possibly the special as the front headlights were circular rather than rectangular

I remember the PIF for seatbelts “Tim has a new car” where Tim lost the rag trying to “work” the seatbelt. Pretty sure that was also a 131.

I remember spinster ladies in the golf club drove Fiat 126s while a neighbour drove a 127 with a different colour passenger door. Didn’t see too many 128s around in the ‘80s but remember a few having them in late 70s

Charles Babbage · 16-07-2020 2:49pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

RandomViewer wrote: »

Carrying two spare wheels because the roads were so bad

and the tyres weren't good either.

Roads were often bumpy, sometimes very bumpy, but usually passable in that there was a surface and potholes were filled. There was probably more difference between counties than now, going from Galway to Mayo was as obvious as going from Monaghan to Armagh. However, the cuts introduced by the 1987 government tipped the balance and the potholes became serious.
I drove a lot of what is now known as the Wild Atlantic Way then, before it had a name. West Clare was the only place where i actually turned around on a road and gave up. Perhaps this year I'll revisit some of those areas!

https://www.rte.ie/archives/collections/news/21267864-potholes-in-west-clare/

NewbridgeIR wrote: »

We had a couple of Fiat 124s in the ‘70s, both blue. By 1980/81 we graduated to the 131 Mirafiori, first was blue then magenta. My uncle also had one, white, possibly the special as the front headlights were circular rather than rectangular

Fiats were big in the 1970s, by the 80s people favoured Japanese models.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU8Im-4ACY8

zilog_jones · 16-07-2020 3:12pm

The roads in West Clare are quite good these days, even 20 years ago they were much worse than they are now.

Charles Babbage · 16-07-2020 5:21pm

zilog_jones wrote: »

The roads in West Clare are quite good these days, even 20 years ago they were much worse than they are now.

Does anyone recognise the section in the RTÉ archives clip? Where is it on Google Maps?

freshpopcorn · 16-07-2020 5:26pm

Stallingrad wrote: »

Adding adhesive pinstripes to a Peugeot 205 because they looked great on an BMW Alpina.

We had a diesel 205 all kitted out with GTI trim and alloys!

Wishbone Ash · 16-07-2020 6:14pm

RandomViewer wrote: »

If we are going that route, 5k of dual carriageway opened in Letterkenny in 1988, was supposed to be extended to Lifford and connect to the A5, still only 5k of dual carriageway 32 years later

Is the old road still there? You had to make a right turn for Lifford at a bend with a long wall if memory serves me right.

RandomViewer · 16-07-2020 6:44pm

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Is the old road still there? You had to make a right turn for Lifford at a bend with a long wall if memory serves me right.

Runs parallel ,haven't been on it in years, comes out the Lifford side of the Manor roundabout

Technique · 16-07-2020 9:40pm

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Is the old road still there? You had to make a right turn for Lifford at a bend with a long wall if memory serves me right.

Nothing wrong with your memory, it's been 32 years since that was the turn off for Lifford.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/tkrEwFYeQjaPTsv67

Wishbone Ash · 16-07-2020 11:04pm

Technique wrote: »

Nothing wrong with your memory, it's been 32 years since that was the turn off for Lifford.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/tkrEwFYeQjaPTsv67

Jesus that's made my day! I didn't realise that junction was still there albeit looking a little forlorn now. I thought it was swallowed up by the dual carriageway. Thanks for that.

cml387 · 17-07-2020 8:58am

It's hard to believe the main Cork Dublin road came to a full stop here.

A bypass was built in the ighties, and then the M8 came so Cahir is one of those towns that has been bypassed twice.
Well worth a visit though, lovely town.

freshpopcorn · 17-07-2020 9:29pm

cml387 wrote: »

It's hard to believe the main Cork Dublin road came to a full stop here.

A bypass was built in the ighties, and then the M8 came so Cahir is one of those towns that has been bypassed twice.
Well worth a visit though, lovely town.

Cahir was meant to have been brutal for traffic in those days. I often wondered how long would it take to drive from Cork- Dublin with no Motorways with Todays traffic levels.(Well pre Covid19 levels).

RandomViewer · 26-07-2020 4:15pm

Cyclists, the only people on bikes were kids, old men and guys who'd lost their licence

Wishbone Ash · 26-07-2020 4:42pm

RandomViewer wrote: »

Cyclists, the only people on bikes were kids, old men and guys who'd lost their licence

Eh no! I was cycling to work in the 1980's.

But you do have a point - people looked down their nose at you as cycling then meant you couldn't afford a car.

CoBo55 · 26-07-2020 8:37pm

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Eh no! I was cycling to work in the 1980's.

But you do have a point - people looked down their nose at you as cycling then meant you couldn't afford a car.

Kinda the point of the whole thread, in reality very few could actually afford a car.

Muscles Schultz · 26-07-2020 8:40pm

I remember hearing my uncle bought a new car in the early 80s and sold it a few years later for more than he paid for it. Some mad inflationary situation I believe

26-07-2020 8:40pm

freshpopcorn wrote: »

Cahir was meant to have been brutal for traffic in those days. I often wondered how long would it take to drive from Cork- Dublin with no Motorways with Todays traffic levels.(Well pre Covid19 levels).

I love driving all the way back to Dublin from Cork on the 639/445. Regularly do it when I’m in no hurry.

XLR 8 · 26-07-2020 8:54pm

RandomViewer wrote: »

Renault 21 Savannah and Espace were both 80 s and 7 seater

As was the Datsun Prairie.

CoBo55 · 26-07-2020 9:48pm

XLR 8 wrote: »

As was the Datsun Prairie.

I had a (Nissan) Prairie it didn't have 7 seats.

L1011 · 26-07-2020 10:35pm

Muscles Schultz wrote: »

I remember hearing my uncle bought a new car in the early 80s and sold it a few years later for more than be paid for it. Some mad inflationary situation I believe

Inflation rates touched 20% a year in the early 80s - mortgage rates were solidly over 10% so if you had an inflation matching salary it was quite affordable... but most didn't. Could easily sell a decent condition low mileage two year old car for a little more than you paid for it constant currency terms when the equivalent new model is now ~45% dearer!

Inflation got sane in the late 80s/early 90s and has been close to nothing for over 15 years - there was a hike (the cocaine fueled end of the Tiger) followed by a drop and a very slow resumption. But part of that overall figure is that there's been huge sectoral drops in some areas - cars are one. Despite being heavier, larger and vastly more complicated cars are much, much cheaper in real terms.

A new, cheap, car in Ireland in the early-mid 90s was about £7,500* - shade under €10k. A Dacia Logan now is what, €13k? Compare that to the price of a pint!

*Thats what the Cinquecento cost on launch in '93 as an example. There was very little available cheaper.

sunny2012 · 26-07-2020 10:40pm

freshpopcorn wrote: »

We had a relative with a 205 one.
We used all sit in the back of it to go somewhere in the 90's!

July 1995, belter of a summer and I was working at my first proper job. Very few my age, early 20’s, had a car, myself included, but two colleagues had a 205 each. One a passenger car and the other a car van. Both white. And diesel, IIRC. Anyway one Friday evening we head to the beach, about 5km away out of town. Ten of us fitted in the car van, three in the front and seven in the back. Speed topped out about 20mph with the exhaust box scraping off the bumps in the road. &#55357;&#56842;

road_high · 27-07-2020 11:44pm

horseofstone wrote: »

Isuzu had 2 saloon cars for sale here in Ireland in the 80's.One was called the gemini. Can anyone remember the name of the larger saloon?

I remember them being fairly popular late 80s. I was only a chap and my aunt had a new Gemini. The 1.5 diesel. They had a Trooper as well. Then they just faded away

Irish motoring in the 1980’s

Comments