Tough old cars

[Deleted member 11979]

On my way to work today I spotted an H reg 205 coming the other way, which I often see, and that got me thinking about which old cars are left on the road.

A small survey revealed that of all the pre 2001 cars I saw (prefix style number plates) most were Peugeots, 4 in total, 1 Vauxhall Zafira, 1 Toyota Celica and 1 Renault Clio.

Looks like Frenchies outlast them all based on todays trip!

 

[brigadier]

maybe there were more frenchies to start with.

 

[Dieselman]

A good thread, I'll keep an eye out from now on.

Definitely Peugeot 205 simply never rust and are very durable. I have two old French cars without rust and in full working order.

 

[trapperjohn]

A good thread, I'll keep an eye out from now on.

Definitely Peugeot 205 simply never rust and are very durable. I have two old French cars without rust and in full working order.

Possibly because the are owned and looked after by (drum roll)- Dieselman .

 

[Paul/]

An interesting snapshot.

Of course another factor in assessing relative durability, is being able to distinguish between those still around 'cos they are cherished and cossetted and rarely turn a wheel (I own up to one) and those that are still in normal daily use.

I don't think it would be safe to make that call purely on specific model and variant....I might risk a bet on the Zafira though...

 

[Dieselman]

Would a car being driven in normal conditions on a wet day like today merit a cherished sunday car?

 

[paulyV6]

Still see loads of old VW's - not so many mk1 Golfs, but plenty of mk2 and 3s plus Polos, Corrados etc still on the road.

I saw an immaculate Renault 5 GT Turbo the other day and shortly after a 205 GTI 1.9 - it was like being in the mid 90's all over again.

 

[Dieselman]

That reminds me, I was following an immaculate Renault 9 turbo off the motorway last week.

 

[Dieselman]

Possibly because the are owned and looked after by (drum roll)- Dieselman .

I went to buy some parts for a car from someone who had 16 Peugeot 205 in his garden. None of them had any rust.

 

[Dieselman]

A friend of mine has an almost immaculate and completely original 1991 Golf GTi in brilliant blue.

She bought it brand new on August 1st 1991.

 

[Paul/]

Would a car being driven in normal conditions on a wet day like today merit a cherished sunday car?

I guess that depends on frequency. And then, mine is supposedly made of recycled Italian washing machines, so even subjecting it to a single morning's dew could be considered an act of reckless disregard.

 

[Vlad]

Toyota Carina's.....they never rust and they never go wrong. There's still loads of early ones about ie K reg's onwards

 

[billywhiz]

I love Frenchies.. oh the cars... hmmm.

Good observations here - and correct DM - hard to find a naturally non damaged mk2 golf with rust - those things still leak waxoyl out on a hot day - maybe MB shoulda taken note..

I'll take part in this test as well - pre 2000 is it ?

 

[Dieselman]

I'll take part in this test as well - pre 2000 is it ?

It needs to be quite a bit older than that really to be interesting, but I guess anything older and unusual counts.

 

[BigSilverEstate]

Not sure I agree - the truly old 'classic' cars will be receiving a different levels of care and attention.

It is interesting to think of the ordinary cars that are still on the road in spite of normal levels of use and abuse. Must say I see a lot of late 90s Corsas.

 

[tali]

Nissan Micra K10
"After the nuclear holocaust, Micras will still be zipping about. Giles Chapman pays tribute to the great survivor"
Nissan Micra - Features - Motoring - The Independent

And the not so tough ones....


"Once as ubiquitous as red telephone boxes, the humble Morris Marina has become the rarest car on Britain's roads, closely followed by the Ford Cortina, according to Auto Express.

Just 745 of about 807,500 cars made are still on the road, making Ferraris and Porsches look positively common for car spotters.

"Catching a glimpse of the Marina today is very rare -- you'd never imagine that it was regularly the third or fourth best-selling car in Britain throughout the 70s," the magazine said in its latest issue.

The magazine looked at cars from the 1970s, 80s and 90s that once sold in massive numbers but which are now rarities.

Using data from the DVLA and a formula that levelled the playing field for different vintage cars, the magazine came up with the top 10 of once-common vehicles which are now rarely seen.

At number two was the Ford Cortina Mark IV/V (1976-1982) of which just 2,101 remain working against over one million made while at number three was the Renault 18 -- 317 left out of a run of 131,241 in the country.

In contrast, the first incarnation of the Nissan Micra, along with the Mark III/IV Ford Granada (1985-1994) and the Mark I Volkswagen Golf (1974-1983) were all deemed to be among the best survivors with a high proportion still operating.

The 10 rarest list:

- Morris Marina (1971-1980)
- Ford Cortina Mark IV/V (1976-1982)
- Renault 18 (1979-1986)
- Renault 5 (1972-1983)
- Skoda Estelle (1977-1992)
- Vauxhall Cavalier Mark III (1981-1989)
- Austin/Rover Metro (1980-1994)
- Austin/Rover Montego (1984-1995)
- Austin/Rover Maestro (1983-1995)
- Fiat Uno (1983-1989)

 

[Scott_F]

Here's a clip of various 1970's - 1990's cars swept up off the street in Belgrade. First up is a Morris Marina !


[YOUTUBE]dgYgeHM2hEA[/YOUTUBE]

 

[219]

On my way to work today I spotted an H reg 205 coming the other way, which I often see, and that got me thinking about which old cars are left on the road.

A small survey revealed that of all the pre 2001 cars I saw (prefix style number plates) most were Peugeots, 4 in total, 1 Vauxhall Zafira, 1 Toyota Celica and 1 Renault Clio.

Looks like Frenchies outlast them all based on todays trip!

Outside my house there are three Mercs and a VW within that age range

 

[ringway]

Young Ringways 1995 VW Golf is still going strong at 160k miles and there is very little rust on the car.





The same can be said of my 124 230TE. Still going strong and just two small patches of rust appearing - NSF and OSR wheel arch.
Yet, my 2002 210 had awful corrosion on the wings, my 2001 202 has bad corrosion on wings and tailgate and 2008 Vito has rust on the tailgate.

There's a theme on the Old vs New here. I checked the Vito corrosion the other day and there's hardly any paint thickness to speak of.

 

[Orwic]

Saw a Karmann Ghia on Blackwall Tunnel approach last Sunday, with the old silver on black number plates. Bad weather, so couldn't see the date letter, but guess it was early 70s. Funny how some of those old cars manage to avoid the dreaded tinworm...

Orwic