oldest vehicle around !!

confuzed

yesterday.. i was thinking about how old vehicle people keep driving.......i kept checking ..
saw 1992 alfa romeo
1990 ford
and than amazing u know the oldest one was Dublin firebrigade 1985 ..
contibute older than that.

peasant

Take a peek in the Classic cars forum

What's wrong with a fire engine from 85?

I would reckon that it is very well maintained, has hardly any mileage, is kept in dry storage when not in use etc.etc ...it would probalby be in a lot better condition than many a three year old private car out there.

PS ..I drive a 90 VW

Volvoboy

Old cars arent crap they are just old, i have a 1991 and a 97 and the 1991 is a better drive than the 97, personally i'd much rather drive somthing older with a bit more excucivity than the standard '05 focus lx hatchback


Each to thier own.




-VB-

kowloon

People get very judgemental about car age in this country,
I wonder if we didnt have the year on our reg plates in plain numbers (unlike, say, the UKs letter system) would people be so snobby about it? (not having a go at the poster).
I had a neighbour who used to buy a new starlet every year or so for that reason.

skibum

I was driving a 87 diesel MK2 golf until earlier on this year, "upgraded" to a 94 MK3 Golf TDi (purchased from adverts.ie ). I don't worry about where I park it, If somebody bangs their door off it I'd be hard pressed to find the new dent among all the old ones!!, parts are cheap, easy to maintain, best part I don't have any loan to pay off for it. If it blows up I'll buy another banger.

blastman

My two cars are 90 and 91. Both were cheap and are fun to drive and very reliable. What's wrong with old cars?

Wishbone Ash

confuzed wrote:

saw 1992 alfa romeo
1990 ford
and than amazing u know the oldest crap was Dublin firebrigade 1985 ..
contibute older than that.

I presume you don't get out much! :rolleyes:

confuzed

i never condem old cars...and i always appreciate Dub fire vehicles...they are doing g8 job.. thumbs up 4 them..

i just wanted to know oldest model running around..

Wishbone Ash

confuzed wrote:

i just wanted to know oldest model running around..

I've heard that there is a 1903 Darracq knocking about! Can't be too many older than that.

vector

peasant wrote:

Take a peek in the Classic cars forum

What's wrong with a fire engine from 85?

I would reckon that it is very well maintained, has hardly any mileage, is kept in dry storage when not in use etc.etc ...it would probalby be in a lot better condition than many a three year old private car out there.

yes, for example lots of car ferries and private planes date from the 70s, we just don't notice because external styles rarely change on those vehicles

Wishbone Ash

vector wrote:

yes, for example lots of car ferries and private planes date from the 70s

Many 1960s tractors are still in everyday use.

maidhc

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Many 1960s tractors are still in everyday use.

Indeed. I was driving a '68 example myself earlier.

Wishbone Ash

maidhc wrote:

Indeed. I was driving a '68 example myself earlier.

Ford 4000?

maidhc

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Ford 4000?

The very one. Affectionately known as Tadhg.

Wishbone Ash

maidhc wrote:

The very one. Affectionately known as Tadhg.

'Henry' would be more appropriate!

Our man in Havana

maidhc wrote:

Indeed. I was driving a '68 example myself earlier.

My dad has a 1948 ford major!

Wishbone Ash

I spent a good bit of my formative years on a 1964 one of these!

(I'd say the OP is impressed with the way this thread is going! )

C_Breeze

Volvoboy wrote:

Old cars arent crap they are just old, i have a 1991 and a 97 and the 1991 is a better drive than the 97, personally i'd much rather drive somthing older with a bit more excucivity than the standard '05 focus lx hatchback


Each to thier own.




-VB-

Agreed. 90's cars are the best IMo

they just dont make em like they used to anymore

Masada

i was in a crash repair centre a few weeks ago and there was a rover thingy from the 40s being repainted.,had a 2 cylinder engine iirc and wheels like a motorbike.,lol

Wishbone Ash

With older cars, there comes a time when you have to decide whether it's economical to replace some parts. I had to pay €600 recently for a part and 30 minutes work on my 9 year old MB. It hurt!

GoneShootin

My uncle until very recently was driving an '81 Toyota Corolla. Takes it out now and again for a run...

maidhc

C_Breeze wrote:

Agreed. 90's cars are the best IMo

they just dont make em like they used to anymore

I would say cars from the 90's qualify as being just "old". They are still 15-20 years from being classics, and are noticeably dated compared to newer cars.

We still have a 1995 mondeo (that has just had about 2x it value spent on new suspenions, timing belt and cosmetic work!). It isn't better than a 2007 model, or even an 03 model though.

Overall cars now are superior in every way to what was sold 20 or 30 years ago.

pburns

I use '77 Massey Ferguson 165 as a 'working' tractor i.e. it is not a cosseted 'classic'.

Nothing wrong with old cars especially if it's something interesting yet practical. I'd be tempted by a W123 coupe but TBH I wouldn't give up my modern car.

Max_Damage

Well I have a 1990 Micra, and I intend on keeping it well into the future. I much prefer older cars anyway, they tend to be more 'lively' to drive i.e. lack of power-everything.

vector

maidhc wrote:

...Overall cars now are superior in every way to what was sold 20 or 30 years ago.

Yes but - and I might be looking through rose tinted glasses - I remember in the pre-catalytic converter days engines "sounded" better, even small ones

Silvera

GoneShootin wrote:

My uncle until very recently was driving an '81 Toyota Corolla. Takes it out now and again for a run...

Is that a Corolla K30 or the next model?
I learned to drive in a K30 and have a fondness for them. Spotted 3 so far at classic car shows (two were original Irish plates!).

My father drove a 1991 Golf till a few weeks ago. Head/Head gasket gave trouble again and the Ma said enough is enough:D ....so the Golf is going into storage in my brothers garage (future classic?!;) ) and he's now driving a clean 1996 Renault Megane he bought for €700 !
In fact my father has never spent more than €/£1000 on a car in his life (and he's been driving since c.1955) !! :eek:

BTW, the OP would be amazed if he made a trip to New Zealand ....I was there for 6 months in 2004 and the amount of old Starlets (1978-81 models), Corollas, etc on the roads is unreal! (I bought and drove a 1988 Bluebird auto ..great car it was too!).
Kiwis who visit Ireland can't believe all the new/newish cars on our roads ...esp all the BMW's, Audis, etc.

---

N.B. - U.K vehicles have been showing the years on numbers plates since 2001 ....they copied our system (well kinda ...in reverse)!;)

---

Corolla K30...

zilog_jones

Silvera wrote:

N.B. - U.K vehicles have been showing the years on numbers plates since 2001 ....they copied our system

Yeah but it's not as obvious being in the middle of the plate and starting with a 5 for half the year. The wimmen still don't understand them

ciarsd

confuzed wrote:

and than amazing u know the oldest one was Dublin firebrigade 1985 ..
contibute older than that.

It ain't in active service, but yes it is still running..

GoneShootin

Silvera wrote:

Is that a Corolla K30 or the next model?

E70 - something like:



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/79-83_Toyota_Corolla.jpg

Dish

Loads of MKII's still go about today. Great car still to this day. RS200 also!

And of course cant forget about out lovely school buses from the 1970's/1980s! lol!

RobAMerc

This is a silly thread that seems to be promoting age and plate snobbery.

thank God most posts have pointed out to the OP that just because its an 90 does not mean its no good - I wonder if our plates didn't give the year away would most people have any idea what age a car was?

biko

I like older cars, when they still had metal parts and proper bumpers. Like an old Volvo 245

Dish

Older cars were built to last! Cars are too plastic and fibre glassy (if thats a word) lol! these days!

slogue

Saw an old guy driving an 83 Volkswagon Polo last week in Letterkenny

prospect

vector wrote: »

I remember in the pre-catalytic converter days engines "sounded" better, even small ones

Oh, you are certainly correct in what you say.

I had a 1991 MX5 which had a catalytic converter when I got it. Not long afterwards it, emmm, fell off (yes, that'll do), and the improvement in the sound was incredible. More of a rumbly gurgle especially when everything had warmed up. Also, the diference in driving was improved somewhat.

MercMad

If I have a long drive to do then out comes my 1968 car, which I generally drive a lot more than my 2003 version.

The older cars actually allow you to take your time, people are more forgiving, and despite the fact that it could out accelerate a lot of modern cars and outrun them........it simply chooses not to ! ;D

I find longer journeys are ar more enjoyable, relaxing and free of stress in the older car !

BnA

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I spent a good bit of my formative years on a 1964 one of these!

(I'd say the OP is impressed with the way this thread is going! )

Me too.

3rd gear was a flyer.

Happy Happy days indeed.

Eoin

kowloon wrote: »

People get very judgemental about car age in this country,
I wonder if we didnt have the year on our reg plates in plain numbers (unlike, say, the UKs letter system) would people be so snobby about it? (not having a go at the poster).
I had a neighbour who used to buy a new starlet every year or so for that reason.

I'm pretty sure that the UK issue two letters a year, so the snobbery can be even worse than here. Personally it makes very little difference to me, unless there were certain changes made that would make the newer car a better purchase.

Max_Damage

Funny when you think of it, go to America, New Zealand, and even France, and there is still plenty of cars from the 70's and 80's going around the place as daily cars. It was the Celtic Tiger that caused all of this reg. plate snobbery nonsense in the first place, as well as that farce of a test, the NCT. I've seen many good cars that need only minor repairs going to the scrapyard. It's a shame too.

Spit62500

biko wrote: »

I like older cars, when they still had metal parts and proper bumpers. Like an old Volvo 245

My 245's bumpers have shock absorbers - supermarket carparks hold no fears for me (as long as I park end to end) :rolleyes:

Volvoboy

Max_Damage wrote: »

Funny when you think of it, go to America, New Zealand, and even France, and there is still plenty of cars from the 70's and 80's going around the place as daily cars. It was the Celtic Tiger that caused all of this reg. plate snobbery nonsense in the first place, as well as that farce of a test, the NCT. I've seen many good cars that need only minor repairs going to the scrapyard. It's a shame too.

Promote this man!


-VB-

Kali

Max_Damage wrote: »

Funny when you think of it, go to America, New Zealand, and even France, and there is still plenty of cars from the 70's and 80's going around the place as daily cars. It was the Celtic Tiger that caused all of this reg. plate snobbery nonsense in the first place, as well as that farce of a test, the NCT. I've seen many good cars that need only minor repairs going to the scrapyard. It's a shame too.

More down to the introduction of the government sponsored scrappage schemes in the 90s which greatly enouraged the purchase of newer cars.

unkel

Kali wrote: »

More down to the introduction of the government sponsored scrappage schemes in the 90s which greatly enouraged the purchase of newer cars.

Indeed. EU regulations for testing were about to be enforced on Ireland (the very last country in the EU for testing IIRC) and it would have been very embarassing for the government and the country as a whole if they'd been implemented at the time.

Sometimes I think people have a very selective memory here. I clearly remember that many cars on the roads in this country were bangers with rust holes in the panels as recently as in the early to mid 90s

Wishbone Ash

unkel wrote: »

I clearly remember that many cars on the roads in this country were bangers with rust holes in the panels as recently as in the early to mid 90s

...or the ecletic mixes of the 1970s - a brown Hillman Hunter with a blue door and a yellow bonnet, baler twine holding the boot lid down and the obligitory oily rag for a petrol cap!

kenneths

classic cars rock!!!!
i have way more fun in my '76 mk2 escort then my bmw

IrishRover

unkel wrote: »

Sometimes I think people have a very selective memory here. I clearly remember that many cars on the roads in this country were bangers with rust holes in the panels as recently as in the early to mid 90s

I'm not sure if it's just selective memory. I think there are actually a lot of people driving now who are just too young to remember even as recently as this. Then again I keep getting a shock when I realise that 1990 will soon be 18 years ago, and I keep thinking of it as the very recent past!

I also think that a lot of people who are driving on the roads today never took any notice of what went on on the road before they decided they needed to start driving.

I always wanted to drive, even when I was a toddler, and when I was a kid I was always looking out at what was going on on the roads any time I was a passenger in a car. I used to look out for any unusual models of cars, and even got pretty good at telling what a car was from the shape of its headlights at night. I think there's a lot of people on the roads now though who never thought about cars at all or looked out the window of a car until they started driving one. Maybe there was better in car entertainment more recently? Not sure if that could be a factor.

Oh, btw, with fuel injection and power steering and abs becoming common around the early 90's, I am happiest with the level of car technology at this time period. I am grateful that I don't have a more modern car where access to the engine is made difficult by some kind of plate with torx screws. Also not having everything moulded into the dash makes fitting your own car stereo loads easier - things like that. For me, early to mid 90's is perfect.

prospect

This is going to sound really old, (I swear I am only 30)...

I remember when we were in school, if you saw a new (new meant less than 12 months old) BMW or Merc it was worth talking about. Engine or spec was irrelevant, just the fact that you saw a new Merc was a big deal.


Also, does anyone remember (since 1987) having competitions in school in January to see who could be first to spot a new car, some times it would take weeks to spot one.

Gerry

Nail on the head there IrishRover. I think the OP falls into that category, probably didn't look at a car until they were starting to drive. I'm 26, and I can remember getting up for school, and the wakeup call was the cars on the road trying to start My dad would often have to help the neighbours get their cars started. I think a lot of those people are now the ones rushing off to change their car every year, and are trying to forget the "shame" of their old car. Its crazy for them to think that their old renault 5 managed to carry them around at all..

The Novacastrian

My folks had a K20 and K30 which I learned to drive in, they were great cars.

I drive a 94 C class, it has all I need - elec windows, clentral locking and ABS, also easy to fix, no computers (they'll never take off). i get slagged for it as its like a funeral car but i've no car loan.

My mam sold her 05 Toyota Yaris to drive my dads old 95 Corolla as it is a better car (for her)!!!

G Luxel

If you go to Greece there are still plenty of cars over twenty years old and many of these are Opels and Fords from the 60s. There are also a few Corolla K20s with bumper overiders, something that wasnt even an option over here. I think maybe the OP should also consider that some of these 90, 95 etc reg cars may not necessarily be here since new as many 2ndhand imported cars arrived over the years which normally have high digit registrations ie 90 D 50000.

endplate

Mother in laws car is a 1990 1L starlet. Amazing little car. A few days ago it drove from Ballina to Dun Laoghaire onto the ferry to Holyhead and then onto Luton and the next day returned with a load of tools onboard now that's impressive for an old small car