Motorshow 1986 - nostalgia!

road_high

Real gem of an RTE motoring archive for you all;
https://www.rte.ie/archives/collections/news/21213067-motor-show/

Fascinating to look back on. Some real gems like the Uno Turbo but really I don’t think we know how good we have it- even though cars appear expensive today, they are relatively cheaper and more affordable than ever. How people could afford new back then with penal interest rates and high prices is mad- also the gulf between Irish and uk prices seems stark (which they are obsessed with!). Toyota Corolla had a lovely electric sun roof, a rare luxury I’d imagine.
RTÉ would never devote half an hour to cars these days, only perhaps to tell us how evil and polluting they are!
I was only a chiseler at the time but always loved cars, vauguely remember an RTÉ weekly motoring show, also called the Motorshow? I’m talking late 80s or so ago was on a Sunday afternoon I think? “Riding along in my automobile..” was the theme tune?
Seem to remember a feature on Volvo car safety and scrapping but that’s as far as I remember!

BrianD3

road_high wrote: »

Real gem of an RTE motoring archive for you all;
https://www.rte.ie/archives/collections/news/21213067-motor-show/

Fascinating to look back on. Some real gems like the Uno Turbo but really I don’t think we know how good we have it- even though cars appear expensive today, they are relatively cheaper and more affordable than ever. How people could afford new back then with penal interest rates and high prices is mad- also the gulf between Irish and uk prices seems stark (which they are obsessed with!). Toyota Corolla had a lovely electric sun roof, a rare luxury I’d imagine.
RTwould never devote half an hour to cars these days, only perhaps to tell us how evil and polluting they are!
I was only a chiseler at the time but always loved cars, vauguely remember an RTweekly motoring show, also called the Motorshow? I’m talking late 80s or so ago was on a Sunday afternoon I think? “Riding along in my automobile..” was the theme tune?
Seem to remember a feature on Volvo car safety and scrapping but that’s as far as I remember!

Was that the year of the "axe the tax" campaign or was that 1985. I remember coming back from those shows with load of goodies including an axe the tax sticker which I put on our Ford Escort.

You are right about the TV programme - presented by Siobhan Ni Bhuachalla. Yes that was the theme tune and the opening credits used footage of a...Renault 21.

Mad_maxx

Fantastic

Love me a bit of nostalgia, cars were dearer back then relative to income

road_high

Mad_maxx wrote: »

Fantastic

Love me a bit of nostalgia, cars were dearer back then relative to income

I don’t know how to convert to today’s prices but a modest Fiesta appears more than the average salary of the time!

road_high

BrianD3 wrote: »

Was that the year of the "axe the tax" campaign or was that 1985. I remember coming back from those shows with load of goodies including an axe the tax sticker which I put on our Ford Escort.

You are right about the TV programme - presented by Siobhan Ni Bhuachalla. Yes that was the theme tune and the opening credits used footage of a...Renault 21.

I don’t know about the Axe the tax but I seem to remember a similar campaign in recent years. But they had it a lot worse then, the gulf between us and Europe is definitely not as big now

bear1

The prices... fecking hell. Love the uno

Mad_maxx

The Ford granada was very expensive

road_high

Mad_maxx wrote: »

The Ford granada was very expensive

£30,000 punts! I’m guessing that could be something €80,000 adjusted for today’s prices? Eye watering stuff.
Maybe the Ford Edge at €55 k is not so insane after all!

SEPT 23 1989

Was the axe the tax sticker red and black?

BrianD3

road_high wrote: »

£30,000 punts! I’m guessing that could be something €80,000 adjusted for today’s prices? Eye watering stuff.
Maybe the Ford Edge at €55 k is not so insane after all!

According to the link below the average industrial wage in 1986 was 237 euros gross per week
http://www.finfacts.ie/Private/bestprice/guinnessindex.htm

So about 12k gross vs probably about 35-40k gross now. Higher tax in 86 for the average worker also.

Yes, a Ford Granada costing 30k punts/36k euros was very unaffordable then.

I haven't watched the video but I assume that this was a top of the range Granada and that there were much cheaper ones available which were still relatively unaffordable for most people in 1986.

SEPT 23 1989 wrote:

Was the axe the tax sticker red and black?

It was, black text on a red background.

bazz26

Anyone else notice how there wasn't much gridlock back then?

corks finest

Mad_maxx wrote: »

Fantastic

Love me a bit of nostalgia, cars were dearer back then relative to income

30,000 for a granada

endacl

“Unfortunately, the boot lid bangs off the rear window...’

road_high

bazz26 wrote: »

Anyone else notice how there wasn't much gridlock back then?

Not surprising given the cost of cars and probably fuel!

road_high

endacl wrote: »

“Unfortunately, the boot lid bangs off the rear window...’

Why would they release a car like that? Jesus

corks finest

endacl wrote: »

“Unfortunately, the boot lid bangs off the rear window...’

And as for the bluebird- heaps of ****e

bazz26

corks finest wrote: »

And as for the bluebird- heaps of ****e

I'd disagree with that. The father had an 1988 one of those for about 4 years and it was a great bus, very reliable, the biggest killer on them was rust. The doors rotted on them, just below the window frames. Other than that they were less troublesome than a similar Sierra or Ascona of the time.

Mad_maxx

BrianD3 wrote: »

According to the link below the average industrial wage in 1986 was 237 euros gross per week
http://www.finfacts.ie/Private/bestprice/guinnessindex.htm

So about 12k gross vs probably about 35-40k gross now. Higher tax in 86 for the average worker also.

Yes, a Ford Granada costing 30k punts/36k euros was very unaffordable then.

I haven't watched the video but I assume that this was a top of the range Granada and that there were much cheaper ones available which were still relatively unaffordable for most people in 1986.

It was, black text on a red background.

It waa a granada scorpio or something ( I think)

Mad_maxx

corks finest wrote: »

And as for the bluebird- heaps of ****e

Nisann made good cars back then, in fact they were held in close esteem to the Toyota, nisann sunny was also good

road_high

Mad_maxx wrote: »

Nisann made good cars back then, in fact they were held in close esteem to the Toyota, nisann sunny was also good

Defo. They were Toyota’s arch rival, the sunny gave thr Corolla a good run

SEPT 23 1989

The bluebird was a fairly fancy looking car in a lower middle class estate back in the day

mikeecho

corks finest wrote: »

And as for the bluebird- heaps of ****e

I think it was possible to transplant a BMW engine into the bluebird without much trouble.

mikeecho

Mad_maxx wrote: »

Nisann made good cars back then, in fact they were held in close esteem to the Toyota, nisann sunny was also good

The bluebird was considered a quality family car in the 80's

I doubt a lot of boardsies were even able to reach the peadles back then

road_high

Mad_maxx wrote: »

It waa a granada scorpio or something ( I think)

Still they were reasonably common in the early 90s, I defo remember them.
Our local GP kept a new one, if it was now it’s be a BMW or Mercedes. The market for executives with ordinary badges is lore or less evaporated! Back then they all had a flagship- like the Fiat Croma or Renault 25 featured.

road_high

It’s amazing the Marques that have come and gone since- no Hyundai or Kia. The French makers have kinda held their own I think , German ones have grown, Japanese slightly less so I think

road_high

corks finest wrote: »

And as for the bluebird- heaps of ****e

The bluebird was not a bad car at all. They were reliable, not bad to drive for the time, and had lots of good extra features that weren’t mainstream amongst rivals. They were very popular here for those reasons

Mad_maxx

mikeecho wrote: »

The bluebird was considered a quality family car in the 80's

I doubt a lot of boardsies were even able to reach the peadles back then

They were a nice car, nisann lost their way from around 94 onwards and weren't a patch on the Toyota for years

Mad_maxx

road_high wrote: »

It’s amazing the Marques that have come and gone since- no Hyundai or Kia. The French makers have kinda held their own I think , German ones have grown, Japanese slightly less so I think

Of the old guard, Big laggard is fiat in intervening years

colm_mcm

road_high wrote: »

Defo. They were Toyota’s arch rival, the sunny gave thr Corolla a good run

It was pretty much a carbon copy of the Corolla.

V8 Interceptor

corks finest wrote: »

And as for the bluebird- heaps of ****e

I thought they were a decent car. Uncle had one for years.

JoeA3

I remember the Bluebird being a pretty fancy car in the ‘80’s! Neighbours of ours had one and it was definitely the poshest car in the parish. They were loaded with kit too, electric windows all round, sunroof, etc. Think they even had an electric aerial! They did definitely lose their way from the mid 90’s. Those early Primera’s and the Almera were dreadful yokes.

That Ford Granada was the ultimate exec machine back then too. You were top of the tree if one of those was on your drive. A BMW or Merc weren’t in too many people’s radar back then.

colm_mcm

Yes, those were the good old days. For anyone whining about life in Ireland now, they should look at how tough people had it in the 80s

SEPT 23 1989

Brand new Mk2 GTI 16v and a modest family starter home or a Granada?

Decisions decisions

swarlb

colm_mcm wrote: »

Yes, those were the good old days. For anyone whining about life in Ireland now, they should look at how tough people had it in the 80s

Yeah ! It was, plus there was no internet where you could look for help, like
"My car has a flat tyre, what should I do ?"

Wishbone Ash

BrianD3 wrote: »

According to the link below the average industrial wage in 1986 was 237 euros gross per week
http://www.finfacts.ie/Private/bestprice/guinnessindex.htm

So about 12k gross vs probably about 35-40k gross now. Higher tax in 86 for the average worker also....

I worked as a filling station attendant when I was a young lad in 1985/1986. It was pretty routine then to cash wage cheques usually on a Friday. Customer would get £20 or £30 of petrol and the rest of their cheque back in cash. We had a few large factories in the area and the cheques I cashed were usually between £120 and £200.

Very few people then bought new cars unless they were company cars. Bluebirds were a very popular car then especially with reps. Carina II (?) were also a popular rep mobile. The vast majority of cars I would have encountered then were run of the mill 1970's basic models - Escorts, Hunters, Kadetts, Datsuns, Renaults etc.

What I do remember as being exceptional at the time were the 6 series Beamers, the Sierra XR4i and those Jags with the double fuel tanks which could take £75 of petrol then - twice my wages! I also recall the Volvo 240's being considered quality cars (with big fuel tanks).

Strangely I don't recall many Granada's or Mercs.

Also LPG was quite popular then especially with high mileage customers but I always hated filling it.

road_high

Mad_maxx wrote: »

Of the old guard, Big laggard is fiat in intervening years

They were huge in the 70s to late 90s. Lost that plot after that with a series of disasters epitomised in the Stilo. These cars were bland, incompetent as well being unreliable- an unforgivable sin.
Can’t for the life of me figure out where the chiq Italian styling went. The 500l and 500X could have been big successes had the styling and packaging been right- just look at Peugeot now.

road_high

swarlb wrote: »

Yeah ! It was, plus there was no internet where you could look for help, like
"My car has a flat tyre, what should I do ?"

Drive a Citroen BX, they can run on three!

road_high

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I worked as a filling station attendant when I was a young lad in 1985/1986. It was pretty routine then to cash wage cheques usually on a Friday. Customer would get £20 or £30 of petrol and the rest of their cheque back in cash. We had a few large factories in the area and the cheques I cashed were usually between £120 and £200.

Very few people then bought new cars unless they were company cars. Bluebirds were a very popular car then especially with reps. Carina II (?) were also a popular rep mobile. The vast majority of cars I would have encountered then were run of the mill 1970's basic models - Escorts, Hunters, Kadetts, Datsuns, Renaults etc.

What I do remember as being exceptional at the time were the 6 series Beamers, the Sierra XR4i and those Jags with the double fuel tanks which could take £75 of petrol then - twice my wages! I also recall the Volvo 240's being considered quality cars (with big fuel tanks).

Strangely I don't recall many Granada's or Mercs.

Also LPG was quite popular then especially with high mileage customers but I always hated filling it.

Fuel was another commodity hugely expensive relative to wages at the time. People’s standard of living has risen enormously, people just did without back then.

Wishbone Ash

road_high wrote: »

Fuel was another commodity hugely expensive relative to wages at the time. People’s standard of living had risen enormously, people just did without back then.

Yes - I meant to say that. From the late 70's onwards it became very expensive (relative to wages). People stopped going for leisure spins as it was considered a luxury. The topic of conversation from almost every customer then was the price of petrol (diesel was only used by about 5% of cars then). I don't ever recall insurance being considered a big thing then. If a young lad got a car, the first question would be 'how's he going to put petrol in it'?.

road_high

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Yes - I meant to say that. From the late 70's onwards it became very expensive (relative to wages). People stopped going for leisure spins as it was considered a luxury. The topic of conversation from almost every customer then was the price of petrol (diesel was only used by about 5% of cars then). I don't ever recall insurance being considered a big thing then. If a young lad got a car, the first question would be 'how's he going to put petrol in it'?.

Even though road deaths and injuries were far higher I’d imagine the compensation culture wasn’t a patch on today’s. May explain the insurance difference vs now

road_high

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Yes - I meant to say that. From the late 70's onwards it became very expensive (relative to wages). People stopped going for leisure spins as it was considered a luxury. The topic of conversation from almost every customer then was the price of petrol (diesel was only used by about 5% of cars then). I don't ever recall insurance being considered a big thing then. If a young lad got a car, the first question would be 'how's he going to put petrol in it'?.

Remember my parents used put £10 or £20 at most in at a time. Can see why !

colm_mcm

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Yes - I meant to say that. From the late 70's onwards it became very expensive (relative to wages). People stopped going for leisure spins as it was considered a luxury. The topic of conversation from almost every customer then was the price of petrol (diesel was only used by about 5% of cars then). I don't ever recall insurance being considered a big thing then. If a young lad got a car, the first question would be 'how's he going to put petrol in it'?.

The parents had a diesel Corolla in the 80s, and diesels in general were rare enough. A lot of VWs were diesel but most people had petrol. I think I remember diesel being 45p a litre around 88/89

Wishbone Ash

colm_mcm wrote: »

The parents had a diesel Corolla in the 80s, and diesels in general were rare enough. A lot of VWs were diesel but most people had petrol. I think I remember diesel being 45p a litre around 88/89

It was way more than that in 1985/86. We switched from the old analogue type pumps which prioritised gallons over litres in the summer of 1985 and transferred to the high tech 'digital' pumps which only had liters displayed. We started at 68p per liter. Customers kept asking what that was in gallons and were aghast that petrol had gone over £3 a gallon. (A bit like when the fags went over £1 a pack and everyone decided it was high time to give them up!)

Pops_20

So even back in 1986 we were paying more for new cars than our friends in the UK. Was this simply down to a higher tax rate on new vehicles?

Arthur Daley

Well the time of this motorshow was arguably the most depressed the Irish market has been since the late 50s. 85-87 was a horrible time for the Irish economy, and then you could look across to Britain, which was booming, especially the South of England.

Of course comparisons of the top spec Grandad vs a small house are deceptive, as the bloody housing has really gone up astronomically vs cars and wages since 1986.

Wishbone Ash

Arthur Daley wrote: »

...Of course comparisons of the top spec Grandad vs a small house are deceptive, as the bloody housing has really gone up astronomically vs cars and wages since 1986.

That reminds me that it was quite common then, in the appointments section of newspapers, to see 'company house + car' as the benefits of a senior executive position. I haven't seen that for years now.

road_high

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

That reminds me that it was quite common then, in the appointments section of newspapers, to see 'company house + car' as the benefits of a senior executive position. I haven't seen that for years now.

Some companies provided houses for workers- Irish sugar and BNa Mona i think were two. Don't know how common it was elsewhere.

road_high

Arthur Daley wrote: »

Well the time of this motorshow was arguably the most depressed the Irish market has been since the late 50s. 85-87 was a horrible time for the Irish economy, and then you could look across to Britain, which was booming, especially the South of England.

Of course comparisons of the top spec Grandad vs a small house are deceptive, as the bloody housing has really gone up astronomically vs cars and wages since 1986.

89/90 were good years for car sales I think, seem to remember a lot of those around. There was a dip around 91/92, and 94 was the beginning of the car sales boom and coincided with the original scrappage scheme. Tons of old bangers left the road and Fiat were the kings! Think they matched the govt £1000 discount and a new Punto was about then about 7k as a result, suddenly a new car was affordable for the masses as credit became far more accessible and wages/employment opportunities rose sharply. Car sales have always been a fair bellweather for the state of the irish economy.

V8 Interceptor

Dude is seriously impressed with that 2 litre Accord. Said it went like an F1 car!

Wishbone Ash

road_high wrote: »

Some companies provided houses for workers- Irish sugar and BNa Mona i think were two. Don't know how common it was elsewhere.

Yes but that was kind of different as they were fairly basic accommodation and rent was payable. It used to be very common in the army, prison service and HSE. My employer still has a lot of staff in 'company' houses although that particular perk ended for new entrants in the 1990's but it takes a lot of time to bring it to a close.

My previous comment related to more executive housing as opposed to staff accommodation.

road_high

Pops_20 wrote: »

So even back in 1986 we were paying more for new cars than our friends in the UK. Was this simply down to a higher tax rate on new vehicles?

The difference was more stark then. Some of the prices differences quoted are massive. Not sure if it was simply tax or currency fluctuations.
I could be wrong but i think the euro has brought prices more into line with the continent. I think French and German cars seem to be more affordable these days.