Where are they now?

[Madman]

I was reading Chris V's post about his old Chevy Citation in the Dodge Caliber thead and it got me thinking.........

Whatever happend to cars like this?  You know, the ones that used to be everywhere but are now rarer than fresh dinosaur droppings?  Chevy must have produced something like four-hundred-zillion Citations but when was the last time you actually saw one?  You'd think with that many produced there would still be more than a few still running around?

Same goes for the Renault Alliance/Encore.  There were quite a few AMC dealers in my area when I was growing up, so these were always a regular sight.  Try finding one now!  Time also hasn't been kind to the Iococca-era Chryslers, either.  We used to be tripping over Chrysler K-cars but now they've all mysteriously vanished.  How about nearly all 1970's and 1980's Japanese cars?  Did they all get sent back to the Land of the Rising Sun?

I know none of these cars were very good but shouldn't there still be a few on the roads, considering the sheer numbers produced in the first place?  Anyone else notice cars that used to be common which have now disappeared?


Cheers,
Madman of the People

[sportyaccordy]

Most old American cars...

[S204STi]

My guess?  Rusted, crashed, abandoned, and eventually stripped of the good parts and crushed.

Just because a car was prolific doesn't mean it was much loved.  That's why some classics survive while the vanilla cars disappear.

[the Teuton]

There's a perfectly clean Alliance down the street from me in Pittsburgh.

[SVT666]

VW Beetle.  I never see them anymore.

[2o6]

VW Beetle.  I never see them anymore.

I saw a pristine superbeetle being used as a daily driver in my neighborhood.

[ifcar]

Just because a car was prolific doesn't mean it was much loved.  That's why some classics survive while the vanilla cars disappear.

It's not just vanilla versus "classic." Some cars just disappeared faster than others. The Citation was one of GM's best-sellers for years, yet while many of the company's larger sedans are still relatively common sightings.

I would guess that the lower value of a Citations made it more likely to be scrapped instead of repaired after a breakdown or accident than a larger car. Same with early Cavaliers or Escorts, also relatively rare sights these days.


A way to try and guess which recent models will follow that fate is to go to a junkyard and look for collections of cars that don't look all that damaged. When I was there, it was circa-1999 Dodge Intrepids and Chevy Luminas and Malibus that were dominating, indicating those once-common cars will be rare on the streets in ten or fifteen years.

In contrast, there were almost no Toyotas/Hondas/Nissans. Though equally vanilla, they're worth more, so they'll be repaired and run into the ground before they're tossed out for scrap after a minor collision or a dead transmission.

[ChrisV]

Depends on where you are. there are a LOT of those cars still running around Washington and Oregon. And for some strange reason, Virginia, as well. VW Beetles are everywhere in the NW, as are Chevy LUVs, cars and trucks that say Datsun on them, K cars (and the early K minivans).

But, like R-inge said, usually if disposeable cars failed, they were disposed of. it's only the rare ones that got preserved (like the 5 speed turbo minivans, etc.).

[the Teuton]

Also, believe it or not, some of these oldies get shipped to South America when we're not looking.  New cars down there is often a novelty of the rich.

[ifcar]

Also, believe it or not, some of these oldies get shipped to South America when we're not looking.  New cars down there is often a novelty of the rich.

They're not interested in keeping Citations alive any more than North Americans are. From what I've seen, American-brand cars are as much a novelty as new cars in Latin America, particularly further south.

[the Teuton]

They're not interested in keeping Citations alive any more than North Americans are. From what I've seen, American-brand cars are as much a novelty as new cars in Latin America, particularly further south.

Really?  I know Cuba is rocking a lot of older American cars.

[ifcar]

Really?  I know Cuba is rocking a lot of older American cars.

My understanding of Cuba is that their American cars are whatever was there before the trade embargo from 1962, not cars shipped over there from the US more recently.

[SVT666]

My understanding of Cuba is that their American cars are whatever was there before the trade embargo from 1962, not cars shipped over there from the US more recently.

You would be correct.  The cars are all 1950 something Chevys.