If you were 20 years older, what would you have driven?

[SweptVolume]

Couldn't sleep the other night, so came up with a little game. Go through your entire car history, and map out which cars you would have bought had you been born 20 years earlier, and what you would have chosen instead. All other variables remain fixed, so you live in the same place, started family at the same time, and had an equivalent income (inflation adjusted) etc.

For example, imagine you bought a 2005 R50 Mini Cooper in 2008. 20 years earlier that would be a 1985 Austin Mini Cooper, but say you're 6'5" and wouldn't fit in a classic Mini (or just never liked them)? In which case, you might perhaps instead have bought a 1985 Fiat Uno Turbo i.e. which has more headroom. It's highly unlikely you would have bought a Ferrari Testarossa if you didn't buy a 575, so try to keep things realistic.

Format of the game goes:

(Date) Year and model of car you actually bought | (Date - 20) Closest equivalent car that's 20 years older > Car you think you actually would have chosen

(2008) 2005 Mini Cooper | (1988) 1985 Austin Mini Cooper > 1985 Fiat Uno Turbo i.e.

[PositronicRay]

In1977 a 1964 vauxhall Viva.

In 1957 dunno, probably a bicycle.

[Foss62]

The 10 year old Wolseley 16/60 I had in 1980 would equate to a 1950 Wolseley 6/80 (even down to it’s links with the previous Morris Oxford). I quite like the look of it .

[samoht]

In Japan in 2003 I bought a 1991 Silvia Qs. Winding back would have been a 1971 car bought in 1983.


The first Nissan Silvia was rare and pricey, the second gen arrived in 1975 but it was very ugly so I doubt I'd have gone for that. So I think my choice of domestic JDM moderately quick coupe in 1983 would perhaps be a '70-'77 Celica like this

[mike9009]

A couple from my car history


(1996) bought 1987 VW Golf > 1967 VW Beetle > would have probably bought a Mini

(1997) bought 1990 Toyota MR2 > 1970 Toyota Celica > 1970 Datsun 240z

(2003) bought 2000 VX220 > 1980 Opel Manta (?) > would have probably bought a Manta

(2012) bought 1982 VW T25 camper > 1962 VW camper > Some equivalent British camper, Commer (?)

(2022) bought 2015 DS3 > 1995 AX GT > 1995 AX GT

[Riley Blue]

(1973) 1962 red Mini Traveller.

(1953) 1942.... were any comparable cars on sale during WW2? If not I'd probably have bought a 1930's Austin Seven which happens to have been my Dad's first car.

[anonymous-user]

1986, First car citroen Dyane, 1966, 2cv surely...

[hiccy18]

(1996) Nissan Bluebird '89 | Nissan Bluebird '69 > Morris Minor


(1998) BMW 325i Sport '90 | BMW 2002Ti


(2003) Nissan 200SX S14 '96 | Datsun Silvia 200SX (not sure it came to the UK) > Let's pretend I upgraded to a 2002 Turbo more likely a Commodore GS/E



Got into bikes after then so let's stop there, but feeling a lot of want looking at those pics.

[Mr Dendrite]

In 1985 I bought an MG midget so in 1965 it would be an MG midget
In 1994 I bought a Fiat X1/9 so in 1974 it would be a Fiat X1/9
In 2001 I bought a Golf GTI so in 1981 it would be a Golf GTI (ok mk4 vs mk1)
In 2021 I bought an Audi RS4 so in 2001 it would be an RS4 (ok B9 vs B5)

Am I doing this right

[lord summerisle]

2005 bought a 1994 Mk1 MX5 so, 85, would be looking at a mid 70s MG midget or MG B

Driven a succession of saab 9-5s since 2007, so would be looking at Saab 95, 96, 99, 900 turbos

Last purchase is a caterham 7, so, 20years ago the answer would be a caterham 7

[Eyersey1234]

First car in 2006 was an M reg Fiesta so 1986 would probably be a Mk2 Escort as the Mk1 Fiesta didn't go on sale in the UK until 1977.

November 2006 saw a new Fiesta arrive but see above

2008 saw a 2004 Fiat Panda purchased, 1988 would have been a 1984 Panda though I would probably have bought a 1984 Mini

2018 I got a Mk2 Focus 1 8tdci estate so 1998 would have been a Mk4 Escort Estate

2019 I bought a Chevrolet Matiz as a stopgap, 1999 I would have bought a 1986 Mini

My current Focus was bought in 2021 at 6 years old so 2011 I would have bought one of the last Mk1 Focuses

[Second Best]

Started driving in the mid-2000s, so I'd probably have ended in a 1.3 Polo if I was driving in the 80s.

I'm not rich but when I had some disposable in the 2010s onwards, I'd have probably had an original M3, 993 911, or Skyline if you wind the clock back 20 years.

Given how much those cars are going for these days, sometimes I think I should have been born in the 70s or 80s!

[white_goodman]

Good idea for a thread.

First car in 2000 was a '95 Astra 1.4 but I don't really fancy a Chevette/Viva, so think that I would have gone with a '75 mk2 Escort 1.3 (or maybe a mk1 Golf 1.5)

'91 205 GTi 1.6 > '71 mk1 Escort RS1600
'03 Mazda MX5 > mk1 MR2 T-Bar (or maybe a Fiat X1/9)
'91 BMW 325i > '71 BMW 2002tii
'94 VW Corrado VR6 > mk1 Scirocco wouldn't have made much sense as an "upgrade" (much less power), so maybe a mk1/2 Capri V6?

2000 Golf GTi > mk1 Golf GTi
2008 Polo TDI > needed something cheaper to insure and more economical, so possibly a 205 Diesel but I think that I might have preferred a Nova SR

2004 Impreza WRX Wagon > Audi quattro or maybe a Ford Sierra XR4x4

'99 Mercedes C250TD Estate > '79 Mercedes 300TD TE
'01 Jeep Grand Cherokee > '81 Range Rover
'13 Honda Civic > '93 (would have loved a Civic VTi but then the next move wouldn't have made sense so just a 1.5 3/4 door I guess)

'09 MINI Cooper > '89 205 GTi 1.6
'16 VW Golf GT TSI Estate > don't really fancy a mk3 Golf Estate, so maybe an E36 328i Touring?

My wife's cars (the family cars).

'09 Fiat 500 > should be a Panda really but '89 would prefer a Fiat Uno Turbo ie or an Alfasud Sprint

'14 Toyota Auris > don't fancy a '94 Corolla, so maybe a Rover 416 GTi/Cavalier SRi/Mondeo Si/Primera eGT?

'15 Chrysler Grand Voyager > think I would have preferred an Espace/Previa 20 years ago but really a Land Rover Discovery 1 300 TDi if we could have afforded one.

So I guess that if I was 20 years older, I might have been more of a Ford/Land Rover guy but I might have made some similar choices to what I have too...

Edited by white_goodman on Tuesday 21st February 05:00

[coppice]

I bought my first car in 1975 , a badass Riley 1300 , uprated by a Hesketh Racing sticker and an Astrali wheel. But in 1955 ..Jeez , a load of worn out pre- war old tut , with dreams of an MG TC or a Porsche 356A perhaps . Not a great time unless you liked a choice of Thirties 'Austin Sevens for £peanuts

[Stick Legs]

1994- 1983 Volvo 340 = 1974- 1963 Morris Minor.
1995- 1985 Vauxhall Cav SRi = 1965 Vauxhall Velox.
1996- 1986 Ford Capri = 1966 Ford Consol Capri.
2000- 1994 Nissan 200SX = 1974 Datsun 260Z.
2002- 1989 Jaguar XJ-S = 1969 Jaguar E-Type.
2003- 1982 BMW 635CSi = 1962 BMW 3200CS.
2006- 1990 Volvo 740 Turbo = 1970 Volvo 164.
2007- 1988 Jaguar XJ-S = 1968 Jaguar E-Type.
2010- 1996 Range Rover = 1976 Range Rover.
2013- 2010 BMW 530d = 1990 BMW 535i.
2017- 2016 BMW 530d = 1996 BMW 535i.
2021- 2015 Range Rover = 1995 Range Rover.


I don’t think I’d have had any less fun TBH.

Edited by Stick Legs on Tuesday 21st February 09:47

[brillomaster]

Well first car was a mid 90s peugeot 306, so that would likely be a mid seventies econo box. nothing exciting.

First decent car was a 1998 Mazda Mx5, so equivalent would be a 1978 MGB roadster.

then i had a 2003 Nissan 350z - so i like to think, a late seventies Datsun 280Z.

and a 2003 BMW Z4 - slightly trickier as the Z1 is too new for twenty years ago. so i reckon some kind of TVR - maybe an early eighties TVR tasmin?

daily drivers are easy - generally, 2006-2008 BMW E90 3 series, so that'd be 1986-1988 BMW E30 325i.

[SweptVolume]

coppice said:

I bought my first car in 1975 , a badass Riley 1300 , uprated by a Hesketh Racing sticker and an Astrali wheel. But in 1955 ..Jeez , a load of worn out pre- war old tut , with dreams of an MG TC or a Porsche 356A perhaps . Not a great time unless you liked a choice of Thirties 'Austin Sevens for £peanuts

Yeah, this game is more or less fun depending on when you were born, I think.

[Stick Legs]

You could always play it the other way.

My 1989 XJ-S bought in 2001 when I was 24 would now be a 2010 Jaguar XK (X150)

[Truckosaurus]

I did buy a nearly new 'classic' Mini Cooper in 1995, so probably would have got a 1275GT in 1975.

Then I had a SAAB 900, which would match nicely to a 70s 96 or 99.

I wonder if 70s me would have been tempted by a mk1 Escort or Dolly Sprint or six cylinder Triumph saloon.

[hammo19]

Mini Clubman 1275GT
Skoda Estelle

Probably…..