Favourite motoring era
Discussion
Not sure if a topic like this has been covered before but I thought it would make for an interesting discussion. What is your favourite era as a modern day petrolhead?
I know this is quite a subjective topic, and there will be wide variety of opinions/favourite eras for cars. But I wanted it to focus on cars that can still be used without too much difficulty today.
My personal opinion is that the late 90s up to late noughties is about the perfect balance between usable modern daily and old enough not to have been strangled by emissions regulations etc. Pretty much all of the cars I look at buying or own now are from this period.
I have owned modern cars still in production today and gone back to cars from the mid 2000s and really not felt much difference from a usability point of view. Most cars from this period can be retrofitted with things like an android screen to allow for carplay etc and bring them up to date. If you have a car with decent spec, there really isn't much a newer car would do a whole lot better IMO.
What I really like from this period of cars is the engine choice. From revvy little 4 cylinders, an array of different configurations of 6 cylinders, all the way to the madness of a V10 M5. All with a unique character and from a time when engine sound was a big deal, there really is something for everyone.
Now of course today's cars are faster, more powerful, more reliable and more efficient. This isn't meant to be a thread to knock the current car market, you may feel like the current market is better than it ever has been. There's no right or wrong answer here!
So what do we all think?
I know this is quite a subjective topic, and there will be wide variety of opinions/favourite eras for cars. But I wanted it to focus on cars that can still be used without too much difficulty today.
My personal opinion is that the late 90s up to late noughties is about the perfect balance between usable modern daily and old enough not to have been strangled by emissions regulations etc. Pretty much all of the cars I look at buying or own now are from this period.
I have owned modern cars still in production today and gone back to cars from the mid 2000s and really not felt much difference from a usability point of view. Most cars from this period can be retrofitted with things like an android screen to allow for carplay etc and bring them up to date. If you have a car with decent spec, there really isn't much a newer car would do a whole lot better IMO.
What I really like from this period of cars is the engine choice. From revvy little 4 cylinders, an array of different configurations of 6 cylinders, all the way to the madness of a V10 M5. All with a unique character and from a time when engine sound was a big deal, there really is something for everyone.
Now of course today's cars are faster, more powerful, more reliable and more efficient. This isn't meant to be a thread to knock the current car market, you may feel like the current market is better than it ever has been. There's no right or wrong answer here!
So what do we all think?
IMO we have had 15+ years during which manufacturers only seem to have been interested in safety and fuel economy, and that has been to the detriment of all the factors I really care about. So I agree with you OP, peak car to me as a petrolhead was probably around the millennium give or take a few years.
However in some ways I do envy the boomer generation in this respect. Motoring in the 60s, say, offered a lot more 'opportunity' to get involved technically. Different makes and models used to be so distinct from one another and seemed to have so much more character. Popular car and motorbike based culture seemed to exist in a way which it just doesn't anymore, only in niches.
However in some ways I do envy the boomer generation in this respect. Motoring in the 60s, say, offered a lot more 'opportunity' to get involved technically. Different makes and models used to be so distinct from one another and seemed to have so much more character. Popular car and motorbike based culture seemed to exist in a way which it just doesn't anymore, only in niches.
Another vote for noughties to about 2010. Good blend of safety, dynamics and design.
After that, weight piled on as did technical complexity and increasingly bloated design. Not so much cars any more as four-year-lease lifestyle accessories.
After that, weight piled on as did technical complexity and increasingly bloated design. Not so much cars any more as four-year-lease lifestyle accessories.
Edited by FA57REN on Wednesday 21st September 17:36
2005-2010.
Cars were refreshed from the old 90s cars and brought hugely up to date with new styles that still look modern today, yet still retained their relative mechanical simplicity (not just under the bonnet (pre hybrid era) but inside the cabin, with actual buttons to press - and CD players for music (far better than tape players, and arguably simpler and easier to use than modern touch screens too)). Less to go wrong and less to become technologically dated too.
Also better at not rusting than their 90s counterparts and so this era are still a common sight on the roads today.
All the cars on my ‘to own’ list are from that era.
Cars were refreshed from the old 90s cars and brought hugely up to date with new styles that still look modern today, yet still retained their relative mechanical simplicity (not just under the bonnet (pre hybrid era) but inside the cabin, with actual buttons to press - and CD players for music (far better than tape players, and arguably simpler and easier to use than modern touch screens too)). Less to go wrong and less to become technologically dated too.
Also better at not rusting than their 90s counterparts and so this era are still a common sight on the roads today.
All the cars on my ‘to own’ list are from that era.
Edited by Cloudy147 on Wednesday 21st September 17:38
Edited by Cloudy147 on Wednesday 21st September 17:40
If I could go back in time and experience it...
1990s - as stated, cars were technically competent but still interesting
early 1960s - before extra-urban speed limits, and you had things like the E-Type, Cobras, Ferraris, Astons, US Muscle cars
however in terms of choosing a car today, I'm unsure how much I want to commit to maintaining even 90s cars in our moist climate.
asimmalik said:
My personal opinion is that the late 90s up to late noughties is about the perfect balance between usable modern daily and old enough not to have been strangled by emissions regulations etc.
Having a fairly normal car of that era in the household that is great fun to drive, no difficulty to live with, simple and cheap to work on, used daily and just keeps on going, I have to agree.I suspect that the mid-late 80s may have been better for driving enjoyment. The mid 90s, when I began driving) was certainly less busy and less restrictive than now.
Edited by MC Bodge on Wednesday 21st September 22:28
Mid 90's to mid 2000's.
Big NA engines with enough power to be fun.
Simple enough to fix when they go wrong and had fuel injection so they worked properly.
I hate modern cars. They all have direct injection so they sound farty, turbos mean the power curve is boom and bust, lots of complexity that doesn't seem to benefit the driver and they all feel the same to drive.
Admittedly, most of the new cars i've driven have been hum-drum hire cars but there isn't a single one that I gave a second thought to after tossing the keys back over the Enterprise counter.
Big NA engines with enough power to be fun.
Simple enough to fix when they go wrong and had fuel injection so they worked properly.
I hate modern cars. They all have direct injection so they sound farty, turbos mean the power curve is boom and bust, lots of complexity that doesn't seem to benefit the driver and they all feel the same to drive.
Admittedly, most of the new cars i've driven have been hum-drum hire cars but there isn't a single one that I gave a second thought to after tossing the keys back over the Enterprise counter.
biggbn said:
Now. And that has been, and always will be my answer
Seriously? Cars chock full of electric s
t, ubiquitous 2 litre turbos in homogeneous blob shaped cars, dreadful Road surfaces, dreadful levels of traffic. Once you could tell what country you're in by looking at the cars, now they're all pretty much exactly the same wherever you go, styled by safety and aerodynamics.The hot hatches of the 80s were bloody good fun imo, since then it was all more weight, size, grip, and speed that can't be used.
I think the 1950s and 60s would be best, so long as I have money to spend. Back then there were countless genuine motoring adventures to be had, including rallying all over Europe in near standard cars.
James6112 said:
2000’s
Maybe the roads were quieter before, but the average car was dreadful.
Rose tinted specs, driving an E type in the 60s. Reality, a Skoda family saloon is just as fast!
You cannot be serious? You're equating driving an E Type on unlimited and traffic free roads with driving a Skoda saloon today, simply because cars of today require no input to drive quickly? Maybe the roads were quieter before, but the average car was dreadful.
Rose tinted specs, driving an E type in the 60s. Reality, a Skoda family saloon is just as fast!
Baldchap said:
A other vote for now.
If you don't think cars are better than ever you're buying the wrong ones.
I'm not buying any of them.If you don't think cars are better than ever you're buying the wrong ones.
But dear god. I am amazed. People actually think now is the best time?
I'm struggling to think of anything that's better for the enthusiast. For those not interested in cars or motoring I'd definitely agree, for those keen on willy waving, sure cars with 100s of bhp are readily available.
But for fun? Absolutely no way. The classic car shows are great of course, but that kind of is the point.
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