Cars that are ageing well? :)

[Jimbo.]

martin84 said:

I owned one for a couple of years and it was a fantastic car. Probably the most reliable car ive ever owned, it was totally trouble free, i never even had to replace a bulb. I know some taxi drivers who swear by the HDi versions, some have run them to 250k+ and are still on the road running faultlessly.

My 406 surprised me because French cars are usually a pile of unreliable dross but i think the 406 was made during lunch hour when someone sensible snuck in and made it.

French lunch "hours" are quite long, mind, so maybe they just took their time

[sherbert90]

heppers75 said:

I would have to vote for the XJS... Especially mine!

I've always liked the buttresses at the back, one of my favourite details on a car.

[J4CKO]

[Attym3]

Codswallop said:

[/pic]

Good shout.

[martin84]

People hated this when it came out. They went 'urrgghhhh!!!!' at it. But now, nearly 15 years on does it look any more controversial than the bizarre looking stuff BMW started making in the 00s?

[heppers75]

martin84 said:

People hated this when it came out. They went 'urrgghhhh!!!!' at it. But now, nearly 15 years on does it look any more controversial than the bizarre looking stuff BMW started making in the 00s?

Odd timing... Saw one in the petrol station this evening and thought... mmmm you know has an edge (excuse the pun!) I do prefer the Capri it was supposed to replace though!

[Turbo Harry]

For a car that was penned at the tail end of the Eighties, this still looks really fresh.

[martin84]

heppers75 said:

Odd timing... Saw one in the petrol station this evening and thought... mmmm you know has an edge (excuse the pun!) I do prefer the Capri it was supposed to replace!

Ive always thought the Cougar was ahead of its time. If anything if you really squint at the front end it looks a bit new-Mondeo-ish. It was 5 years too early. Like i said BMW brought out some bizarre looking stuff a few years later and people bought them.

[Roadrunner23]

E39 BMW 5 Series

[Baryonyx]

Funny to see the GTO mentioned there. I saw one parked up the other day, a Twin Turbo VR4 model. What surprised me was how big it was in person!

Take, the mk2 MR2:





First released in 1989 and still looking very sharp today! It's a shame though, to think we'll not see cars like that again with swoopy, low front ends and pop up headlights.

[Attym3]

Baryonyx said:

Funny to see the GTO mentioned there. I saw one parked up the other day, a Twin Turbo VR4 model. What surprised me was how big it was in person!

Take, the mk2 MR2:





First released in 1989 and still looking very sharp today! It's a shame though, to think we'll not see cars like that again with swoopy, low front ends and pop up headlights.

Expect some strange phone calls!!

[Baryonyx]

Attym3 said:

Expect some strange phone calls!!

That was the PH SOTW a while ago...long since sold I suspect!

[martin84]

Baryonyx said:

Funny to see the GTO mentioned there. I saw one parked up the other day, a Twin Turbo VR4 model. What surprised me was how big it was in person!

Take, the mk2 MR2:





First released in 1989 and still looking very sharp today! It's a shame though, to think we'll not see cars like that again with swoopy, low front ends and pop up headlights.

That was launched four years before this...

[Waugh-terfall]

I'm going to suggest the Phase-2 Renaultsport Clio 172:


and the 182:


though I'm not the interiors biggest fan...

[Jamirecluse]

Is the only difference between those Clios the wheels and wipers?

[martin84]

Jamirecluse said:

Is the only difference between those Clios the wheels and wipers?

Im just guessing here but 10 horsepower?

[anonymous-user]

Attym3 said:

Codswallop said:

[/pic]

Good shout.

If anything, the A2 looks better now (and very contemporary) than when it was actually released !

[230TE]

SWoll said:

Audi Convertible (Lady Di vintage) - Saw an immaculate one the other day in London and still looked good.

Funny that, I always call it the 'Diana' model, even though I think she only had one on loan from Audi UK for a few months. Coupe version still looks nice in its old age:

[joe58]

Ford Ka mk1. Truly great piece of design with real surfacing and lines all going places, no 'flab'. Not a single one looks battered on the outside due to plastic bumpers, which unlike other cars were made to be part of the design and not a traditional after thought. First release in 1996.

I salute it.

[Waugh-terfall]

martin84 said:

Jamirecluse said:

Is the only difference between those Clios the wheels and wipers?

Im just guessing here but 10 horsepower?

They're both French-spec cars, the red 172 is just a mirrored image to make it look RHD. RHD cars all have LHD-set wipers with a huge pivot hinge on the 'passenger' side to kick the blade out to sweep into the corners to provide adequate visibility.

Differences between the two models, other than the 182s obvious power hike are grey headlamp units instead of black, new wheels, slight changes in the seat fabric design, new rear bumper with centre-exit twin exhausts (hidden on the 172), the 6-disc CD changer was dropped from standard spec, but Cruise and ESP became standard, spare wheel was moved too.