What 20 year old car would you choose as your daily drive?

[Byff]

For the last three years, I have been using this recently turned 20yr old as my daily driver.



I like to try and keep it clean, but it's usually filthy....



It gets used year round too, even in slippery stuff which is a bit



1997 TVR Cerbera - a genuine daily driver

[BGarside]

Don't need to drive every day but my only car is a '95 BMW 328i coupe.

[BarbaricAvatar]

No-Brainer!

[Z06George]

My daily is a '98 V70 so nearly there. It's barely run in at 130,000 miles and runs great, paint/interior isn't too bad. One of the comfiest cars I've ever been in regardless of age or style!

[NickCQ]

lee_erm said:

Almost 20:



In 1.6 Zetec form. The perfect every day car in my eyes.

Did a double take there. Now I feel old - 1998 really was 19 years ago. Still looks fresh somehow.

[twoblacklines]

white_goodman said:

I watched the first ever episode of Midsomer Murders with my wife on Netflix the other night and couldn't believe it was 20 years ago and that the show was still going! Questionable plot line aside, one of the things I enjoy most about watching old shows is seeing what cars the characters were driving back then. Barnaby and Troy were tooling around from murder scene to murder scene in a mk1 Mondeo, a once hugely popular car, although one that I haven't seen on the road for ages. This got me thinking. 1997 was a fairly interesting time on the roads with half of the newer designs being recognisably modern i.e. airbags, ABS, thicker doors due to crash protection structures etc and half older cars without any of these features, carburettors and cardboard-thin doors etc and yet not that many cars of this vintage survive. Are there any cars on sale new in 1997 that you would happily use as your daily driver today?

There are the obvious modern classics: Ferrari F355/550 Maranello, Porsche 993 Carrera, R129 Mercedes SL etc but these are all appreciating classics, so I'm not sure whether you would want to be piling commuter miles on them.

Peugeot had some pretty decent hot hatches around at the time: 106 GTi/Rallye/306 GTi-6 but having run a 205 GTi as my daily at 12 years old, I'm not sure whether a 20 year old Peugeot is the best choice. Quite a few 4-seat coupes and 2-seat roadsters available at the time but nothing really jumps out at me.

Which brings me on to luxury cars. I can kind of see people's obsession today with German cars if I look back 20 years, as there are some fairly modern, comfortable and handsome options and the perceived difference in build quality between a mass-market Ford/Vauxhall/Rover/Peugeot/Citroen/Peugeot really did exist back then. I'm thinking the then all-new C5 Audi A6 quattro, D2 Audi A8, E38 7-Series etc. The Jaguar XJ6/XJ8 X300/X308 and Lexus LS400 probably deserve a special mention too.

On balance though, I think that I would choose a BMW 528i SE in dark metallic blue/green, no real preference on transmission, a slightly predictable but good choice I think. Other than the original, I think it's the best looking 5, modern power, better fuel economy than the E34 and still with most of the comfort and convenience features and space of a modern car. It may even ride better too!



So, if you had to run a 20 year old car as a daily (so we're talking P/R-registration cars here), what would you pick?

OEM Golf Vr6 OBD2 (1997) 3 door in black or mystic blue please. Not sure any exist that haven't been modified?
Failing that 735i or something of that esque.

[ChemicalChaos]

I'd have a Ford Scorpio V6 as a daily barge cum sleeper.
OK, it's ugly as sin but it has a Cosworth 24v V6, and look hoe comfy those seats are!

[Mr Tidy]

Byff said:

For the last three years, I have been using this recently turned 20yr old as my daily driver.



I like to try and keep it clean, but it's usually filthy....



It gets used year round too, even in slippery stuff which is a bit



1997 TVR Cerbera - a genuine daily driver

Stunning OP - you've won!

Fantastic car!

[white_goodman]

s m said:

Although even by 1997 the Mk1 Mondeo was an old model, the Mk2 was in full run by then

To be fair if it was first aired in 1997, so it was probably filmed in 1996. I think it was an N or a P reg (definitely a mk1 anyway). Mk2 not that much different? i.e. the mk1 Mondeo still feels fairly modern, the car has just got bigger, whereas the Sierra does feel like an old car now.

Some great choices on this thread. I love that turquoise XJR. I liked these even when I was 15, probably even more so than the newer V8. 7k seems like quite a lot of money for a 20+ year old car but it's probably worth it. Not such a great era for Mercedes if I recall correctly (I've had a 1999 C-Class and liked it but rust was a big problem) but I love the W124 Coupe (1997 too late to pick up a new one of these though?) and that C36 is really nice too.

Also some nice E36 Coupes that some of you are still running and big respect to the guy who runs a 20 year old Cerbera as his all-year round daily!

[TR4man]

Byff said:

For the last three years, I have been using this recently turned 20yr old as my daily driver.



I like to try and keep it clean, but it's usually filthy....



It gets used year round too, even in slippery stuff which is a bit



1997 TVR Cerbera - a genuine daily driver

Well done!

Not the most obvious choice but the most stylish! Bet you are one of the few who actually look forward to the daily commute.

[gibson2004]

Byff said:

For the last three years, I have been using this recently turned 20yr old as my daily driver.



I like to try and keep it clean, but it's usually filthy....



It gets used year round too, even in slippery stuff which is a bit



1997 TVR Cerbera - a genuine daily driver

Some cars just dont age, amazing how its 20 years old. Hats off to you Sir!

[kambites]

With my current (very low) mileage, probably an early S1 Elise. If I was doing a few more, maybe an NSX.

[CanAm]

I'm still driving a 20 year-old car, my Caterham Supersport.
For the family barge I would happily go back to my Omega V6. Ignoring the Clarksons of this world, in a group test Autocar put it just behind the E-Class and 5 Series and miles ahead of the Granada and Rover.

[mickyveloce]

Here's a little related evidence for discussion.

Using the Autotrader site, type in 1995 as the maximum year and press search.

Mercedes are front runners with 200 cars currently for sale, followed by Porsche and Land Rover.
Mainstream cars of the period which sold in greater numbers are way down the list.
We could list quality, pride of ownership or a number of variables, but it makes for a good guide as to what will serve well as a daily driver.

[PowerslideSWE]

Z06George said:

My daily is a '98 V70 so nearly there. It's barely run in at 130,000 miles and runs great, paint/interior isn't too bad. One of the comfiest cars I've ever been in regardless of age or style!

Same as me then. 1998 V70 2.0, the slowest one there is, makes a lovely 5-pot warble tho, and for a very long time aswell, lazy thing that it is. Almost 270.000 miles on the clock, had it in for the Swedish equivalent of the MOT yesterday, perfect exhaust emissions and zero rust.

My other semi daily (when I finally get the damn thing) is a soon 20 year old e39 M5.

[Prawo Jazdy]

Top Gear Car of the Year '97 for me - Ford Puma.

My first car, which I had for five years. I loved it and would love the chance to have one from new. I would drive it Bilthamber from the showroom and immediately get it properly treated for rust prevention. Then it would be perfect.

[S10GTA]

Volvo 850R for me. Sure they were still available in 1997.

[Stickyfinger]

I already use a 20 year old as a (summer) daily.....comfort, very very silly handling and plenty of power for modern roads.



It is a nice place to spend time inside as well

Edited by Stickyfinger on Tuesday 30th May 09:21

[SturdyHSV]

Bought a few hundred quid's worth of C250TD estate with a manual for a stag do. Really quite liked it, 5 pot sounds alright, used it daily for a month or so, it survived the stag, and on those big squishy tyres the ride is smooth and composed.



Sure, it's a 99, but there are 97s available. I'd just use that and let the body panels rust away around me whilst it soldiered on

[PowerslideSWE]

Stickyfinger said:

I already use a 20 year old as a (summer) daily.....comfort, very very silly handling and plenty of power for modern roads.



It is a nice place to spend time inside as well

Edited by Stickyfinger on Tuesday 30th May 09:21

Activa. Suspect that it may suprise alot of faster metal on a twisty road that thing.