Older cars you have seen

[Flange Squeal]

Just seen a dark green 1.8i Citroen ZX driving in Guidford (Surrey). Looked like it could still be in use as someone's local daily driver judging by the battle scars and peeling paint, unless it's actually in the very early stages of a restoration project! Didn't catch the reg but it was the post-facelift one, so I think 1995-98.

 

[telstarbox]

I've just had my first visit to Ibiza and always enjoy visits to Med islands for the number of older vehicles seen. They are usually very well beaten up, but continue to do their day to day job. 60s and 70s are rare, but 80s and 90s vehicles aren't uncommon.

70s Renault 4 and 6
Mk 4 Fiestas
Mk1 Focus
Original Panda and Seat Marbella
A Fiat 146L camper van
Mondeos
Corsas
Astras
Lancias

but prize spot was a vehicle I've never seen before from the early days of Seat. A Seat 1500, based on a Fiat 2300 with a smaller engine.

Very good! Thanks for sharing this.

 

[birchesgreen]

Passed a V reg XJ6 on the way home today, parked outside a chippy. The driver looked like he was eating a bag of chips, excellent.

 

[david1212]

Rolls Royce Silver Spirit 1985. Just under 100k miles from MOT log and was 86k miles back in 2006 but of course could still be second time around if mileometer is 5 digit.
On a ' 4 number + 2 letter plate ' so details from https://www.checkcardetails.co.uk

 

[DelW]

An R prefix Rover 200 parked next to me yesterday, the first time I've seen one of those for a long time. Looked "daily driver" not concours, driven by an oldish lady taking dogs for a walk in the country.

Also often parked near my house, a P prefix Peugeot 106 and a Y prefix Renault Clio, both look like economical daily transport not pampered items.

 

[dgl]

Was this Y reg Ford Focus green? My bro-in-law's brother has one.

The standard Light Sapphire Blue. Spotted in Crewkerne with a Misterton Garage dealer sticker, though the plates were from another garage in Crewkerne.
I believe my Grans X reg Focus is still on the road, it is currently taxed an MOT'd.

 

[Dr_Paul]

For me, a motor is old when its number plate finishes with a year letter. Ones whose number plate starts with a year letter aren't old! Ones which don't have a year letter are really getting old.

 

[GusB]

For me, a motor is old when its number plate finishes with a year letter. Ones whose number plate starts with a year letter aren't old!

How do you define "old"?

The "A" prefix was issued in 1983, which is more than 40 years ago - that's fairly ancient in car years.

Ones which don't have a year letter are really getting old.

Yes and no. A load of LLLNNN and NNNLLL (L = letter, N = number), as well as NNNNLL and LLNNNN registrations are used as private/cherished/vanity plates - AMS1 is one example.

DVLA (or was it still DVLC back then?) issued a load of such plates for re-registrations. Many bus companies took advantage and used them in order to disguise the age of their older vehicles; those registrations have since been transferred to other vehicles as time progressed.

This is probably a subject for a new thread, though!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

For me, a motor is old when its number plate finishes with a year letter. Ones whose number plate starts with a year letter aren't old! Ones which don't have a year letter are really getting old.

The newest year letter prefix plates (disregarding newer vehicles with vanity plates) are now 25 years old.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Oct 2025 ==

DVLA (or was it still DVLC back then?)

It's DVSA now (though my brain still defaults to DVLA).

 

[Jamesrob637]

A B reg Volvo in Heaton Moor, Stockport. See it quite regularly so it must still be a weekly if not a daily.

 

[Dr_Paul]

How do you define "old"?

The "A" prefix was issued in 1983, which is more than 40 years ago - that's fairly ancient in car years.


Yes and no. A load of LLLNNN and NNNLLL (L = letter, N = number), as well as NNNNLL and LLNNNN registrations are used as private/cherished/vanity plates - AMS1 is one example.

DVLA (or was it still DVLC back then?) issued a load of such plates for re-registrations. Many bus companies took advantage and used them in order to disguise the age of their older vehicles; those registrations have since been transferred to other vehicles as time progressed.

This is probably a subject for a new thread, though!

True enough, although in mitigation getting to the biblical three score years and ten does affect the way I view the passing of years, not least when I can recall the first series of year letters coming in, A in 1963. My G reg Micra from 1989 would be pretty old by now, not that I imagine it's still going (the garage where I bought a replacement bought it off me for £100 for the apprentices to practice on).

Yes, pre-1963 numbers do get passed down; a pal of mine kept the plate from his first motor, transferring it to each new one he bought (much to his wife's bafflement). I've seen pre-1963 Routemaster registrations on more modern London buses, with the result that some surviving Routemasters now bear non-RM registrations.

 

[90019]

A very tidy looking N reg Vauxhall Astra seen in Castleford this afternoon.

 

[Bald Rick]

Yes, pre-1963 numbers do get passed down; a pal of mine kept the plate from his first motor, transferring it to each new one he bought (much to his wife's bafflement). I've seen pre-1963 Routemaster registrations on more modern London buses, with the result that some surviving Routemasters now bear non-RM registrations.

A relative of mine has 1 XXX (XXX not being the real letters!), which her mother got at new in about 1957. Worth 6 figures now, whihc is substantially more than her car is worth. A sound investment for no cost!

 

[Sun Chariot]

Following post 87, here's another 34 year old Swede. This time, a Volvo 240 - the quintissential Volvo of my teens. It was registered March 1991 and it looks in good condition.

 

[ExRes]

Saw a W registration VW Polo (1980 /81) a couple of days ago, super condition especially when I consider my little Fiat Uno run from 1987, 1988 & 1989 none of which appear to exist any longer, not even the 1988 Turbo ie

 

[Bald Rick]

Saw a W registration VW Polo (1980 /81) a couple of days ago, super condition especially when I consider my little Fiat Uno run from 1987, 1988 & 1989 none of which appear to exist any longer, not even the 1988 Turbo ie

Fiat Uno Turbo, now that was a car. The Unos suffered badly from tinworm, though.

 

[ExRes]

Fiat Uno Turbo, now that was a car. The Unos suffered badly from tinworm, though.

I only had mine for 15 months from new so obviously didn't have that sort of problem, there was a batch of faulty clutch cables which the warranty sorted without my wallet being disturbed and a speeding ticket which did need the wallet, luckily the Police and I only crossed paths on that one occasion, the big worry was the turbo which was going off by 15000 miles even with 100% dealer servicing so I got shot before anything expensive happened, the Turbo ie had two big rivals at that time, the Renault 5 GT Turbo and the Peugeot 205 1.9 GTi

 

[Sun Chariot]

Two for the price of one on this morning's dog walk:

1974 Mercedes W114/115 coupe; it's unbadged but possibly a 250C or a 280C. It is parked on a local road.
A car designed in the decade after the Mercedes in this post. This Rover SD1 is a 1983-registered facelift 2600S. It wears a non OEM body kit, dubious paint job and it needs a lot of TLC

My first car was a 1986/D SD1 in targa red (LMS ctimson lake).

And, coincidentally, just after taking the photos of that Rover, I espied the Cortina Mk3 GXL I'd photographed in post 15...

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Only the previews are upside down. The full size photos are the right way up.

 

[CarltonA]

Have seen a Fiat Mulipla recently, what an ugly creation! Not seen the equally unpleasant Nissan Prairie for a few years now.

 

[D6130]

Until last year we had a 1967-vintage FIAT 500 stored in our garage here in Italy on behalf of the family of an elderly neighbour who had passed away. It was painted in Ferrari red, complete with the yellow stripe. The local garage has a white one and a yellow one in their showroom....along with several other vintage vehicles from the 1950's and '60s.

There are plenty of 500s still on the roads in Italy and they have acquired a sort of cult status similar to that of the original Minis in the UK. Much more rare nowadays are the FIAT 600, 650, 700 and 750 (Multipla?).... although one of the latter turned up outside our village church as a wedding car a couple of years before lockdown.

 

[KT550]

A yellow, V suffix (May 1980) Triumph Dolomite Sprint, seen parked on the road in Chelmsford yesterday.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

This particularly stunning Rolls Royce at Yarmouth ferry terminal yesterday...

 

[birchesgreen]

This particularly stunning Rolls Royce at Yarmouth ferry terminal yesterday...

Oh that's superb. If this thread has a "winner" then that might be it.

 

[Snow1964]

Saw a Citroen Traction Avant being driven in Corsham (Wilts) yesterday. Black and left hand drive and for a heritage vehicle didn't half accelerate quickly as it pulled away from junctions.

 

[telstarbox]

Perhaps it was an Ev conversion?

 

[david1212]

R plate (August 1997 - July 1998) Mazda Bongo Friendee with lift up roof as we were discussing a couple of weeks ago.
Similar to the Wikipedia photo except not 4WD, or at least not with the decals.

 

[Silent]

H reg Nissan Micra

 

[telstarbox]

C suffix Morris 1000 in Brighton. Light green with the wooden doors!

 

[birchesgreen]

K reg Beetle in Saunderton yesterday.