# Cars you just don't see anymore **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 10, 2004, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206 "2004-08-10T15:44:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/21 "2004-08-11T01:33:02Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > You guys have mostly mentioned cars that weren’t that popular to begin with but I know of one _extremely_ popular car that I haven’t seen in quite some time; and I know because I’ve been looking: the Chrysler K-car. I haven’t seen one of the originals (1981) in a long time either. I’ve seen more Pacers in the past 10 years than K-cars. ---
**Author:** ![Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bottle_of_Smoke)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/22 "2004-08-11T01:34:16Z")
Funny, I was just coming in here to see if anyone had mentioned the K car. And yes, I actually saw one the other day. I stopped behind one at a red light and was so surprised to see one that I startled my wife by practically shouting “Holy Crap! A K-car!” I had forgotten just how big the “K” was on the back. And how ugly they were. I hadn’t seen one of those babies in years. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/23 "2004-08-11T01:35:38Z")
[I’m sure you could scare up a couple hundred bucks!](http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2486468814&category=6387&sspagename=WDVW) ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/24 "2004-08-11T01:44:19Z")
I went car shopping in 1986. Looked at a Yugo. The salesman put me off right away; he didn’t seem greedy, he seemed _desperate_. He pointed out that the car came with its _own tool set_, as well as a free warranty that covered the thing for more than two years. That scared the hell out of me. The fact that the car required special tools was bad enough, but a free two year warranty plan? Man, if they’d have thrown in free insurance, I’d have been convinced the thing would blow up as I was driving it off the lot. From what I understand, none of them actually exploded during a test drive, but most of my other concerns turned out to be pretty real… ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/25 "2004-08-11T02:06:33Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Back in the late 70’s/early 80’s, my father had both a Volare AND as Aspen. He was a Chrylser/Plymouth fan for some ungodly reason. I learned to drive in a [1970 Chrysler Newport](http://www.americandreamcars.com/1970newport070903.jpg). It was a dull gray with a black vinyl top, weighed about 47 tons, and handled like the Titanic AFTER the iceberg. Dude, my first car was a 1971 Chrysler Newport with a 383, and the only time it handled as bad as you describe was when the powersteering went out on me. Man, I’d give my left nut to have another one! I haven’t seen a Mustang II in I don’t know how long. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/26 "2004-08-11T02:15:39Z")
[QUOTE=kniz] [ul][li] **DeSota** [/li][li] **Packard** [/li][li] **Henry J** [/ul][/li][/QUOTE] Uh, you meant [DeSot **o**](http://www.desoto.org/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=16&meid=-1), right? I’ve never heard of a Desot **a**. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/27 "2004-08-11T02:31:57Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Dude, my first car was a 1971 Chrysler Newport with a 383, and the only time it handled as bad as you describe was when the powersteering went out on me. Man, I’d give my left nut to have another one! > > I haven’t seen a Mustang II in I don’t know how long. Perhaps I was just intimidated by the beast, but I seem to recall making a turn and having the car respond within the hour. I haven’t seen a Mustang II in a long time either. Not that that’s a bad thing. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/28 "2004-08-11T02:46:06Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Perhaps I was just intimidated by the beast, but I seem to recall making a turn and having the car respond within the hour. Must have been, because I could just tap the wheel and cut across six lanes, no sweat. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/29 "2004-08-11T02:56:36Z")
This thread has had me thinking about old cars all day! Remember when the Cougar came out with the “hideaway headlights”? It looked like a solid grille all the way across the front, until you turned on the lights, then the doors would come up. When I was a kid, I thought that was _so cool!_. Then, not long afterwards, you’d see them with one broken headlight door that was always up, or halfway down. A good idea that went for a crap. I’ll bet I haven’t seen one of those since 1971. About the K cars, a friend of mine’s dad had one, and said friend would drive it at dusk, while wearing a captain’s hat, for fun. What you need to know about this is that the police force bought a whole fleet of K cars, and some of them were used as unmarked police cars. So he took me out for a ride one evening, but I had to wear a similar hat. You would not believe how many other drivers slowed down when they saw us coming! ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/30 "2004-08-11T03:53:43Z")
I was thinking about K-cars too. I haven’t seen any outside of the Buffalo area in about two years. Before then, I saw them just about everywhere. Maybe all the old owners died; they did have a reputation as an old person’s car, much like the Dodge Dart and Plymouth Valiant in the 1970s. Go to Buffalo, though, and they’re still around; they were EXTREMELY popular, especially in powder blue, among older Polish-Americans in the eastern suburbs, who traditionally favored Chrysler products for some reason unknown. The Reliant on eBay looks like it’s in great shape. A few other “they seemed to disappear overnight” cars … - Ford Festiva - Chevrolet Citation - Pontiac LeMans (built in Korea) - Peugeots, at least in the States – The remaining models all seemed to go “poof!” in 2000 ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/31 "2004-08-11T03:56:47Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > You guys have mostly mentioned cars that weren’t that popular to begin with but I know of one _extremely_ popular car that I haven’t seen in quite some time; and I know because I’ve been looking: the Chrysler K-car. > > It seemed like up until the late 90s everybody and their brother had a K-car, now I just don’t see them. > > Knowing the nature of the boards someone will come along and inform me that they own 6 of them and their neighbor lives in a driveable castle built of them but I’m telling you: _I_ haven’t seen one in forever. At this point America had only been building FWD cars for less than ten years, and still hadn’t gotten the bugs out yet. Anybody remember torque-steer? Anyway, cars with Macpherson Strut suspensions just don’t last as long as double-a arm tech. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/32 "2004-08-11T04:06:01Z")
> [@Bottle of Smoke](#): > > Funny, I was just coming in here to see if anyone had mentioned the K car. And yes, I actually saw one the other day. I stopped behind one at a red light and was so surprised to see one that I startled my wife by practically shouting “Holy Crap! A K-car!” > > I had forgotten just how big the “K” was on the back. And how ugly they were. I hadn’t seen one of those babies in years. It’s no wonder. How many K-cars has Red Green “modified” over the years? Are there any left at all? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/33 "2004-08-11T04:34:10Z")
> [@](#): > > For instance, I haven’t seen any of the following on the road in at least a few years, even though they weren’t that rare not so long ago … > > - first generation Ford Escort > - Chevrolet Chevette > - Suzuki Samurai > - Yugo > - any model Sterling > - Merkur XR4TI > - Volkswagen Fox > - pre-1998 Volkswagen Passat (B4 and B3 body styles) With the possible exceptions of the Sterling, Merkur and Passat, these and many of the other vehicles mentioned in this thread were low-priced, basic economy cars that were uninteresting to drive and built from poor-quality materials. The reason they are rarely seen any more, IMO, is because a) they’ve all pretty much fallen to pieces b) hardly anyone considers one worthy of a full restoration. This situation may change eventually; I was gobsmacked to find out recently that there are people who actually seek out and maintain Renault Dauphines, from personal experience by far the worst car anyone in our family has ever owned. That said, during a week-long sojourn to the Rust Belt last week, I saw a Merkur, a couple of exceedingly ropey-looking Foxes, and, most amazingly, two fairly well-maintained Chevettes in the same driveway. Down here in Houston, Suzuki Samurais are not unknown. Anyway, for my contribution I nominate the truly dire Chevrolet Vega, and its ‘sporty’ variant, the Monza. I remember when these wheeled turds were common as Cavaliers are today, but the fact that they were apparently built from pre-rusted sheet metal, and an aluminum engine that usually started burning oil within 10K mile from new, means that finding one still running is a bit of a challenge. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/34 "2004-08-11T12:49:25Z")
A few more that came to mind … - [Honda Civic Wagon](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/reviews/generations/honda.civic/84.honda.civicwagon.500.jpg) - Nissan Stanza ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/35 "2004-08-11T13:17:12Z")
I haven’t seen a CHECKER MARATHON (remember those old Checker cabs) in years! Regarding AMC: they never made really good cars…they were just cheap, reliable transportation. However, the 1970 AMC JAVELIN was quite a nice-looking car. PACKARD: I recently saw a 1956 Packard Clipper sedan for sale: immaculate! However, it weighed in at 4200 lbs…and NO power brakes! Can you imagine trying to stop this car?? ---
**Author:** ![Frank\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Frank\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank_2)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/36 "2004-08-11T14:10:51Z")
Take a trip to Dearborn, MI if you want to see some Merkurs. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/37 "2004-08-11T14:41:47Z")
Seems like there used to be a bunch of Fieros on the road but one day, like the Opal GT, they all just disappeared. I imagine shame had something to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Jadis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@Jadis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jadis)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/38 "2004-08-11T15:21:19Z")
I know this is way out there, but the thread title made me think of it…on my way to the Allentown airport the other day, we saw an Edsel stationwagon. Turquoise over white. Dear Og, what an ugly car. ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/39 "2004-08-11T15:37:07Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > [1st generation Escort](http://home.quixnet.net/~mbhoag/my81escoprt.jpg) - was built to replace the explosive [Ford Pinto](http://www.fawcett-movie-cars.com/70_79_cars/1977-80pinto80and80a.jpg) > > [2nd generation Escort](http://www.paylessautos.com/88escort.JPG) > > [3rd generation Escort](http://www.pippensauto.com/sitebuilder/images/cars_of_the_new_055-423x318.jpg) (this shared a platform with the [Mazda 323](http://www.buysell.com/webphoto/1936/1936110351.jpg)) > > [4th (and final) generation Escort](http://www.sandsauto.ca/vecs/1999%20Escort.jpg) 2002 Ford Escort: [http://a137.g.akamai.net/n/137/3538/20030722121710/www.cars.com/stock/270x180/228152.jpg](http://a137.g.akamai.net/n/137/3538/20030722121710/www.cars.com/stock/270x180/228152.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206/40 "2004-08-11T15:38:50Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > A few more that came to mind … > > - Nissan Stanza Drove one into work this morning … though it has less than 100,000 miles and comes from a loving home. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-you-just-dont-see-anymore/259206.md?page=3)