How long until cars from the 60s are completely gone?

[AHunter3]

There are probably damned few models (aside from limited-release items where only a couple hundred were made in the first place) for which no remaining examples exist.

I haven’t seen a Grafton Phaeton Daimler come purring and puffing to the intersection lately, but as you can see there’s at least one of them still extant, and from the looks of it it’s roadworthy.

[zwede]

@Cuckoorex

Thanks for the replies.

I was kind of thinking along the lines of having the cars being at least 70% original equipment (again to throw an arbitrary number around) or something like that. As Crafter_Man mentioned, some of the classics can practically be built new from parts, which to me seems more like building a kit car or replica. (Not that I have anything against kit cars; I’d like to build one someday.)

And yes, I was thinking in terms of muscle cars. It is my goal to own at least one of the following cars before I die:
[ul]
[li] 1967 Corvette 427 convertible[/li][li] 1971 Hemi Cuda[/li][li] 1965 Mustang[/li][li] 1973 Pantera[/li][/ul]

The cars you list are some of the most popular muscle/sports cars of the era and have big followings. I own a 1971 Corvette 454 and there really are no parts you can’t get in reproduction. I understand the early Mustangs have even more repro parts available. It is easier to restore one today than 20 years ago! As long as there are enthusiasts for these vehicles they will be around and considering the following has if anything INCREASED over the last two decades I’m certain they will be around for another several decades.

Now if you asking about a 1980 honda civic, than yes I think they are getting scarce…

[aruvqan]

LOL, never=)

I happen to have a 58 beetle, a 71 not-a-super-beetle, a 64 squareback, and a campervan [not sure what the year of the Hulk is] lurking in my pasture thanks to an ex-roomie vw-nut who abandoned them. I also have a 79 buick Opel that makes a wonderful storeage shed for spare parts=) The squareback and beetle are in fairly decent shape and would take minimal effort to get renovated, the 58 would take a lot of work, and the campervan is pretty much good for parts only…but a deicated vw nut could have most of them on the road with a bit of money and elbow grease. I would imagine that they would have a lifespan of probably 20 more years if renovated=)

[Doc_Nickel]

There were “only” some 38,000 first-year Olds Toronados made, and I personally had a hand in parting out or helping scrap at least two.

But mine is in the midst of a rework, and while not “original” (new front sheetmetal, a '68 engine, etc) I hope once I’m done with it, it’ll last a great many years to come. I’m also looking at a local one, that’s damn near original, hasn’t been driven since '84, and is in absolutely cherry shape.

Plus, I keep an eye on Ebay for parts, and in the past year, I’ve seen at least twenty others ('66s) offered for sale as runners or restored, and maybe five or ten others offered as junkers/parts cars.

[minor hijack]

I’m in semi-desperate need of some parts for a '66 or '67, if anyone can hook me up.

[/mh]

[fluoextinchcl]

@elmwood

I’ve also noticed that it seems like one year, all cars of a certain model just disappear, while the year before, they’er everywhere. The cars from the 1960s that seemed most numerous on the roads in the late 1970s and early 1980s weren’t muscle cars, but Dodge Darts and Plymouth Valiants. Seemed like all the Darts and Valiants disappeared around 1989 or so. It was rare to see a Chevrolet Vega or Ford Pinto make it into the 1980s, but early 1970s-era Novas were everywhere until the early 1990s. I haven’t seen any first generation 1980s-era Ford Escorts on the road in a few years, and it seems like they won’t have a presence on the roads at the end of 2004.

My mom drove us kids around in several Nova into the 80s. Several were crashed and not worth it to repair, one had a rusted through floor pan so your feet would get wet if there were puddles. I remember thinking that was hilarious and would beg my mom to steer for the biggest deepest ones.

I bet there are some economics, or emission control or safety policy changes to explain some of the mass dissapearances.

If an emission standard is imposed and your 1980s Ford Escort would need 1800$ to meet the standards because it’s catalyst is rusted out and none of the engine emission controls work right anymore, then you dispose of it and get a newer 1000$ car that will pass and save 800$.

If a Valiant owner’s car still runs but is a glutton for fuel, and the price goes up 70 cents in a year, the owners might dispose of them en masse.

There will also come a point where an insurance company decides the car you drive is too old and in their experience replacement parts for it are too expensive to obtain. So they will jack up the rates for that model and the owners will be forced to buy newer models or pay more in premiums than the car is worth.