Car That Will Be Extinct In 10 Years

[nofear365]

My latest Hagerty news letter came in and they had an interesting article about cars that will potentially be extinct within the next 10 years. Due to poor build quality or typical "first car abuse", people have been writing in their suggestions. The Cavalier was one of them. The first gen Dodge Neon was another. Within the next 10 years you'll mostly likely not see many of them around.

This got me thinking. I now see more Ferraris and Bentleys in a week than I do 3rd gen Camaros in a month! I almost NEVER see them. I NEVER see Lincoln Mark VIIs from the 80s or even Mark VIIIs from the 90s anymore. Maybe it's a regional thing? A billion of these things were made. Where did they all go?

I'm sure quite a few Honda Civics out there bit the bullet during the Fast and Furious craze.

What others do you think will do the way of the dodo?

[dustybarn]

GM X-cars (I haven't seen an Olds Omega in a decade).
Chrysler Laser/Dodge Daytona
Ford Capri (the original German car, not the Fox Mustang). These may already be near extinction.
Ford Fairmont
Plymouth Volare/Dodge Aspen

[Cory W]

I believe it varies from region to region. Western and Southern states should have a better survival rate, if only due to the general lack of winter. Different times I have crossed the US I noticed many older vehicles in surprisingly good shape in those areas compared to what I see up here, for example. Due to our four distinct seasons, high snow accumulation, and salting, a lot of vehicles are sent to the crusher due to weather related xollisions, or eventually rust away. It's almost a treat to see something that used to be common in the 1980s up here now, or even the first half of the 1990s.

As for the list? Any mass-produced daily grocery getter, really. The cheaper it was to buy new, the more likely it is to be scrapped when anything happens to it.

Examples:
-Chrysler K-cars, and their derivatives (so the entire lineup from 1981 to 1992)
-Ford Tempo/Topaz
-Most Mitsubishi models, including Chrysler captive imports
-Toyotas up to the mid-80s
-Hondas, same era as Toyotas
-Any Sterling (British Hondas, essentially) model
-The Yugo
-Lada models (Canada)
-Renault models sold through AMC


Special models and Limited editions have a better chance of survival if the owner cares about that sort of thing....or if the person who buys it from a PO does.

[Farrar]

Interesting topic. Yesterday I passed a Mercury Cougar on the way home and thought "Wow, when's the last time I saw one of those?" It had been a few years, at least.

I would surmise that planned obsolescence combined with the rapid pace of technology development add up to a lot of cars on the road now that will be extinct a few mere years after they cease production.

[Kenny_Z]

Every time I see a Yugo I think to myself "how did that thing survive all these years?"

Third gen Camaros are common around here but so is the mullet. There's a nicely restored green one in the area. I see it quite often.

[Farrar]

Every time I see a Yugo I think to myself "how did that thing survive all these years?"

Off topic, but my favorite Yugo joke: they include heated rear windscreens so that your hands will be warm while you push.

[Mark D]

3rd Gen Camaros have mostly disappeared around here as well but I do still see a few on occasion. I remember back in the 90's they were everywhere. If I see one now it's usually an IROC or a Z28 that someone has taken care of and stored winters. The base sport coupe/RS and mid range berlinetta trim package cars are much rarer now since they were the cheaper V6 cars that nobody cared about.

My dad still has his 87 IROC that he drives when the weather is nice but it's mostly tucked away in the garage. I would imagine the same is true for other 3rd gen camaros that are now becoming somewhat collectible if in good shape.

[wrkey]

I have a 92 Geo Metro LSI convertible. It was originally up in Iowa and the cheap thin metal frame/underbody is in horrible shape. I think these cheap little cars will be in very short supply over the next few years. I like my little GEO as she get's around 40+ MPG and it's a drop top!

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[ALEXAKOS]

The TOYOTA PRIUS should be in the bin after its second battery change.
Never liked Hybrids. I'd rather drive a Diesel to save gas than carry with me a few hundred pounds of environment polluting batteries..

[Mark D]

2nd and 3rd gen Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth minivans can also go on this list. The entire fleet of 2nd gen vans is already pretty much gone. Every 3rd gen I see is rusted to hell or falling apart. Most other 90's -2000's vans seem to be getting sent off to the scrap yard too. For as expensive as they were new they sure don't seem to last long or have very good resale potential. One of many reasons why I'll never own a minivan.