Cars from the 1980's

[wingcar]

I was watching episodes of old TV shows last weekend, namely Adam-12 and Emergency.  And, since I grew up in Southern California around that time I like to look behind the stars at the locations and cars.  It got me thinking.....have you ever wondered what happened to all the cars of '80's.  Namely I am talking about the Pinto's, Vega's and all the Asia imports that filled our streets back in the day.  Of course many have long since made that last trip to the junk yard and many would say good riddance, but it does make you wonder how an entire generation of cars disappeared.  Is there an island somewhere in which all these forgotten cars have gone to live out their lives.....?    I understand not seeing musclecars on every corner today as there were not that many made overall, and they are more "collectable" today....but you also rarely see any of the small cars that made up a huge percentage of the vehicles on the road.
   
In Southern California back in the day imports and small pickups were all the rage....remember Datsun?  Custom Vans, imports (we didn't call them ricers back then) and custom mini pickups were the big thing back in the day.  Yes we had musclecars, boy did we have musclecars, it's just that we had many other groups with different interests as well that could be found on cruise night.
 
Anyone else have the same thoughts?

(*Where have all the old cars gone....long time passing?  Gone to junk yards everyone). 
Sounds a bit like an old song doesn't it....LOL

[Shakey]

At the end of their life the cars end up in salvage yards and the parts are used to keep others on the road longer.

After all the parts are picked off the shells are put into a scrap pile.

Once the price of scrap steel is at a good rate the salvage yard owner crushes them and sells the scrap steel to another recycling company.

The recycled steel is sold to manufacturers to build new products.

[HPP]

Around here, we have what we call Mexican Road Trains.

There are Mexican nationals who come up and through craigslist, back then then it was classified ads, purchase a dozen or more vehicles, put tow bars on half of them, and then haul the whole lot of them back to Mexico.

Certainly this is done with the cheapest to acquire vehicles that are still in running condition. Others that died or were wrecked obviously entered the yards and were consumed in the scenario above. Through out the 80s, this would have included a large percentage of vehicles from the 60-70s that were still operable.

Last trip I made to Cancun, I easily saw a dozen Aspen/Volare running around with various amounts of cancer. Get on the mainland and I bet you can find even more.

[dual fours]

When the price of steel went up, I watched a lot of Junk Yards clear out there stock and disappear.
"Cleaning up" they said, I think local codes, (EPA) helped it happen.
When the old timer that owned the yard gets older, he sells or his estate sells off the scrap.
"Google Maps" old scrap yard locations that you have known to exist and look at the footprint, you can see where cars had been and see the newer cars, by there outlines.
Of course here in the North East, weather takes a little each year.
Watching old TV shows are fun to do just to see the background.
Watch an older TV show like "Hill Street Blues"  and catch a location or street intersection then find it on Google Maps, old buildings gone, new housing put up, parks etc.
A lot of the big cities in the 70's & 80's had a lot of vacant buildings.
Time claim's everything sooner or later.
Peter, Paul and Mary

(*Where have all the old cars gone….long time passing?  Gone to junk yards everyone). 
Sounds a bit like an old song doesn’t it….LOL

   

[Homerr]

I've been going through all the old police type shows over the last couple of years too.  Sounds like you're watching more 70's, but your point about 80's cars is taken.

For reference:

68-78  Hawaii Five-0
68-75  Adam 12
73-78  Kojak
72-79  Emergency!
77-83  CHiPs
67-75  Mannix
73-77  Police Story
74-80  The Rockford Files
75-79  Starsky & Hutch
72-77  The Streets of San Francisco

The 80's seem a little more difficult to find good car viewing.

80-88  Magnum PI
79-85  Dukes of Hazzard
82-86  Knight Rider
84-89  Miami Vice
83-87  The A-Team

Here are some of those cars from the 80's that we just don't see much anymore.  (Some for the better!)

[JB400]

I guess the 80's was the transition decade from cheap, reliable cars to cheap, throw away cars.  Besides, most of the cars were small, cramped, and severely underpowered.   I've noticed a severe lack of 3rd gen Camaros and Firebirds as well.

I do remember the Mexicans were buying up everything 80's and shipping them home from the auctions.

[stripedelete]

In the early 90's,  the 80's Isuzu Troopers (very boxy) were shipped to the Caribbean.  There were some others but the Isuzu was the hot ticket.   They had to be over 100K miles.

In the 90's,  the 80's Caprice Classics were shipped to Saudi Arabia.  Had to be a "classic".
I met with "a" group, or maybe "the" group responsible.  It was pretty big.  They cleaned GM out of every factory part specific to a Classic.  

Within a couple of years of becoming aware of this migration, I never saw a Classic again,,, anywhere.
Over the last 25 years I have listen to a 1/2 dozen stories of people selling their, or gramps/dads, old Caprice for 2 or 3 times what is was worth.

[F8-4life]

Just goes to show you how disposable they were back then.

[bordin34]

I get to see a 944 every day. All of the steel is galvanized so rust is rarely a problem with them. I've had it 3 years now and put around 30,000 miles on it. 3,000 miles this past September.

[timmycharger]

Honda CRX! I had an 85 back in the early 90's. It got gas mileage similar to many new cars and was light years ahead of most American cars in regards to style. My wife (girlfriend at the time) had an 85 Chevy cavalier and the interior looked like it was still from the 70s compared to the Honda

[RallyeMike]

What happened to them is overall quality was not fantastic, and very few of the cars were inspiring or memorable. You have to look high and low to find someone who is motivated to save a Chevy Citation from the scrapper. Still, if I saw a Citation on the road these days I would notice it and even be a little excited to see it plodding along amongst all the unrecognizable blobs.... kind of a sad state of affairs.

[b5blue]

Jeeps, my 89 Cherokee is still going strong!   

[bordin34]

The CRX actually has a great suspension and does really well at autocross.

[moparjohn]

My dad, and then my brother (passed to him) had a T-Bird almost like the one photo'd. Great car, minus the v-6- should have been a 302,   and the horn, which was activated by pushing the turn signal stalk to the column. Confession from a Domestic only guy, the 240. 260, 280's (early ones) were almost cool! As for me, I turned to trucks in 1987 and never had a new "car" again. MPJ

[chargerman69]

That red t-bird i got a white one just like it out back by the barns, we shoot the windows out couple mouths go

I've been going through all the old police type shows over the last couple of years too.  Sounds like you're watching more 70's, but your point about 80's cars is taken.

For reference:

68-78  Hawaii Five-0
68-75  Adam 12
73-78  Kojak
72-79  Emergency!
77-83  CHiPs
67-75  Mannix
73-77  Police Story
74-80  The Rockford Files
75-79  Starsky & Hutch
72-77  The Streets of San Francisco

The 80's seem a little more difficult to find good car viewing.

80-88  Magnum PI
79-85  Dukes of Hazzard
82-86  Knight Rider
84-89  Miami Vice
83-87  The A-Team

Here are some of those cars from the 80's that we just don't see much anymore.  (Some for the better!)

[TruckDriver]

These were bad ass

[Homerr]

TruckDriver, those GM's seem to have held up halfway decently.  I still see an occasional granny driving a non-perf one here and there. 

And then there are ghetto/donk versions:

[4cruzin]

WOW most of those cars were UGLY!   

[Aero426]

A few of us here own at least one 944.     As mentioned, they were treated to a proprietary galvanizing process and really don't rust away.  (Porsche still has a bare body mounted on a pole out in the weather.)    Although they are quite robust, naive owners and a lack of scheduled maintenance is what usually takes them down.    

[TruckDriver]

There is a red 944 around here with a Chevy 350 in it. Pretty cool I think

[wingcar]

Here in the valley we have a Datsun 240Z with a big block.....it's really more race car than street car, but mean none the less.....

(I had a 1985 Chevy Monte Carlo SS.....nice car)

[F8-4life]

Found one
http://cleveland.craigslist.org/cto/4852545571.html

[GOTWING]

My favorite cars that I owned from the 80's was my blue 86 Buick Regal T-type with the 3.8 intercooled turbo ( sleeper ) and my red 86 Mustang GT.
shhhhhh don't tell anyone i ever owned brand X cars. 

[marshallfry01]

WOW....ALL of those cars were UGLY!   

I fixed it for you. Haha    The cars in the 80's &90's were some embarrassing moments for American made cars.....

[stripedelete]

Found one
http://cleveland.craigslist.org/cto/4852545571.html

Drove one of those for a while.  Got like 750 mpg.