One of my colleagues drove into work today with their brand new car - a Suzuki Swift! I couldn't believe it - I thought these cars died years ago!!
After checking the prices etc I can see why its a good "budget" buy, although my preference would be a better used car for the money.
However, it made me think, what is the earliest Swift registration with the same shape - I am sure I have seen P regs?
Also, what is the longest a current car in production has gone without a change? Peugeot 206 goes back to S reg, any thoughts??
Incidentally, I thought the older Swifts looked nicer than the current ones with their huge black plastic bumpers!
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The Nissan Champ pickup available in this neck of the woods is virtually unchanged from 30 years ago.
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The Swift has to be a good contender.
It dates back to - wait for it - 1988. The 106 must be a runner up, with a facelift in 96 but the basic design going back to 91 - and the 96 Saxo being based on it.
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Or, thinking about it, the Proton Satria is a 1992 Mitsubishi Colt.
By the way, that Nissan www.nissan.co.za/vehicles_bakkie.asp?s=2 seems to be based on the old Sunny or Bluebird - I can't decide. It's expensive though, at £6500 in SA.
I guess there Euro equivalent would be a Citroën C15 van, which uses an XUD engine from 1983 and, although the van wasn't launched until 1984, is based on the 1978 Citroën Visa. Cost? £5869 in the UK.
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VW Beetle - virtually unchanged since 1946 I believe.
What do I win?
Jonathan
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"virtually unchanged since 1946"
That seems a little hard! I think they made a few improvements along the way...
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but only very minor changes since 1975, thats still a good 28 years production.
But also the Landrover, seires II launched in 1958, virtualy unchanged until the Defender in 1985, and that is still going strong.
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>"After checking the prices etc I can see why its a good "budget" buy"
Er NO. At any price this a bad bad car.- And yes I have driven one so I know about what I speak.
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The Swift has to be a good contender. It dates back to - wait for it - 1988.
Are you sure? I thought there was an update at some point? The Car-by-car lists two versions, 1985 - 1992 and 1993 onwards.
I believe the original Saab 900 ran for about 9 years from 1979 to 1988 before it was very slightly updated and then carried on until 1993 or 4 when the one based on the Cavalier came out.
How about things like Landies? They don't seem to have changed much over the years.
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"Suzuki Swift"
Sounds like a candidate for Growler's list of oxymorons... :-)
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Ford's wonderfully charismatic push-rod delight, as found on the Ka and pretty much every fiesta since about 1986..... or was it earlier?
If I don't reply it's nowt personal, I'm just working!
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I think the Ford Ka has to be a contender.
It's a really mainstream car that hasn't had so much as a facelift since it was launched on a P plate.
The strange thing is that it still doesn't look dated even now.
Blue
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I think the Ford Ka has to be a contender. It's a really mainstream car that hasn't had so much as a facelift since it was launched on a P plate. The strange thing is that it still doesn't look dated even now.
It's always looked like a giant Easter egg sitting in its display box.
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Vauxhall Omega have been around since L or M reg, albeit with a recent facelift.
Rover 200 / 25 and 400 / 45 - M reg
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I'm surprised no one's mentioned the Mini yet. No, not the BMW one.
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I guess nobody mentioned it because the question was about cars currently in production.
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I was looking up dates for the Mini, but you beat me to it!
What about the Porsche 911. First made in '63 and although it has had a few minor face lifts and model revisions, it is the same shape 40 years later.
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What about th Hindustan Ambasador (old Morris Oxford)in India, Fiat Uno, VW Golf mark1 in soth Africa, old Seats in China
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Mini 1959 to 2001 I believe - 42 years with little mods
Also what about the 2CV - 1940s to 1990?
Not to mention the Lada Riva, that first started life as a Fiat 124 (I think) 1971 to 1996 (P) - Correct me if I'm wrong.
H
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For a car still in production, the Mazda MX-5 is pretty much the same as the 1989 car, though has had a couple of nip-and-tucks over the years.
Land Rover have also had the Discovery since 1989 but I'm not sure whether the 98 revision was a facelift or a new car that looked the very similar to the old one (such as the 96 Primera).
Funny the topic came up - I was only thinking last week about the same subject and could only think of the Swift, Defender and Discovery in addition to my MX-5. The Lotus Esprit would have been a contender, barely changed since 86, until not long ago.
James
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A couple of years ago, there was a garage in Shropshire selling NEW Austin Maestros which had apparently been built up from stock left at Cowley or Longbridge or wherever, rather than being imported from India or Russia or wherever the production line was sold off to.
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A new Maestro - I think that it even scarier than a new Swift!!
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You have just confirmed that I wasn't seeing things a couple of weeks ago when I saw a black 'X' (2000) prefix reg Maestro!
PP
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I would also have to say the Hindustan Ambassador aka 1956 Morris Oxford, but another contender would be the Iranian Peykan aka 1967 Hillman Hunter originally assembled from kits imported from UK, but not to any great degree of exactitude. These things still chunter around Tehran as taxis and rather like Datsun 16O's in Karachi imported years ago from Dubai, simply refuse to die. I believe production of a modified version is still in place.
The Fiat 124 is still running round in its Turkish version. It's kind of a Lada Lite.
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