Acceptable in the 1980s - And Now You Can Have One

LONDON, March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Fashions come and go, but sooner or later every period comes back into vogue as each generation passes on the baton of what is and isn't cool.

The 1980s has recently been undergoing something of a renaissance, with Lady Gaga appropriating Madonna's style, royal couple Will and Kate reminding many of the halcyon days of Charles and Diana, and 80s-flavoured TV icons like Gene Hunt of Ashes to Ashes.

Cars are no exception - and nostalgia fans who grew up in the 1980s may well want to make their next used car purchase one of the decade's most iconic motors.

Here are our top five cult cars from the 1980s for our dream used car market:

VW Golf GTI - Could this be the ultimate 1980s aspirational Yuppie car? Its hot hatch version was symbolic of the period, and its unbeatable power to weight ratio made it ideal for city boys with pastel shirts and jumper slung casually over the shoulders, not to mention aerobics instructors doing Jane Fonda's workouts.

Audi Quattro - When Gene Hunt in Ashes To Ashes said "Fire up the Audi", you knew sparks were going to fly. It launched in the UK in 1981, and many argue it redefined high performance road vehicles with its 2.1 cylinder engine and innovative AWD (all wheel drive).

Ford Sierra Cosworth - From 1986 onwards, the wide-boy's car of choice to sit outside wine bars from Essex to Newcastle was the Ford Sierra. It was popular on the late night A-roads, and was for many the ideal way to gently run the local ladies home after a night out.

Ford Capri SLE -It went by the slogan 'The car you always promised yourself'^[1]and there was no shortage of young men with scruffy leather jackets who would have moved heaven and earth to get a 3-litre V6 Capri, with Minder's Terry McCann (white) and the dashing Professionals duo (blue) driving one on a weekly basis on TV.

Rover SD1 Vitesse - This stylish, angular Italian-influenced model was loved by dads and boy racers alike and dominated the Touring Car racing scene much of the decade. Anyone over 30 will remember it best as the police car of choice back then in its 3500 version. Indeed, when the men in black learned that the SD1 was going out of production in 1986, they started to stockpile them to ensure a continued supply in the years ahead.^[2]

Other cars synonymous with the 1980s include the DeLorean DMC12, as driven by Marty McFly in the Back To The Future films, the much-mocked battery electric vehicle Sinclair C5, the whale-tailed excess of the Le Mans-winning Porsche 911, the rally-dominating Peugeot 205 and finally the legendary car behind Trotters Independent Trading - the good old Reliant Robin.

If you are planning to buy any kind of used car, then it's worth bearing in mind that a car's history may have hidden pitfalls, from outstanding finance that you may be liable for, to damages through being written off.

"Whatever the value of the car you're buying, getting a Vehicle Check reduces the risk of buying a car that then gets repossessed or is unsafe to drive," said Jon Sheard from Experian AutoCheck.

"One in three used cars have a hidden history^[3] , so consumers need to check before they buy to ensure there are no finance agreements still outstanding or it hasn't been scrapped or written off in the past. Consumers are also covered by our £30,000 data insurance* on the rare occasion that a piece of data is missing."

*Subject to terms and conditions

Media Contact Details:
Joanne.leahy@uk.experian.com
+44(0)115-941-0888

1. http://www.fordcapri.co.uk/

2. http://www.ukemergency.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1275&Itemid=162

3. Based on an analysis of checks made via Autocheck as at March 2011