As might be expected, during the aforementioned months, Israel fell under lock-down much like almost everywhere else in the world. I was lucky enough to keep my job, and as I found it necessary to physically arrive there every morning, it so happened that I was able to continue capturing whatever lay ahead (or behind). Obviously, opportunities to capture something worthy were seriously depleted, to say the least, but I’d still rather post the low outcome now and not continue to accumulate stuff for another month.
So, on with the video:
The Audi 80 is the last of its kind, an early-to-mid 1990s car. As with most Audis of this era, not many were sold due to high pricing- it wasn’t really until the A3’s (and later Q3’s) arrival that Audi began to be more affordable in Israel. Still, earlier, larger models can still be seen driving around, even if irregularly.
It seems I cannot go a single month without at least one representative of a Subaru Leone (DL in Israel), mostly of the Pickup type- and in this post you get two. I’ve discussed the popularity of these in the country before, and I guess it’s not surprising that the ones I find are mostly pickups, still very much working vehicles. The examples in the video are literally negatives of each other; the black one is relatively neglected whilst the white one looks practically new (and serves “Melvin Motorcycles”, thus translates). Both carry “upgraded” parts, such as alloy wheels and four-headlamp fascia, which were never part of the original Pickup (at least here in Israel it wasn’t).
The Beetle is probably the best CC here, even if common and (for this particular example) relatively new- actually from 1983, according to its license plate. This makes it one of the last Beetles to be imported into Israel when new, at this point arriving from Mexico. Despite this being produced in the 1980s, that Brown is oh-so 1970s, and I must say it caught my eye right along with the familiar shape.
The VW Golf was added not only for it being an aging Mk. 3, but also for being one of very few surviving VR6 models in Israel. At the time, those were regarded highly and dubbed sporty (so were lusted-after far more than the GTIs), thus thrashed by boy-racers who typically, purchased them second-hand because as new, they simply cost too much, so not that many were sold in the first place.
I’ve mentioned in previous posts the usual clientele drawn to 1990s US cars such as the Alero and indeed the following Epica- those people will hold on to these cars for dear life, claiming nothing is better than “American cars”, disregarding how much of these are actually good (Alero) or really American (Epica). However, the outcome of this is that these cars continue to be maintained and driven, thus they keep surviving for a little longer.
I’ll finish off with another car that was marketed as sporty in Israel, the Mazda 323F. The previous generation was oh so popular with certain demographics, if only for its opening headlights. The replacement seen in the video, was not as successful (and both sold nothing compared to the sedan 323, dubbed as “Lantice” and sold like hot cakes in the country).
And thus end these gloomy months, let’s hope things will look up in the near future.
Nice collection of cars and stay safe out there.
This is kind of a ramble and not sure where it’s going. Must be interesting driving a Beetle during Global Pandemic since it’s another world wide event that car is living through and many people do not have much use for cars right now. Between shelter in place orders, lack of work, and other factors the car is not as needed.
I was ordering food to go at a 1950s themed diner and sure was a jarring juxtaposition. I’m wearing a mask, there is social distancing, half the tables roped off, and a bunch of available hand sanitizer. Yet, upbeat music is flowing through the speakers, Marilyn Monroe is starring at you, and the walls are covered in artwork of a different era.
Thanks Yohai for this great slice of life, I enjoy the cars but my eyes are darting all over to take in the entire experience. the roads seem in great shape, everyone is driving responsibly and I’m seeing Toyota, Hyundai are popular new, with quite a few Skoda’s in the mix. Please explain why many of the older cars, like the Beetle, have mandatory [?] rear reflective strips on their bumpers while new cars dont.
Well, reflector tape used to be mandatory for all cars in Israel- this was dropped in 1995, if memory serves. However, any car produced before that still has to bare these strips for eternity…
I did not realize the reflective stripes were still required in 2020. I thought once they were no longer required on new cars the owners of older cars could let the reflective stripes fall off.
Reflector tape was mandatory in NZ during the 50s I remember our 54 Vauxhall having it on the rear bumper and everything else having strips on it too, COVID lock down is over here and the country is returning to normal or whats going to pass for normal, traffic has returned with a vengence most people having forgotten how to drive the tourist industry is over but everything else is busy hiring again so my classic with get a tarp to live under everything will go into storage and I’ll go find a truck needing a driver.
I still love the Mazda 323F/Lantis. Brilliant piece of design, and I only failed to own one because the insurance quote I got was silly.
Here in the Netherlands the 323F is a pretty common old car and I’ve got to say the design has held up well.
I just got rid of my 2000 Chevrolet Alero, I bought it for cheap, enjoyed the novelty and a look into what it’s like to drive an average GM sedan, and sold it for even cheaper. These cars are pretty much worthless here due to being old, high taxes and fuel consumption, while not being true desirable American cars. But you do get a lot of car for your money.
Wow, two Subaru BRAT/Brumby/Pickups in one go, even seeing one over here every few months or so is an event, I had no idea they were that popular there. The Leone line of that generation is one of the rare cars (the only one?) that was available with the large round single headlights, as well as single large rectangulars as well as double smaller rectangulars over its lifespan, meaning the standard size units not model specific designs.