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Feb 10, 2013 16:02:44 GMT
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Here is a question which I think will intrege you. The MK 1 Neon was produced in January 1994 for the 1995 market as the Americans put it, and yet went on sale in 1994. Now if you ask anyone who has one of these particular cars they will tell you it was a 1995 and not a 1994. Yet if the car was manufactured in 1994 and sold in 1994, so surely it would be a 1994 car, and be classified as such? The question of when it first went into production has often crossed my mind. Especially when you think of when that model car might be classed as a classic in the eyes of the insurance companies and such!  |
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Last Edit: Dec 3, 2013 15:08:48 GMT by mitsuru: amend title for the marks birthday
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EmDee
Club Retro Rides Member
Committer of Autrocities.
Posts: 5,924
Club RR Member Number: 108
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Feb 10, 2013 16:48:05 GMT
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That's just how it works in the US.
You know how when you go into a newsagents and buy a magazine, if it's February you'll pick up the March issue? Yeah, it's like that. 95MY (model year) is produced in 94.
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Last Edit: Feb 10, 2013 17:28:39 GMT by EmDee
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Feb 10, 2013 17:10:42 GMT
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As it went into production in January 1994, and car insurance companies class any
vehicle 20+ years, as a classic and thus get cheaper insurance. People might start
to think on when there car was actually produced and registered, as it would save
them a bit of money!
So that might mean the first MK 1 Neon becomes a classic in the eye of the insurance
#companies in less than 11 months.
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micrat
South East
Building a Kanjo styled Cinquecento :)
Posts: 1,176 
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Feb 10, 2013 17:26:11 GMT
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I've nothing productive to add on the whole 'what is retro' theme or the insurance side, but I am partial to a mk1 neon when they are done right!  |
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VIP
South East
Posts: 8,293
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Feb 10, 2013 19:26:29 GMT
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As it went into production in January 1994, and car insurance companies class any vehicle 20+ years, as a classic and thus get cheaper insurance. People might start to think on when there car was actually produced and registered, as it would save them a bit of money! So that might mean the first MK 1 Neon becomes a classic in the eye of the insurance #companies in less than 11 months. It mostly doesnt work like that at all with insurance companies. Some cars get classed as 'classic' at younger than 20 years old, some at greater than 20, there is no finite rule. |
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Feb 10, 2013 19:42:20 GMT
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We had a P reg auto and loved it. It was given to us by late father-in-law when he bought another car. Only serious problem in around 3 years use was head gasket blew (common on early models) and being an auto it was horendously thirsty. Then rear caliper piston broke up plus petrol filler pipe rotted through so it got scrapped as not worth repairing. Still got the immobliser bypass (sitting on the desk in front of me now !) and Clymer workshop manual.
Paul h
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Feb 10, 2013 19:47:32 GMT
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This also plays into the pre-1973 tax-exempt status in the UK.
Even if your car was first registered in 1973 (or even later), if records show that the car was actually produced in the factory before 1st Jan 1973, it can be granted tax-exempt status.
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Feb 10, 2013 22:42:26 GMT
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I have just been informed on the neons.org forum that the neon went into
production in late 1993 and there were over 4,000 made by the end of that
year.:
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79cord
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,609
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I often makes sense when they start a month or so early to allow delivery/shipping time & possibly display @ dealers/motor shows... but more than 12 months is pretty ludicrous.
Dealers must like it if they still have plenty of unsold old stock still at years end!
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Last Edit: Feb 11, 2013 2:39:31 GMT by 79cord
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 Stateside 2dr |
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Feb 13, 2013 19:07:35 GMT
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So tat is proof positive that they were produced in 1993.
And it will celebrate it's 20th Birthday in about 9 months!
Question now is how many of the 1993 are left?
Is it a Classic yet? :lol:
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rld14
Part of things
Posts: 351
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America goes by Model Years, regardless of the production date. Look at my E28... ALL US-Spec E28 M5s were "1988s" in fact all "1988" BMW 5 Series cars sold in the US were E28s, even though E28 production ended in December 1987.
My "1988" M5 shows a 1/87 Build date, but ruin the last 7 of the VIN, 2791007... it was actually built in Garching on November 16th, 1986!
The 11th digit of the VIN on a US-Spec car is the model year, starting in 1981 it's an A and through 2000 it's a Y, then they started using 1-9 through 2009. Starting in 2010 they went back to A again.
If you have a "1995" then the 11th digit of the VIN should be an "S", a 1994 is an "R".
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88 BMW E28 M5
62 Vauxhall Velox
60 Vauxhall Velox
60 Lincoln Premiere Coupe
60 Lincoln Continental Mark V Convertible
54 Ford Customline Fordor
32 Ford Roadster
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Feb 25, 2013 10:32:40 GMT
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The date it was produced won't make a difference, insurance companies only use that as one part of a reason for deciding if a car is "classic" or not. I know of people trying to insure mid 80s cars as classics and have them refused, I think they have to fit a set criteria first. That could involve how many there are, clubs, parts availabilty, popularity, it can be a vague area.
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Feb 25, 2013 10:42:37 GMT
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Traditionally in the US market, the new model year begins in the preceding September ie, cars manufactured in September 1993 would be badged as 1994 models. This was due to the fact that the US automakers would stop/slow production during the summer months in order to ready the tooling and assembly lines for new models. If a car was introduced earlier in the year it would often be badged as a 1/2 model - the best example of this would be the original Ford Mustang which was introduced in the spring of 1964 and was badged as a 1964 1/2.
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1995 Range Rover 4.0
1995 BMW 320i Saloon
1989 BMW 325i Touring
1991 Mercedes 300TE-24
1991 Mercedes 190e
1970 Sunbeam Imp Sport
1966 Valiant 200 Custom
1964 Ford Fairlane 500 Station Wagon
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Well the neon is 20 years old now!!
I still don't know the exact date the first one rolled off the line in dec 93!
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Foxy
Posted a lot
Making pink manly in the north!
Posts: 1,913
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Nothing at all to add to this but the chance to post this pic again.  |
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I'm the handsome fella with the cheesy white specs or is that the cheesy fella with the handsome white specs?
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 According to those statistics, the earliest UK Neons are 1996. To my knowledge the insurance companies decide whether a car is classic based on far more factors than age alone...but in essence, they want to insure (well looked after and rarely driven) cars for enthusiasts rather than just letting people drive old cars on the cheap. I suspect that even with a massive pile of proof about how the earliest Neons were made in 1993, they'd still not regard your 1997 version as a classic! |
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