I found this subject on The Truth About Cars and I thought it would make for a good discussion. What cars can you think of that are "passenger pigeons"? What I mean by that is that the Passenger Pigeon was a species of bird that was once so common that their flocks spread for miles. However, they went extinct early in the 20th century.
So, what cars can you think of that were on every street corner just a couple of decades ago, that you couldn't find an example of today if your life depended on it?
Here are a few examples that I know of, so you can get my drift:
Chevrolet Celebrity - Throughout the 1980s it was one of the bestselling cars in America. Today, seeing one is a rare occurrence, even in junkyards. I see examples of its platform mates, the Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera and Buick Century - and even the odd Pontiac 6000 - still sputtering around all the time, but where the hell have all the Celebrities gone?
1978-1990 GM full-size station wagons - I remember seeing these wood-clad wagons all over the place when I was growing up, and now, they are nowhere to be seen. What is ironic though is that I see plenty of their sedan variants still on the road.
Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon - These things sold like hot cakes in the late 70s and early 80s, and I saw them all the time growing up. And now, it is next to impossible to find one.
Current cars that you think might fall into this category can also be mentioned. A few I can think of are:
1991-2000 Chrysler minivans - In the 90s, you couldn't turn your head without seeing three of these. Now, as their rubber-band transmissions continue to blow, these are popping up at junkyards at an alarming rate. Although the 1980s ones will forever be enshrined and preserved as their status as the first minivans and the Daimler built ones seem to have a better reliability record, I am sure that the 90s Chrysler minivans are just another few years of transmission eating away from ending up on the endangered list.
1986-2003 Ford Taurus - See above
1995-1999 Dodge Neon - Sold like they were going out of style in the 90s, now they are dropping like flies.