does rather answer the question Why won't spares be available for more modern vehicles?. Yes the majority of run of the mill cars have always been scrapped; years ago because they were rusty or clapped out (Or shunted) and today because they are not worth repairing (Or shunted), often because a complex electronic item has failed (Even if the rest of the car is sound). I'd say the stock of the average scrap yard is relatively newer, than it was thirty years ago and apart from the failed part, generally more sound.OK, so moderns are treated like white goods by most owners
Spares wont be available because there will be no demand and I suggest that it will be more difficult to replicate or repair componentry (Though I know we have amongst us, some who claim they can rebuild an ECU, with a multimeter and a pair of scissors). Plastic trim etc is also harder to repair or replicate. I wouldn't say it's any longer a matter of wait and see; you just don't see many 80s cars at events and I have no reason to suppose that 90s or later ones will fare any better. I was talking to an AA man recently, who mentioned the responsibilities that manufacturers have, regarding end of vehicle life. This, combined with the fact that cars are very much designed with production in mind, as opposed to repair, he feels will see more cars being leased for their service life (Perhaps by the same driver) and then "Recycled". This goes a stage further than the used cars dealers, who do my MOTs foresee (They have moved from being a small repair garage, established at the top of a hill in 1938, to selling newish used cars); they see cars being supplied by the likes of Tesco in the future, very much as they supply white goods (i.e. When it packs up, they dispose of the old one for you) and not much long term future in their business.
The MGF is perhaps one that is doing better but whilst not an expensive car, you might say it's not run of the mill. I don't doubt it's benefiting from the MGB factor and wonder had it not been for the furore, that followed the closure of Abingdon, whether the MGF would ever have happened (Oddly enough I don’t think the passing of the TR7 or the Spitfire was as well publicised; was that simply down to Roche Bentley?). I think there are about 500000 historic vehicles on British roads (I’m not sure how that is defined vis a vis 1972), so a sizeable minority. Roughly 35000 (Inc SORN) of those are MGB/Cs and 12750 are Midgets. As an example, 5500 are Midget 1500s, of which 50000 or so were made but since over half of them went overseas, that leaves over 20% of home cars still showing on the radar (Just like some MGB, some late model Midgets were “Preserved” from new and you still see some come up for sale with 20000 on the clock). That’s why you can still buy spares for them and why you can buy spares for the 20500 or so Morris Minors (Though it seems some have disappeared in recent years; I’m shocked at how many but I suppose being relatively low value, rough ones will have been broken for bits)) that are still about.
I don’t really know whether age of vehicles is necessarily related to that of it’s driver. I’ve always liked the pre war stuff. In my family, only my grandfather had pre war stuff (Up until 1946 and post war stuff from 1949), so I never saw any of it. At the VSCC meetings, you see people of all ages, though with the prices of some of that stuff, it’s a bit beyond your average 21 year old.
Since this is a classic car forum, it’s to be expected that old cars will be the focus of attention. I make no bones that my interest in cars did come up against a wall, some time during the 1980s, beyond which not much held any interest for me (You might say the first one hundred years interests me). It is generally accepted that classic cars are those over twenty five years old and I accept that, even though that brings us to 1988, when there wasn’t much being made that was then of any interest to me (There were cars made long before that, which I wouldn’t want, so just because a car is old, doesn’t mean I have to like it). I suppose you could say that if old Vectras are your thing fine but for the time being, you’ll find them in Auto Trader, not the classic car press.
the owners club had started, and they were vanishing from scrapyards and the road- the mark 2 Escort was in the same boat at the time, I would newver have thought that either of these would become a classic and appear at shows' I bought an 1100 Mk1 Fiesta as transport after the Crayford was killed, another worthless clunker now appearing as an accepted and sought after classic, not a bad drive that one..it was followed by an absolutely superb Pug 205XS, the economy gti, no I, but twin webers instead, and steels rather than alloys, but again, at the time, worthless. I only sold that one on because the seats were narrow and it had orange instrument lighting which I detest 
...again, now any sporty 205 is a classic in my eyes, most of them ended up either wrapped around trees or trhrashed to death. 
