yes but that's not what he is asking !
The last car to meet his requirements may have been the Nissan micra .
Which may not have been available the U.S
Does anyone still make a simple passenger car?
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The last car to meet his requirements may have been the Nissan micra .
Which may not have been available the U.S
I test drove the base Mazda 3. LOVED everything about it with one HUGE exception....the firm, hard ride quality. That was a TOTAL deal breaker for me. Too bad, its a nice car otherwise, but that firm ride would get to me after some time.
Simple? Points, plugs and condenser... Adjust the idle vacuum screws for highest vacuum. Off you go!
What are you going to get instead?
Looking at the 2026 Hyundai Elantra Limited. NON turbo, port injected,naturally aspirated, NO GDI, but CVT.
The GDI turbo in my 2007 Mazdaspeed 3 was supposed to be very susceptible to intake valve deposits, but when I flipped it in 2016 at 158k miles the driveability was excellent and the performance had not degraded- based on in-gear acceleration times.
I’ve since owned four other GDI turbos and I’ve had no issues with any of them.
As always YMMV.
I’ve since owned four other GDI turbos and I’ve had no issues with any of them.
As always YMMV.
Direct injection
Last MT Sentra was a 2019 base “S” model. I would consider one, if I thought a low mileage one would be as reliable as my old Corolla. Looked at Versas, there is no headroom in back for anyone 6’ or taller-even my 5’10” wife’s hair was hitting the headliner!You might be able to find a closeout 2025 Versa or Sentra with a manual transmission.
The HRV just got DI for 2026, but there are no problems with it, and the CVT is nothing to worry about, either
Toyota's hybrid ECVT isn't really a CVT despite the name. It has planetary gears and also a proven reliability record. Their non-hybrid CVT has a real first gear and is also reliable.
DI is really only a problem in turbos.
again, very true. Im not against safety standards, I now drive a few Subaru`s... pleease dont flame me, Im a senior, lol . in reference to Simple passenger cars, I was thinking back to what worked, what I survived, including being hit dead on and T boned. My opinion was on the good old days of simplicity...
Heck, I drove a 72 pinto and didnt blow up.'25 KIA Soul LX with the 2.0 Ltr. (M.P.I. ) and I.V.T. . Have 2 of them and quite pleased . Easy oil change and both get 35+ m.p.g. calculated . The O.E.M. NEXEN N'Priz AH-8 ( H-rated ) tires are poor in the rain and were replaced with GENERAL Altimax 365AW ( V- rated ) 205/60-16 tires . Much better performance with little difference w/ F.E.. There's a $1,000 rebate from KIA and some dealers are matching with a $1,000 or a bit more . They are going quick . Also, ground clearance is 6.7 inches and I know someone that has a 2022 Kia Soul with the same engine and I.V.T. with over 150,000 miles with the same transmission fluid from the factory.
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Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
Those things are all non-issues at this point.
Civic Hatchback Sport with manual transmission and the 2L engine. Though Honda discontinued this combo for 25.
May have needed the tire pressures adjusted correctly.
4wd
$50 site donor 2026
I like to credit EPA and CAFE for all the "simple" econoboxes that worked for us from about 1985-2005. They were four cylinder, fuel injected with your choice of lockup automatic or 5-speed stick. You could get a "nice" one with AC, leather, sunroof, and cruise or you could get a $8999 stripper with the simplicity you crave.
And they sold these things at or below costs to get CAFE credits so they could sell profitable cars. And since they lasted 200k instead of 100k like something from 1975-1980, people sold them half-used up for a thousand bucks and they made great used cars, too.
Now it seems everybody's lost interest/ motivation to make entry level cars that just work. Malaise era 2.0 is upon us.
slo town
$200 Site Donor 2026
You're a man of my heart, but you forgot one thing - whether or not you can see the ground when looking at the engine from above.
Scott
I think the last "simple" car I owned was was about 55 years ago.....a 58 Chevy Bel Air. Solid lifters in a straight six with a carb, three on the tree, wind down windows, no AC or PS. Enough room in the engine bay on both sides of the block to open a small hotel. I don't like all the modern stuff with a screen and a computer that even controls the heating and cooling. But I do like fuel injection, a well maintained turbo, and coils on every plug. Glad to see the distributor with points and a capacitor take a hike; electronic ignition is FAR better. One of the happiest days in my garage was when I got rid of the timing light and dwell meter!
My opinion...it matters far more who designed and built the car you are buying. A poorly designed and built simple car will be far worse than a well designed, well built GDI with turbo.
My opinion...it matters far more who designed and built the car you are buying. A poorly designed and built simple car will be far worse than a well designed, well built GDI with turbo.
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The simple answer is no, there are no longer any port injected, manual, base model cars available to purchase new in the US today. The Nissan Versa was the last of its kind, as Nissan discontinued with the manual last year.
People like to blame manufacturers for the shift away from small economical cars, but the consumer bares just as much blame. If people don't want to buy cheap cars in enough volume to make them worth it, they'll gladly sell you a pricier, heavier, larger, more expensive vehicle based on that same car for a larger margin.
Best you can do now is take care of what you've got while you keep an eye on the used market.
People like to blame manufacturers for the shift away from small economical cars, but the consumer bares just as much blame. If people don't want to buy cheap cars in enough volume to make them worth it, they'll gladly sell you a pricier, heavier, larger, more expensive vehicle based on that same car for a larger margin.
Best you can do now is take care of what you've got while you keep an eye on the used market.
This.
A properly designed and built car is what we all want.
Remember the Yugo?
A simple old Fiat design manufactured in Yugoslavia that was complete junk.
What you really want is quality, not agricultural simplicity.
You're just being logical again. The stuff I used to do scares the heck outta me...