Simple car

[Jimbo]

For those of us waxing nostalgic about simple cars we had in the past, I remember those TV adds for the $1995 special Ford Falcon, Plymouth Valiant, etc. Even the heater was extra 50 years ago. My 1967 VW "Deluxe" sedan was loaded with extras, sunroof, radio and "leatherette" seats.

The Kia Rio is the closest thing ive seen today. As far as a "stripped" performance car, dream on. The Plymouth Road Runner concept will never return. I know someone who has one, purchased new by him in 1970. What a beast, manual steering in a two-ton big-block sedan.

 

[ikeepmychevytoo]

^ How about a ~'64 Falcon with PS. PS with 4.5 turns! Very very light but what's the point for that much winding if its "power"... Appearantly just attaching a pump to the regular unit is no refinement. Of course, there were/are cars, and other cars. How about the manual steering, front engined 928 Porsche in '84! Sports car? Yes, the body-building department...

 

[Win]

"Would you buy a simple car, no auto trans, no power seats, no sunroof, now power locks/doors/keyless entry, no dual zone climate control, just a/c that you turn on/off, no leather, do digital dash, no navigation, no voice controls, rubber floor mats, no power mirrors, no extra anything? Just a car to drive where you wanted to go."

That describes my '99 Chevy S-10 perfectly, but, for a daily driver, I absolutely would not want a stripped down car like that. There's a reason nobody makes cars like that - it's because nobody wants one.

The '99 S-10 has had zero defects since new, for what's that worth.

 

[Kestas]

Not many people want a stripped econobox. I think the underlying theme of the thread is that we don't want all these convenience options crammed down our throats on the mid-range cars.

On a related note, it's not very economical for a manufacturing plant to keep an extra bin for two different types of vehicles, such as manual crank windows and power windows. It's not much more expensive (and maybe cheaper) for them to simply go across the board with power windows.

 

[lindermant]

LarryL,

barring a phone call to local dealers, I can't answer your question

I do know that when I bought my '05 Civic DX value package in Aug the two dealers closest to me had maybe 5 each on the lot, and just about every dealer was advertising them as in stock.

I just checked honda's website and it looks like the new '06 DX model has power windows... sorry Triple Se7en, looks like I was mistaken!

 

[obbop]

Sniff.....

Missing my 1972 Plymouth Duster.

225 slant six motorvator.

No A/C, no power anything. Bench seat so the sweet young thangs could scootch over next to me.

And, for that wondrous retro-feel, it had a "three-on-the-tree" manual tranny.

By golly, when's the last time y'all seen one o' dem thangs?

Flat ground, 55-60 mph, the critter gave me 30 mpg. Can't remember the in-town mileage but I sure didn't fill the tank very often.

Basic transportation. Ride was decent. Big enough to offer at least some protection in case the typical brain-dead American driver decided to use me as a guardrail.

The blue beast was also easy to work on. Pert' near everything you you could want access to was either "right there" or accessable via the removal of a cover or another part and they were easily removable.

Of course, it woulda' been kinda' fun to have had a 340 in the automobubble but the economy of the six made my liver quiver with wanton abandon.

 

[Dark Jedi]

that sounds like my 95 ranger I had. best truck I ever had. the almost 10 years I owned it only had 1 prob. I never had to get an alignment on it ever. still had the factory brake pads on it with alot of life left on them. it had a 2.3 5 speed manual and AC no power mirrors or door locks. if you wanted to adj. the seats. you better scoot your butt as you lifted the bar.

one of the best maintance free vehicles I ever owned. I know my dodge dakota been in the shop more in 2 years than my old truck ever been and that was one time. but the V-8 makes up for it. dont have to do the flintstones stick feet through floor and help the truck go faster up the hill to get out the way of something big comming up from behind.

 

[vwoom]

Simple car? How about a radical 2 seater 3 wheeler sportscycle..

If VW brings this into market, modified for year round use..then I wont mind getting one(it makes 46mpg!). Seen it in person at the LA Autoshow..$17k.

Pure affordable performance:

- Crossover between sports car and motorcycle
- It only takes 5.7 seconds to go from 0-62.5 mph (100 km/h) and the fuel consumption in the city is estimated to be 46 mpg (5.2 l/100 km)
- GX3 was conceived for the U.S. by the Moonraker team and VW’s Design Center in California
- Three wheels, two seats, and off you go in the carpool lane

Amazing dynamics for less than $ 17,000: The GX3 will be driven by a VW 1.6 liter engine. The four-cylinder delivers 92 kW / 125 hp. So far, so good. However, the GX3 is a pure driving machine, a motorcycle with two seats positioned side-by-side. And that’s why you can find 125 hp and 112.5 ft-lbs (152 Nm) in a mere 1,257 lbs (570 kg) Volkswagen. This results in a power-to- weight ratio of 10 lbs/hp 4.56 kg/PS). In just 5.7 seconds, the GX3 can reach a speed of 62.5 mph (100 km/h) and the possible lateral acceleration reaches 1.25g – values typical of sheer performance cars but delivered from a vehicle under the $17,000 price range. No comparable sports machine in the world, however, can come even close to the low fuel consumption of the GX3: 46 mpg. Fact is: a production counterpart of the GX3, could be on the market very soon. It all depends on the American driver’s feedback.

Advanced chassis: The 215/45 R17x8J front wheels are controlled by a double lateral steering axle. While the front axle resembles the layout of an automobile, the rear axle shows more parallels to a motorcycle. The right side of the vehicle also makes use of a monoswing arm. The engine’s power is delivered via 6-speed transmission and chain drive to the rear wheel, which has a tire size of 315/30 R18x12J – a new super bike dimension. And that suits the GX3.

 

[LarryL]

I'd sure like to drive one....