Simple car

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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.
 
Absofreakinglutley less stuff to break in my book.
Although not much different from what I drive now.
 
ABSOLUTELY! In fact, I drive one now (well it's a truck) that is exactly as you describe. It even has hand crank windows, manual door locks, and plastic floor cover (that I threw a carpet remnant on). Love it. It's a rusting '95 F150 XL. If I won a brand new F150 tomorrow, I would sell it and keep my '95.
 
Possibly the chevrolet Aveo? (Or any other one of the cars that are built on the same platform in japan)

Lots of small barebones trucks fit the bill too... Toyota Tacoma, Chevy Colorado, Ford Ranger. They come super stripped because companies buy them as work trucks.
 
My new Ford Ranger XL has auto tranny and a/c ... that's it.

I wanted a stripped model with vinyl floors and vinyl seats. The 2.3l 4 banger is actually quite reliable and being as I drive like an old lady it provides ample power.
 
If I had the chance to choose my car again I would say no. I drive a Civic VP. Besides the auto trans everything else fits what you describe. It sucks to have to wind down the windows and use the key to unlock the door and having to reach and manually unlock the passenger door, luckily for me I have a coupe instead of the sedan only have to unlock one compared to three. Of course in Florida you really can't have the air off during the warmer days so I don't really mind the manual windows as much as the absence of power locks. I would also like to have an alarm system and I can't do that even with aftermarket parts since most alarms utilizes the power locks as part of arming the car. Sigh, at least this is only my first car and I'm sure I have any more chances left. But I still love my car though.
 
Hi,

Last year I did buy a new car with the following;

Manual Trans.

4 cyl engine with easy access to Oil filter and other items. (ie, you can see the block on both sides from the top)

No ABS, No power windows, No power seats, No sunroof (I'm 6 foot 5+)
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, Easy 41 mpg and out the door well under $15k

2005 Toyota Corolla CE.

I did get the Cruise Control since I drive many miles a month (about 2400). Also I did get Power door locks. Came with power Mirrors and has carpet (we put in Rubber weather-all mats that catch snow real well in it)

Just turned 35k and has not been back to the dealer for anything. Average MPG is over 41 and is a nice car to drive. I'm going to keep it till atleast 300k and see from there.

The last car that I liked this much was my 1986 VW Jetta which just turned 255k with no problems. Orginal everything except belts, brakes, tires and sparkplugs. It was the same, roll up crank windows, 5 speed, just a simple car.

I ordered my 2000 truck the same way, manual trnas, Manual transfer case, etc. (its never been back to the dealership in 6 years...) (I do have 3 recalls on it though that I need to get done...)

Take care, Bill
biggthumbcoffe.gif
 
I wouldn't buy a car without power locks and windows. I also prefer power mirrors, but that's certainly not a necessity. Cruise is another feature I require.
 
In general, yes for me. The only real exception is that I usually like to have some air moving through the cabin, so I won't really buy a car without two things: power windows (a matter of reach, not aversion to cranking) and a sunroof.

Since those two things are usually only found on cars that also have power mirrors, locks and usually other stuff, I guess I'll always end up with more convenience stuff that I need.

But to me simplicity has a lot to do with the mechanical layout of the car, as well. No matter how barebones, it's tough to make a front-driver simple from a maintenance standpoint, just because of all the stuff you have to cram under the hood. If you want more than a four cylinder, then you're talking about a V-configuration, too, which is a nightmare if you ever have to do anything serious to it. Work on something with a longitudinal inline engine and rear drive, and you'll probably like it and maybe not want to go back.

There are some convenience/premium features I'd pay extra for, but not require. Trip computer, cruise, good sport seats, limited-slip diffs, satellite radio, HID, outside temp readout, heaters for front window/mirrors/door locks/washer nozzles. Simple stuff like intermittent wipers, rear defogger, remote releases for trunk/gas door and stuff like that aren't really features any more, but they're nice to have, and would be missing from any truly barebones car.

Then there are features I don't want anywhere near my car. Auto tranny. Stability control that can't be turned off. Automatic HVAC. Almost anything the car controls for me without my intent: headlamps, wipers, auto door locking, auto dimming mirrors, brake assist systems, any number of technologically impending electronic overseers of the driver or the driving experience.

- Glenn
 
With the exception of Auto tranny. Driving a stick in San Francisco with all the traffic and stop/go on the hills is not a good idea.

95 Corolla with 3spd auto tranny and AC, thats about it.
 
===98 Suzuki Swift - only extra am/fm cassette, oh almost forgot the NON-ajustable intermittent wipers-one setting appox every 10 secounds.
 
My old Focus ZX3 was stripped:

5 speed, no a/c, crank windows, manual locks etc. I actually had to special order the car to get it like that. I miss that car.

The Neon I drive now has auto and all the gadgets only because it was so cheap to get them. I paid the same for my new loaded Neon that I did for the stripped Focus in 2000.
 
My 2001 Toyota Echo fits this description. 4 cylinder, manual trans., a/c, ps, rear window defogger, no abs and thats it. I am 6'4, 260lbs and commute 75mi each way to work. Car is comfortable, and the real bonus is its 40plus mpg.It's never been back to the dealer for any warranty work and the only time it did see the dealer was for a valve adjustment at 100k that it did not need.

I am on my 3rd set of tires, and my second battery. OCI is 7.5k, transmission fluid, coolant and spark plug replacement at every 30k. I have never touched the brakes except to bleed the circuits every 2 yrs. Changed the belts and coolant hoses at 100k, along with the pcv valve.

I would buy another Echo in a heartbeat. Did I mention I paid less than 10k otd?
 
That's exactly how I bought my 85 Omni.... stripped... no options... no a/c. It was the best, trouble-free car I've ever owned.

It's reached a point where I'm almost tempted to have a 32 Ford Hiboy built for daily transportation. But they're too expensive and unsafe for urban commuting.

I'm keeping tabs on the 69 Camaro that some people are building out of brand new parts.
 
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