Posted on 06/21/2014 10:04:44 AM PDT by TurboZamboni
The days when a bare-bones "stripper" car came with vinyl seats, rubber floor mats and no air conditioning are long gone.
Today, convenience and cold air come standard for all models, along with a long list of niceties that were once the sole domain of the loaded vehicle. A base Chevy Spark, as one example, offers aluminum wheels, ten standard airbags, power windows — even six months of OnStar service, in case you lock your keys in the car. On the surface, the new car market is offering better values than ever.
There is just one small problem with nearly all entry-level models of the modern day: You can't ever find em', and when you do, they usually come loaded with surprises. We may learn about that teaser of a price from the manufacturer's advertising, or the dealer supposedly suffering a bone-headed overstocking whose pain can be your gain. But actually finding that car is another matter entirely.
Recently, I searched for an absolute bare bones 2014 Nissan Versa S, base model. How many were there for the genuine manufacturer's drive-out price of under $13,000 in metro Atlanta? One. Just a single car to serve a metropolitan population of six million people.
Two weeks ago I walked over to a Mitsubishi dealer near Myrtle Beach, S.C. There were 20 Mirages on the lot, and out of those 20, there was one basic car with that ever so rare five-speed manual. The price: $12,500, before a whopping $1,995 surcharge for window tint. The old days of stain guards for carpeting and VIN etchings on the windows have been replaced with $700 processing fees, $800 destination charges, and $2,000 aftermarket trim packages with low-quality leather and fake wood made out of real plastic.
(Excerpt) Read more at autos.yahoo.com ...
” She pointed at the hand-crank and asked, “what’s that?” “
My 1936 Chevy has window cranks but you push it up and the window closes, push it down and it closes.
They are electric windows.
I will have me a 78 or 79 someday but would rather have the half ton truck though...
I learned to drive on a vehicle that had two buttons on the floor. One was the high beam switch, the other was the starter. It was a WWII surplus jeep, made by Ford.
Drug smugglers need to have something to drive.
It’s not the 7 year car loan that’s done that. It’s the evolution of technology. Power doors and windows aren’t extras anymore because they’re 40 year old features. Kind of like how key ignitions stopped being extras. Now voice controlled GPS and automatic parking is an extra. 20 years from now, not so much. Really if you’re in the market for the cheap model go used, get the 2 or 3 year old version, you get more value for your buck, and you don’t have to explain to the salesman why in blazes you want a hand crank for the windows.
I only click on this because I had no idea what a stripper car was, thought maybe it was a model car strippers were after.
I’m only 76 so maybe I’m not old enough to know what they are.
I have a 2004 car with just under 90,000 miles on it. In great shape mechanically and body wise. Bought brand new and have taken good care of it. Get an offer from a dealer at least once a week giving me $1,000 more than blue book if I trade it in on a new car.
Have been offered $3,000 more than blue book from a guy wanting to buy it for his daughter. But it’s not for sale. Can’t afford cost and insurance for a new one and don’t like them either.
Ive seen a few cars lately that are all black and also FLAT black. Are they supposed to be a stealth vehicle invisible to police radar or something? That would be a neat trick.
You can still find them in the lobby/waiting areas of 50s-themed diners.
Yep. I had a '67 Catalina that I sold about 8 years ago that had that feature. It also had a heater control that had a dial you turned for more or less heat instead of sliders. Not to mention the light on the underside of the top of the dashboard that had a little toggle switch to actuate it. I discovered that after I'd had the car a few weeks...
Sounds like an urban legend to me. I don’t think there is any truth to it. I have gone inside a door and worked on an electric window before.
Dimmer switch for the headlights.
Air bags never have deployed.”
Had one accident where my driver’s seat airbag deployed which resulted in two broken ribs, one of which punctured my lung. So maybe you were lucky they didn’t deploy.
I know where to get 2500 cars. Gotta go to the poor part of town. I’ve got a friend with skills at getting cars for under 1000 dollars, they usually need about 500 dollars worth of work, but he drives them cross country.
There are new Wranglers that cost eighty thousand dollars plus now and they are huge, nothing like the old Wrangler. If I had my heart set on a Wrangler I would find one at least forty years old and fix anything wrong with it. Better yet, find a forty year old Bronco, the real thing and restore it.
my ‘76 Dodge Dart had the high beam switch on the floor.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.