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 ...
Good luck finding such a thing. Do they even make hand crank windows for the US market any more?
I’ll trade the anti lock brakes for rear wheel drive.
I drive a 2005, I couldn’t tell ya.
The only ‘extra’ mine has is AC.
My friend took his eleven year old grand-daughter for a ride in his truck. She pointed at the hand-crank and asked, "what's that?"
Bought a base model car a couple of years ago with crank windows and manual locks and only came in white. Dealer said they advertised this model but it was the first he had ever seen, that the company made so few.
funny story..a Nissan dealer in Phoenix ordered by mistake an extended cab Frontier pick up with roll up windows, 5 speed stick but failed to check yes for a/c. Remember this is Phoenix......the truck is a 2012 new model and it still sits at said dealer
Remember when the high-beam switch was on the floor?
Back in the Nineties, I was looking for a new work van. Went a Dodge dealer, and found a nice one. Opened the driver’s door, and there was no front seat! It was extra! I laughed at the salesman, and left.
My first car had that! And the crank windows.
That's just the dealer's opening offer. If you pay all of that, you are a fool that deserves to be taken.
Second, you don't have to buy off the lot. Although, since the dealer is having to pay interest and insurance on the cars on the lot, he ought to be willing to sell them at a steeper discount to move them.
I drive a 1984 Mercedes-Benz diesel with no heat, defroster or air, inoperable back windows and windshield washer fluid system, no radio, springs sticking through the seats and a balky transmission. But it does have electric windows that work in the front (it IS a Mercedes, after all). And I live in Texas.
Dimmer switch, of course.
High beam switch.
Why doesn’t he sell it to a dealer in Maine or Michigan?
yep. my old Valiant had that.
My bro in law worked at a dealership. He said the ‘deluxe’ undercoating meant the guy sprayed it standing on one foot.
an extra $300
Notice that that car is new enough to have the easy access fuse box on the dash rather than under it. Today they’re mostly under the hood.
I love e windows, AC, and remote locks, would never buy a car without them. I used to think that I would never get an automatic trans but new ones get about the same mileage as manual, are reliable, and a lot better in a traffic jam.
I buy used though and let the new buyer take the hit on depreciation.
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