Undesirable specs

[ChinaTom]

I totally get the GL frustration. HL too. I guess it was for people that distrusted electricity. My old man always listed after GL and HL, never saw himself deserving a Ghia or VdP, and always went for L in the end. He once bought a brand new Renault 18 and the salesman offered him a GTS spec for the price of a TS. He insisted on the TS. And he was a bloody electrician!!!!

 

Having fallen in love with Renault, mother CT decided to upgrade from FIAT 127 to new Renault: father was getting his first company car, so whole car budget was hers. Renault 11 was the chosen model and father tried to order GTX spec. Salesman only had access to TXE, so they spend hours trying to convince themselves a Renault 9 TS would be ok. But hatchback was required so father tells salesman he will be buying a 309 GL instead. Salesman offers TXE for same price as GTX and we had our first electric window.

 

Father got GL Sierra as company car instead of cavalier CD he was offered....

 

 

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[Daviemck2006]

Astra and Cavalier mk3's with blue interiors, especially with those hideous tweed cloth seats. Grey was bad enough. What were they thinking?

 

I had a mk 3 astra 1.7d merit estate in blue with that interior. I had went from a rover 216gti 3 door to it. I needed a 4 or 5 door because of growing family. It did not last long before it got chopped in for a galaxy glx.

 

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[MorrisItalSLX]

4 cylinder Holden Commodores. The lowest of the low.

If you wanted a 4 cylinder Holden, you bought a Camira as it came with the far better GM Family II motor and far better trim levels. The 4 cylinder Commodore had the gutless Starfire 4 motor and was only available in poverty trim.

[bub2006]

Jolokes BMW reminded me of my uncles 520e he bought new in 1984. It was a metallic greeny gold colour,wind up windows all round but had a metal sunroof, electric mirrors, central locking and Pas. He had to spec a stereo if I recall as it didn't come with one standard. Had itchy horrible seat fabric too. Was weighed in in 1997 when he had a notability Peugeot 306 with the naturally aspirated 1.9 diesel. The BMW smoked like a train by this point. Family holidays with a convoy of cars we could always find his BMW by the haze of smoke and the smell of oil.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

The GL, HL spec only exists because of company car hierarchy . The Sierra L would have been issued to people who actually needed a car for their job. Salesmen ( and they usually were men, in those days) driving lots of miles, the GL looked pretty much the same but had a rev counter and slightly different upholstery signified a head office based junior manager,basically a perk and less likely to have done 60,000 miles in the first year. Hence more likely to survive into middle age .

By the time you get to the level that you could get a Ghia, everyone needs to know how important you are so just another Sierra won't cut it, but a Granada...

Even a GL ( base model for early mk3) looks to outside world like an executive's car even if it's got keep fit windows. Or even a BMW 316 for those progressive companies, they might even let you pay for a radio yourself.

[sierraman]

Those Astra’s with the blue tweed were absolutely foul. It was almost like you were being punished for picking the Merit or the L.

 

My dad always had the base or near base spec, he always got his cars cheap through work, they were 5 or 6 year old ex company cars, from memory he had a 82’ Alpine 1.5, 84’ Escort 1.3 GL, 85’ Sierra 1.6 EMAX, 90’ H Astra 1.4 L, 92’ Astra 1.4 L. Only one I can remember him having of a good spec was a Mondeo 1.8 GLX completely colour coded white with an optional RS spoiler and grey velour.

 

By comparison my mates dad always had the ‘in’ model, 90’ H XR3i cabrio, 89’ F Rover 827 Vitesse, 90’ G XJ40 Sovereign 4.0.

[GeordieInExile]

Vauxhall tigra, everything about it was a bit why? the puma was similar, but for one reason or another just not as shite.

I loved my base spec Puma. Apart from the lack of Quickclear window in winter.

[stonedagain]

I once had an 81 BMW 323i with keep fit windows but electrically operated and heated yes heated mirrors but no electric windows! No I didnt understand it either?

 

Who on earth would option that?

 

A door mirror enthusiast?

 

I had a E28 518i the same, no central locking & steel wheels!

[stuboy]

Father got GL Sierra as company car instead of cavalier CD he was offered....

 

 

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jesus had he been drinking that day??

[rantingYoof]

The cretin who specced my S60 decided to plump for the electric driver's seat but skimped on the heated seat options.

 

[/missing point of thread]

[Volksy]

A mates dad got his new company car list back in 1990 which had the following

 

Cavalier GL

Ford Sierra GL

Nissan Primera L

Jaguar XJ40 2.9 (Solid colour/Trims/Tweed)

Mercedes W124 200

 

He really wanted the Merc, but then realised that EVERYTHING was an option, so plumped for the Cavalier in the end.

[SierraMikeHotel]

This thread makes me think of the things we were willing to pay extra for in the old days, that would be totally standard now.

 

We had a Pug 309 GR when I was a kid: I think that got you a rev counter and a pinstripe, and maybe a slightly nicer radio. Perhaps four speakers instead of two. How much extra did that cost Peugeot per car? £40 maybe?

 

It really amuses me when I see them with a clock where the rev counter should be, or even worse just a Lion emblem to remind you of what a mingebag you are.

 

My Merc is a bit of an oddity: it's an Avantgarde but has no extras whatsoever except for sports suspension (which I wouldn't even know about if I hadn't run the VIN through a decoder).

[Lacquer Peel]

Peugeot 405 estate Style, so mingebag they even removed the rear seat armrest!

 

I had a 405 Style and thought it was alright, it still had all the good qualities of a 405 but stripped down. I enjoyed the BIG CLOCK in place of the rev counter.

[ChinaTom]

A mates dad got his new company car list back in 1990 which had the following

 

Cavalier GL

Ford Sierra GL

Nissan Primera L

Jaguar XJ40 2.9 (Solid colour/Trims/Tweed)

Mercedes W124 200

 

He really wanted the Merc, but then realised that EVERYTHING was an option, so plumped for the Cavalier in the end.

Wow, I wonder what kind of tax bill he would have had with the Jag? The cars were supposed to reflect the salary in a way. Primera L vs XJ40 is a choice only given on here surely?

 

 

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[JimH]

The most undesireable spec must surely go to VWs decontented models of the 60s and early 70s. When a fuel gauge is considered a luxury then you know you're probably better off looking for used cars. Dear Lord, they were decontented to the point that they didn't even have headlamp flasher. The '68 and '69 Povertywagens were sold with six of the full twelve volts missing. 

 

From memory Vauxhall went through a phase of releasing Cavaliers with odd and rather undesireable specs. Both the first V6 and the 4X4 Cavaliers were released in L spec only. Surely if you are stumping up for four wheel drive you would at least expect a rev counter. Early BX and 405 4X4s were sent out with slightly poverty specs too. I know the platform got posher badges eventually but the early cars didn't.

 

There are also those weird home market German cars that we didn't get. I could never work out why the base 944 you could buy in the UK was called a Lux. Only later you found out that the Germans got a proper poverty spec thing with lots of bits missing. Ditto those FWD only TTs with weedy engines that VAG decided there was naff all profit in selling in Blightly. That leads onto the British wazzocks who bought the early fat typist Beetles and TTs in left hand drive just so they could get their's first. No, they weren't going to suffer any depreciation at all when the right hook ones appeared.

[lesapandre]

70's VW's were indeed austere. I had a Varient...rubber mats inside and of course no heater fan...warm air came via the engine and ram effect. Nice an toasty but you had to wait for it to warm up in the morning. Charming with very hard seats but I would not want another. 'Ingenious' screenwasher using the pressure of the air in the spare wheel in the front compartment to drive the spray. Happy days I was 35 years younger then.

[Supernaut]

BMW 320i automatic.

 

All the performance of a 4 cylinder, with all the economy of a 6 cylinder.

 

 

 

I still like it, coz I'm weird. I also got it for nothing, so that helps. With it actually being a (very small) 6 cylinder it makes a nice noise, too. You even get to enjoy the noise for longer, as it's so slow!

[Tamworthbay]

70's VW's were indeed austere. I had a Varient...rubber mats inside and of course no heater fan...warm air came via the engine and ram effect. Nice an toasty but you had to wait for it to warm up in the morning. Charming with very had seats but I would not want another. 'Ingenious' screenwasher using the pressure of the air in the spare wheel in the front compartment to drive the spray. Happy days I was 35 years younger then.

My 70s vw (type 2) never got warmth above the level a dead gnat would fart out on a lean day despite original heat exchangers and decent pipework. Nightmare at this time of year.

[Zantimisfit]

Do you remember when it was launched there was a cheapo spec black bumper Rover 600. On a similar theme the tin bumper Rover Metro Quest. Rover knew how to do mean spirited in those days.

 

At the other end of the scale the last Mini Cooper Sports with their ridiculous fat wheels and arches, spot lights and chrome shite all over the place looked awful and spoiled the simple loveliness of the basic humble Mini. They always irritated me. Over spec sometimes looks as naff as under spec.

[lesapandre]

Yea my VW was ok...it was a '72 in bright yellow. 40,000 from new when I bought it and I must have put 30,000 on it in a couple of years as I used it in my work. The heater was ok but best when working the engine hard. Nicely made.

[Toledo71]

I once had an 81 BMW 323i with keep fit windows but electrically operated and heated yes heated mirrors but no electric windows! No I didnt understand it either?

 

Who on earth would option that?

 

A door mirror enthusiast?

 

 

 

The E21 was never developed to have electric windows even as an option.  You had to order a 5 series to be allowed to pay extra for electric windows.  I think the electric mirrors must have been easier to engineer for some reason.  If you wanted an optional extra sunroof that was keep-fit as well.  

 

I knew someone at school whose father had an E23 728 with wind-up windows converted to electric in the front with an after market kit.  And some delightful* gold-painted BBS alloys.

[Toledo71]

Mercedes 190d 4 cylinder OM601 Derv with a Manual Gearbox

 

All 72 BHP of it

 

You could walk faster

 

... and faster still than the same car with an auto box.  Someone in the family had one.

[hpi_matrix]

Land Rover Discovery 2.0 Mpi

 

Poor engine choice for a 2 ton car, had they fitted some turbos on it though.....

[Toledo71]

Do you remember when it was launched there was a cheapo spec black bumper Rover 600. On a similar theme the tin bumper Rover Metro Quest. Rover knew how to do mean spirited in those days.

 

At the other end of the scale the last Mini Cooper Sports with their ridiculous fat wheels and arches, spot lights and chrome shite all over the place looked awful and spoiled the simple loveliness of the basic humble Mini. They always irritated me. Over spec sometimes looks as naff as under spec.

 

Have we had the Ledbury Maestro?

[Aston Martin]

Don't judge me, I completely forgot about manual sunroofs. Not the pop up type, but the winders.

[lesapandre]

Or the Sunbeam Alpine GT of the mid '60's. Removable hard top but NO soft top...space taken up by a tiny seat. Useless as a convertible with the roof off  and precious little extra space as a hardtop. I had one nice car but odd spec.

[JimH]

70's VW's were indeed austere. I had a Varient...rubber mats inside and of course no heater fan...warm air came via the engine and ram effect. Nice an toasty but you had to wait for it to warm up in the morning. Charming with very hard seats but I would not want another. 'Ingenious' screenwasher using the pressure of the air in the spare wheel in the front compartment to drive the spray. Happy days I was 35 years younger then.

The low point was the '68 1200A Beetles. From memory the list of things missing was very, very long.

 

Reserve tap instead of a fuel gauge

Single speed wipers

Steering wheel with horn push button instead of chrome ring/bar

And you won't be needing that nice badge in the middle either

Moulded rubber "carpets"

Delete rear ash trays

Delete lining trims in rear luggage space. Including the ones that cover the rear arches.

Delete trims strips from waist line and running boards

Replace chrome front indicator pods with painted ones

Delete bonnet trim and badge.

Delete rear badge

Use '67 model year rear lights

Use '67 model year bumpers

Without over riders. Obviously.

Use '67 dashboard switch knobs

Delete passenger sun visor

Delete front door pouches

Delete internal door pulls and replace with earlier versions

You know those improved ventilation controls we've put on the '68 cars? Well you can't have them. Peasant.

Use earlier bonnet handle.

Use early engine deck cover

Delete virtually all headlining and pillar trimming bar one small square directly above the occupants heads. Choose your colour wisely because you get to see a lot of it from inside.

Delete passenger grab handle

Delete rear passenger assist straps

Delete the horn grille that isn't used

Delete under bonnet liner and wiring cover and replace with some folded up cardboard.

Someone with a better memory might suggest otherwise but I am sure this model year kept the single circuit brakes when the proper cars had gone onto dual circuit

 

I think the '68 car wins as the worst because all others had gone to 12 volt electrics whereas these sorry hounds kept the 6V candles.

 

It makes me smile that our poverty spec Vectra dog kennel has air con, electric windows and cruise control.

[sierraman]

Ford used to try cheering up base Sierras calling them Laser or Quartz.

[Guest Hooli]

Land Rover Discovery 2.0 Mpi

 

Poor engine choice for a 2 ton car, had they fitted some turbos on it though.....

 

Done as a tax dodge I think for company car owners. I seem to recall they sold well in Japan for the same reason.

[quicksilver]

3 pages in and no mention of this yet?

1983 Ford Sierra 1.6 Base by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

Surely that's as undesirable as they come (except round here) with the grey grille announcing its bASeness to the world.

 

Going back to Rover briefly, wasn't there an 820 with the carb-fed O-series out of the Montego, made to get the 800 under a certain tax threshold or something? That must have been a bit grim.