Undesirable specs

[hennabm]

The E34 518i was very much the bottom of the pile.

 

However with the lighter M40 engine and the gearing it was just as quick as the 520i

 

As usual at the time most things were then extra so a 518i could cost as much as a 535,depending on what you wanted to spec.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

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?

 

 

 

Strangely, tinted, heated electric door mirrors were standard IIRC on the 323i - but just about everything else was extra.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

What completely undesirable specs can people remember over the years?

 

I’m thinking manual XJ40’s in white with hubcaps and tweed trim? Almost unsaleable at the time.

 

I remember seeing a manual XJ40 Daimler at Fords of Winsford in the early 1990s. The thing had depreciated horrendously, but still they couldn't shift it even at a very low price.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

The E34 518i was very much the bottom of the pile.

However with the lighter M40 engine and the gearing it was just as quick as the 520i

As usual at the time most things were then extra so a 518i could cost as much as a 535,depending on what you wanted to spec.

An i ? Luxury!

I once bought a 518 , mainly for the number A928GTS. It ran like a sack of shit, so I put a Webber conversion on it, then Mrs N drove it quite happily for a few months. Seem to remember it was 100% poverty spec except for a steel sunroof.

I sold it to a prolific Transit ringer who probably put the id on an M5, still occaisionaly see the old black 928S on the M1 driven by the same bloke I sold the plate to 25 years ago

[AMC Rebel]

Things have got even sillier these days. Because so many bits and bobs are hard wired into a car's control systems they are difficult or impossible to delete so you end up with the poverty spec version with cruise control, ABS and air con. At the same time you have to do something to differentiate the models so they still treat the front fog lamp and some paint on the door handles as a luxury item.

 

Many years ago Jack Dee asked

 

 

Car manuafacturers seem to be in a similar position.

 

 

My mid-spec ALDI A3 lacked cruise - it was one of the modder's popular upgrades cos you only need the stalk and 10 mins on a VAGCOM or similar to programme it in.  A lot of this kind of electrical stuff is easy to upgrade.  I changed the courtesy light panel to a higher spec one with two map reading lights using bits from a an A4 scrapper.  VAG and similar are great for this - fun and cheap to get stuff from higher models fitted. 

 

On a similar note, my first "car", a 1972 Ford Escort van had no coolant temp gauge.  I knew the saloons had one so I got a gauge from a scrapper - all the wiring and even the sensor was already there on the vans - I often wondered why they bothered with that bit of mingebagery - surely the cost saving must've been tiny? - in fact it must've cost more to make the different pressing for the dials?  I was similarly bemused by why they did a plain metal dashboard for the Marina van with a Moggy style speedo when they already had a perfectly good dash in the Marina.  It's almost as if they were imposing class divisions - you can't have the nice car dash as you are scummy "tradesmen".

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

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?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

It is an odd one, the Jag was well over twice the price of the Primera.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

It was actually A928 SGT , although funnily enough A928GTS is on one too.

[Ghosty]

Rover 214S.

 

Manual choke single carb 8v K-Series, 13" steels, single solid colour paint (no grey flanks), no wood, no anything. 

 

The base spec Concerto had twin carbs, 14" wheels and metallic paint.

[sutty2006]

probably my base spec Vauxhall carlton. Of 92 vintage.

 

Carlton LD. The base of base, with a tractor engine derived from the Cam in Head petrol. Its still got electric windows, central locking and power steering..... but nothing more. The L didnt even come with a radio aerial. Infact, its in the windscreen. Which is good in a way, as the rest of the up spec models have the big old shitty aeriel on the rear wing which people like to bend when they walk past.

 

Whats even worse is when you read vauxhalls figures of performance from the diesel.

 

Petrol 2.0 8v gets 50mpg on a run, the diesel 2.3td gets 52mpg........ Epic savings right there. But, I guess when this car came out fuel prices were a lot cheaper.

 

Ive had to fit mine with Diplomat alloys to get rid of the full poverty spec look.

[quicksilver]

316i two-door, your billy basic bottom of the pile BMW. Doesn't look too dissimilar to a 325i though so not obviously bASe and it's a BMW so that automatically made it more desirable than many of the cars in this thread. This one has a sunroof so someone splashed out on the options.

 

1989 BMW 316i by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

 

And the Cortina Base somehow didn't look as grimly basic as its successor

1979 Ford Cortina 1600 Base by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

 

1982 Ford Cortina 1.6 Base by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

[chaseracer]

I was similarly bemused by why they did a plain metal dashboard for the Marina van with a Moggy style speedo when they already had a perfectly good dash in the Marina.  It's almost as if they were imposing class divisions - you can't have the nice car dash as you are scummy "tradesmen".

 

Pretty much on the nail there.

[bunglebus]

I had a 957 base MK1 Fiesta for my first car, and there were definitely things missing that must have cost more money;

 

Thermostat housing not drilled for a fan switch so the connectors are just joined up - easy upgrade in 10 mins. 

 

No outer vents in dashboad, and outlets blanked on the heater - so two dashboards and two different heater boxes. Again upgraded fairly easily.

 

Mine had the optional high compression engine, heated rear window and passenger mirror at least. When they facelifted the MK1 and the base became the Popular, you got downgraded to rubber floor covering and only a driver's sun visor. a friend had one and it made mine look plush.

[sierraman]

Or go one better for the low compression version of the 950 Pop.

[Mrcento]

Been trying to think of one, but the best i can come up with is the Discovery 3 base 5 seat model.

 

For if you wanted to spend luxury car money on a vehicle with less kit than a Dacia and the same amount of seats.

 

It's "toys" were electric windows, Air con.... That's about yer lot.

 

So sparse was the selling points, they started filling in the negatives to make it look positive, proudly proclaiming its space saver spare wheel as a selling point.... in a car where it's stored under the thing.

[Timewaster]

The Peugeot dealer I worked at had a 309GE as a courtesy car.

 

A sea of grey interior with almost every switch blanked off, rear wiper hole blanked off (before that became cool Dubbers) a lion badge where the rev counter should be, scratchy seats made from geography teachers trousers and the thinnest rimmed steering wheel since little grey Ferguson.

Tiny wheels that were lost in the arches and an am radio.

 

Real misery.

[twosmoke300]

And not even a rtc fan belt

[NorfolkNWeigh]

probably my base spec Vauxhall carlton. Of 92 vintage.

 

Carlton LD. The base of base, with a tractor engine derived from the Cam in Head petrol. Its still got electric windows, central locking and power steering..... but nothing more. The L didnt even come with a radio aerial. Infact, its in the windscreen. Which is good in a way, as the rest of the up spec models have the big old shitty aeriel on the rear wing which people like to bend when they walk past.

 

Whats even worse is when you read vauxhalls figures of performance from the diesel.

 

Petrol 2.0 8v gets 50mpg on a run, the diesel 2.3td gets 52mpg........ Epic savings right there. But, I guess when this car came out fuel prices were a lot cheaper.

 

Ive had to fit mine with Diplomat alloys to get rid of the full poverty spec look.

In 1993 the company I worked for had a bit of a push to get user choosers into diesels. The plan was to encourage them by giving them the next trim leve, up to what they should have , for going diesel. So a grade 10 manager could have a GL Cavalier 1.7Td instead of a 1.6L etc.

To this end Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot, Rover etc all delivered examples of their Diesel range for a couple of weeks evaluation. To encourage people to actually drive them, everyone that tried a diesel round a test route we devised .got put into a draw for a month's use of an XM 2.1 SEd auto, which we considered the best diesel available at that point.

Anyway, a couple of days in I took the Carlton 2.3 home and discovered it was a proper old school diesel, next day I got the Fleet manager to try it. He got as far as the car park gates, turned round and said" For fucks sake keep those keys in your pocket, if we let anyone drive that it'll undo everything we're trying to do!"

I used it a few times and did in the end find as long as I never backed off, it could be made to move, but a tiny bit of oversteer would scrub off any momentum you'd managed to build up.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Austin Marengo...?

Napoleon's horse.

[Guest Hooli]

 

 

Petrol 2.0 8v gets 50mpg on a run, the diesel 2.3td gets 52mpg........ Epic savings right there. But, I guess when this car came out fuel prices were a lot cheaper.

 

Who told you those figures? We had a 2.0i in the family for a bit & I don't recall it ever topping 40mpg on a run.

[sutty2006]

Who told you those figures? We had a 2.0i in the family for a bit & I don't recall it ever topping 40mpg on a run.

It’s right here in the sales brochure