What and when was the last proper bASe car sold in the UK?

[AMC Rebel]

Moden fuel gauges are damped too, they just seem to have done it much better because they're still accurate - well, mostly.

 

If you drive an old car the fuel gauge is all over the show depending whether you're on level ground, accelerating, cornering, braking etc. On really old cars they even used to slosh up and down with the fuel in the tank - I remember by mums Talbot Sunbeam being like that.

This isn’t damping - the central half of the range (half to three quarters) just always shows as exactly half. Not the same as smoothing the variations. In a car with marginal cooling like my ZTT this means there’s nothing at all to show he car is heading for overheating until it jumps to the 3/4 mark - by which point it’s already over 100c

[Yoss]

 

What was the most base Felicia?

Felicia Lx on launch had a clock, rear wiper, and all of 54 bhp, facelift Felicia L was the same spec, no power steering, no radio

I think the facelift L may have been more basic than the original LX. We had one of those and it had a centre console. I've seen facelift L's with just a two foot (exaggeration) gearstick sticking out of the floor. I've never seen one without a radio cassette.

 

And of course they all have a massive clock in place of the tacho of posher versions. This is probably a more useful measurement of speed than the speedo on 54hp models. Just thought I'd get that Skoda joke in before anyone else did.

[Kiltox]

It CHANGES GEAR FOR YOU???

 

Get out of here posho

[NorfolkNWeigh]

There's a lot of very basic W212 (09-13) E Class Mercs around, manual gearbox, plastic seats , no Nav , no electrics bar Windows and locks. These things, unsurprisingly, are very undesirable and cheap.

They've got about 130 bhp to pull 2 tonnes around, all they need is a foot operated horn/ alarm and extra large ashtray to match the spec of a Taxi Pack mk2 Granada.

[SiC]

Could have they fitted a bigger gear selector?!

[Jim Bell]

Height of luxury i know

 

 

AND its got a radio.

[Parky]

Base model Renault 5 Campus.

 

Early models had rear wash wipe and a 5 speed box - as extra cost extras.

 

No centre air vents, two speed wipers, 2 speaker radio, no fag lighter, manual Windows, and manual locking. But despite the poverty it was an incredible amount of fun to drive and I would have another in a heartbeat

[Elstro1988]

I bought a Corsa for my daughter. Miserable thing. Three cylinder, keep fit windows and no power steering. The radio was just a radio, not even a cassette.

 

 

One’s too many, ten’s not enough!

 *SHUDDER*

 

3-pot Corsas are an abomination.

 

On topic, my Nova is definitely a base. No clock (just a blanking plate), no tacho, mirrors are adjustable outside only, and it's also the 1.0 pushrod engine. But rare in black.

[busmansholiday]

Mrs BMH has had a couple of MII's and the display is somewhat "lacking". But there's an optional satnav that fits on top of the dash that also does all sorts of engine info such as temp, revs etc as well as all the radio functions. Mind you is fooking expensive so when you trade one in you always forget to include it. Think I've got two, one of which is unused.

[timolloyd]

I think vent deletion must be the mingiest thing a manufacturer can do

[mercrocker]

Morris Cowley deletions over the much-better selling Oxford.... (for the sake of thirty quid)  

 

Passenger sunvisor. 

Heater (although many were specified as an extra) 

Chrome side strips 

Exterior window bright-work

Clock (and some say water temp gauge although mine has one) 

300cc of B Series Powah 

Upholstery not from real cow 

One of the pair of twin-tone horns (parp,parp not cow)

And the horn ring on the steering wheel

Over-riders 

Carpets 

 

Try and add all that lot for £30.... 

 

Ford seemed to do well out of bASe speccers but Morris only sold 1 Cowley for 7 Oxfords.  Austin tended to keep quiet about their basic versions although there was a "pre de Luxe" Farina Westminster which had a tin dash instead of walnut veneer.     

 

Other low-points of bASe misery that come to mind are the 2 seater "Chevette Scooter" marketed by Chevrolet that had no rear bench seat - just blanking plugs on the floor-pan and the round-headlight version of the Peugeot 504 sold as a Break Commerciale.     

 

The most recent deliberately stripped out vehicle I can recall is the original Ford Ka.

[155V6]

My Volvo C70 was fairly basic when I got it,it was like someone wanted the T5 engine & couldn't afford any options.It had vinyl/cloth seats,no passenger airbag,plastic gearknob,aircon instead of climate control,black plastic trim instead of wood,& 3 or 4 blank switches 

[bunglebus]

Base model Renault 5 Campus.

 

Early models had rear wash wipe and a 5 speed box - as extra cost extras.

 

No centre air vents, two speed wipers, 2 speaker radio, no fag lighter, manual Windows, and manual locking. But despite the poverty it was an incredible amount of fun to drive and I would have another in a heartbeat

 

I must admit mine did have 5 forward gears and the ability to clean the rear window without getting out. It didn't have a glovebox lid or clock though. Me being strange I removed the rear wiper but fitted the clock and glovebox lid.

[rantingYoof]

2005 GM era Saab 9-3 1.8i.

 

Naturally aspirated wheel trim...this is as low as Saab went right?

 

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201803274970885

 

[SierraMikeHotel]

2005 GM era Saab 9-3 1.8i.

 

Naturally aspirated wheel trim...this is as low as Saab went right?

 

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201803274970885

 

Base Spec 9-3 - 1.jpg

Base Spec 9-3 - 2.jpg

 

I'm noticing Saabs all the time at the moment and I always feel like the wheels on 9-3s are too small, but those...

[skoda_fan]

The basic Citigo ("S") is alarmingly devoid of basics for a modern. Manual windows, no rev counter, no proper fuel gauge just strip thing at the bottom of the speedo, steelies, pretty shocking in actual fact. Until recently no Citigo even had lifters on the rear parcel shelf, and the four door versions have pop-out windows as the door isn't big enough to wind the glass into. Surefire future shite.  I know all this cos I've been seriously contemplating one as a fun little thing to blat around in. Not sure if the VW and Seat versions are similar.

[chaseracer]

The 2CV was available until 1990...

[cros]

Pneumatic tyres were extra on the Trojan Utility even though most other cars at the time had been fitted with them for 25 years.

 

Worse than a blanking plate instead of a gauge is having one where the starter motor should be as on Henrys E27n.

Not even a car, I know, but what the fuck.

[timolloyd]

I absolutely love tractors for exactly this sort of thing

[anonymous user]

The answer to “what was the last car...” is always the Land Rover Defender.

 

 

Followed immediately by everyone on here telling me it’s not a car.

Where the default answer then becomes a Morgan 4/4