Base spec absolute misery

[sierraman]

Remember when the phrase ‘entry level’ hasn’t entered the dictionary and you were sat behind the wheel of a Cavalier 1.4 Envoy with all those blanking plugs covering up where the headlight levellers were? 

Or when a radio was actually an option on Mercedes and you paid extra for an ashtray on a BMW 316i?

[Aston Martin]

One mirror K10!!!!

[Asimo]

Alternative viewpoint:-  

Remember when you could buy a car, and it wasn't stuffed with shit you didn't want at all, and certainly didn't want to pay for and maintain at much effort?

[Shep Shepherd]

I remember a time in the 1980s when a local Ford dealer (Thompsons of Dover, long-defunct) used to refer to the 'so basic they don't even have a model designation' mark 3 Escorts as 'Lead-In' models in their newspaper adverts. 

[Timewaster]

It still exists. 

My Outlander is a "Juro" spec. 

I have no idea where that sits in the accepted Popular, L GL, GLS, Ghia scale but it has DAB, heated seats, aircon, cruise, heated screen etc... 

But it still has 9, yes 9 switch blanks. 

God only knows what kind of spec they are all for. 

[Conan]

Less equipment = less weight = better performance. I prefer to call them "Race Car Spec".

[Timewaster]

Just now, Conan said:

Less equipment = less weight = better performance. I prefer to call them "Race Car Spec".

Or "Rallye" spec. If you like Peugeots. 

[vulgalour]

But the children resale value! Won't somebody think of the children resale value?

[Asimo]

No.

If it is worth buying, it is worth keeping.

[Fumbler]

You got the ashtray but not the lighter in my Micra. The only reason why the ashtray is there is because it holds part of the centre console in place.

[Zelandeth]

How about in the Fiat Panda where the base models didn't even have the lighting for the switchgear fitted?

[Richard_FM]

Ford were real penny pinchers on their base spec models.  My uncle remembered borrowing an early fiesta from a friend which only had 1 sun visor.

 

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Massive irritant was the blanking plate for me. The last car I had with too many was an Escort and all that said to me every time was 'you can't afford life'. Miserable piece of shit, I hear they sell well now though.

[Yoss]

Talking of K10's, when I still lived at home, an elderly neighbour had one. When she had to have a hip op she asked me to use it a bit to keep it running. She had an aftermarket alarm fitted and one day I let then girlfriend in the passenger door and then realised I hadn't disabled the alarm. Nothing happened. Went to the drivers door and it set the alarm off. Turned out the interior light to which the alarm had been linked only worked on the drivers door. There wasn't even a hole for the switch on the passenger side. Made the alarm pretty pointless. 

[captain_70s]

The Acclaim L doesn't have head rests or a dipping rear view mirror.

Doesn't seem a big deal for 1981 until you realise the base spec Dolomite it replaced had both those features as standard...

[adw1977]

1 hour ago, Shep Shepherd said:

I remember a time in the 1980s when a local Ford dealer (Thompsons of Dover, long-defunct) used to refer to the 'so basic they don't even have a model designation' mark 3 Escorts as 'Lead-In' models in their newspaper adverts. 

Ah yes, with vinyl trim, although the brochures always show them with fabric trim, which was an option at extra cost.

Flickr link

I wonder if any vinyl trimmed Mark 3 base Escorts still exist?

[Inspiral_Mondays]

Ford Escort Mk2 1.1 Popular had a detuned 42bhp engine, vinyl seats, single sunvisor, no door mirrors, no heated rear window, foot pump windscreen washers, 12 inch wheels with hubcaps from the Mk1, drum brakes at the front and rubber floor mats. What little sound proofing there was in the Mk2 was also deleted.  Oh and it had non-inertia reel seatbelts, which wasn’t a big problem as there was no radio or switchgear to reach anyway. Around 1978 Ford went all extravagant and added a mirror for the driver‘s door as standard (unchromed obviously).

[Tamworthbay]

8 minutes ago, captain_70s said:

The Acclaim L doesn't have head rests or a dipping rear view mirror.

Doesn't seem a big deal for 1981 until you realise the base spec Dolomite it replaced had both those features as standard...

My best mates Mum had one, we didn’t even have a car as Dad had a motorbike, but it still felt shit. They were a depressing car when you look at the opposition. The Dolomite could be argues to be a step back from the FWD predecessor but the styling was gorgeous and they drive beautifully, the Acclaim was a step back in most ways from the Dolomite. The end of the great Triumph name sadly.

[Shep Shepherd]

Jeremy Walton described the base model mark 3's interior as a rep's monastic punishment cell in his excellent book about the Escort 

I remember seeing a lot of vinyl-trimmed base model Escorts in my local scrapyard around 1994 or so. I can't recall ever seeing any on the road, though.

[HMC]

90s base spec to me speaks of non body colour bumpers and centre caps rather than full wheel trims; whose spiritual successors are alive and well in recent low end Dacias. 

[Macscrooge]

I had a poverty spec 1989  1.3 Escort as a fleet car. Ghastly it was, and on such narrow tyres it was a danger on damp curves. 
 

In the ‘60s my Dad had BMC 1100s as company cars (a new one each year ‘cos after 12 month they were shagged). He got the basic model plus the luxuries of seat belts, heater and windscreen washers!

[HMC]

It’s all relative- in the poverty of low spec 80s models and whole models ranges. radios as an extra? Step this way into your new w124 Merc. Low spec high quality doesn’t seem to make the cut these days as a sales model.

Mind you it’s still possible to spec up a bmw/ Mercedes to truely scary levels of extra cost. I sometimes wonder if you can “build your car” online and experiment to double the price with options. Obv you’d have to be mega bored/ self isolating.

[Isaac Hunt]

When the Escort MK2 did a ‘Popular Plus’ that was so basic, if there was a ‘Popular’ then the AntHill Mob must have had that one.   

Or you got a Ford Cortina Mk4 1.3 and your next door neighbour PHSL cos he had a 1.6L.   The MD was king of the castle with a 2.3 Ghia

back then, poverty spec was proper povvo.

BeeHell were just as bad, if you had a super deluxe, you could look down your nose at the poor fekker with the deluxe.

the povvo spec often didn’t even have a heated rear window.  You used to see folk with those stick on shite things.  Mind you, if you did have a HRW, by the time the box of tissues on the parcel shelf had done two circuits, half the fekkin elements were bost anyway.

I had a Marina 1.3 base model.  Vinyl seats, static seat belts and drum brakes up front.   It used to pull to the left on braking.  So just before my driving test I deglazed the shoes and drums, adjusted them up.  On my test, when the examiner turned round to check for traffic, I was ready for the STOP.  I slammed on the anchors and yanked hard right, the fekker stopped in a straight line on a sixpence, the examiner and clipboard shot forward off the vinyl seat, under the baggy static belt and ended up in the footwell.  I was certain i’d failed.   But he straightened himself out, issued further instruction and off we drove.  I was gobsmacked to hear him say “I have to inform you that you have passed”

[Noel Tidybeard]

1992 pugrot 106 XN- 2 dials, speedo & fuel gauge

if you had a 1.1 XN you got rear wiper as well

if you had a 1.4 XNd you got 4 stud wheels on top of that!

add in the Graduate package to get pop-up sunroof, tape stripes for sides & wheeltrims & carpet mats

[HMC]

It seems a simpler time when the prospect of side rubbing strips on the next model up was something to get excited/ spendy over.

[Spurious]

I think I've been lucky that I've not had a complete poverty spec car, though the Irish car market did have it's own oddities, most cars were the base bottom of the run spec.  I'm pretty sure there was some engines reserved for the Irish market that didn't make it to the UK (small CC engines due to the motor tax system) but I cannot think of any examples off the top of my head.

[HMC]

I do recall my dads Sierra azura having a massive analogue clock rather than rev counter and keep fit windows all round. So much for a (usually higher spec) run out special. Our 89 escort BONUS (bought new F355jbu from Gordon’s of Bolton) had white wheel trims and very little else.
 

It sounds so ridiculous to say but I could hardly contain myself when I was a passenger in a car with a rev counter.

[UltraWomble]

47 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

How about in the Fiat Panda where the base models didn't even have the lighting for the switchgear fitted?

This

The wifes first ever car was a Fiesta Base 1979

Squeezy bulb washer pump.

No wing mirrors

No RWW

No HRW

No radio

No lighted switchgear

2 speed fan

Vinyl seats ( no head rests)

Rubber floor covering (no carpet)

1 speed wipers (on or off)

Manual winter setting for the air intake 

 

[sierraman]

Escort 1.1 Bonus...

[Cleon-Fonte]

Think of the poor sod who could only afford the basic Renault 4 (or Renault 3 if it had the 603cc engine) in the early 1960s: any colour you like so long as it's grey, no heater fan, a metal steering wheel, no interior trim, no rear quarter windows, thinner seats and a starter button instead of a key (gr9 for being nicked, if the thieves in question had no self image). They didn't even bother with a grille, slots cut into the bonnet were your lot.

 

 

It's no wonder everybody bought the better appointed 4L instead.