Assuming the speaker is not in the kid-demo themselves, “Kids today …” is almost never followed by “… really have it tough,” even though kids today do have it pretty doggone tough when it comes to housing affordability, the job market, and other adulty-stuff. Where kids do have it pretty easy is the relative luxuriousness of their cars, even if all they can afford is a bottom-rung model like a Corolla or Civic or Versa in the most affordable trim level.
But as obscure YouTuber Doug DeMuro points out below in his look at the 1986 Civic, “basic” transportation today means you get cloth seats instead of leather, a not-huge infotainment screen instead of what appears to be an iPad Pro perched on the dash, and perhaps a mere six speakers instead of – I dunno, twelve?
But power windows? Air conditioning? Bluetooth connectivity? That’s just expected stuff.
I’m sure many of my fellow oldsters have driven (or were transported in as kids) very basic machines like Doug’s 1986 Civic above. I’ve had cars with even fewer features than that – zero heating and windows that are fixed in place come to mind – but that’s because the “features” were broken, not omitted.
What’s the most basic car you’ve owned or otherwise had in your life? The Autopian is asking!
’84 Honda Civic, manual transmission, no A/C, very little power, manual windows.
’95 Geo Tracker. The only power feature was the engine. 5 spd, no power steering, no radio from factory, crank windows, manual hubs, no AC.
Nice! I had a professor who owned the Suzuki version, and it didn’t even have carpeting. There was a certain charm to its focus on sheer barebones functionality.
It’s the first car I bought new, and still the only car I miss. Drove it 14 years!
Geos were so cool. I was positively in love with the Storm; I loved its “sharp, sporty coupe that’s secretly an economy car” mojo.
No power brakes?
Oh yeah, forgot about that. Two power features!
No lights?
Now you’re just being silly.
Nah… silly is “Doesn’t it have that beeping sound when you turn on the ignition?”
But also… Windshield wipers!!! That’s FOUR power features.
Oh… a lighter. I bet it has a lighter!!!
That’s five!!!
Or six if you count the ignition beeping sound as a power feature…
I was gonna say the Yugo GV, but the Mk I Mini didn’t even have roll-up windows or power brakes, so that’s more basic.
I’ve had 3 f series xl trims. Great trucks. One xl ranger. Good truck except the clutch. One xlt lariat f150. Didn’t like the sunroof, carpet, or leather seats. If I ever buy another truck I’m getting fleet spec.
1976 Honda Civic 5-speed (see avatar) bought used in 1978. The 5-speed version was the “deluxe” model, so it had incredible luxury features like an AM radio with 1 speaker, an electric rear window defogger, a tachometer, 155×13 radials, a wooden (or maybe “wooden”) steering wheel and shift knob, and maybe reclining seats.
I added a $29 Radio Shack FM converter (played FM radio over an AM frequency through that one speaker) and, for self-preservation in the land of 1970s land barges, a pair of insanely attention-getting Fiamm air horns that had such a high power draw they’d cause the engine to stumble if you used them at idle. I still miss the car and those horns.
Oh, easily the car I learned to drive on. 1962 Mercury Comet coupe. 170 CID straight six, 4-on-the-floor, and so underpowered that you could drop the clutch at full throttle and the car would chirp the tires and then die. As for creature comforts, we had it ALL! Metal dash! Steering column sure to impale you upon impact. No seat belts from the factory. Kind of had heat, and it sure as hell didn’t have music.
It’s most endearing feature was that after you drove it for a while, after you shut it off, the coolant would belch out onto the ground.
I named it “the Cavomit.”
I can’t stop laughing, had a friend whose dad gave him their old “family” car, yep, a Comet. Can confirm it all, but wish we had that name!
That damned car is what made me an automotive snob of sorts. After that chunk of shit, I decreed that ANY vehicle I purchased and paid money for would have, at a minimum, A/C, tilt, cruise, power windows and power door locks.
Vega panel van. Rubber floor covering, seat backs that didn’t fold forward, no back seat, manual steering and brakes, no AC, no sound deadening, no radio.
I will say my purchased new 1996 Dodge Neon coupe. Manual transmission, no tachometer, manual windows/locks, no AC, no radio even but as I worked at the dealership I was able to get a leftover one they had laying around. I think for a 90s car it was fairly basic. Seat pattern was pretty sweet, no headrests though, or passthrough to the trunk.
At first I wanted to say the 1972 AMC Gremlin, but it had AC that worked for a couple of months whenever I charged it, a 258 I6 and a Torque flight trans. It was still a piece of shit, but it was not the most basic.
Next up was my 1981 Honda Civic, but it was still not the most basic with the upgraded 1500 engine and the 5 speed. Not to mention the kickass sound system that I put in it, Denon head unit, Rockford Fosgate amp and EQ, and Rockford Fosgate speakers and sub. Not to mention it was a fun car to drive to the limit.
No the most basic was also the worst. A bone stock Chevette with a 4 speed transmission that would not stay in reverse and an engine that regularly fouled the cylinder 4 plug. Horrible car. Keep in mind the car was only 5 years old when I bought it.
Was it a Chevette Scooter? The Scooter model initially didn’t even have rear seats.
1960 Triumph TR3 had none of the following Heat, AC, glass side or rear windows, power brakes, power steering, inside door handles, cup holders, or radio. No seatbelts
Mid 70s Ford F100 added inside door handles, door locks, wind up windows, and a heater. Lost the removable windshield.
1970 Porsche 914/6 sort of had a heater/defroster but not at all useful. Had a factory radio antenna but no radio.
1962 Ford Galaxy , added AM radio! Maybe power steering? Can’t remember. Keyless ignition (hotwired toggle switch under the dash, couldn’t be bothered to fix the key.) No seatbelts
1969 Mercedes 220D featured a AM/FM radio! Power brakes! But no power steering..
I think most of my other cars were full of features and decadence like air conditioning and radios.
The most basic I’ve had is a 1966 Chevy C20 pickup. No radio, no carpet, just a shell, an inline 6 cylinder and a three speed manual transmission. I think the heater may have been optional, but I’m bougie like that so mine had a heater.
I could choose from several small hatchbacks as the most basic new car.
The first car I bought new (but not my first car) was a 1989 Toyota Tercel with crank windows, no a/c, and no radio. It didn’t even have a passenger-side mirror (remember when those were a luxury option for some stupid reason?!?). Literally the only option on that car was the automatic transmission. (Don’t @ me, this thing’s sole purpose was to sit in traffic for hours every day for my commute from Glendale to Santa Monica, CA and back.)
The Tercel was actually my last choice, I had really wanted a Corolla FX, but they had been discontinued and there were no good used ones to be found. I also looked at Subarus, which were popular in my family, but they were priced higher than the equivalent Toyotas. (Except for the Justy, which I really liked, but my mother exercised her veto power as co-signer — which was probably a good thing in the end.)
Probably the ’83 AMC Concord I currently have. There was only $350 worth of options added to it’s original $6,995 base price. Those would be a upgraded seat fabric, a tilt column steering wheel, a spare tire, am radio, and the cold weather package (heavy duty battery, block heater, and antifreeze). Otherwise it has no power steering, no AC, manual brakes, manual windows, four speed manual transmission, no passenger side mirror, no door or rear speakers.
My most basic car was the 1963 Valiant I bought as my first car in 1971 at 16.
It had a heater, radio, and a pushbutton transmission. That’s it. But it was a convertible!
My first car was a 1960 Chevy El Camino that my Dad dragged home from behind a bowling alley.
No power steering. No power (all drum) brakes. Crank windows. Baaaaaaarely functional wipers. They had 2 speeds: slow and off. Manual transmission. Manual choke on the carb. Pretty much the only modern amenities it had were a high powered single wire alternator that I installed following instructions from Hot Rod magazine and a booming stereo. Because high school.
My first new car, a 1972 Fiat 128 2 door sedan which I bought when I was 17. Rubber floor mats and no radio until I added a tape deck. But, it was advanced at the time versus VW Beetles, Pintos, Datsun 1200’s, etc. Front wheel drive, radial tires, 4 wheel independent MacPherson strut suspension, reclining seats made it the prototype for small cars to come. But the red paint cracked up, the 1 ply (!) Pirellis wore out in 15,000 miles and the front wheels couldn’t be aligned. I traded it for a new 1974 X1/9 that I still have with 143,000 miles.
Probably my MG Midget. No air conditioning obviously, manual everything else, radio (no tape player but it did have FM) played through a single 5” or so speaker behind the dashboard, and you had to remember to turn the tap under the hood that would circulate water through the heater in the winter (said heater exited through two openings in the footwell or the defroster vents on the cowl, but not both at the same time). But that was an old car, so I kind of expected it
Most basic owned was a Fiat 850. Most basic daily driver, bought new, 2011 Silverado extended cab Work Truck, no power windows, no power locks, vinyl floors, fixed rear windows, no OnStar. It is funny to look back on the features that were lacking on my 1977 Corvette. They didn’t check the option boxes for power locks, stereo radio, or passenger side mirror.
Drove my mom’s old 1988 Plymouth Voyager SE in high school. Manual locks, manual windows, AM/FM radio (no tapes). The only “automatic” thing in the car was the transmission.Driver had to do the lean across to the passenger and rear door. Thankfully my arms were long enough!
1986 mini 1000. It’s had wheels and ran when it rained… most of the time.
My mom had a 1985 civic hatch much like the one pictured. Options were a 3 speed Honda Matic and a dealer installed tape deck. Manual choke, manual windows etc.
Great car, served her well until it was 10 years old and wearing and rusting out.
Oldest car I’ve owned was a 1995, I’ve never owned anything without power windows and locks or AC.
1970-something (’77 or ’78, I think) Volvo 240. Manual everything and a 4-speed stick without overdrive.
A close second was a 2001 2500HD with one, lone option – A/C.
Third was my 2000 F250 with two options – A/C and the V10.
If your Ford had a V10 and manual transmission then I commend you on your good taste (and that is a rare truck!).
If you had an auto then you technically had another option.
I was pretty spoiled. The most basic car I ever owned which also happened to be my first car was a 1994 Nissan Sentra. It was the mid-level trim so I had cloth seats, power steering, and AC. And I got that car in 1995, so it felt modern to me at the time.
Probably my MGB GT, actually. No power steering, no power brakes, single-speed blower motor, no day/night mirror, four speed manual without overdrive, manual choke, no radio until I put one in.
I think that honor technically goes to my MR2. It has crank windows, a heater with two vents, no A/C, no radio, no sunroof/t-tops, unboosted brakes, no power steering, and the interior is limited to two aluminum bucket seats, two metal door cards, and about 3/4ths of a dash. No carpet. no headliner. But, she is a racecar, so all of that is unnecessary.