Base-spec cars that still look good...
Discussion
Small wheels, wheel trims, black plastic door mirrors and handles. The base model of a car usually looks a bit crap, which I'm sure in most cases is a bit of a marketing ploy. I have gone in a couple of times to buy a basic new car and ended up with a higher spec one, as I can't live with the plain looks of the base model. However, do any cars buck this trend and actually look good as a base model? I'm sure that I read somewhere once that if a car looks good in base spec in silver then it's a good design.
Sporty cars like coupes and roadsters probably have a bit of an advantage to start off with, as they are a bit more expensive anyway but outside of that, there are a few small cars that I think look pretty good in base spec. Base spec VWs used to still look decent but I'm not so convinced now. Here are 3 to get the ball rolling.
Fiat 500 Popular
I bought one of these for my wife 7 years ago. She actually preferred the red and ivory seats on the Popular to the tweedy trim in the Lounge. The alloy wheels on the Lounge were nice but a bit fancy and we just wanted some cheap, economical, unpretentious transport and the standard wheel trims looked just fine. We did however have to spec chrome mirror caps and a leather-trimmed steering wheel, as the standard items were just nasty.
Suzuki Swift GL
This was the other car that we looked at and the one that I would probably have chosen as it was a bit less girly. Looked and drove great in my opinion (yes I would prefer a Sport) but as a cheap to buy and run commuter to run alongside something a bit more special, I would still have one no hesitation.
MG ZR
Likewise the MG ZS. I sold these for a while and they were really popular at the time. Nothing else for the money (9000 pounds new) offered the sporty looks of the ZR/ZS (16" alloys, body-coloured bumpers/door handles, spoiler, sports seats) and I think that is why they were so popular, even though they lacked some features such as electric windows and a CD player! The contemporary base-spec Rover 25 on wheel trims also still looked pretty smart IMHO but appealed to a slightly older demographic!
So PH, base spec cars that still look good. What are your thoughts?
Sporty cars like coupes and roadsters probably have a bit of an advantage to start off with, as they are a bit more expensive anyway but outside of that, there are a few small cars that I think look pretty good in base spec. Base spec VWs used to still look decent but I'm not so convinced now. Here are 3 to get the ball rolling.
Fiat 500 Popular
I bought one of these for my wife 7 years ago. She actually preferred the red and ivory seats on the Popular to the tweedy trim in the Lounge. The alloy wheels on the Lounge were nice but a bit fancy and we just wanted some cheap, economical, unpretentious transport and the standard wheel trims looked just fine. We did however have to spec chrome mirror caps and a leather-trimmed steering wheel, as the standard items were just nasty.
Suzuki Swift GL
This was the other car that we looked at and the one that I would probably have chosen as it was a bit less girly. Looked and drove great in my opinion (yes I would prefer a Sport) but as a cheap to buy and run commuter to run alongside something a bit more special, I would still have one no hesitation.
MG ZR
Likewise the MG ZS. I sold these for a while and they were really popular at the time. Nothing else for the money (9000 pounds new) offered the sporty looks of the ZR/ZS (16" alloys, body-coloured bumpers/door handles, spoiler, sports seats) and I think that is why they were so popular, even though they lacked some features such as electric windows and a CD player! The contemporary base-spec Rover 25 on wheel trims also still looked pretty smart IMHO but appealed to a slightly older demographic!
So PH, base spec cars that still look good. What are your thoughts?
Two good shouts there with the Sandero and Up. Yes, I get that. If I'm buying a cheap new car, I'm even reluctant to pay for metallic paint! What's the point of getting a high spec Sandero/Up when you can get a nicer Duster/Polo for the same money? Even the top-spec Up still only has a 1 litre engine.
John D. said:
Z3.
There's one in silver on steel wheels which looks great near me. The owner even had the wheels refurbed a while ago to get rid of the rust! Never seen another without alloys.
Pretty sure they are just a set of steels off a e36 or such. They werent ever sold with steelies as a base model. There's one in silver on steel wheels which looks great near me. The owner even had the wheels refurbed a while ago to get rid of the rust! Never seen another without alloys.
http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/Z/Z3-E36
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