The Poverty Spec Enthusiasts' Thread
Discussion
wildcat45 said:
I wouldn't have agreed when I was 14, but back in 1984 my Dads black 2 door BMW 316 with steel wheel and windy windows would be a cool car to have now.
Oddly it had a manual steel roof and electric mirrors.
Back in 84 even a 316 without a sunroof was a rare beast, they only ever had electric mirrors on UK E30's.Oddly it had a manual steel roof and electric mirrors.
Press button up & down glass was an extra up until about 1990.
Windows and Alloys were easy dealer fit options so Dealers would order the cars without them and upsell.
That all changed when the E36 arrived, dealer fit options became complicated as BMW stopped fitting wiring looms with the plugs etc needed to fit the extras.
Erudite geezer said:
I like a funny spec in cars:
- Cloth/velour/alcantara seats (manually adjustable)
- Manually adjustable steering column
- No satnav
- No aircon
- Smallest possible wheels (preferably steel)
- Biggest possible petrol engine
- Cruise control
- Heated everything
Early sierras had 3 front ends for low spec, gl and and ghia and xr4 - I was impressed but in 1978 we had escort pops not pop+ just pops they had nothing.
Datsun changed a reps life with the holy trinity of windows, mirrors and locking standard on the L in circa 1981 - gamechanger as the montego followed then ford . Exciting times for a junior rep.
Datsun changed a reps life with the holy trinity of windows, mirrors and locking standard on the L in circa 1981 - gamechanger as the montego followed then ford . Exciting times for a junior rep.
Pit Pony said:
I learnt to drive in a Y reg beige 1.6 BASE estate. No radio, no head rests, no rear seat belts, nothing apart from a GL badge on the boot lid. Dad bought it new. Mocha dash, sand carpet, 50 shades of beige inside. Had my first shag in it though (on the beach at Ainsdale)
GL! Posh! I believe that one was just 'Sierra', didn't even merit an 'L'.Just picked up a little '89 Sunny. Was a bit disheartened when I learnt it had elec-windows. (Especially when I realised two of the regulators were knackered, you see, more to go wrong!)
It has NO internal mirror adjustment, they are not electric either. Which I find utterly bizarre. :-)
It has NO internal mirror adjustment, they are not electric either. Which I find utterly bizarre. :-)
DoctorX said:
Pit Pony said:
I learnt to drive in a Y reg beige 1.6 BASE estate. No radio, no head rests, no rear seat belts, nothing apart from a GL badge on the boot lid. Dad bought it new. Mocha dash, sand carpet, 50 shades of beige inside. Had my first shag in it though (on the beach at Ainsdale)
GL! Posh! I believe that one was just 'Sierra', didn't even merit an 'L'.Erudite geezer said:
Back in the late 80's I learned to drive and subsequently inherited my mum's 1976 VW Polo "N". It had no trim level badge on the rear, there was no mention of "N", it was an absolute pov spec level below the "L" which was the traditional moniker of the entry level car. This thing had 1 door mirror, 1 sun visor, and 2 gauges - for speed and fuel. Temp was indicated simply by a red light in the event of an overheat. Other highlights included a 2 speed fan (gnats fart, sparrow fart), 1 speaker, rear heated window and er, that was it. No rear wiper, no head rests, no rear parcel shelf, no hubcaps, no body side rubbing strip, no rear belts, no centre console, no glovebox, nothing. Here are a couple of Google images - note the speaker grille on the right of the dash and VW's cherry on the money scrimping cake, no reversing lights!
On the plus side, the lack of any kit meant that the 895cc engine had nothing to push against and it had a power to weight ratio roughly equivalent to a Caterham R300, so it flipping shifted. I drove it flat out on it's door handles for years and it never missed a beat.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the scale, my father fulfilled an automotive dream in 1981 when he took delivery of a new W123 Merc 200. Back then a Merc was a seriously expensive thing, and he paid Granada 2.8i Ghia X money for a car with keep fit windows, cloth seat, no rev counter and a 4 speed box. I was so distraught I nearly had to throw a sickie from school, but over the years, it grew on me so much that if I had any spare cash now, I'd buy one in an instant. It had nothing on it, but what little it did have was designed so beautifully and to such an unbelievable quality, it was amazing.
On the plus side, the lack of any kit meant that the 895cc engine had nothing to push against and it had a power to weight ratio roughly equivalent to a Caterham R300, so it flipping shifted. I drove it flat out on it's door handles for years and it never missed a beat.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the scale, my father fulfilled an automotive dream in 1981 when he took delivery of a new W123 Merc 200. Back then a Merc was a seriously expensive thing, and he paid Granada 2.8i Ghia X money for a car with keep fit windows, cloth seat, no rev counter and a 4 speed box. I was so distraught I nearly had to throw a sickie from school, but over the years, it grew on me so much that if I had any spare cash now, I'd buy one in an instant. It had nothing on it, but what little it did have was designed so beautifully and to such an unbelievable quality, it was amazing.
ncbbmw said:
Back in 84 even a 316 without a sunroof was a rare beast, they only ever had electric mirrors on UK E30's.
Press button up & down glass was an extra up until about 1990.
Windows and Alloys were easy dealer fit options so Dealers would order the cars without them and upsell.
That all changed when the E36 arrived, dealer fit options became complicated as BMW stopped fitting wiring looms with the plugs etc needed to fit the extras.
I recall he didn't like it much. It was a company car and ordered just before the firm had an ecinomy drive and made everyone have a Cavalier. The Cavalier had more toys in it I think. Our car prior to the BMW had been a Horizon which had Elec windows and a computer.Press button up & down glass was an extra up until about 1990.
Windows and Alloys were easy dealer fit options so Dealers would order the cars without them and upsell.
That all changed when the E36 arrived, dealer fit options became complicated as BMW stopped fitting wiring looms with the plugs etc needed to fit the extras.
When he left the firm, he was offered the BMW for a nominal sum and turned it down.
He did consider a 320 and a 323 when buying his next car but was out off by the "poverty" base spec as standard. He bought a Volvo 360 GLT which even back then needed specifying with a radio.
Levin said:
Erudite geezer said:
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