The Decontented Car

The closest you could get to a decontented car in newer cars is the 6.4 SRT motors in the RT pkg of the Dodge Challenger/Charger in the form of the ‘Scat Pack’ package. Basically, they left out leather and sunroof. They weren’t exactly the “Sally Rands” of yesteryear, but again, several thousand cheaper than an SRT with the right powertrain.

I’m like you, I grew up on C&D, MT, R&T, and to some degree AutoWeek. I left no issue unread or unmemorized. I was “immortalized” in the May 1998 issue of R&T by asking about the current Mustang being on the Ford Fairmont’s Fox Platform and the bet I had with my roomate, double or nothing on that month’s rent. I’ve noticed ever since then the Fox platform is mentioned every time a mustang through the 5th gen is mentioned. Before that I could find no answers, even Dennis Simanaitas, whom I called and talked to, was unsure and suggested I “mail” not email the editor.
That all being said, cars are dead. When I say that, I mean that Cars/Trucks/SUV’s are now appliances. They have no personality and the styling is always a variation on the same thing. I have no interest in a new car with the upcoming “safety switch” or all the stupid tech that doesn’t work or worse, is a danger to those who trust in it. I have a ’16 Navigator, and it’s certified and I’ll keep re certifying it as long as I can. After that, I’m buying a classic car. Personally, I think many people are where I’m at. New cars have lost their appeal. I think you should change your site’s direction to instead of focusing non-stop on all the stupid tech and the problems with the EV’s, you should assume that we all get it. Those that will be convinced have been, those that are brain-washed will remain so until some strange event red-pills them.
So my suggestion is to focus on using classic cars as daily drivers and the associated problems with maintaining them. I think you will find a hunger for this information and you are the guy to provide it.

I think the only way this exists today is with trucks. So, I have a ’20 F150 XL model, but with the 2.7L ecoboost, locking rear differential, and 3.55 gears. $31k out the door in April 2020. Of course, this same powertrain is available, maybe even as standard equipment, in higher end trims. However, lots of extra bells and whistles that I, as a consumer, don’t value.

The lack of getting good powertrain, or having to buy a lot of what you DONT want in order to get the one or two things you DO want (via packages, or wholesale trim upgrades) really pisses me off. Wanting to buy new Subaru Outback for the wife, and seat warmers are a must-have. Not available in the base package. So, Outback Premium is then necessary, for $3500 more. (Trying to sell to the wife, the idea of aftermarket seat warmers…) which is what I would do if the car was for me. Oh well, pick your marriage battles…

I understand the sentiment. when it’s time to buy my next truck, I will be getting a 2500 series with as few options as I need, basically a trailer towing package & 4×4.

Too bad it will be full of computers to break everything.

Plymouth Barracudas are selling for 157,000 to 179,000 USD the custom restorations, a basic original model will run you 10,000 dollars.

I test drove one one time, it had 50 some thousands of miles on the odometer. I found a oil change sticker near the driver’s door, it said more than 75,000 miles. I showed it to the salesman, he grabbed it from me. Where do you go from there?

Still should have bought it for 800 dollars.

I’d be rich! har

It is more expensive (and perhaps even no longer economically possible) for the car companies to offer decontented cars as these would be different cars, in terms of their equipment and leaving off equipment on the assembly line can actually increase manufacturing costs in a one-size-fits-all era.

Hence the antics of companies like BMW, which tried to charge a monthly fee to activate heated seats. Expect more of this in the future – the car will come fully equipped (since it’s cheaper to build it in as few variations as possible), but will require a subscription for certain features to be activated. (And of course, if you employ a workaround to activate the feature for free, it will void your warranty, or even worse.)

Wish I had the old ’54 Ford pickup with a stepside box, a six cylinder, and could go back in time. Had all of the content necessary to make it go, all that mattered back then.

When you are 18, you begin to have young women on your mind.

Another winter of discontent, it is dark too.

The auto companies have turned into trained dogs, mules, horses, even camels and llamas.

Adhere to the diktats of the trainers, don’t have to think for yourself, just comply like beasts of burden.

There’s a new strain of bullshit and a third-wave of propaganda just been discovered… the lies have mutated

“Hold the pickle hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us…”

One of the ways Burger King differentiated itself from McDonalds was the fact that they made your burger as you ordered it, as opposed to the clown who made extras and kept them on a warming tray. McD could process orders faster but if they ran out of “buffer” then the kitchen would back up. Serial vs parallel cooking.

Factories used to be run more like Burger King. But when US manufacturers looked at Japan they found they could build complicated subassemblies in cheaper factories and have them shipped “just in time” to the final assembly plant, saving warehousing space and some amount of time. But it meant less customization since that would screw up the supply chain.

Now we have ridiculous ideas like BMW’s heated seats and Tesla’s Autopilot options being nothing more than a software flag. Much like IBM’s “golden screwdriver” that would suddenly make your mainframe run faster, it’s cheaper to just build one box and throttle it than it is to custom build at factory scale.

I would think there’s a real potential grey market for unlocking features, for the right hacker.

First brand new car I bought was an 86 Mustang GT. 10.5K OTD with my brother’s Ford A plan discount! After the fact I was super bummed to discover about being able to buy the LX with the same powertrain. Not in any regard to the cost…but that the LX “notchback” was 200 lbs lighter than the GT hatchback! Thats a huge gain in acceleration contests! I should buy me a used one someday soon!

The first car I actually paid for was a new 1979 Formula, dark blue with grey lower trim. Man, did I think I was cool.

I can remember the original Plymouth Road Runner with the rubber floor mats and “taxicab” interior. These cars were relatively inexpensive, and were wickedly fast, even with the “base” 383 engine. Those were indeed the days…

Yes, those were the days. Even with the emissions regs choking the life out you could still have a nice driving car. Eric mentioned the WS6 suspension package from GM, a must have if you liked slinging your car through the corners.

My first post high school job was working for a local car rental business owned by a Seattle Buick dealer. The fun part of the job was ferrying cars around the Puget Sound area, from Vegas to Electra 225s. I was pleasantly shocked the first time I drove a ‘74 Monte Carlo, that beast with the 8 ft hood drove unlike any other big GM car. Perfect tracking, quick steering, minimal roll in the corners. Found out later DeLorean was in charge of the Monte redesign for ‘73. He had the crew analyze his Mercedes suspension and the result was a radical departure for GM suspension design. Five degree caster angle ensured it would drive straight, huge roll bar in the rear for flatter cornering. It all worked together making for a real nice driving big car.

I’ve always been a fan of what I call ‘sleeper’ cars. Look plain but go fast.
Some of my fav’s in the 90’s were the Park Ave with the blown 3.8, and the Impalla SS which most cops probably thought it was one of them when it went by at 80 in a 55, haha…..
There is absolutely a psychology to it.

And don’t forget the Buick Regal T-type. Grand National performance for a bargain price and fewer of them were made to boot.

Tell me about it everything is bundled. Getting a new car….oh you want leather in the seats? Ohh well then! Looks like you need to opt for the “premium package”. That only comes with the “performance package”. Basically the only things you end up being able to choose are ancillary options. Driving Assist package? No? How about the Driving Assist Professional package”. Surely you want the Shadowline package. Geez whoop dee do. The shadowline package. How about the electrified version?? Its the future come on don’t you want it? You can get it three months earlier!

I had a GXE Maxima with cloth seats, a 5-speed manual and hubcaps (I later bought some Maxima OEM wheels off EBay). It had no Bose, no sunroof, no spoiler, but was very fast and comfortable. The stock suspension was a bit floaty, but it did handle well.

I used to say “I want the biggest engine and brakes with nothing else.” The only place you can get that now is with a truck and I don’t know how much longer that’s going to be around.

I never appreciated these Mustangs when they were new. They were just some new platform whatever Ford called a “Mustang” . I resented the abandonment of any sort of connection to the original one.
The size was just right. What we have now is the modern version of the 71-73 bloater. These seem perfect in comparison and very much like the original in length and other proportions.
A shame that I just dismissed them. Over time they became as recognizable as a “Mustang” as the 65-66 is.

I have always preferred a base model trim with cloth seats, etc. They’re much simpler and tend to age better. The LX 5.0 Mustang was a great thing indeed. Affordable, fast and simple. What more could you want?

Porsche found a way to increase the price of its 911 by de-contenting them.

Where is the politician who would advocate *decontented* government?

The “secretary” Mustang.

The old joke was that girls named Donna drove the Camaro equivalent.

Perhaps if there is a huge demand for the Ram 1500 Classic, which I suspect there will be, Ram and other makers may offer similar option models?

My youngest bought one of those 85 LX Mustangs with the 5.0. It was probably about 10 years old when he got it, so it was pretty much a beater by then, but it sure was fun. Someone before him had put magna flow mufflers on it, so it definitely didn’t fly under the radar. As I recall, no options at all. No power windows or locks, no cruise, no ac. Might have had an AM radio, but that’s about it. Even better, though it’s hard to remember that far back, I think he only paid about 500 bucks for it.

‘You cannot buy a new Mustang with the 5.0 V8 that is standard in the GT without buying the GT. And the GT costs about $10k more. … Add compliance costs to the mix.’ — eric

Eric raises a fascinating question: when it comes to ‘gas-guzzler’ fines on larger-engined models that push a manufacturer’s fleet out of compliance with CAFE, how much are they actually being charged by the US fedgov?

This has got to be public information. Hypothesis: larger, noncompliant engines are offered only in top-of-the-line trims, so that ‘gas-guzzler’ fines can be concealed within the multi-thousand dollar upcharge. Anybody feel like investigating this? CAFE penalties are passed on to buyers — and their foul burden can (and should) be made explicit, I think.

It’s a shame that performance models (sleepers or otherwise) as a whole seem to be winnowing away.
In 1993, a customer could walk into a Chevrolet dealership and have performance options on nearly every model and price point. Cavalier z24, Beretta GT/GTZ, Lumina z34, Camaro z28 and of course the Corvette. You could even get a performance truck with the final year C1500 454SS. (And the Impala SS return was only a year away.)
Despite most of those performance models now being considered “slow” by today’s standards, at least the intent was once there to give customers multiple choices.