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Detroit, 12:48 PM
Sun Dec 6
12 posts in the last 24 hours

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    Nine Great Bare-Necessity-Mobiles

    Free Hot Dogs Inside!

    Mercedes Mounts Dodge Neon, We Giggle

    Hummer Brand Apparently Changing Hands, Downsizing And Badge Engineering

    Former Chrysler VP Recreates 1954 Plymouth Showroom In His Garage

    Dodge Neon With Skull On Dash Frightens In Unintended Way

    Family Of Five Survives Poisoning By Crashing Neon

    PCH, Thunderhill LeMons Edition: Protege or Neon?

    Indiana Man Buys New Dodge Ram With Spare Change

    PCH, Front-Drive Detroit Muscle Edition: Turbo Neon or Taurus SHO?
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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of brandegee brandegee
    08/13/09

    In reply to Nine Great Bare-Necessity-Mobiles
    It needs to mentioned that what helped make the Beetle great is the fact that it could usually be repaired

    I'm not buying it with the Neon. For years, Chrysler touted 132 hp from its leaky DOHC motor, which was standard. Not really that basic for the time.

    I'd have thrown the Corolla in the mix instead.
     Reply
    brandegee was starred brandegee was unstarred
    Image of BaldwinPeriphetes BaldwinPeriphetes
    08/12/09

    In reply to Nine Great Bare-Necessity-Mobiles
    List needs more Lotus.

    Or for truly BARE necessities, a Caterham. Or an Ariel Atom.
     Reply
    Maymar wishes Jalopnik a happy 5th birthday promoted this comment BaldwinPeriphetes was starred BaldwinPeriphetes was unstarred
    Image of PHIL PHIL
    08/12/09

    In reply to Nine Great Bare-Necessity-Mobiles
    I have to add the 1982-1994 Chevrolet Cavalier to the list, they seem to love to run on pure hate, I have seen even well neglected examples rack up well over 100K. They came in every body style, coupe, sedan, wagon, hatch, convertible. 4 or 6 cyl(a 3.1 litre V6 in a compact car, only in America baby!)You can get parts for them on Mars, they can be fixed by any mechanic anywhere. They made millions so they are in every junkyard in the country. They are so unstylish as to be virtually unstealable even with the keys in the ignition. Hell of a little beater.
     Reply
    Maymar wishes Jalopnik a happy 5th birthday promoted this comment PHIL was starred PHIL was unstarred
    Image of Maymar Maymar
    08/12/09

    @PHIL: I'm driving a '97, and should be clocking over 150k in the next month - despite a lack of care except frequent oil changes, it keeps on ticking, poorly.
     Reply
    Maymar was starred Maymar was unstarred
    Image of P161911 probably shoudn't have P161911 probably shoudn't have
    08/12/09

    @Maymar wishes Jalopnik a happy 5th birthday: Proving once again that a GM will run longer poorly than most cars will run.
     Reply
    P161911 probably shoudn't have was starred P161911 probably shoudn't have was unstarred
    Image of SeanKHotay SeanKHotay
    08/12/09

    In reply to Nine Great Bare-Necessity-Mobiles
    Oh, I don't know about "bare necessity"...
    ...both of those first two Fords have running boards. :)
     Reply
    SeanKHotay was starred SeanKHotay was unstarred
    Image of Novaload Novaload
    08/12/09

    In reply to Nine Great Bare-Necessity-Mobiles
    I've had much to do with 2, 4, 5, 6, 8.
    Except it was a Fiesta instead of a Festiva.
    Oh, and not all Novas were old folks' cars. Mine came in competition orange with a dignified black interior with black/white herringbone upholstery. On the other hand, they also came as very basic--I had no A/C, no power steering, crank windows and back "vent windows" instead of actual windows.
    My 1970 Renault R10 was about 35 mpg, really comfy plush seats but stripped down interior with rubber floors, no carpet, and tin can thin doors, 4 on the floor, rack/pinion--what else do you need? I'd drive one again in a minute if they were still around.
     Reply
    Novaload was starred Novaload was unstarred
    Image of Otto-Mann Otto-Mann
    08/12/09

    In reply to Nine Great Bare-Necessity-Mobiles
    I've always thought that if I lived in the center of a crowded NYC-style city where people rarely drive, I would have to get a Jeep DJ.

    *Sliding door right-hand-drive means you never have to set foot in the street.

    *It has no parts that anybody would ever want to steal

    *It looks like it belongs to the gummyment anyway, so the lesser criminals may be hesitant to go near it

    *The vehicle itself laughs at mere potholes, even if your butt won't

    *Can move a pretty generous amount of stuff

    *Is tiny

    *Can get up on the sidewalk if it has to

    *Nobody else has one

    *Can be fixed with JB Weld and duct tape right there on the street
     Reply
    beercheck - Commentin' Dirty promoted this comment Edited by Otto-Mann at 08/12/09 3:47 PM Otto-Mann was starred Otto-Mann was unstarred
    Image of Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
    08/12/09

    In reply to Nine Great Bare-Necessity-Mobiles
    Porsche 911 Club Sport. Everything you need. Nothing you don't
     Reply
    Edited by Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet at 08/12/09 3:08 PM Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was starred Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was unstarred
    Image of beercheck beercheck
    08/12/09

    In reply to Nine Great Bare-Necessity-Mobiles
    How 'bout we boot the Neon and emplace a Samurai?
     Reply
    beercheck was starred beercheck was unstarred
    Image of Novaload Novaload
    08/12/09

    @beercheck - Commentin' Dirty: How about they stop dissin' on Novas?
     Reply
    Novaload was starred Novaload was unstarred
    Image of Bert Bronaugh Bert Bronaugh
    08/12/09

    In reply to Nine Great Bare-Necessity-Mobiles
    The funny thing about the Festiva is that it was made by Kia Motor. It says so on the side of the driver's door. We love that little car. Despite a couple of minor engine problems, it still gets around 40 per gallon.
    Of course, having an 8 gallon tank only gives it a range of 300 miles or so, depending on how you drive. Running errands during the week hardly makes the needle move.
     Reply
    Bert Bronaugh was starred Bert Bronaugh was unstarred
    Image of petersterncan petersterncan
    08/12/09

    @Bert Bronaugh: And it wasn't just that Kia Motors built it... it was the pre-Hyundai ownership Kia that built it. At the time, Kia was better than Hyundai in terms of quality. But things went to shit after they acquired Asia Motors some time in the 1990s under government pressure and that crap company brought down Kia and Hyundai then snapped up Kia.
     Reply
    FP - Funny how it seems quiet around here, eh? promoted this comment petersterncan was starred petersterncan was unstarred
    Image of beercheck beercheck
    08/12/09

    In reply to Nine Great Bare-Necessity-Mobiles
    Excellent list...

    ...Except for the Neon. Once owned, all the other cars on the list had fantastic staying power. My Nova started out as new for my dad, then was three kids' first cars.

    For how many Neons were on the road pretty new at one point, try to count 5 on your commutes this week. Utter crap. "Basic transportation" should at least tip a nod toward reliability and endurance.
     Reply
    beercheck was starred beercheck was unstarred
    Image of MushyHeirloom MushyHeirloom
    08/12/09

    @beercheck - Commentin' Dirty: Where'd the '00-up models go? There used to be quite a few. Now I'm on Neon Watch. I knew the older ones were really common, and they're still fairly so, but the later ones had far fewer problems... where are they?
     Reply
    MushyHeirloom was starred MushyHeirloom was unstarred
    Image of Flathead Smith Flathead Smith
    08/12/09

    @beercheck - Commentin' Dirty: Just remember, whenever you see a PT Cruiser, your really lookin at a Neon, so they are still all over the place.
     Reply
    beercheck - Commentin' Dirty promoted this comment Flathead Smith was starred Flathead Smith was unstarred
    Image of brc is never late, because of his v8 brc is never late, because of his v8
    08/13/09

    @beercheck - Commentin' Dirty: The Neon wasn't reliable and had questionable build quality? Say it isn't so!
     Reply
    beercheck - Commentin' Dirty promoted this comment brc is never late, because of his v8 was starred brc is never late, because of his v8 was unstarred
    Image of Flathead Smith Flathead Smith
    08/12/09

    In reply to Nine Great Bare-Necessity-Mobiles
    I agree with the lineup you have here with the exception of one, a bare necessity car/truck should also be able to stand the test of time and the Neons suck at that. I think Chevette, or some such thing, might be a better choice.
     Reply
    mytdawg promoted this comment Edited by Flathead Smith at 08/12/09 2:33 PM Flathead Smith was starred Flathead Smith was unstarred
    Image of mytdawg mytdawg
    08/12/09

    @Flathead Smith: I still occasionally see a live Chevette. In Michigan no less.
    Maverick should probably be in there too. But then it would be more than nine...
     Reply
    mytdawg was starred mytdawg was unstarred
    Image of beercheck beercheck
    08/12/09

    @Flathead Smith: Oh. What he said.

    I should've read more before commenting myself. Again.
     Reply
    beercheck was starred beercheck was unstarred
    Image of Flathead Smith Flathead Smith
    08/12/09

    @mytdawg: When I was in my teens, I thought Mavericks were horrible for some reason, now I realize they were actually decent and good looking cars.
     Reply
    Flathead Smith was starred Flathead Smith was unstarred
    Image of Flathead Smith Flathead Smith
    08/12/09

    @beercheck - Commentin' Dirty: Whenever someone accidently repeats something similar to a statement I have written, it shows superior intelligence on their part. Not that I’m egotistical or anything like that.
     Reply
    Flathead Smith was starred Flathead Smith was unstarred
    Image of beercheck beercheck
    08/12/09

    @Flathead Smith: THAT is precisely why I'm so fond of DOTS.
     Reply
    beercheck was starred beercheck was unstarred
    Image of HammSammich HammSammich
    08/12/09

    In reply to Nine Great Bare-Necessity-Mobiles
    Very good list. I've owned a few of these basic transpo vehicles, and although my first new car was a revelation with amenities like power locks, and steering wheel radio controls, I still miss the no frills charm of some of my previous rides. Also, although it may not have been considered basic when it was new, I would argue that my 77 Volvo 240DL was about as basic a vehicle as you can get.
     Reply
    FP - Funny how it seems quiet around here, eh? promoted this comment Edited by HammSammich at 08/12/09 2:33 PM HammSammich was starred HammSammich was unstarred
    Image of MushyHeirloom MushyHeirloom
    08/13/09

    @HammSammich: The only frills mine came with were the AW70 automatic (boooo), the standard two-speaker stereo (upgraded by the previous owner), and heated seats (standard, as far as I know). Armstrong power windows, power steering that isn't, proven four-banger, rear-wheel-drive, easy to work on.
     Reply
    MushyHeirloom was starred MushyHeirloom was unstarred
    Image of that ain't the way to have fun, son that ain't the way to have fun, son
    08/12/09

    In reply to Nine Great Bare-Necessity-Mobiles
    Change Festiva to Fiesta, and we're headed down the right path.

    Oh, and don't forget those in snow-country. The Justy AWD and the Tercel tall-wagon AWD were pretty good machines for avoiding walking.
     Reply
    Edited by that ain't the way to have fun, son at 08/12/09 2:29 PM that ain't the way to have fun, son was starred that ain't the way to have fun, son was unstarred
    Image of Bad Juju Bad Juju
    08/12/09

    In reply to Nine Great Bare-Necessity-Mobiles
    Festiva, and no NA Miata? No AC, no power anything, hand-crank windows, and is the best selling sportscar ever (you can take it up with Guinness if you have a problem with that title.)
     Reply
    discontinuuity is missing Uncle Pete, the Auto Insider, and the Banhammered Nine promoted this comment Bad Juju was starred Bad Juju was unstarred
    Image of Super Traction Engine Super Traction Engine
    08/12/09

    In reply to Nine Great Bare-Necessity-Mobiles
    Cars can be cheep to buy, but insurance is expensive, even for a 500$ craigslist find. When someone makes cheep insurance, notify me.
     Reply
    HurtsSoGood promoted this comment Super Traction Engine was starred Super Traction Engine was unstarred
    Image of HurtsSoGood HurtsSoGood
    08/12/09

    @Super Traction Engine: You first have to teach people to drive. Too many idiots out there farking things up insurance-wise for the rest of us. If your driving record is clean, I might suggest GEICO.
     Reply
    HurtsSoGood was starred HurtsSoGood was unstarred
    Image of Super Traction Engine Super Traction Engine
    08/12/09

    @HurtsSoGood: Thanks, I love the "everyone is a horrible driver" sentiment that is actually true in this case.
     Reply
    Super Traction Engine was starred Super Traction Engine was unstarred
    Image of MushyHeirloom MushyHeirloom
    08/12/09

    @HurtsSoGood: My mother has an essentially flawless record. She called Geico a few years ago and learned that despite being a middle-aged woman with an average car and a clean record, and despite there being nobody else of driving age (at the time) in the house, they offered to charge her double what she was paying at the time.
     Reply
    MushyHeirloom was starred MushyHeirloom was unstarred
    Image of beercheck beercheck
    08/12/09

    @FP - Funny how it seems quiet around here, eh?: Me too. Same with Progressive. AAA hooked me up spectacularly this time around.
     Reply
    beercheck was starred beercheck was unstarred
    Image of thunder; now eta-powered thunder; now eta-powered
    08/12/09

    @Super Traction Engine: Insurance cost can vary huge amounts depending on where you live. A friend moved here (Sioux Falls, SD) from somewhere in CA and the auto insurance rates for his family dropped by over half. Not exactly a solution for many, but there are definitely benefits to living somewhere other than a major metropolitan area.
     Reply
    thunder; now eta-powered was starred thunder; now eta-powered was unstarred
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