My Ode to the Strip Show

"505Turbeaux" (505turbeaux)
12/12/2014 at 12:40 • Filed to: None

No not that kind, get your mind out of the gutter! This is written to espouse my love of the used cars out there whose original owners were either smart enough, or cheap enough to order without many options. Especially European cars. Because that is the way it should be. Who ever said you shouldn't have the option to roll your windows down by yourself? Why do you need to get a sunroof if you want to pony up for a decent stereo? Most of you probably know I am in the hunt for the most basic W124 wagon around from Europe. Screw options, these are the top 5 reasons why.

Mercedes W124 200E base

1. Simplify – add lightness

I mean yeah, you guys are always saying this, but do you really get it if you haven't hauled your 944 down to the bare bones to track it? Why not exercise it in real life on the street? No glass sunroof, no A/C, no window motors and you have already saved yourself at least over 100 lbs of weight. And that means you can sneak out some extra miles out of your fuel. I know guys in some of the snowiest places around who don't screw around with anything but the cheapest, 2wd truck and they just run snow tires or chains if need be. THAT is some good weight and cost saving right there. And look how much cleaner all of that looks without switches everywhere

Mercedes W123 230E Notice crank windows and manual HVAC controls

2. Less stuff to break

If it ain't there in the first place, I can guarantee 100% it won't break. If you have a non-sunroof car, you raise your chances of not having a leaky sunroof pretty well. If you don't have a passenger side mirror, some idiot can't knock it off. Simple. No A/C, you already know you have to roll the window down in the summer instead of 7 years down the road

Ttyymmnn's Golf GL

3. Steel Rims can be un bent

If you live in a place like I do with potholes year round that never get fixed, you already know this. When you end up in one of those sinkholes with a low profile tire on an alloy rim, you are hitting the boneyard or the stealership to get a new rim, and tire. And they aren't cheap. If you do this with a steel rim and a higher profile tire, you might just make it. Bend it? Grab your hammer and bang it back in place, done.

BMW E38 with cloth sport seats

4. Cloth and vinyl are far superior interior materials than leather

Cloth is really my favorite. I will go against all I am saying here with this one statement, there is nothing better than heated cloth seats, period. No conditioning required, no $80 bottles of leatherique to keep that leather supple in the long haul. Vinyl is super easy to clean, and even repair if need be. Cloth CAN be a bitch to clean, but as long as you don't eat and smoke in your car you are good there most of the time. BONUS: If you got a cheap work truck and it has rubber mats instead of carpet

Volvo 940 base wagon

5. Rarity

Maybe I am a weirdo, but I seek these cars out. I have noticed especially in the Volvo RWD world, that the prices are actually higher for clean base model 940's than 940 Turbos. Why? Because people buy them to last and be reliable, not in the shop all the time getting some doodad fixed. Maybe they are smart, maybe not, but Ill keep betting with them

What say you? Base or fully optioned (or base with some heated seats)

DISCUSSION (29)

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > 505Turbeaux
12/12/2014 at 12:43

All your base are belong to Oppo.

My '98 V70XC has these strange cloth and vinyl seats instead of the ubiquitous leather. That's about as base as it gets, apparently - haven't seen it listed in any old model specs.

505Turbeaux > Carl (@stuffcarlsays)
12/12/2014 at 12:44

I have seen those on only one other car. COOL

spanfucker retire bitch > 505Turbeaux
12/12/2014 at 12:44

Kinja'd!!!

We truly live in the golden era of steering wheels.

Eugh.

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > 505Turbeaux
12/12/2014 at 12:45

They're super comfy. Thankfully, the original owner had the foresight to get the car with heated seats.

505Turbeaux > Carl (@stuffcarlsays)
12/12/2014 at 12:46

my last 240 wagon had 2 options, heated seats and metallic paint. It was perfect

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > 505Turbeaux
12/12/2014 at 12:48

Sunroof, heated seats, climate control. I'm a happy camper.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > 505Turbeaux
12/12/2014 at 12:48

Kinja'd!!!

So much this. The climate control is a PITA, the three dials *work*. Also, the ball vents of the early W123 are just better.

We've got two W-123 240Ds - both are missing most options. Manual A/C, both missing the sunroof IIRC, and the stick one(!) has hand-crank windows. The auto has only one mirror.

duurtlang > 505Turbeaux
12/12/2014 at 13:02

Those cloth sports seats in that BMW are great. My E30 Touring that's in Texas right now has similar ones. Both my E30 Tourings have a mid level option that, I'm told, isn't common in the US either: power front, manual rear windows. Base was all four manual windows, even on the 325iX. You'd have to tick two boxes to get four power windows.

My friend's 1986 w124 200D Mercedes had an interesting option as well: power passenger mirror, manual driver mirror. Makes sense, really. The 4 speed manual transmission made less sense to me, but I'll let it slide.

yamahog > 505Turbeaux
12/12/2014 at 13:10

Hear, hear! I've never owned a car less than 10 years old, all sparsely optioned, and all I can see when I look at new car interiors nowadays is BLOAT. Especially luxury cars that are supposed to be performance cars, just loaded down with leather and wood and touchscreens and cameras and sensors! Get off my lawn!

*waves cane*

505Turbeaux > yamahog
12/12/2014 at 13:12

ha is that what it is, I am old so that is why I love the strip shows so much?

Yeah I know what you are talking about though with the performance/luxury marques, terrible. 20 lbs of wood covered with plastic that could be just gone!

yamahog > 505Turbeaux
12/12/2014 at 13:16

Hah, nah, I'm not even old (well, maybe compared to high school oppos) but I feel like my grandpa on a "back in MY day" kick. I'm trying to keep an open mind with my new car budget but even a base Sonic has so much standard stuff nowadays, I can't stomach looking at BMW or Audi.

JEM > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
12/12/2014 at 13:19

I feel like the 3 dials was the epitome of climate control and ever since then, it's just gone backward and more confusing.

RallyWrench > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
12/12/2014 at 13:23

That was one of several things I loved about my old 280TE. Manual climate control, manual seats, and a 5-speed. Perfect. I've tangled with enough ACC cars, thank you very much.

RallyWrench > 505Turbeaux
12/12/2014 at 13:24

I would do terrible things to have a base interior E28. We used to see a gray market 524TD in NATO dark green, with cloth seats & manual windows. It was perfect.

505Turbeaux > RallyWrench
12/12/2014 at 13:27

wow, I have waffled twice on picking up a 524, US market. Of course with vinyl. The euro market car is the one I would want. US 524s had all kinds of crap in them. Vinyl/leather, power windows, and most of them were autoboxes IIRC

RallyWrench > 505Turbeaux
12/12/2014 at 13:29

The only bummer now is finding parts for the D24 here.

505Turbeaux > RallyWrench
12/12/2014 at 13:34

it is easier than finding parts for the VW D20/24 I guarantee though. Goddamn unobtanium. Although the 1.6 VW IDI shares alot of the rotational parts, pistons, and valves. Heads, cams, crank is all unique obviously

RallyWrench > 505Turbeaux
12/12/2014 at 13:37

Yep. I bought my old 245 from a guy who junked a running 740 Diesel just because he couldn't get parts.

505Turbeaux > RallyWrench
12/12/2014 at 13:38

I bought my 745 TD with a stick for $225 because everyone was scared. Fun car with the turbo, thing was FAST for an 80's diesel

Mattbob > 505Turbeaux
12/12/2014 at 14:27

vinyl seats are the worst seats. I had them in a wrangler, and they would get super hot burn you so bad if you wore shorts in the summer. They also crack over time like leather.

duurtlang > 505Turbeaux
12/13/2014 at 11:43

Not a stripper, but it is damn cheap and blue (exterior). Alpina B11 for €3.5k with 1.5 hours to go.

Kinja'd!!!

505Turbeaux > duurtlang
12/13/2014 at 16:23

good lord...if I could live without a wagon...

duurtlang > 505Turbeaux
12/13/2014 at 17:50

If there weren't some relatively minor issues there was the perfect car for you on Ebay today. The auction ended a earlier today. Blue on blue w123 230T, manual, rust free (spent its life in Spain), incredibly low mileage. Slightly over €2k due to some issues with registration (EU but not German registration on German Ebay) and something with the water pump.

Kinja'd!!!