Can I get a new Civic without power windows or door locks?

There was a time when I thought all these gadgets were silly, and now that I have a 2014 Civic with power windows, Bluetooth, and remote-control locks, I can’t fathom why anyone wouldn’t want them, especially on a model like a Civic where things tend to keep working for awhile. I really miss coming out of the grocery store in the rain and fumbling around with bags in my hands trying to get the key in the lock…NOT. No more keeping my CDs in binders of plastic envelopes where they get all scratched up and oxidized. I can just rip my CDs into my iPhone and play them through the Bluetooth connected stereo. Embrace technology and enjoy it! It sure didn’t take much gettin’ used to for me…

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I understand your point, however I find it a little disturbing that an owner’s manual would even need to describe the operation of a manual window. Just how dumb are we becoming?

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The dx level Civic did without some of these features but somewhere around 2010 they dropped the dx because of extremely low demand. The Corolla l comes standard with power windows and locks at lleast for 2019

Apparently, we as a society are a bunch of idiots

Owner’s manuals even tell you how to start the engine and shift gears

If somebody who presumably already possesses a driver’s license and owns the actual car in question needs to be told how to do that . . . :fearful:

There were crank window Nissan Versas just a few years ago. I don’t know if they still have them but this is one of the cheapest cars you can get these days.

I just checked and you would want the S model. Yes, it still has manual windows and locks. https://www.autotrader.com/car-reviews/2019-nissan-versa-new-car-review-281474979880270

Like I said, I think you need to re-think your position. My last work car got driven to 520,000 miles so I have a pretty good sample and kept good repair records. Afterwards I concluded I would have been better off getting rid of it at 300,000. You don’t have to spend $800 a month for a new car unless that is what you want.

Another vehicle for the OP to look at is the Mitsubishi Mirage. This little econobox is built in Thailand, and is designed for third-world consumers, thus it is unlikely to have “luxuries” such as power windows. Of course, things like comfort and adequate power to merge into expressway traffic are also mirages with this vehicle, but if someone is bound and determined to take a Luddite approach to car purchasing, his vehicle choices are going to be severely limited.

I personally own a 2015 Mirage. You cannot buy one without power windows and locks so did not mention this as an option. Keyless entry is standard. Bluetooth integration is standard. It is among the few cars that comes with a manual transmission these days which I wanted.

Then there is the fact that I drive a lot for my business and wanted something with decent MPG. Getting 42-48mpg isn’t bad for a non-hybrid.

I suggest reading the reviews of people who actually own this car. All the auto magazines bash it although there are a few fair reviews. No, it isn’t a BMW but isn’t a bad car for what it is either. I have no issues maintaining speed on hills or merging into traffic.

I have two issues with my car. One is my problem. It didn’t come with cruise control but that is because that was the only thing I would have wanted in the package with all the extra stuff. I didn’t want to get all that so opted to live without cruise control. It is quite easy to wire in from what I have read. You find a junk Mirage with the better option package and salvage the controls or you can buy the factory controls online for about $300. Apparently the wiring and computer on these is all the same. There is some wire cutting and splicing but it isn’t a big deal to install.

The other issue I have is that I would really like a 6th gear on the manual transmission. The CVT gets better mileage on the highway as the final drive ratio is lower but I wanted a manual. Again, this is my choice. I have also heard mixed reviews about CVTs in general. I think they have changed to a new maker but the one in my model year had some issues and I just wanted to avoid that.

This is a cheap enough car that is would probably be considered junk to most people if the CVT failed out of warranty. The cost of the repair would total the car. That being said, Mitsubishi had the best warranty in the industry at the time I bought my car.

People who have driven both cars seem to feel that the Nissan Versa is not nearly the quality of the Mirage. There have also been reports of major issues on these within 40,000 such as serious oil consumption, piston slap, and such reflecting a poor quality of craftsmanship. The biggest issue I have seen come up on the Mirage is a catastrophic failure of the CVT somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 miles. They used a cheap thrust washer that wears out and fails. You can replace this cheap but labor intensive part as preventative maintenance if you are so inclined.

No, it isn’t a Mercedes Benz but not everyone wants or needs that. I think it is a a pretty good little car for how little I paid.

You might also look at a Kia Rio. These are supposed to be really good cars for the money.

… or a Hyundai Accent, as these two models are mechanically identical. The differences lie chiefly in the styling of the body–which I think is better on the Kia–and some interior details.
:thinking:

cwatkin, I owned a 2007 Nissan Versa before I got my 2014 civic. The Versa got totaled this past December. I bought the Versa used with 32,000 miles on it and drove it 100,000 miles (it had 132,000 on it when it got totaled). The engine was the 1.8 Litre, and it was excellent. At 132,000 it still ran really well and used almost no oil. The rest of the car didn’t age well at all. It had exhaust problems more often than not, a spring broke in the front, and the clutch pedal linkage broke costing me $600+. At the time it was wrecked, it had a subframe bushing of some sort deteriorating in the front end and my mechanic told me it was gonna need fixed to get through another inspection, and it was gonna be REAL expensive. I could feel the problem in the front end as it creaked and groaned and it changed direction slightly when I hit the brakes. I was glad the damn thing got totaled.

One other option, I have heard it is possible to build a 1940 Ford from reproduction parts. Maybe even drum brakes and lever shock absorbers.

I don’t mind power windows or remote locks but I am an old guy who has no need of bluetooth or usb ports because I have no devices to use them with. I have no cell phone, I cave mine away when I retired in 1995 and the only computer I have is a mac desktop.
As far as interconnected computers running everything. I had a 2004 PT Cruiser, the turn signal was controlled by a $2 flasher, one of my granddaughters has a newer PT, the turn signal is controlled by a $600 module. That is progress I can do without.

I realize us old fossils are no longer the target audience for anything except medical devices and drugs but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

As far as touch screens to control anything in a car, I think anything requiring you to take your eyes off the road should be illegal.

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That was what I heard about the Versa. It sounded like there were overall quality issues and I thought the Mirage was probably a better buy for a small cheap car like this. So far it hasn’t given me one lick of trouble that can’t be blamed on some external factor.

The Rio is probably the way to go if you want quality in a small inexpensive car but not a lot of stuff.

Now you touched a nerve. I can’t enter a destination on the navigation system without stopping the car and putting it in park. That means the passenger can’t enter it either. Safety feature-yeah sure. They took away my weather information because they said everyone uses a smart phone for that. OK, I don’t and even if I did, I want to look at a big screen to see if I’m running into a tornado or blizzard, not on a tiny little phone while I’m driving. Phew, feel better now, but I wish they would just stop “improving” stuff.

You want drivers to have to stop their vehicle to make radio and heater adjustments, how could this be made a requirement on classic cars?

Most vehicles I’ve owned I could easily make radio and heater adjustments without looking. With radio controls on steering-wheel it’s even easier.

With that said - my wifes 07 Lexus and my 05 4runner had the WORSE HVAC controls. Far more complicated then it needs to be. My 14 Highlander has all the same features and is several magnitudes easier. Very easy. The easiest was my 1984 GMC S-15. There’s really no reason to make these functions complicated.

Or, why not go the full-Luddite route, and build a replica 1938 Ford, complete with cable-activated brakes?
Why trust that newfangled and unnecessary feature known as hydraulic brakes?
:smirk:

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My 2010 Kia Forte is iPhone capable but since I don’t have one I store mp3 files from my CDs on USB drives. I love it.

I found this review of the Mirage. https://www.edmunds.com/mitsubishi/mirage/ One thing I agree with is to get the base model. The price of these things goes up quickly as you add options and you can easily pay $15,000-18,000 for these little cars if you don’t watch it. Getting the base model for less than $10,000 with the incentives is one thing but I wouldn’t pay $18,000 for an upgraded model as you can get a much better car for that kind of money.