# When did car radios become standard equipment? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [March 21, 2024, 11:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590 "2024-03-21T23:26:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bcohen2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bcohen2010](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bcohen2010)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 6:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/41 "2024-03-24T18:58:00Z")
> [@Hugemoth\_144444](#): > > The 1993 Toyota pickup that I bought new didn’t come with a radio. I find this difficult to believe, but I do recall that Honda and Toyota dealers would always order one or two “stripper” models with barely any optional equipment _for the purpose of advertising._ “New Blah Blah Model, starting at $X”. Of course, when you show up to try and buy the “stripper” model for $X, they’d try to sell you a much more expensive model instead. Most dealers refused to sell these vehicles until the end of the model year, hence why so few of them exist. I remember back when the 1997 Toyota Camry came out, and although there was supposedly a CE model with hand-crank windows, etc, the dealers _only_ ordered this configuration with a stick shift, and it was really just for marketing. If you wanted a basic model with automatic, _that had to be special-ordered_ for more money than just buying one off the lot with power windows and door locks. My father ordered a 1998 Toyota Camry with the 4-cylinder engine, automatic transmission, _and no power options_. I wish I had that car today. I don’t think I have ever driven a more comfortable and efficient vehicle in my life. ---
**Author:** ![bcohen2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bcohen2010](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bcohen2010)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 7:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/42 "2024-03-24T19:05:28Z")
> [@MikeInNH](#): > > The Chevy Chevette’s back seat was optional when it first came out. I remember hearing about the so-called “Scooter” trim level, which did not include a back seat, passenger-side mirror, or rear defroster. But I don’t recall ever seeing one. By the time I was old enough to drive, Chevettes were mostly gone, and today a Chevette is a _very_ rare sight on the road. I was extremely surprised to see one parked in front of a gas station back in November or December of 2023. It was silver, and looked to be in decent condition. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 7:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/43 "2024-03-24T19:06:56Z")
> [@bcohen2010](#): > > I find this difficult to believe, but I do recall that Honda and Toyota dealers would always order one or two “stripper” models with barely any optional equipment _for the purpose of advertising._ “New Blah Blah Model, starting at $X”. +1 I know a guy who bought a totally-stripped new Civic at the end of the model year, sometime in the late '80s. It did have a heater, but it had no other options, and he never installed a radio in the 15 years or so that he owned it. Instead, he carried a portable boom box/ghetto blaster radio in the car. He would have owned that car longer, but his kids were embarrassed to ride in it, and even though they knew how to drive a stick shift, they refused to drive it, so he got rid of it. ---
**Author:** ![bcohen2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bcohen2010](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bcohen2010)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 7:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/44 "2024-03-24T19:17:58Z")
> [@asemaster](#): > > @bcohen2010 would love that car! I have always been a fan of the Plymouth Sundance and Dodge Shadow, but unfortunately, a good sound system is something I don’t want to live without. Any car that I own has to have an in-dash CD player stereo and good quality speakers, or at least the ability for me to install these things. I have already found out the hard way that on these models, wiring harnesses for optional features are not there, if the car was not originally equipped with the feature. So for example, if you want to install the deluxe instrument cluster with a tachometer into a car which originally came with the basic cluster, that won’t work because the wiring harness is missing the necessary wires. A car with no radio, as opposed to a really basic crappy radio would therefore be too much of a risk for me. ---
**Author:** ![wolyrobb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wolyrobb/32/45497_2.png) [@wolyrobb](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wolyrobb)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 7:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/45 "2024-03-24T19:54:05Z")
The Toyota Pickup didn’t come with a radio as standard in later years as well, found a very basic 1995 on the market in this area and it’s still on steel wheels and the plate over where a radio could be installed. Depends on the year and market but dealers in Oregon used to have close to 100 basic 1990 Corolla’s available well discounted off MSRP but most dealer’s here would only stock about ten of the base model at a time. Civic used to offer a DX trim into the later 2000’s but dealer’s stopped ordering in favor of the LX or EX models. ---
**Author:** ![Hugemoth\_144444](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ee7513/32.png) [@Hugemoth\_144444](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Hugemoth_144444)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 12:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/46 "2024-03-25T00:37:10Z")
1993 Toyota pickup. 2.4L, 5 speed, no radio, no AC, no power steering, crank up windows, no right side mirror, no rear bumper, $6995.00 at Gresham Toyota in Oregon. I bought it new and still have it. ---
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 1:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/47 "2024-03-25T01:03:46Z")
> [@Triedaq](#): > > I remember a classmate in high school in 1958 bought a pocket 4 transistor a.m.radio for $49.95, a large sum of money in those days. Ten years later, I bought a four transistor pocket radio for $2.95. You remember a lot. Those were AM-only radios, right? > [@Triedaq](#): > > That radio came with a one year warranty. All I had to do was ship it back with $5 to cover postage and handling if it quit functioning . My brother gave me a cheap digital watch. It came with a lifetime warranty, which amused me. It was on a little slip of paper, about 2×3 inches, which I kept. Years later it stopped. Even a new battery didn’t make it work. I called the number. A guy answered, ‘Hello.’, gruffly. I assumed the company that sold the watch had gone out of business, he was annoyed by fielding their calls, so I started explaining my story. He cut me off, asked, ‘What do you want: a watch or a clock?’ I considered the desirability of a clock but thought it more honest to get the watch. He didn’t ask for any proof of purchase or anything. I considered handing the number out to friends. The replacement lasted a few more years. I didn’t ask for another. > [@VDCdriver](#): > > He would have owned that car longer, but his kids were embarrassed to ride in it, and even though they knew how to drive a stick shift, they refused to drive it, so he got rid of it. In my family the only other options were bicycling and walking. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 3:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/48 "2024-03-25T03:07:23Z")
@RandomTroll These were AM only radios. I remember in the late 1950s that the price of an AM radio from a salvage yard was $50. That would be equivalent to several hundred dollars in today’s prices. What is amazing to me is how prices for televisions have decreased. I remember in 2003 seeing a flat screen television at Sears priced at $5000. Today, a larger flat screen television can be purchased at Walmart for about $200. Maybe the same will happen with EVs. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 4:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/49 "2024-03-25T04:38:58Z")
My 61 olds dynamic 88 had an am radio. So did the 68 tempest wagon. ---
**Author:** ![bcohen2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bcohen2010](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bcohen2010)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 5:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/50 "2024-03-25T05:24:12Z")
> [@Triedaq](#): > > What is amazing to me is how prices for televisions have decreased. I remember in 2003 seeing a flat screen television at Sears priced at $5000. Today, a larger flat screen television can be purchased at Walmart for about $200. Maybe the same will happen with EVs. What I don’t understand is why no one makes something similar to the GM EV1 today. A subcompact commuter vehicle with a bunch of individual batteries similar in size and shape to a standard lead-acid car battery. The cost to produce such a vehicle might very well come down through economies of scale, especially if it utilizes standard lead-acid or Ni-MH batteries. All of the original patents have expired, and can be used by anyone without needing permission or license fees. ---
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 10:35am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/51 "2024-03-25T10:35:23Z")
> [@bcohen2010](#): > > I remember back when the 1997 Toyota Camry came out, and although there was supposedly a CE FYI the Camry came out well before 1997. It was 1983. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 12:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/52 "2024-03-25T12:55:46Z")
> [@bcohen2010](#): > > especially if it utilizes standard lead-acid or Ni-MH batteries Both of these battery chemistries have significant limitations. A deep cycle lead acid battery has a typical lifespan of 300-500 charge/discharge cycles. That is reduced in higher temperature environments and is impacted also by the amount of current being drawn from them. In short, they wouldn’t last very long before needing to be replaced in this kind of application. And you’d need quite a few of them. The weight is also impactful. NiMH batteries develop charge memory. If this approach could work effectively, you can bet someone would be marketing it…there’s a reason they all switched to more modern designs… ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 1:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/53 "2024-03-25T13:50:45Z")
I forgot about my 84 GMC pickup. Rear bumpers were OPTIONAL back then so it came in without a rear bumper. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 2:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/54 "2024-03-25T14:22:50Z")
> [@bcohen2010](#): > > What I don’t understand is why no one makes something similar to the GM EV1 today The GM EV1 didn’t exactly use cutting-edge technology when it was introduced And the range left much to be desired Families today want more usable vehicles . . . the EV1 body type would be of limited interest ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 2:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/55 "2024-03-25T14:25:41Z")
> [@db4690](#): > > Families today want more usable vehicles . . . the EV1 body type would be of limited interest I only saw one of the old EV1 models, but that isn’t too surprising, given the low production numbers. The one that I saw was parked at The Price Club (forerunner to Costco), and it was almost comical to witness the EV1’s driver try to cram his purchases into that vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 2:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/56 "2024-03-25T14:54:09Z")
If there was a lot of demand for EV1-type vehicles the Nissan Leaf would have been a roaring success. After sales peaking early on, it has been moderately successful, with the Tesla 3 taking over as a sales volume leader. I doubt there’s a big market for a model below the Leaf. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 3:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/57 "2024-03-25T15:59:30Z")
GM should have (perhaps they did) canned their marketing group. The concept car was named _ **Impact** _. Perhaps they realized no one would want a car named that but then chose the completely uninspiring name of EV-1 for the production version. ‘EV First & Last’ may have been more appropriate back then… 😀 ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 10:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/58 "2024-03-25T22:42:48Z")
> [@texases](#): > > Nissan Leaf Nissan had to increase the range from 100 miles to 150 miles to increase sales. My first experience with the Leaf was when I was in Japan on a business trip. After work concluded, another guy and I went to Yakushima Island to enjoy the emperor’s park and search for monkeys. This was in early 2014 and I saw several Leafs. The island is small and mostly forest, an ideal location for an EV. Gasoline would have been expensive to bring in. The old growth first is fabulous, btw, and the onsen we visited was terrific too. ---
**Author:** ![bcohen2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bcohen2010](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bcohen2010)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/59 "2024-03-26T03:37:57Z")
> [@PvtPublic](#): > > FYI the Camry came out well before 1997. It was 1983. I am well aware of that. My family owned a 1991 model, and later inherited a 1987 model. However, I was not old enough to drive, nor interested in cars at the time when those older models came out. The 1997 model, which was the first year of the generation spanning from 1997-2001, _happened to come out the year I graduated from high school_, and when I saw that model in person, it seemed very modern and high-tech. Even to this day, this generation remains the high water mark in comfort, quality, and reliability. It remains one of the most common cars on the road, even after 23+ years! ---
**Author:** ![Clueless33](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dbc845/32.png) [@Clueless33](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Clueless33)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 4:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590/60 "2024-03-26T04:46:56Z")
![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/c/3/c31a17ae7e4d5302518f28a41942831ed41b426e.jpeg) Very first time I saw a car with a radio was my uncle’s ford Capri. And he had a mini fan mounted on the dash to mimic A/C. Something like the picture below: ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/d/a/da9f16668bbf3bdd4b90a1832d15de04d664e28b.jpeg) Disclaimer: pictures used in this comment were obtained from Google image. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590.md?page=2) [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-did-car-radios-become-standard-equipment/194590.md?page=4)