# Old used car ad. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 5, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017 "2018-11-05T16:55:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/1 "2018-11-05T16:55:15Z")
Saw an old used car ad from the 60s, and among the abbreviated features accompanying each listing (ac, ps, pb), a couple of them had R&H. One commenter guessed “radio and heater”, another “retail and handling”. I don’t think it’s either, but I don’t know. Any guesses? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/2 "2018-11-05T17:31:05Z")
It is radio and heater. At that time they were not the standard features that they’ve become since. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/3 "2018-11-05T17:44:41Z")
I find it hard to believe that _any_ American car from the 60s was available sans heater. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/4 "2018-11-05T17:56:13Z")
But it was a used car, in the 60’s, not new. Could have easily come from a time when it wasn’t standard, and the seller just wants to mention the extras they paid for maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/5 "2018-11-05T17:56:37Z")
From [here:](https://itstillruns.com/history-car-heaters-5421362.html) “By the early 1960s, modern heaters became standard on all GM cars, with other manufacturers around the world following soon after.” Note that we don’t know whether the ad mentioned in the OP ran in 1960 or 1969, and we don’t know the used car’s model year. It could well have been a nineteen-fifty-something where one could not safely assume it had a heater. ETA: And even the car in question was from a year where heaters were standard, that was new enough of a standard feature that not everyone knew it was standard. Making it clear that it had a heater (and radio) was a smart move on the advertiser’s part. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/6 "2018-11-05T21:53:42Z")
In the early 1980s Chevy made a car that is almost entirely forgotten - the Citation. A friend at work saw a promo ad when they first came out and went to buy one for that advertised price. But the cheapest ones they had in stock were a bit higher in price because they including a AM radio and side rear view mirrors among other things. He demanded they remove any “extras” and sell him the car for the advertised base price. They finally did a radio delete and removed the mirrors. We used to tease the hell out of him for the plugged holes in the A pillar. So even in the 1980s a $20 radio was not really standard. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/7 "2018-11-05T22:27:10Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > In the early 1980s Chevy made a car that is almost entirely forgotten - the Citation. I remember the Citation well, having lost my virginity in the back seat of one. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/8 "2018-11-05T23:14:10Z")
I bought a base model Nissan pickup in 1986 that had no radio. Never met a car without a heater, going back at least to a 1949 Lincoln. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/9 "2018-11-06T00:33:03Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > In the early 1980s Chevy made a car that is almost entirely forgotten - the Citation. A friend at work saw a promo ad when they first came out and went to buy one for that advertised price. But the cheapest ones they had in stock were a bit higher in price because they including a AM radio and side rear view mirrors among other things. > > He demanded they remove any “extras” and sell him the car for the advertised base price. They finally did a radio delete and removed the mirrors. We used to tease the hell out of him for the plugged holes in the A pillar. > > So even in the 1980s a $20 radio was not really standard. > > Dennis Whoa. How can it be legal to have a car with no side view mirrors? Well, I just Google image searched “1980 Chevy Citation” and one of the first images is indeed of a car with no side mirrors. WHAT? [![](https://barnfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/citation1-e1457017361831.jpg) ](https://barnfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/citation1-e1457017361831.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi\_Fruit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiwi_fruit/32/12_2.png) [@Kiwi\_Fruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi_Fruit)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/10 "2018-11-06T01:02:12Z")
You guys are all far too young, and US centric. I think the earliest car my dad owned that had a heater as standard was a 1965 Chrysler Valiant AP5. The car before that was a 1963 Holden Station Wagon (a GM brand from Australia), that had an after market heater fitted and also after market window washers. My first car was a 1960 Humber 80. It didn’t have a heater or radio until I installed a cheap radio. Next was a late 60s Morris 1100. After market heater and radio in that too. Other parts of the world thought suffering from the cold in winter was character building 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/11 "2018-11-06T01:10:36Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > Whoa. How can it be legal to have a car with no side view mirrors? > > Well, I just Google image searched “1980 Chevy Citation” and one of the first images is indeed of a car with no side mirrors. WHAT? > > [https://barnfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/citation1-e1457017361831.jpg](https://barnfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/citation1-e1457017361831.jpg) If you look closely at that pic, there is a mirror on the driver’s side door. An extra mirror on the passenger side was not at all standard in those days. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/12 "2018-11-06T01:29:32Z")
> [@Twoflower](#): > > If you look closely at that pic, there is a mirror on the driver’s side door. An extra mirror on the passenger side was not at all standard in those days. But White Wall Tires! Ye ha. My first car was a used high end 1962 Olds 98. It had air conditioning (that didn’t work) electric windows and seats. And of course two ash trays and cigarette lighters up front. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/13 "2018-11-06T01:30:22Z")
I bought a brand new Honda CRX in 1989 that had no radio, no a/c, no power windows, no power steering. It had had side mirrors though. 😉 ETA: And there’s no fucking way you could drive a car in Canada without a heater. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/14 "2018-11-06T02:20:56Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > It had had side mirrors though. 😉 Being hard of hearing, my mother had a restriction on her driver’s license that required she have side mirrors. Our 1962 Chrysler (and Chryslers were not cheap cars) did not come with side mirrors as standard equipment. There was a major upgrade in safety standards during the 1960s. When my parents replaced their 1962 Chrysler in 1969, the new one not only had side mirrors, but seat belts (not mandatory until 1968) and a shoulder harness as standard equipment. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/15 "2018-11-06T03:27:34Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I bought a brand new Honda CRX in 1989 that had no radio, no a/c, no power windows, no power steering. You just reminded me – I was looking to buy my first new car in 1991, and was leaning strongly towards a Honda Civic. I went to the dealer, did a test drive, and liked the car. When we got back to the dealership, and the salesman started writing up a sales contract, he _then_ revealed to me that radios were optional equipment in Civics (the car I’d test driven had a radio already installed), and it was an extra few hundred dollars. Between that shenanigan, and the fact that they were completely unwilling to deal at all on the price, I walked out the door, and bought a Mazda Protege, which turned out to be a great car. And, the radio was standard equipment. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/16 "2018-11-06T03:31:48Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > You just reminded me – I was looking to buy my first new car in 1991, and was leaning strongly towards a Honda Civic. I went to the dealer, did a test drive, and liked the car. When we got back to the dealership, and the salesman started writing up a sales contract, he _then_ revealed to me that radios were optional equipment in Civics (the car I’d test driven had a radio already installed), and it was an extra few hundred dollars. > > Between that shenanigan, and the fact that they were completely unwilling to deal at all on the price, I walked out the door, and bought a Mazda Protege, which turned out to be a great car. And, the radio was standard equipment. 😃 Yep, and all the thieves knew that Hondas of that era came with after-market stereos so my fucking stereo got stolen like four times. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/17 "2018-11-06T05:42:32Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > Whoa. How can it be legal to have a car with no side view mirrors? Nowadays maybe it can’t. Fifty-some plus years ago it was legal because there weren’t laws requiring it. Times change. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/18 "2018-11-06T05:46:18Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > And there’s no fucking way you could drive a car in Canada without a heater. True enough. In a fair amount of the southern U.S., however, it was quite easy to do without one, and years ago many people did just that. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/19 "2018-11-06T06:25:31Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > Whoa. How can it be legal to have a car with no side view mirrors? I just bought my most streamlined car ever (2001 Insight, even has skirts over the back wheels). I would love to take the mirrors off… …and then die when I change lanes into a truck. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017/20 "2018-11-06T08:29:29Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > ETA: And there’s no fucking way you could drive a car in Canada without a heater. My Dad’s 1962 Mercury Comet had no radio and no passenger-side mirror. But it did have a heater. Too bad that we left Toronto and spent a few years (and naturally, winters) in Calgary with that car, which did not have a _block_ heater. That was awkward. We returned to Toronto, and some years later, Dad bought a 1969 Chevy Nova. Still no block heater, but it wasn’t absolutely necessary in southern Ontario. And while it had no passenger-side mirror, it did have a radio! “Mom, can you drive around the block until the song’s over?” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-used-car-ad/824017.md?page=2)