Why do strippers exist? What is the point of them? Many people say they would never touch a stripper but I am willing to bet otherwise. Some have even touched one without even knowing it. Hey get your head out of the gutter! We are talking about basic cars here.
All cars come in base or entry level trim in some form or another. This means the vehicle is lacking certain options. Options are all relative. For example a base Audi A4 will include leather, power windows, power locks, power driver seat, automatic climate control, and the list could go on. That car also has a base price starting at $31,450, with which you are paying for those standard features in that base price. Now take for example a Toyota Camry, which has a base price $19,395. You lose the power seats, leather, automatic climate control, prestige branding, and many more options that are standard on the Audi. Take this one step farther and you could buy a Nissan Versa for $9,990. What does that $9,990 get you? A car, four wheels, an engine, and air bags, along with all the things that make the car run. No air conditioning, no power anything, steel wheels with hub caps, though you do get six air bags and a tire pressure monitoring system. This is the essence of basic transportation at its finest.
So why do these “stripper” models exist. I imagine you are saying to yourself, “who buys these?” In reality these models sell in higher volumes then you think. Two directions are taken when it comes to sales of these models. One is fleet sales, there are a ton of stripped down or modestly equipped Toyota Camry’s and Chevrolet Impalas in rental car fleets. The second route is simply people that want basic transportation. Believe it or not, there are people out there that simply care about getting from point A to point B. Sure most say they want a stereo with a CD player, and air conditioning is usually a requirement for them as well. The fact is a base stripped down Toyota Camry or Chevrolet Impala meets those needs. They are also relatively inexpensive to maintain. Most even get respectable gas mileage.
Few cars come without CD players and radios. Almost none (save for a handful) come without air conditioning. Modern conveniences are in tow. Safety is always there, air bags are standard on all cars (though more are sometimes optional). Shockingly some cars do not have ABS (Anti-Lock Brakes) standard. I personally know a handful of people that are car guys, and they feel power seats and other newer technologies are just extra weight in a car.
The point is simple, “stripper” or base cars play a vital role in sales on different levels. Advertising the lowest price on a base vehicle is what gets people in the door. Once they realize how many things are missing they start to think about upgrading, but that stripper got them in the door.
