"Modern" vehicle options: The Loved & the Hated

You pay for these conveniences in two ways.

Initially, you pay for the option to be inclined the purchase if the car.

Later, you pay for the cost of the repair. Likely, the repair parts will only be dealer specific at high cost.

Because, electronics control units are involved, they will need to reprogrammed at a dealer with their proprietary software.

Then, the parts may not be available any longer, the software may have been abandoned.

I remember when 3G cell service was shut down and a lot of OTA electronics were bricked.

I'll continue to buy the base optioned vehicle.

Like my 25 year old totally mechanical washing machine, dryer and kitchen range, they still work and the replacement parts are still available.

 

Thank goodness I don't have that stupid driver's alertness monitor.

 

You also pay in carrying the weight of the power seat mechanism around for the life of the vehicle.

 

Anyone ever try to buy a barebones car?

Sure they are available, sometimes, but usually it takes a few months and many dealers are not too happy to order them. At least in my experience.

And, if you really, really want an option, it is often available ONLY if you get three other options you do not want.

Love. It is a tie between heated seats and heated steering wheel. My body fat level is pretty low, so I struggle to retain what heat my muscles produce.

Between the two, love heated steering wheel the most.

Hate auto stop and start.

Most people don't want to drive my mutt mobile, although I seriously keep it pretty clean. But I can really see the value of the seat memory.

Hey, life is short and sometimes painful. I am going to go for something like heated steering if I can.

I do miss dad's old car with "wind wings"
kristen

 

LoL; That's a good one They're advertised, but you can't get your hands on one. If they do find one, transportation cost or ordering one would approach the cost of ones that's already on the lot - ready to drive-off. That's been my experience with Stealerships.

I inherited my dad's Toyota SR5 xtra cab with wing windows, 3.0L 5-speed. AC was standard equipment in the SR5 model. Don't recall if it had electric windows.

 

my last bare bones was a '91 miata with crank windows.

i hate touch screens. i love cooled seats and heated steering wheel.

back up cam is great and a big help. sks is nice.

 

The 2000 Ranger had window cranks, but also had A/C.

I think the only think near true bare bones today will be that Bezos EV pick up.

 

My poor old car carrier/container carrier truck is about the last "old skool" vehicle I own .... wait a minute, the Mazda 3500 motorhome would nearly fit in that category because the air con was fitted after market ....

I resisted automatic transmissions, cruise control, ABS, auto climate control, hybrid and anything else that interfered with the true driving experience .....

I have both aged and become wiser or spoilt .... or a lot of both. The latest purchase, an MG4 EV, comes with all the fancy bit, some I have to turn off every time I drive it, although the latest factory update seems to have calmed the Lane Keep Assist down to gently warning compared to taking control. I can even turn the warning beeper off that will occasionally flick the steering enough to sense a white line, then beep at you ..... like it's a challenge to see if I'm quick enough to beat it and gloating when it wins ..... I'm guessing it is checking to see if I'm still paying attention and it isn't doing all the driving..,

Love the adaptive cruise control and the fact you can change the sensing distance to the vehicle in front with a flick of a control on the steering wheel ..... although, the single green bar compared to the 3 green bar when town driving certainly tests the faith in the system, yet the 3 green bars means you have to judge if the car in front is travelling at the same speed or a lot slower, from way back up the road ..... or it simply slows down gradually till you are doing the same speed and leaving a few cars gap between you and the next car .... if you guess correctly, you are rewarded with maintaining your speed and sailing past them, if not, you are left in the overtaking lane creeping up on them at a very slow rate and before you have actually reached them, they have changed into your lane and now the car is slowing savagely attempting to retain that crazy distance ..... First world problem for sure

The silent sneak up on the person crossing the road that didn't look and certainly didn't hear you approaching, is great fun the first few times when you honk the horn and they near launch into space, but it's annoying in a car park when they just about walk into the car .... so, windows down and the sound system pumping soon sorts that problem

Love heated seats, would love cooled seats for summer, and a cooled steering wheel would be great as well, no use for a heated steering wheel over here.

Apart from a few other annoying "features," I love all the techo things in this MG4 EV, the price was the real deal sealer though, no idea how they can make it, transport it to Australia and the car stealership sell it and make a $$, yet still be so cheap, 2 yr or 40,000km service intervals is also a great selling point, along with the 10 yr warranty, including the battery

T1 Terry

 

For me, the smart key system and backup camera in my car were revolutionary and must haves going forward. The smart key system allows me to keep my keys in my pocket and is a really great convenience, especially in winter. And the backup camera has been incredibly helpful to back into parking spaces while being able to see what’s going on behind me in a more accurate way than only looking behind.

I don’t like antilock brakes and the traction control. It seems like whenever I hit an icy patch, the brakes just refuse to engage and the car tends to go halfway through intersections when I’m trying to stop!

 

The MG4 senses the change in temp and flashes up a warning that road ice could be a problem, if it continues it recommends to select SNOW mode be selected so the regen and steering response, as well as the brake bias is adjusted and it doubles the sensitivity to wheel speed slowing faster than the other wheels and adjusts the pressure applied to each wheel as required .... and warns you to slow down ..... just in case your head was still in daredevil mode

T1 Terry

 

dupe

 

I like auto dimming headlight and seat/steering wheel heat.

If my new car comes with everything Safety Sense enabled, I'll probably see if I can disable the things I don't like.

I have experience with crossing the line warnings on another car, and don't like it for everyday use. Maybe on a long trip if you could fall asleep. I did that once, and the rumble strip in the middle of the road saved me.

 

I like the smart locks where you push a button on the door handle to either lock or unlock the car.

I like leaving the key in my pocket, and I like the positive action of pushing the button on the door handle vs. the thing guessing whether I want to lock or unlock.

Double-layered glass in the side windows is fantastic for noise control.

I strongly dislike motorized liftgates. They're slow and annoying, and sometimes they come with stupid logic puzzles and they still manage to hit the wall or ceiling sometimes.

 

Having just read the manual while waiting for my car to wend its way to me, I see that it says that laminated glass is harder to break than tempered. I have a Mag Light flashlight with a pointed end that I thought would suffice. I think I'll have to do some research.

 

Yeah break a different window instead, is what it really comes down to.

 

Hated Feature:
A.S.S. - or auto-start-stop.


@ Bare Bones vehicle.
In 2023, this for me was a GMC "Pro" half ton truck.
It's a 'work truck' package with factory tow and a 'convenience' package - meaning cruise, info-screen, and a few other items.
It's a push-button start - but probably because it would cost GM more to make it start with a key.

Manual seats.
"vegan leather" seats and floors.
No fancy crap with the mirrors, visors, etc.
No On*
It has a forward facing camera and an IMEI number because:
Big Brother.
That means it also has an electronic spouse that squeals when one gets too close to another vehicle.
The backup cam doesn't bother me much except when it comes on at night - and I have not bothered to rig it out with an 'opt-out' switch.

I deleted the A.S.S. feature with a $5 trailer light tester but I will probably use the standard A.S.S. wipe wiring mod when I get around to it.
Owing to the Sierra's centre console I have to take quite a few things apart to get to the button that drivers have to otherwise remember to push to keep the vehicle running normally.

 

I like:

• Auto-start-stop because I used to do that manually in my older cars in order to save fuel and listen to the birds. Now it does it automatically.
• Regenerative braking.
• Being able to just keep the key in my pocket.
• I have to admit that lane-keep-assist is kind of cool.
• Auto lights-off. I haven't came to a car with a dead battery in quite a while.
• Electric seats when they have memory functionality.

I dislike:

• When auto-start-stop doesn't stop the engine when I'd like it to, then stops it right as I'm going to take off so restart the engine.
• When I want to keep a light on (exterior or interior) with the car off, but it turns off automatically every 5 or 10 minutes or whatever.
• Auto-dimming rearview mirrors.
• Auto and split HVAC controls.
• Touchscreens, and I hate them with a passion.
• Any software interface that will eventually need to be updated because eventually you won't be able to update it forcing you to buy new to keep a feature.
• The disconnect from having power steering, automatic transmissions and the like.
• Auto-braking when it slams on the brakes for no reason, Honda.
• Rearview camera screens that are down in the dash and not up on the edge of the rearview mirror where they should be.
• Fabric wheel wells that get ice on them that you can never pick all off during winter, so hurt your tires, and you still end up tearing them to shreds every winter with all that picking.
• Obese A-pillars and tall hoods that make it very difficult to see what's in front of you.
• Not a new car thing, but I detest leather seats. Heating and cooling helps, but I still don't understand the appeal at all. Sticky and hot in the summer and freeze your behind off in the winter.
• Lack of true innovation. Some autopilot type things are cool, but where's my auto-chains,? My heated underbody the melts ice and snow off? My adjustable suspension? My automated wings that adjust for best performance or fuel mileage? It seems that newer cars have fewer features but then manufacturers throw on an iPad and say, "Look! There's that innovation you were wanting." Lame-oh.

 

I love how Toyota seems to go out of their way to help us DIYers with maintenance jobs. From the easy peasy plastic access door to the get to the drain/filter to the quick and easy engine and cabin air filters. I help my friends with Suzuki's and Fords and, boy, they do NOT make it easy. The Suzuki oil filter is tucked up behind a brace at a very weird angle and is a BEAR to get lined up to screw it in....very frustrating! (You can't really see it up there...have to just go by feel.) And the Ford Maverick has 14 torque screws to remove the entire engine shield just to do an oil change....really, Ford??? And VW is just ridiculous with their plastic oil drain plug (which require a special tool you have to buy).
My co-worker owns a BMW and he said it's $250 at the dealer just to get an oil change. WHAT??