What options are a must and what are a wast of time.

I think about this often as there are items that keep me from driving my classic cars as often as I'd like to:

Working stereo with radio and CD player. Yes... I still listen to the radio (my local classical station) most of the time... CD's while on trips.

A/C. My classics sit for much of the Summer because they are too damn hot to drive. I actually bought a kit to install A/C in my Mini, although I'm not sure I'll install it. My GT6 and 1800ES will get A/C somehow. The Spitfire probably won't.

Cruise Control. I've learned to do trips without it (just have to stop and stretch more often), but it would be nice and is on the "to do" list for all the cars.

Other stuff: heated seats, power windows and door locks, etc. - would be nice to have, but I don't miss them too much when they aren't there.

Musts:

• AC
• Cruise

Highly Desired Wants

• Heated Seats
• Heated Mirrors
• Radio with BT or Aux input

For me it's mostly about content vs price point. I am ok with $1000 cars either having very little features, or most of them not working anymore. In a car that costs 'real money' (i.e. cant throw that much away on a car every couple months with no expectation of getting anything out of it, really.. which is why i'm stupid), my expectations are fairly high. I have a used 09 Lexus with a crap load of features and technology in it. Mine is missing the radar-cruise option and still has dvd-based nav instead of HDD, and I'm kinda sad about it. It makes close to ZERO sense to me that people spend the same (and much more!!) money to get cars in which most of the technology they are paying for is just for complying with regulations and doesn't actually benefit the driver directly. But just think, I COULD HAVE HAD A NEW MITSUBISHI MIRAGE!

So for me, it's not so much that i'm buying based on one or the other feature, but I have gotten tons of use out of nearly-free cars, so i have REALLY high expectations for anything that costs enough that I actually have to slow down and think about it before buying.

Nick (Not-Stig) Comstock wrote: I just don't get the love for heated seats. I despise them.

I didn't think I wanted heated seats either until I bought a car that already had them. Now I won't buy a daily driver car without them. They feel soooo good on my back. I hate stuffy hot air, so heated seats are perfect: I can keep the cabin temperature set to 63 or so, and run the seat heaters to stay warm. Hell, if it's nice out and anything above about 55 degrees, I run with the windows and/or sunroof open and the heated seat cranked up. Best of both worlds - cool, fresh air for the head and warm, even heat for the ass and back. The E46's heated sport leather seats are a really nice place to be.

The Concert Coach even has a heated steering wheel, and damn if that doesn't feel good on a cold day, too.

Decadence = driving around on a cool, Fall day in a convertible with the top down and the heated seats cranked.

In reply to Duke:

I've had cars with heated seats. I never used them. My wife loves them, she uses them all year. I turn them on every once and a while just to see if I may change my opinion of them. Nope, still can't stand that feeling.

Electric start, and preferably 3 pedals & a lever......that's really all I care about.

Honestly, I'd happily drive a model A everywhere.

If it's a tow vehicle, backup camera (that can see the hitch) and an integrated brake controller are very nice.

While aftermarket trailer brake controllers work great, not banging my knees on while getting in and out, or having one take up space in the center console is much appreciated.

In reply to Nick (Not-Stig) Comstock:

My wife has the same aversion to heated seats and the "soil yourself" feeling. I don't see it myself but I know there are others that do.

In a daily driver the most important things to me are:
1. Working AC 2. Decent sound system 3. Quiet (Functioning muffler, not too much road noise) 4. Cruise control

Everything else is in the nice to have category. I enjoy it when its there in a vehicle I am using. But it is not a requirement.

AC and cruise. Never could fathom the need for heated seats. In cold weather I am dressed for it. My but has been toughend from upstate NY winters. Then again, if I worked all day in a heated office, the seats would be nice. Heated mirrors are nice but not necc. Used mine twice. Ice storm, and high humidity when they steamed over.

Me: suspension package, upgraded engine, cruise, stereo

Wife: Heated seats, sunroof, upgraded stereo, cruise, AC

Car we buy: Heated seats, sunroof, upgraded stereo, cruise, AC

Ac and cruise are the only non negotiables. Everything else is just icing on the cake. I do love me some heated seats and heated mirrors though.

AC, cruise, bluetooth, power windows (auto up on the windows is not a deal breaker but awesome to have), central locking, and tilt wheel because I'm finicky about my seating position in most cars.

My mandatory options are power windows and cruise control. I can't go from top up to top down in the Miata in traffic without power windows or praying I don't crash while lowering the passenger side. Cruise for trips is just friggin' required.

My strong wants are excessively bright headlights, power locks, remote entry, and AC. I can live without any of these, but I'd never pass them up if they were available.

My avoid at all costs are OnStar, touch screen infotainment, hands-free calling, and navigation. I don't want that electronic crap. It never works better than my phone.

Transmission is car-dependent.

Nick (Not-Stig) Comstock wrote: In reply to Duke: I've had cars with heated seats. I never used them. My wife loves them, she uses them all year. I turn them on every once and a while just to see if I may change my opinion of them. Nope, still can't stand that feeling.

Is what it is; you're certainly not "wrong" any more than I am "right".

I see a lot of people with cruise control listed as a must-have. I certainly don't mind cruise control, but if it didn't exist I'd never miss it. Anywhere I've driven in the last 25 years, you're lucky to get 2 consecutive minutes on cruise without having to adjust it or step out of it to deal with traffic.

If I lived out west I could definitely see the advantage of cruise control, but anywhere east of the Mississippi it's just not worth dealing with 98% of the time.

Duke wrote: I see a lot of people with cruise control listed as a must-have. I certainly don't mind cruise control, but if it didn't exist I'd never miss it. Anywhere I've driven in the last 25 years, you're lucky to get 2 consecutive minutes on cruise without having to adjust it or step out of it to deal with traffic. If I lived out west I could definitely see the advantage of cruise control, but anywhere east of the Mississippi it's just not worth dealing with 98% of the time.

That's why adaptive cruise is AWESOME!

Ok now to add another wrinkle to the discussion.

Does the type of car (age, make, model, etc.) or a cars intended use change your expectations, wants and needs?

I know that in the Jag I really like the stereo and the many speakers that are designed for the cars acoustics (or lack there of). The leather seats are not necessary but add to the experience of a "bit of class" the AC/heating system is a rather complicated affair that is very good at what it does but it is so automated that you don't really control it per say. Instead you tell it what you want and it figures out how to do it and then maintain it.

On the other hand the radio in my Porsche (again an old one) is really not necessary as the sounds of the motor and the driving experience is so engaging that adding more sensory inputs in the form of a radio / cd is not better. It is also a relatively basic car to start with and I have removed many of the options like AC and power steering to make it even more so. I like it for what it is not and would not want more options / gadgets in it.

Then there are trucks. My truck's have always been rather basic. I like them that way. My wife had a H2 and it is a very high optioned vehicle and I hate it.

For those that are familiar with the FORD option packages the XLT package seems to be the perfect balance of some amenity's but no up scale power but scratches or back up warning things. Just a basic truck with one step up the option package sheet.

So as you can see I am thinking that the options you think are "necessary" on one vehicle may not be on another. In fact I know I don't like having some options in one car but like them in another. I kind of think that the way a car is optioned shapes our relationship with it.

It would be interesting to here from someone that has a max optioned Miata and a minimum optioned Miata of the same generation and here about that.

I suppose I have certain expectations regardless of the vehicle. Part of it is I spend over 2 hrs a day in my car just going to/from work. So some things that can be tolerated for a quick run to the store become annoying during an hour-plus drive home after being in the office for 9 hrs.

My truck didn't have working A/C and as a result, once the Heat & Humidity season began it was rarely driven unless there was a particular need for it. When the stereo broke, I drove it even less. The broken cruise control and stiff go-pedal spring made it brutal on long hwy drives.

Duke wrote: I see a lot of people with cruise control listed as a must-have. I certainly don't mind cruise control, but if it didn't exist I'd never miss it. Anywhere I've driven in the last 25 years, you're lucky to get 2 consecutive minutes on cruise without having to adjust it or step out of it to deal with traffic.

Cruise control is for passing traffic at .5mph speed difference, and/or just parking in the center lane and turning your brain off.

Apparently it is illegal in Belgium.

Knurled wrote:

Duke wrote: I see a lot of people with cruise control listed as a must-have. I certainly don't mind cruise control, but if it didn't exist I'd never miss it. Anywhere I've driven in the last 25 years, you're lucky to get 2 consecutive minutes on cruise without having to adjust it or step out of it to deal with traffic.

Cruise control is for passing traffic at .5mph speed difference, and/or just parking in the center lane and turning your brain off. Apparently it is illegal in Belgium.

Isn't Belgium about the same size as Rhode Island? Of course they don't need it there. Drive across Oklahoma in a truck without cruise though and you'll limp for three days. The older I get the more cruise is becoming a medical necessity, my knees just can't take the static positioning.

I'm looking forward to supercruise/self driving cars for the interslab slogs. I enjoy driving too much to ruin it by endless hours of tedium. Eliminate freeway speed limits (American Autobahn anyone?) and I may change my mind but at 70MPH..... blah

Heated seats, bluetooth, good stereo, comfy/supportive seats.......otherwise not too concerned.

Oh and HID headlights are nice for nighttime driving.

Dear Honda,

I never asked for this:

I don't like having keys in my pocket when I'm sitting in the car. When you have a button, it's too tempting to toss the keys into the center console and then walk away without them when you get out

In the evolution of car keys, having one key for everything was an improvement over separate ignition and trunk/door keys. Then it was kind of nice to have a remote fob to unlock the doors, but the key with the built in remote was best of all.

Stop right there. You have achieved perfection. No further evolution necessary.

Woody wrote: Stop right there. You have achieved perfection. No further evolution necessary.

No. That is a big clunky object to carry around in my pocket. Dislike.

I'll take a normal key, thank you. Keyfob is fine, but at least I can separate it from the key if I want to.

In reply to chiodos:Manual is first on my list. And yes I know some rides don't offer a manual. Those aren't ever on my shopping list. Having said that, in deference to my insurance rates cruise is a must. And since my wife and I trade off cars often, the power side mirrors are handy. She short enough that she sees mostly sky at my settings and I see mostly curbing at hers.