I'll NEVER buy another car without...

[Canice]

a manual transmission, air conditioning, and power locks. (Loremma's thread about air conditioning made me think of this.)

I have my first-ever automatic, and I don't like it, not one little bit. However, I love the A/C and the power locks. What can I say, I'm a simple girl ;) . What are your must-haves for all future cars? (I'm already looking forward to my next "ride".)

[Chefzhat]

Heated seats. :D And I've never owned a car w/o a sunroof - love them.

[sharris315]

Heated seats. :D And I've never owned a car w/o a sunroof - love them.

That's exactly what I was thinking when I opened this! :D

Shar

[hlao23]

Ugh...to me..."simple" is auto transmission. This might make a good poll topic. I can drive a stick...but I just don't want to bother. I just want to drive and sing along loudly with my CDs :D

I had to drive a car from the motor pool a few months ago. I got in, looked around, and though "How the heck do you lower the windows!??" Turned out to be the little thing on each door that you actually had to turn. :eek: :o :D

I'd love to have an automatic starter...though DH works pretty well. :)

[Terri_A]

I've got to have -

automatic ( Houston traffic and a clutch = leg cramps )
a/c ( again, I don't think you can live here w/o it )
sunroof ( I like to see the sky :) )
big cup holders ( they need to hold a large soft drink from a FF restaurant )

[CompassRose]

I do miss Grishilde's power locks and power windows and heated seats. I love, however, Ayla's manual transmission and luscious stereo system.

I want to say, "I'll never buy another car that's not a Volvo," but the new Volvos just aren't the same. However, my next dream car is now a Volvo Brick, probably an 850, with manual rather than automatic transmission and an aftermarket stereo. (Volvo stereos notoriously suck.) I love... I don't know, the authority a Volvo has on the road. I've never driven another car (in the seven or eight other different makes and models I've driven) that has that kind of full visibility, and the solidity and safety is nice. As is the fact that even Grishilde, who is somewhat decrepit, could easily hit 150 on the 401 without even breathing hard... :p :o ...and policemen don't seem to notice Volvos speeding as much as other cars speeding.

[wallycat]

The car we currently have has more bells and whistles than any other, but it is still the MOST BASIC (DH insisted :rolleyes: ) car.

I guess I don't know what I'd miss till it was taken away but things I appreciate are 4-door and A/C.
Ours is manual and I like it....of course, Canice, we don't have the SF hills here ;)

[gertdog]

A/C is a must. So are headlights that automatically shut off if I forget. And I'd hate to give up my heated seats, though if I lived in a place w/ warm winters it wouldn't be a big deal.

But the thing I really love in my car is the auto-dimming rearview mirror. DH's car doesn't have it and it drives me nuts to have to flip the darned mirror back and forth.

Something I'd really love to have is the system that remembers "your" settings- seat adjustment, temperature, etc. so that when you put your key in the ignition, everything gets set the way you like it, and when DH (or whoever) uses their key, it adjusts to their preferences.

[Goin' Coastal]

I immediately thought of heated seats! I love them!

[boisewinesnob]

intermittent wipers and cruise control.

[badunnin]

Seatbelts. An absolute must-have for me.

[LakeMartinGal]

I think I'm spoiled! Any new vehicle of mine must have:
AC
Interval wipers
Really bright headlights!
Automatic headlights (turn off/on with the light)
Enough room for my "boys" - 2 golden retrievers
Cloth seats!!!!! (Hate the leather, and we live in the South, so heated seats are not necessary)
Automatic Transmission!
Interior adjustable outside mirrors
CD/radio
OnStar
Auto locks w/keyfob to lock/unlock
Rear windshield wiper/defroster
be a mini-van -- even though I'm not a soccer mom, I just love the space, and the fact that I don't have to climb up or fall down to get in!
Would love to have the dimming rear-view mirror
good cup holders would be nice
Love the driver information that tells when a door is ajar, when to chance the oil, and what the tire pressure is, and 'gigs' DH to buckle his seatbelt!

[Jazzmatazz49]

They make cars without A/C? I didn't even know homes came without it, but then I'm from the south. :p

I couldn't live without cruise control, and the car I bought last year has automatic start, which I love in the summertime. I don't have to get into a baking car anymore!

[CompassRose]

....OnStar
OnStar seems to have many advantages, but I must say it completely gives me the creeps. I think I have a kind of horror story brewing about OnStar. "When the revolution comes, and the dictatorship takes your data by force from the auto manufacturers..."

[LakeMartinGal]

OnStar seems to have many advantages, but I must say it completely gives me the creeps.
So, you have a "big brother is watching you" complex? ;) I never saw the advantage of it, until the very day we activated DH's OnStar... turns out we had to call the emergency OnStar, because DH was having a heart attack! I used to lock myself out, and OnStar would have saved me about $80! We wouldn't/don't have the one where you can make reservations, etc, but it sure is nice to know that they can hear you, when cell phones have no signal!

Each to his own, of course... ;)

Did you know that you can activate/deactivate for a month at a time? Now, we don't have the service on his vehicle, unless we are taking a trip... he figures to have no more heart attacks! :rolleyes:

[Gracie]

This is my first car with automatic windshield wipers. You set them to the water sensitivity that you want and then when water hits the windshield, they go as fast or slow as the rain demands. Also, when you slow down and the same rainstorm isn't quite so steady at the slower speeds, they also slow down.

I didn't think I'd like "giving up control" but now I love it. It's just one less thing for me to do while driving.

Loren

[Canice]

I had to drive a car from the motor pool a few months ago. I got in, looked around, and though "How the heck do you lower the windows!??" Turned out to be the little thing on each door that you actually had to turn. :eek: :o :D ...

I had to rent a car a few months ago and before leaving the rental place I sat for what seemed like five full minutes trying to figure out how to roll down the windows until I finally got out and asked for help. Yup, these little contraptions on the door panel! :o Worse, I'd never even OWNED a car with automatic windows! But definitely had never seen manual ones in a rental.

Oh, and I totally forgot about the rear defrost! I cannot believe they aren't mandatory; I owned cars without them, and they were really frustrating.

[Wendy w]

Seatbelts. An absolute must-have for me.

:p

I do miss my cruise control and power locks. With SoCal traffic and my aging knees, I will always have an automatic.

[lindrusso]

There are many things I love to have in a car (cruise control, etc.), but one thing I have grown very fond of that I didn't even think about when we bought the van (it just happened to be on the one we bought) is the radio/volume controls on the steering wheel!

For all I know this is standard in cars now, but it was something I hadn't seen before when we bought the van in 2000.

I LOVE that I can change modes, adjust the volume and scan for radio stations without having to lean over to the console. It's safer too.

[greysangel]

I must have stick. Maybe if I lived in san fran I would feel differently, but I do live in the midst of stop and go traffic areas and I absolutely detest the feel of automatic transmission.

[Terri_A]

So....do any car manufacturers make air conditioned seats??? :D I don't need a heater in my seat, but man, when it's 100 degrees here in July and August a/c seats would be GREAT!

[LakeMartinGal]

So....do any car manufacturers make air conditioned seats??? :D I don't need a heater in my seat, but man, when it's 100 degrees here in July and August a/c seats would be GREAT!

Amen to that!!!!! :D

[Canice]

I must have stick. Maybe if I lived in san fran I would feel differently, but I do live in the midst of stop and go traffic areas and I absolutely detest the feel of automatic transmission.

Well, as you can see by my initial post, you wouldn't necessarily feel differently! I can't do anything more than drop a letter in the box across the street without going up or down a steep hill...and I have absolutely bought my first and last automatic.

[slknight]

So....do any car manufacturers make air conditioned seats??? :D I don't need a heater in my seat, but man, when it's 100 degrees here in July and August a/c seats would be GREAT!

Actually, there are some that do. I think the really high-end Mercedes have them, but I could be wrong about manufacturer (maybe it's BMW or similar).

As for me, I could not live without heated seats. My favorite feature of my Subaru.

[Meganator]

So....do any car manufacturers make air conditioned seats??? :D I don't need a heater in my seat, but man, when it's 100 degrees here in July and August a/c seats would be GREAT!

Yes, I've seen them advertised. Don't remember which car for sure, but I think it might have been the Buick Lucerne. Others too, probably.

I love my:
heated seats (yes, even in central Texas!)
keychain lock/trunk control
power windows/locks
the little net-thingie in my trunk to hold a bag of groceries or my bag I carry back and forth to work so they don't roll around

Now that it is hot, DH loves the automatic starter to get the AC running before we get in the car.

[sparrowgrass]

It must be red. :p

After that requirement is met, it must have a radio and AC.

I drive a little Nissan Frontier pickup, and the next one will have the extended cab--the front seat is too little for me *and* the two Aussies. Specially since one likes to stretch out, head in my lap and feet against the door. Poor Mink, he has to cling to the edge, and even puts his paws on the dash.

[miller88]

I honestly cannot imagine life without keyless entry. I think it's just about one of the best car-related inventions EVER. I wouldn't quite know how to open the door with (gasp) the key!

[suebear37]

... is the power liftgate!!! I have one power slider (don't ask me why only one, I bought it used) which I never use, but I do love opening the back end with the remote!!! Especially during the winter... don't have to touch that door when it's all covered with snow & slop!

[tea4one]

Auto transmission (simply because I never learned how to drive a manual transmission, oh well its easier on my legs)
Interval wipers
cruise
A/C (funny how growing up I survived without it)
power windows (so nice when your aqlone and you want the other window opened/closed)
power locks
power seats
tilt steering wheel
AM/FM/CD/XM radio/MP3 player (I don't have one of these now but want one in my next vehicle)

I am sure there is more but that's just off the top of my head.

[stacy7272]

Wow - I'm surprised to see someone from San Francisco loving a manual transmission. I actually like driving a stick but there are too many times that I'm thankful that I don't have one (when the hill is so big that even my automatic rolls) that I won't get one again.

I have to get a used car - I can't imagine paying all that extra money for a new car.

I love power windows, air conditioning, rear defrost, and intermittent wipers (those that sense when they need to go sound appealing!).

DH and I are trying to wait as long as possible to get our "new" minivan so we can get updated features even in a used one (DH has a 1990 Honda Civic). Like side-curtain airbags for instance. I also like the automatic side doors I see. I would also love to get a minivan with those adjustable accelerator and brake pedals. I'm short and I would like to sit as far away from the steering wheel as possible.

[luv2cook]

I have been looking, just looking at cars, and I want just about everything LakeMartin girl wants (except the minivan part). Also, steering wheel radio controls, a place to put your purse or stuff (amazing how many cars at car show didn't have a place) radio/ac high up on the dash (and ac controls not buried behind gear shift) like I saw on some new cars.

QUIET! I dont' want to hear road noise. I recently test-drove a Cadillac - not the STS, the smaller one. Handled well but had road noise, no place for little things or purses, no garage door opener switch on visor (unless you bought up) a a few other things. It was the everyday things that blew it.

I could care less about the sunroof - to me, makes the car noisier...

[HejazSunKat]

I honestly cannot imagine life without keyless entry. I think it's just about one of the best car-related inventions EVER.

I know. I've often wished I had the same thing for my house and I've become so accustomed to the keyless entry for the car that if I'm distracted I've sometimes caught myself trying to 'beep' the house door open. In this technologically advanced world wouldn't you think this would be common by now?

I'll tell you one thing I really like about my car is something it doesn't do. It treats me like an adult and doesn't give me a ration of sh!t if I don't put my seatbelt on. I always do but it's nice to get that respect! :)

If we're talking about bells and whistles another nice thing is Home Link where you can program your garage door opener into the car's 'brain' so that you don't need the visor thingy anymore. You can even program your house alarm into it although I've been too lazy to read the manual and figure out how.

[Canice]

Ack, I can't believe I overlooked miller88's favorite - the keyless remote entry! I never in a million years would have thought of this except that I have this awful propensity to leave cars totally unlocked. You know: you pull that dry cleaning out of the back seat, or the new clothing purchase from the trunk, or the groceries off the passenger seat....some door gets left open. I leave cars undriven for days at a time, parked on the street, and have had a couple of them stolen out of shere stupidity on my part. The keyless remote is the ONLY hope I have of actually locking up the entire car. I apologize for the "chirp" -I really do- but the police now just let themselves in to my apartment, make a pot of coffee, and rummage around for a snack before taking my theft reports.


Wow - I'm surprised to see someone from San Francisco loving a manual transmission. I actually like driving a stick but there are too many times that I'm thankful that I don't have one (when the hill is so big that even my automatic rolls) that I won't get one again.

I have to get a used car - I can't imagine paying all that extra money for a new car.

Actually, on steep hills a manual won't roll at ALL, while an automatic grinds and burns - that's one of the things I hate. And living in a city, most of my parking is parallel: completely obnoxious in an automatic, but smoothe as silk in a manual.

I totally agree with you on the used vs. new thing, though: No way I would get satisfaction out of pouring a boatload of money for a new car, just to haul my krapp around.

[CompassRose]

And living in a city, most of my parking is parallel: completely obnoxious in an automatic, but smoothe as silk in a manual.
Really? I haven't yet dared try a parallel park in Ayla. :p I could do it in (automatic) Grishilde given about one and a half spaces to do it in, but I certainly didn't like to, and I'd walk blocks out of my way if it meant not.

And ditto on the new cars. I don't think I've ever even wished I could buy a new new car, not even in a wistful way. Just not one of the things I seem to "need".

[Meganator]

...The keyless remote is the ONLY hope I have of actually locking up the entire car. I apologize for the "chirp" -I really do- but the police now just let themselves in to my apartment, make a pot of coffee, and rummage around for a snack before taking my theft reports.

:p And regarding the chirp - I don't know if other cars are the same, but on my car, I can change the setting so that there is no chirp when it locks.

[hlao23]

I know. I've often wished I had the same thing for my house and I've become so accustomed to the keyless entry for the car that if I'm distracted I've sometimes caught myself trying to 'beep' the house door open.

Glad this is not just me...I do this all the time. :)

And...speaking of distracted I saw ...you can program your garage door opener into the car's 'brain' so that you don't need the visor thingy anymore. and read "...you can program your garage door opener into your CAT'S brain..." so I'm thinking..."...I guess this is safer than having a pet door..." :eek: :D :o

[Meganator]

And...speaking of distracted I saw and read "...you can program your garage door opener into your CAT'S brain..." so I'm thinking..."...I guess this is safer than having a pet door..." :eek: :D :o


If I could just train her to close the garage door, too. Anyone remember "The Cat from Outer Space"? I loved that movie. Back to your reguarly scheduled thread now...

[mbrogier]

I had a car with heated seats. Wonderful up here in the frozen wasteland. Our accord doesn't have heated seats, and we do miss them. It just wasn't worth the extra money to get a Canadian accord to get the heated seats.

Must haves:
airbags--front and side
interval wipers
rear defrost
controls on wheel (cruise control and radio/CD)
CD player
sunroof--cars cool off much faster with them, and I don't feel clausterphobic
keyless entry*

*This isn't just a convenience feature. For women it makes them less of a target for violent crime. Women who have their keys out and can get in their door quickly and lock their door behind them quickly aren't good targets. Also, at night when parking lots aren't full, a car alarm does draw notice. My keyless entry takes two beeps when I lock it to chirp. That arms the alarm. The chirp isn't loud--that part is adjustible.

I would like the MP3 player adapter that is available in some cars now. I'd also like the radio that turns up and down depending on the speed of the car. I'm not sure about the wipers that self adjust. Using wipers in snow is much different, and I'd have to see how the wipers work.