Between the Scenic and the S60, I've been introduced to a wealth of features that I've never had before on cars as well as some familiar old friends. The things I love, and would want again / pay extra for:
Keyless entry and starting
Independent driver and passenger heater/air-con controls.
Auto dimming rear view mirror
Cruise control
Refrigerated glove compartment
Metallic paint
Cupholders
Rear / additional 12v power sockets
Disableable(?) rear electric windows.
Things I wouldn't bother with / pay for:
Auto parking brake
Auto wipers
Auto headlights
Sat nav
Sunroof
Cheers
DP
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I find auto wipers to be almost indispensable.
The ability just to turn them on and not have to constantly adjust for the degree of rain or spray is just great.
Sure, it's one of those things you can't really appreciate it until you've had it...but once you've had you won't want to go back..
Auto lights, yes a bit pointless, as is the auto parking brake.
Keyless entry I've had and didn't like. Remote locking seems to be quicker and easier than reaching for handles, waiting a second for the sensor and then pressing the button to lock the door! With a remote key you'd be comfortably in your house and out of the rain in that time. :)
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Four wheels, engine, steering wheel, brakes and a roof and windows.
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Mapmaker, yes, and as few as possible of all the electrical gizmos .
Not yet needed auto wipers lights or brakes !
Analyse what goes wrong on cars most, yep electrical items !
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Mapmaker: Presumably you get all your dietary requirements from drinking water and eating nothing but specially prepared "goo" that has all your vitamin, protein and mineral requirements in every serving?
;)
Surely cars have to be about more than having the minimum function to get from A to B?
Anything that makes that experience more comfortable, safer and pleasurable is going to be a good thing, don't you think?
Edited by TheOilBurner on 21/07/2008 at 13:41
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Surely cars have to be about more than having the minimum function to get from A to B?
I'm with mapmaker, all these gizmos add weight and are a liabillity, how many of these "must haves" would you have repaired if you had to pay for it out of your own pocket?
Anything that makes that experience more comfortable safer and pleasurable is going to be a good thing don't you think?
Think of the classics that you'd like to own that never had these items that you aspire too, do they drive any worse for not having them?
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Mapmaker: Presumably you get all your dietary requirements from drinking water and eating nothing but specially prepared "goo" that has all your vitamin protein and mineral requirements in every serving?
No. I drink champagne, manzanilla, fine claret, gorgeous Rhone and elderly port (and yet-more-elderly sherry and madeira). I eat out in Michelin-starred (motoring link) restaurants, and eat in with the finest of foods (the most expensive of which are grown by my fair hands).
Last weekend I took my car above 30mph for the first time this year, with a 500 mile trip to Cheshire. It drinks Tescos's cheapest, has its oil changed at Kwik Fit and misfires slightly. So long as it goes, has a seat for the driver and passengers, I don't really care.
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Keyless entry I've had and didn't like. Remote locking seems to be quicker and easier than reaching for handles waiting a second for the sensor and then pressing the button to lock the door! With a remote key you'd be comfortably in your house and out of the rain in that time. :)
The Renault system also offers standard remote functionality via buttons on the keycard. Where I find it invaluable is when staggering up to the car with a heavy load or with kids in tow, and not having to fish around in pockets for keys. In keyless mode, the delay between putting your hand on the handle and the doors unlocking is about half a second which is far less than it would take you to get a key from your pocket and press a button, even with free hands. And just jumping in the car and pressing a button to start it is simplicity itself.
Of course, conventional locks work fine, and are hardly rocket science to use, but they seem somehow archaic after living with this system for a while. I also like the way the accessories remain powered up after the engine is switched off, and until you open the drivers door giving you time to close those windows you forgot about. And the way any open windows and the sunroof close up on a "double click" of the lock button.
One of the reasons I fell for this car is it was clearly designed by people who have kids and have to transport them and their paraphernalia from A to B. Loads of neat touches all over the thing, as many of which are design features as electronic gadgets.
Edited by DP on 21/07/2008 at 15:07
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Turning this on its head. There are things which because they come as standard that would put me off buying a car. Best example I can think of off the top of my head is the silly handbrake on modern Passats. Who needs it, and more importantly who would want it ?
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Must have:- Spare wheel
- Galvanising (if it's a steel body, though I'd prefer a plastic-bodied car)
- 5 doors
- Automatic gearbox (I prefer to concentrate on steering than on wiggling a stick whilst pressing a lever)
- Climate control (set it and forget it)
- Electric windows all round
- Rear park sensors (cos I'm lousy at reversing)
- CD player (the car is my favourite place for listening to new CDs)
- Covered luggage area (don't want people peeping at my clobber)
Must not have:- Electric handbrake (another thing to go wrong, plus I don't trust them)
- Automatic lights, automatic wiper more stuff to go wrong)
- Alloy wheels (look silly, attract thieves, and vulnerable to kerbing)
- Built-in-satnav (plug-in TomTom is better)
- Leather seats (slippery and no good for dogs)
- "image" (more likely to get nicked, attract attention)
- Waistline so high that my dog can't see out the rear side window when he sits up (yes, he does wear a harness)
- High value (It's a metal box to get me around, and I don't want to have much money tied up in it)
- Keyless entry (no benefit over a remote plipper, and it's another thing to go wrong)
- Sunroof (sooner or later they all leak)
OTOH, I am toying with the idea of getting a used Daihatsu Copen as a toy, and it ticks none of those boxes; the attraction is that it's tiny, economical, and has an open top without being fast.
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i'd always buy a car with a good spec, which would include auto, climate, leather, CD
the other bits aren't essential, but i'm not bothered if they're in there e.g. cruise (quite handy), auto lights, auto wipers (irritating, would rather have an adjustable intermittent)
however one thing that is an essential for me and often isn't there, is a sunroof (never ever had one leak on me)
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full size spare wheel instead of space saver is worth the modest extra cost where available, the hassle of being suddendly stuck with a 50 mph restriction and no cornering ability half way through a few hundred mile journey is too much to bear
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I'd like a No Alloy Wheel option for which ever model I had chosen. Originally thought they were the Bees's knees but have come to the conclusion that they are a pain to maintain and clean etc.
Would love steel wheels again with a nice plastic wheel embellisher so I could give them a quick wipe over.
QED job done.
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