Discussion
Apparently part of the pleasure of being a petrolhead is having a car with toys
Can i ask
What is the attraction
I occasionally use the pool car at work which a frankly bloody awful year old audi A6 with lots of things that move using electricity and a huge amount of buttons
At no point did i find myself staring at the window moving up and down at the press of button while giggling like a demented 5 year old
So what exactly is the attraction of all these toys
And do people actually sit there having HUGE fun while programming a destination into a satnav screen
As i tried it and quite frankly it was about as much fun as selecting the program on the dishwasher
Can i ask
What is the attraction
I occasionally use the pool car at work which a frankly bloody awful year old audi A6 with lots of things that move using electricity and a huge amount of buttons
At no point did i find myself staring at the window moving up and down at the press of button while giggling like a demented 5 year old
So what exactly is the attraction of all these toys
And do people actually sit there having HUGE fun while programming a destination into a satnav screen
As i tried it and quite frankly it was about as much fun as selecting the program on the dishwasher
It's a superiority thing. My 320d ES isn't as good as the 320d SE owned by a bloke I work with. His car has buttons on the steering wheel whereas I have to reach across and adjust things with one hand off the wheel, allowing him to be the more focused driver.
I humbly accept this, I know my place.
I humbly accept this, I know my place.
I think a few years ago when all this tech started appearing in cars it was quite exciting but it has now got to the point where manufacturers just seem to be adding more and more complex electronic kit without really thinking about if it`s of any real benefit.
To me, one of the biggest problems with modern cars is that, after 5 or 6 years when a lot of this kit has started to play up you end up with a basically sound car that no-one will buy because half the electronic crap fitted to it has broken.
It will then be needlessly scrapped.
I was also taught that there should be as few distractions as possible from the business of actually driving and thats hard to avoid when most dashboards seem to come fitted with a 32" LCD in the dash!
To me, one of the biggest problems with modern cars is that, after 5 or 6 years when a lot of this kit has started to play up you end up with a basically sound car that no-one will buy because half the electronic crap fitted to it has broken.
It will then be needlessly scrapped.
I was also taught that there should be as few distractions as possible from the business of actually driving and thats hard to avoid when most dashboards seem to come fitted with a 32" LCD in the dash!
I like the basic-ness of my 14 years old E36 cockpit. Allows me to be focused on the road ahead and not distracted by beeps, bongs and flashing lights. Plus there is a lot less to go wrong and for some reason I hate buttons on a steering wheel. I know it makes sense ie adjusting the stereo but I just don't like the look of it.
Daily driving for most isn't a 'hoon'.
If I'm going to be stuck in traffic for long periods, or doing a long boring motorway slog, why WOULDN'T I want my seat to be heated, my gears changed for me, my phone & ipod connected so an make\take calls and listen to music, cruise control to make the journey more relaxing etc.
You sound like the kind of person that enjoys being miserable.
If I'm going to be stuck in traffic for long periods, or doing a long boring motorway slog, why WOULDN'T I want my seat to be heated, my gears changed for me, my phone & ipod connected so an make\take calls and listen to music, cruise control to make the journey more relaxing etc.
You sound like the kind of person that enjoys being miserable.
Triumph Man said:
I think, as above, we have passed the point where toys were "useful". For me personally, as long as I have central locking (doesn't have to be remote) electric windows, and a radio, I'm happy.
Remote central locking, electric windows and a radio and I'm happy. Since my ancient Garmin Nuvi died a few months ago, I've discovered that I can navigate unfamiliar areas effectively using road signs, so I don't need a satnav. I don't need fingertip controls on the steering wheel; it's a steering wheel. Depends...
On a weekend toy I don't care what buttons it has.
On a daily it's handy to have remote locking, elec windows, AC etc and things like illuminated ignition / door handles / lights under the doors are nice on a winters night.
Do any of them ultimately affect my choice of car - NO
Edit - thinking about it I did want AC on my van but I found it cost £1k more (on a £3k used van) I couldn't justify it as I don't cover that many miles yet justifying the £1k more for the 102bhp over the 88bhp model didn't require a seconds thought (the 102 is a turbo, now mapped to 148bhp).
On a weekend toy I don't care what buttons it has.
On a daily it's handy to have remote locking, elec windows, AC etc and things like illuminated ignition / door handles / lights under the doors are nice on a winters night.
Do any of them ultimately affect my choice of car - NO
Edit - thinking about it I did want AC on my van but I found it cost £1k more (on a £3k used van) I couldn't justify it as I don't cover that many miles yet justifying the £1k more for the 102bhp over the 88bhp model didn't require a seconds thought (the 102 is a turbo, now mapped to 148bhp).
Edited by V8RX7 on Sunday 14th October 11:22
yellowbentines said:
Daily driving for most isn't a 'hoon'.
If I'm going to be stuck in traffic for long periods, or doing a long boring motorway slog, why WOULDN'T I want my seat to be heated, my gears changed for me, my phone & ipod connected so an make\take calls and listen to music, cruise control to make the journey more relaxing etc.
You sound like the kind of person that enjoys being miserable.
But you haven't described toysIf I'm going to be stuck in traffic for long periods, or doing a long boring motorway slog, why WOULDN'T I want my seat to be heated, my gears changed for me, my phone & ipod connected so an make\take calls and listen to music, cruise control to make the journey more relaxing etc.
You sound like the kind of person that enjoys being miserable.
You aren't sat there giggling like an idiot because your window moves when you push a button
They don't make the car more fun they just make the world less annoying
Papa Hotel said:
It's a superiority thing. My 320d ES isn't as good as the 320d SE owned by a bloke I work with. I humbly accept this, I know my place.
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=npQ5rG8YZA4&des...
I would rather have most of the toys available in a house than a car. Lights that come on when you open the door, phones and tv's that are voice activated, heated massaging reclining seats, aircon, electric windows.
All that I ask for in a car is a radio and heaters, electric windows and cruise control is a massive bonus, little else gets used daily.
All that I ask for in a car is a radio and heaters, electric windows and cruise control is a massive bonus, little else gets used daily.
Show off value. I'm in the process of buying a brand new car for the first time in my life and there's a really strong impulse to get everything. Until I realized it's over £1000 to get inbuilt GPS! That's nuts. I can get a really nice Kenwood unit for less than half of that, and I already have a Garmin one that cost less than £200.
Looking forward to having a reversing camera for the first 20 minutes though!
Looking forward to having a reversing camera for the first 20 minutes though!
Whenever my 8 year old gets into a different car he will count the dash buttons, clearly this is a marker of car quality.
My car however, has no toys, in fact many of the things most people see as essential are missing. It does have a radio, but since fitting my new exhaust, that is pretty much redundant so I dont use that either. For me that makes it more of an event rather than less.
My car however, has no toys, in fact many of the things most people see as essential are missing. It does have a radio, but since fitting my new exhaust, that is pretty much redundant so I dont use that either. For me that makes it more of an event rather than less.
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