Toys?

[scotty_d]

They do nothing for me having a raw car with no aids and no toys is better and pure, even electric windows do nothing for me just more to go wrong

[Fubar1977]

nadger said:

Mine's LED and backlit, therefore better than yours!
;-)

[Benbay001]

Not having to plug a sat nav in is nice. Having a warmed seat on a cold day is nice. Not having to change Cd if you want a different artist is nice. Not having to pull over to phone someone is nice. All these niceties add up to make life nicer. Try it. Its nice.

[Fubar1977]

I`m thinking more of "tech for its own sake".
Off the top of my head, the best example I can come up with is the totally shambolic, idiotic, ill thought out Electronic Handbrake.
Also the Electronic Dipstick, stupid beyond belief.

I`m not against a bit of luxury, I have heated seats and don`t have to wind my own windows.
It just seems like, having covered all the basics, car companies are just sat there thinking "What can we add or automate next".

Added complexity has made fixing your own car on your driveway an increasingly impossible task.
I worry that in another 10 years there will be no bargain luxo barges etc as they will have exploded in a shower of sparks and resistors.

[Jasandjules]

Depends what you call toys really.

I mean, I "need" electric windows now... And heated rear mirrors are great for when it is raining...

[thinfourth2]

Jasandjules said:

Depends what you call toys really.

I mean, I "need" electric windows now..

Muscle wasting is a horrible disease

[AndyLB]

scotty_d said:

They do nothing for me having a raw car with no aids

Not an impreza sti then

[Martyn-123]

Amstrad did a similiar thing with lots of buttons and flashing lights on their Hi Fi's to hide the fact that they were crap !

[longblackcoat]

For a daily driver, a smooth/quiet environment, electric windows, cruise control, and good aircon are my minimum requirements. After that, not really bothered. I'd far rather have a basic-spec A8 than a fully-tinselled Golf, that's for sure.

[scotty_d]

AndyLB said:

scotty_d said:

They do nothing for me having a raw car with no aids

Not an impreza sti then

Nope has to be as aids free as possible for me

Although i did have a uk2000 but it was clear from the sti bits

[poshboy]

From a sales point of view the more 'toys' the more desirable a car is, on a Porsche or Mercedes no Sat nav is £2000 off for most late models eg Cayman or E class, we have customers asking why 2002 models don't have bluetooth as standard, things like this are now expected when we sell luxury brands so think the trend will continue for now.

[croyde]

Yep! it's a shame that one has to specc the car with the thought of resale value.

[yellowbentines]

Can someone with a better understanding of electronics\electrics than me explain why all these gizmos\toys\luxuries would simply cease to work & explode in a puff of smoke simply because a car is getting older?

Perhaps I'm being naïve but it just seems like people probably say this without knowing if there is any truth in it?

I've flown in old aeroplanes which I'm pretty sure are chock-full of electronics, I've also owned old TVs, Hi-fis, computers where the electronics haven't imploded after 3 years.

"Its just more to go wrong" is a dull way to live life, why not just crap in a bush as an indoor toilet has potential to get blocked

[LiamB]

My Mini has about 3 buttons? And they are either for the lights or Hazards..

I would hate a car that has too many toys, there is too much to go wrong.

[billzeebub]

I don't understand this at all. Every modern car I climb in annoys me with its bongs and beeps, even the good cars..my RR whilst superb has far too many bells and whistles. I never use half the gadgets on it. PDC fks me off, if you don't know the dimensions of your car and don't have the special awareness to park it you shouldn't be driving ( it should be a NCO at best). I much prefer 90 s cars for this reason. You don't feel as anaesthetised from the business of driving and you don't have hugely expensiive repairs when it inevitably goes wrong. The only gadget that interests me is the engine/ drivetrain..oh, and if it's not a Convertible it has to have a sunroof ( manual or electric)

[V8RX7]

yellowbentines said:

Can someone with a better understanding of electronics\electrics than me explain why all these gizmos\toys\luxuries would simply cease to work & explode in a puff of smoke simply because a car is getting older?

Perhaps I'm being naïve but it just seems like people probably say this without knowing if there is any truth in it?

My Dad deals in old cars.

The problems with electronics are frequently due to damp on contacts or impact / vibration on wires / circuits.

Motors do burn out and plastic clips break.

Frequently the actual part is pennies but stripping down a seat etc to get to it is time consuming or more usually you cannot buy the part and need the entire assembly.

[poshboy]

yellowbentines said:

Can someone with a better understanding of electronics\electrics than me explain why all these gizmos\toys\luxuries would simply cease to work & explode in a puff of smoke simply because a car is getting older?

Perhaps I'm being naïve but it just seems like people probably say this without knowing if there is any truth in it?

I've flown in old aeroplanes which I'm pretty sure are chock-full of electronics, I've also owned old TVs, Hi-fis, computers where the electronics haven't imploded after 3 years.

"Its just more to go wrong" is a dull way to live life, why not just crap in a bush as an indoor toilet has potential to get blocked

They do fail sadly, if a car is jump started it has a good chance of frying something and others just fail! The car is basically made to not break in the warranty period, after that the manufacturer can charge £1000's for a new sat nav unit as only theirs fits and if it's a used car site like ourselves who have just sold it and it fails generally no customer will accept an after market replacement and if it won't repair we are forced to buy a new one. Cars have a life spand in mind when built is top and bottom of it.

[VinceFox]

Toys dont enter into my criteria. My list is pretty simple, must be rwd, manuel, 2 doors, petrol, fast and reliable. I couldnt give a fk what buttons it has. Ive owned the m3 for 3 years now and the radio has never worked.

[iva cosworth]

Things i like to have..........Electric windows,Heated electric mirrors,Heated windscreen.

Thing i must have..............not a lot,basic is good too and as said above ,less to go wrong

Things i don't want...........automatic lights and wipers,i know when to use these thanks

[Fubar1977]

V8RX7 said:

My Dad deals in old cars.

The problems with electronics are frequently due to damp on contacts or impact / vibration on wires / circuits.

Motors do burn out and plastic clips break.

Frequently the actual part is pennies but stripping down a seat etc to get to it is time consuming or more usually you cannot buy the part and need the entire assembly.

Yep, this is definitely a big part of the problem.
Modern cars have dozens of sensors linked to the ECU and when they start to fail you usually have to replace the whole component rather than just the failed sensor.
Good example I had recently was a failed throttle position sensor on a VW that required the throttle body replaced to fix it, for the sake of a sensor that probably cost VW a few pennies.
They are not designed to be repaired, you just swap out whole parts. How does this makes sense either economically or environmentally?