Don’t cheap out on the extras you want when buying a new car
You’ve found the car you want to buy, and now you have to decide how to tart it up. Leather interior? Upgrade the stereo? Power seats? Heated this, cooled that, connected everything ?
Be careful. The aftermarket will promise you a chance to fix every regret, but the truth is, many features can’t be added later, and many that can, don’t do it well.
Even a decade ago, heated seats were the purview of the fancypants segment. Now, thanks to Hyundai and Kia moving this stock item down the chain, you can get into an entry-level car and have toasty buns, something that is a necessity here in Canada. By the time your vents are even beginning to throw some heat into the cabin, your seat is already comfortable and there is no need to idle your car.
I’m not as sold on air-conditioned seats — I still find cold air blowing gently up my butt a little disconcerting — but I’d never buy anything without heated seats again.
Are there aftermarket heated seats? Sure there are. But just because you can buy something doesn’t mean you should. I’m also fully on side with heated steering wheels, but tossing on a pair of gloves is admittedly not that hard.
As of May 2018, rear-view cameras will be mandatory on most new vehicles; in the meantime, you can purchase aftermarket cameras. I suggest you don’t. I’ve yet to use one that didn’t make me feel like barfing up my lunch. If your new car is as big as a thimble, you likely don’t need a rear-view camera. But if you’re used to one, or need all the help you can get when parking, don’t scrimp here.
Aftermarket navigation systems can be pretty good, but those factory systems integrated into the console are sleek and in recent years, have become far better than their predecessors. That doesn’t change the fact that your phone, properly mounted on the dash, does a great job without the need to keep signing up for subscription services. The other good thing about using your phone? No matter what car you get into, you’re instantly familiar with the system. The drawback? You’re using your data, which could prove costly if you go over your plan.
As you’re staking out options for your new purchase, consider categorizing them into entertainment and safety. I know manufacturers have wedded themselves to that horrific non-word, “infotainment”, but the truth is, something that is just there to entertain you is not the same as something that is designed to save your life. Once again, it was Hyundai that determined that Bluetooth, or handsfree ability, was not an option but a required safety feature. While things like high-end sound systems and upscale chrome wheels are nice-to-haves, consider what features will actually contribute to your safety.
A forum I’m on has some minivan owners asking if they can add sensors they declined at the time of purchase. One even posted a picture of a dented fender on a weeks-old vehicle. They wanted to do-it-yourself. Sensors on a car are not a DIY project. Systems on cars are integrated, meaning sensors are part of a contained network, not like little stickers you use if you get an EKG. If you are driving a vehicle like a minivan around, and presumably piloting it and parking it loaded with kids and gear, give yourself all the help you can get.
Consider how long you’ll have this vehicle, for two reasons: loaded cars have higher resale value, which means if you change vehicles fairly often you are actually purchasing the car for the next buyer — the one who will buy it from you. If you intend to hang onto it (and with cars having longer and longer lives, why wouldn’t you?), consider where you’ll be in five years, or 10.
As we age, lane-departure warnings, blind-spot sensors and overhead cameras can assist us on the road. Safety features are never, ever a substitute for good driving skills, but a driver receiving good information can help make sure of a good outcome.
If it’s been more than five years since your last car, make sure you do a “second delivery” with your dealership: you go back a few weeks after you receive your car and go through all the systems again. This will achieve two things. One, you’ll feel more confident driving your car, and two, you’ll be able to take advantage of all the fun things you purchased, whether they ’re information or entertainment. If you’re assisting a parent with a new car decision, make sure you’re both familiar with the new tech on offer.
My father refused to buy a car with power windows (he’s been dead a long time) because he knew a guy who had to pay 200 bucks to replace a power window motor. In one respect, he wasn’t wrong: the more options you have, and the more complicated those options are, the more things you have to go wrong and the more systems you have that can develop bugs. Picture a steering wheel and tires on your computer, and you’ll never say, “what could go wrong ?” ever again. It’s why I think of entertainment as one facet and safety as another.
Aftermarket tech once filled a huge void as car manufacturers struggled to be current. We watched and endured buggy software, like Ford’s MyFord Touch, that ill-fated marriage contract with Microsoft. But consumers demand their cars keep pace with their lives, and the result is a superior product from most manufacturers and less reason to go afield after the fact.
Buying a new car? Consider the seasons, and the reasons, and don’t kick yourself later for cutting the wrong thing.