What automotive convinence option can you not live without?

[2o6]

Simple question.



For me? Cruise control. Give me manual locks, AM-FM stereo, manual windows, but I HAVE TO HAVE my Cruise Control. It's so satisfying to set the cruise to 5 over the speed limit, and crank up the tunes.

[S204STi]

Air con, and even that's not something I'm hugely attached to.  Everything else can go other than the parts that make the car go.

[2o6]

I've only used air conditioning maybe twice.



I think mine needs to be recharged or something, but I really don't care.

[Vinsanity]

definitely A/C. the A/C on my car crapped out this past summer, and it was only slightly less horrible than the $3,000 repair bill needed to make driving tolerable again.

If I had one, I might be inclined to say that an aux input would be the next must-have on the list. But somehow I manage without. Every time I call Sirius/XM to cancel, they give me another deal I can't refuse.

[SVT666]

Cruise Control

[Cookie Monster]

Honestly, nothing.

EDIT: Actually, I need the heater.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Adjustable driver's seat. Heat. Defroster.
Without those things, driving can be almost unbearable.
The rest of the options are just poppycock that jack up the price.

[Mustangfan2003]

I've only used air conditioning maybe twice.



I think mine needs to be recharged or something, but I really don't care.

Try living in the south with 100 degree temps and 100% humidity and you will beg for a/c

[hotrodalex]

I'm perfectly fine without cruise control, but I'm more likely to speed. Don't need power seats, door locks, or windows, but they're nice to have. I'll see if I can live without A/C in the next couple of summers, since my El Camino doesn't have it. The only times I really care about it is when I'm dressed up and definitely don't want to start sweating.

As of right now, I can't really think of something that I have to have.

edit: Guess I need a heater. Though I'm not sure what kind of crappy car doesn't come with that. Only cars I've ever seen that don't have one is my dad's Camaro and other show cars, which is only because they intentionally remove them.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Try living in the south with 100 degree temps and 100% humidity and you will beg for a/c

I once sweat so much in my car that my seat belt got soaked and stained my Air Force blues shirt. I got in trouble for that. 

The worst part is hot rain. Then the windows fog up unless you put the defroster on, which makes it even hotter. That is when A/C saves the day, but vent shades on the windows can also help quite a bit.

[Onslaught]

I live in the south, so it's A/C for me. I'm not working in a building all day with no A/C and then getting into the car and driving home in the heat too.

But in this day and age I don't think of things like A/C, cruise or PWR windows or mirrors as convenience options. That's just standard shit unless I'm buying a track day car.
These days bluetooth phones and seat warmers are convenience stuff for me. 

[Eye of the Tiger]

OMG I LOVE HEATED SEATS

[Onslaught]

OMG I LOVE HEATED SEATS

My brothers MX-5 has them and you can run with the top down and the heat on all year long. Not that I'd do that. But it is nice.

[Vinsanity]

If my old s2k had heated seats, the top would never have gone up. Except for when it rained, I guess.

[S204STi]

Dig my heated seats as well.

[CJ]

I love my heated seats. 

[68_427]

Dunno.  Since I have leather I would not give up my heated seats.  I love my sunroof, it's open all the time.  I dig my stereo, it's really good for a stock system and I have a cassette deck. 

AWD is fun when it snows as well.

[Speed_Racer]

My car only has one convenience item: power mirrors. So that's my answer. The thing about manual mirrors is that you've got to reach way over to adjust the passenger side...then lean back to see if you got it right. Repeat 100 times until it's finally in the right spot.

[Laconian]

Cruise control. One of the rental cars I drove lacked it, and I missed it dearly.

[Rupert]

I don't think heat/defrost counts as a convenience option. Neither does a stereo.

Cruise control beats out A/C by a hair. I also like power mirrors and windows if there are more than two that go down.

[ifcar]

Air con, and even that's not something I'm hugely attached to.  Everything else can go other than the parts that make the car go.

^This. I certainly like having cruise control and power windows and so forth, but they're not essential. And although I went through D.C.'s hottest summer on record without a/c and wouldn't have turned it on too often even if it did work, it's something I can definitely appreciate having.

If I were picking just one other to keep, it would be the cruise, but I'd be fine without it.

[omicron]

Air-conditioning, by miles. I can't stand feeling all sweaty and hot (as distinct from hot, sweaty and how's your father).

[MX793]

Air Con.  I generally only run it for short durations in the summer to get the car cooled down when it's been parked outside or if I'm in stop-and-go, but it's on pretty much constantly in the winter to keep the windows from fogging.

[Onslaught]

Wow, you guys sure love using cruise control. I've never even used it one time in the Miata and think I turned it one one time in the RX-8. When I went to DC I rented a car and used it twice going up and back. So that's 3 times in 22 years of driving that I can recall using it. I personally don't care for it.

Also, you guys will have a wife one day. And just think of what they would be like without A/C in your hot car. A/C is way more important then cruise.

[ifcar]

Cruise control is handy to make sure you don't drift over whatever speed you'd like to go (when I use it, typically about 8 mph over whatever the limit happens to be), so you can concentrate on other aspects of driving rather than monitoring your speed.

[Onslaught]

I've never found monitoring my speed difficult. And with all the fucking cars on the roads these days I can never keep it at one speed anyway. Unless I'm traveling late at night.

[Raza]

If I can only choose one, it's air conditioning.  I hate being hot.  I hate the summer.  This past summer, we had about two weeks where every single day had highs of 100+ (topping at 117 registered on my car's thermometer) and very high humidity.  Stuck in traffic, baking in a car at that temperature, you'll not just be uncomfortable, you'll die. 

[Raza]

I've never found monitoring my speed difficult. And with all the fucking cars on the roads these days I can never keep it at one speed anyway. Unless I'm traveling late at night.

You get better gas mileage.  I use it a lot for long trips.  It also helps me not do 130 all the time when the roads are clear. 

[Tave]

Cruise control is pretty useless in the Northeast. I've never used it up there.

[Onslaught]

You get better gas mileage.  I use it a lot for long trips.  It also helps me not do 130 all the time when the roads are clear.  

I can see why you'd need it. I can also see why you need a new job or move closer to it also. But for me it's pointless. I'f I'm driving to Atlanta, the Beach or whatever's near here the traffic will make cruise pointless.