mightymike wrote: I also drive a comfortable DD: automatic, cruise, heated seats, Bluetooth, reliable, etc. It is much more enjoyable to drive every day, and I've found that I enjoy the "fun" cars more when I don't drive them every day.
Absolutely. The Volvo does everything my S2000 doesn't and they both make me appreciate the other one more.
As a fellow who started out driving a 56 VW convertible, ANYTHING is a creature comfort item.
My wife's Solara 'vert has seat heaters. When we got the new to us 05 Sienna van, I got in on the first cold day and asked "where are the seat heater buttons?" There weren't any. This, from the guy who used to buy nothing with power windows, door locks or cruise control.
The V wagon is badly messing up my expectations for a car. Heated seats? You can have that. Cooled seats? Yes, that too. Great stereo? Yes. Functional build in navigation? I use it more than I will admit. Idiotic power? And then some.
My 26 year old friend wants me to put a louder exhaust on. My wife wants me to put louder exhaust on. I'm kind of digging the old man silent highway cruise thing.
Oh, and my next rallycross car will have AC again. Sweating my balls off on grid got old real fast.
Another creature comfort I thought I could go with or without is the keyless car system. Little buttons on the trunk and door handles that lock and unlock without having to take the key fob out of your pocket. Couple it with the push button start and I wonder why I have a fob and not just a key card I could keep in my wallet.
I am a non-car locker normally, I have owned cars for years (E36) that had bad ignitions that were bypassed with switch and button with drilled out lock. I loved being able to get in sit down and just start it. No fumbling with keys while my hands are full of files, phone, clipboards, kid stuff. Just get in and drive.
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I sort of had the same experience on Sunday. I did 4hrs on the bike in 40F weather and drizzle. The heated grips, the wind screen and the bark busters... I was toasty for the most part in just a gor-tex jacket, balaclava, summer gloves and jeans with Bohn body armor underneath. Amazing.
Cotton wrote: In the last few years I moved to bikes with heated grips for my DDs.
Gents, I dare you to try heated jacket liners. They are bomb-diggity. 
I'm going towards the opposite direction.
The older i get, the more i crave a simple car with no comforts.
The only thing that i find i really crave is a good stereo.
I don't give a single E36 M3 about a/c, power steering, heated/cooled seats, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, any of it.
Hell, i just removed heat from the MX6. Screw it.
I don't need heated seats, but I do like them. I'm another one who switches them on in the middle of a long trip to loosen my back up a bit.
I really hate automatic climate control, though. Give me knobs for the temperature and fan, and five positions for the air flow. Something like this is fine (skip the fake woodgrain, though):
Same with radios. Big volume knob, big tuning knob and a few memory buttons. I'm not even sure exactly what Bluetooth is.
I drove without a/c for 7 years. in retrospect, it kind of sucked in the heat and humidity of summer. then one winter the heater core broke in the van and I didnt have heat. That was also unpleasant with an hour long commute.
Past 5 years of DDing a bare bones basic hatchback (which does have a/c and heat at least) and I am tired of it. I can appreciate a basic, small, nimble car, but I want something bigger and more comfortable again if I am going to be in the car 2+ hours a day.
Swank Force One wrote: I'm going towards the opposite direction. The older i get, the more i crave a simple car with no comforts. The only thing that i find i really crave is a good stereo. I don't give a single E36 M3 about a/c, power steering, heated/cooled seats, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, any of it. Hell, i just removed heat from the MX6. Screw it.
I still have the heat...(defroster too!).
My Recaros are fitted with manual lumbar air bladders....
I also have extra lighting...
With a 6 speed, and a 3.91 final she gobbles up the highway mileage like a champ.
but other than that.... No A/C (I live in Portland Oregon... not needed), no P/S, no electric windows, no electric mirrors... no bluetooth... and as of this writing still no stereo... although there is wiring for it.... 
ultraclyde wrote: This. The MINI we bought my wife happened to have them. I made fun of them. Then I used them. When it was time to replace the MINI she had two requirements - and heated seats was number one. I keep looking for safe ways to add them to the factory seats on my Mustang.
There is an aftermarket kit for it. It was the only option she wanted on the Fiat so they put it in. It heats up nice and quick, and the high setting is super warm. The only down side are the generic looking buttons but they are down where you can't really see them.
Seat heaters are amazing in cold climate. Definite upgrade to our Mazda3 and S2000 sometime this fall since we're once again living in the snowbelt. The S2000 is pretty comfortable top down with light gloves, hat, and jacket down to low 40s with the heat blasting...I think I can stretch that to freezing with seat heaters. To each his own, but I'd rather be comfortable, maximize my driving enjoyment, and hate winter just a little bit less.
Since this IS GRM, I'm sure that those that eschew creature comforts in their car also live in caves or thatched roof mud huts with no indoor plumbing, just to prove how cheap and studly they are...
As for me, our ancestors worked hard to make life more comfortable for us, inventing things liek insulation, indoor plumbing, A/C and heated seats. Who am I to dishonor their memory by going backwards? So I ran the seat heater this morning on the way to work in honor of all they did. 
Yeah, no automatic climate control for me either. I just drove my mom's Maxima with that 'Mom and Pop' system and I just don't like it at all. Give me something where I'm running the show, I don't have time in traffic to try to tell the freakin' thing I need front defrost NOW. Like NOW NOW. It's getting muggy and the windshield is fogging inside. And it has other ideas, it thinks I just want it cooler inside. 
I'm not eschewing all creature comforts. I like A/C. I like heat. Power windows are handy. The problem is the downsides to many of these "conveniences".
Remote keyless entry is alright, but the annoyance of carrying a keyfob almost outweighs it on early RKE cars. On newer cars, holy berkeley. I don't want to carry around a keyfob the size of my cell phone.
Heated seats are a novelty to me. Not something I would pay for were I to buy a new car. Hell, I've had an aftermarket kit that was gifted to me sitting on the shelf for like 4 years that I'm too lazy to install.
No LCD screen in the car please. Most distracting thing ever, especially when they put some radio/hvac controls in the software and you need to touch the screen to use them. No tactile feedback = I have to look away from the road to change settings.
I am never buying a car without automatic duel zone climate control again. I like to have my side of the car at 66-68 degs. My wife likes her side around 74. When we are the Lincoln or Volvo we are happy, any other car and we are fighting over the temp all the time.
A couple of years ago when the TDI was down and the E30 had exploded I was forced to rent a car to go to the job site. It was a brand new, fully loaded Jeep Grand Cherokee with all the latest bells and whistles: keyless entry, push-button start, an auto HVAC system that worked (unlike the MINI and even older BMW and Volvo systems I've used), back-up camera, etc. While I still have a general distain for SUVs, the experience did give me a new perspective on why people buy those things. It was a comfortable and quiet place to spend time.
My first real experience with seat heaters was in my '03 TDI wagon. The cold weather package was pretty cheap and I'd read it can take the car a long time to warm up (and when it's really cold - it doesn't at all) so seat heaters are almost mandatory. I've left work (where I can't plug in the coolant heater) in single digit temps and not had heat out of the vents for 15 miles. The nice thing about the VW seat heaters is on the highest setting, they can practically roast you. It's nice. The seat heaters in the MINI's were OK, but didn't have the power of the VW's.
Maybe newer ones are more durable, but we read that kneeling on the seats could break the heating elements. The seat heaters in the ex's '97 M3 never worked while I knew the car.
We added an aftermarket seat heater kit to the seats of her Spitfire (aftermarket wiring harness), but they didn't work worth a damn.
I'll admit I don't drive my classic cars as much as I'd like to and a lot of it has to do with the lack of A/C and working stereos. During July and August, I pretty much don't drive them at all. Purists be damned, I want A/C in the Triumphs and the Mini. Not sure how I'll do it, but I want it.
After having heated seats AND steering wheel in my 740iL, I realized that at least heated seats are a muust have for any DD I have, and have had them in everything since. I'm looking at NC Miatas and have decided that I have to stick with the 2007 and up as the heated seats were an option after that point. I see no downsides to having them, though, other than getting used to them. In fact, I see no downsides to any of the modern conveniences, like Bluetooth streaming of music, dual zone climate control, heated seats and steering wheel, heated mirrors and windshield like my Range Rovers had... The systems tend to be quite reliable for decades, and if they DO go bad, they don't affect drivability at all.
I have RKE on the Volt and it's great, the keyfob isn't huge, and it's comfortable in my pocket. I also have an LCD touchscreen in the center and it was easy to get used to and since it's mounted high, you never really take your eyes off the road to use it, less so than the old school buttons mounted down low on the 740iL. The Volt also has climate control, but if I want it to defrost, on button touch sends it all to the windshield. But with the climate control, it doesn't get muggy to start with because it's conditioned air.
It just seems to me that the only reason to actively not have some of these items is so you can say you don't have them.
Unfortunately, I do have some of these features, that I wish I could say I didn't :(
Our Prius has climate control, its nice. Semi-old school type with a knob you just turn to the temp setting you want, a fan dial that has "auto" as one option, and a output setting in the middle (defrost/vent/etc). I've had a more complex and theoretically better version in my Z32. The upper temp sensor failed, and even when it was 25 degrees outside it was reading the ambient temp as too hot and would continue to blow cold air at me. Thank god it didn't fail on a long trip. Only a $40 sensor and maybe 1 hour of my time to diagnose and repair, but totally not necessary with a traditional manual system.
Our Prius has a LCD touch screen that has radio presets on it. Majorly berkeleying annoying. Im sure this is better executed on newer cars, but ours ('02), you definitely need to take your eyes off the road to see your presets. My Saturn on the other hand, I can feel and manipulate commonly used buttons without ever looking down. I had a Chrylser 200 as a rental recently that caused similar annoyances with the way the HVAC and Radio were integrated into the touch screen. Its a feature I will actively avoid in the future where possible.
A lot of this tech is cool & convenient, but I really wish manufacturers looked more into the downsides of it before implementing it. Yeah, no downside to seat heaters while they work, but a lot of this other tech can be downright annoying.
I love this thread. I'm bookmarking it so the next time someone starts on of those 'why can't I still buy a pick-up truck with no interior or doors because all creature comforts are for Bob Costas and no GRMer would want them' I can link back to this where the consensus is not only do we want them, most of us demand them, and if we demand them then we sure as hell know that the other 99.99999% of the car buying population demand them to prove it's not an evil gubberment plot to make us buy E36 M3 we don't want.
Now, as I like to prove I’m a total hypocrite in these rants I’ve spent the last few days thinking about selling the Saab to buy a 1.6L Miata to strip out as much weight as possible with the idea of a 1,700 -1,800lb street legal Miata.
Chris_V wrote: It just seems to me that the only reason to actively not have some of these items is so you can say you don't have them.
To an extent, maybe...
But i like to drive, not be conveyed around. Not talking down to anyone who does like all the bells and whistles, i can see the appeal. I just don't share it.
I also don't shout out to the world "Look how manly i am for not having power steering or a/c!"
I just prefer my cars as light and as fast as possible. I want a steering wheel, three pedals, a metric assload of boost, and some drum and bass cranked. I don't need a/c because i've got the windows down. Doesn't help in traffic, but i'd be miserable stuck in traffic if i was driving a brand new Rolls Royce, too.
If i HAVE the fancy things, i'd feel obligated to keep them working. Sure, the seat heater might not break anytime soon, but when it does, i'd have to fix it. If it's not there in the first place, i don't have to worry about it.
I dunno. Personal preference and all that.
If i made enough money to feel comfortable buying a new car, there's precious few i would even consider, for these reasons.
MX5, FRS/BRZ, FJ Cruiser, or a turbo diesel Grand Cherokee.
The cars would be as stripped as possible. The SUVs? As loaded as possible. Hypocritical? Maybe, but SWMBO would probably drive those more, and if i'm buying a brand new rolling couch, it better feel like my living room. I just normally don't buy couches.
I never ever use cruise control.
The smart keys are a major source of annoyance for my customers. The big complaint: the range can change for seemingly no reason at all. One time it works 30 feet from the car, everything's up and running (except the engine), the next day in the same spot you have to get right up to it for anything to happen. It's not the car, it's typically something environmental (fluorescent ballasts, other cars, lightning, cell phone transmissions, 60 cycle 'hum' that's up for some reason) we may never see or be able to diagnose.
I had one customer's car in that I'm pretty sure an RFID chip gate key caused an intermittent no-start, the manuals will all tell you that's impossible. Yeah, right. No proof of the problem although she called me one afternoon in a panic, I asked her to please put her purse all the way in the back of the car, have only the key fob in the console and the problem magically disappeared. Haven't heard her complain of it since.
Had another where an antenna in the trunk was damaged (something heavy got thrown on it) and all kinds of fluky stuff happened. The problem was, the BCM (or whatever it's called that runs the show) still 'saw' the antenna, just thought it hadn't gotten a signal. The BCM has to 'see' 3 of the 5 (IIRC) antennas get the RKE signal before it will light up, which ones are dependent on the angle and distance of the RKE from the car.
I've mentioned the touch screens before. I have seen cheap USB devices and SD cards lock them up. Hard to convince a customer the 40 hours of ABBA etc on the device shouldn't be played even though they see it happen right in front of them with that device but not another.
You'd be surprised how many people, in these situations, are just plain incapable of working the manual overrides (valet key, touch the fob directly to the start button for 5 seconds then press it) and are just plain lost. The damn owners' manual is on DVD, ain't nobody got no time fo' dat. The quick reference manual winds up stuffed under the seat.
Inability to turn on the defroster or inability to trigger a manual over ride (should such exist) are more a problem of lack of standardization. I'm not a proponent of regulations governing where things should be, or how they work. But sometimes.... Trying to find the wipers on some cars is a remarkable adventure. Or the horn button.
Ian, Europa guys are putting Vintage Air Gen II Mini units in. If it will fit in a Europa, it will fit in anything. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/vta-66005-vux-a
I've always felt that until I can afford to fix all the nice stuff, I don't want the nice stuff. Especially when all I'm using the vehicle for is to drive 35 minutes back and forth to work. Riding in relative comfort wouldn't make the drive any more enjoyable.
That being said, I want a car that is relatively easy to drive, as in, one where I don't need to avoid every road imperfection or sawing at the wheel to keep it going straight down the road. My recently sold Miata with stancetastic coilovers, bald tires, and jacked subframes was great fun, but it required a fair bit more supervision than my bone stock ZX2.
I'm not really interested in any creature comforts that don't make my commute quicker or allow me to not drive.
Radio, satellite, podcasts, etc are cool because they make you feel that you're not really driving so much as sitting in an spot with nice acoustics learning or listening to something enjoyable.
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