Getting older and starting to appreciate creature comforts

So I was driving to work today and it was a little chilly...decided to turn on the heated seats in my 528i for the first time.

Oh, that's NIIIICE....

I've always been of the mindset that more options equals more to break for the most part. For a long time, I said that my ideal car would have air, cruise, and NOTHING ELSE. Admittedly though, this car is kinda spoiling me (although I do still wish for cloth seats). The ride is fantastic, as well, which is something that I never gave two E36 M3s about before.

Anyone else getting softer as they get older?

A friend a few years ago had an E Class with heated seats and those were awesome. I definitely know what you mean, I find myself appreciating comfort more as I get older. I still hate the technology creep in cars though.

I drove home last night in the low 50's with the top down, seat heaters on and a big grin on my face.

I used to think seat heaters were a useless luxury I would never want. Then a car we bought came with them standard. Now they are a requirement for any DD. Nothing beats a sunny day in the high 50s / low 60s with all the windows open and the seat heaters cranked up.

There is a downside to this. The FRS has charmed me to the point where the MGB GT only got about 50 miles put on her this year. Introducing thoughts of "Why do I bother keeping the GT?"

I still love working on classic cars, I just don't seem to recall what I used to like about driving them?

I caught myself looking on CL and Ebay for last-gen Towncars...

You had better not dare try the AC seats. Not sweating and sticking into your seat is awesome. Hands free factory and navigation are must haves for me as well.

I put in about 20-25k miles running around in the city with work yearly. Not having to use my hands for the phone and not having to reach for a little GPS with a cord that is always in the way is nice as well.

The little things like the navigation that routes around traffic is great as well. Being able to hit the little talk button and say 'Home' and have it route you the quickest way is a blessing that has saved countless hours and tons of frustration.

Duke wrote: I used to think seat heaters were a useless luxury I would never want. Then a car we bought came with them standard. Now they are a requirement for any DD. Nothing beats a sunny day in the high 50s / low 60s with all the windows open and the seat heaters cranked up.

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.

The radar adaptive cruise control, keyless entry/start systems, and good nav are the things on the new Mazda that I find I really enjoy. IF I were to buy another new car for myself it would absolutely have to have those three.

and heated seats.

God help you if you discover the "Air Scarf" system in the newer SL & SLK verts......between those and the heated seats, you could drive with the top down when its -10F

Switched to luxury sedans (is300 and 328i) with automatics a few years back. They both had heated seats too, but not too many times to use them in SoCal.

The race car has 3 pedals and a race seat, but the daily has a quiet and cozy cabin.

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.

I find myself craving cars with longer wheelbases. I remember contemplating a four hour highway round trip and couldn't make up my mind between the Jeep Wrangler and the WRX. I decided to just stay home instead.

For a 70 mile daily commute... The LS400 Rocks.

I'm starting to appreciate cars that have interiors left in them, and mufflers.

I've recently decided my next car needs to have a decent heater so I don't have to drive around with frosty windows and a parka all winter. I'm not looking forward to spending another midwest winter driving around in a cold box.

An older friend torments me with his Buick. Darn thing is real nice and comfortable.

This is so me. And part of the reason I'm willing to part with the GTO. Not that it isn't extremely comfortable and all that, but my truck is so roomy, has heated and cooled seats, satellite radio, Bluetooth, nav, etc, etc. I know I'm getting old, but man, there's pretty much nothing else I'd rather drive on a commute.

I generally drive my truck to work and back, even though my commute takes me across one of the best twisty roads in the state. The truck takes the pressure off and I'm not compelled to drive quickly.

I'll see your heated seats and raise you a heated steering wheel. So nice in the winter.

And of course the hot weather package on the Allroad had a sunroof solar panel that ran the blower fan on hot sunny days keeping the interior from ever getting hotter than the ambient temperature, very nice when a normal car will cause 2nd degree burns for the first five minutes you drive them in the summer.

I've stated this recently in another thread, but one of the vehicles I've been craving for the last couple years is a nicely optioned Caravan/T&C.

In the last few years I moved to bikes with heated grips for my DDs.

I had the heated seat stuff a long time ago... they came with the cabin capsule (alienating the outside world) in my 405 Mi16...

a "friend" keeps telling me at my age I need to buy a Buick... by the way this thread could also be called "getting-older-and-starting-to-appreciate-Buick comforts"

anyway... part of my build was to build a fun car with enough comfort to make me happy.... not only on the track, but off it as well.

I'm not a huge fan of most "creature comforts" in new cars. But A/C is pretty nice.

I crossed the line a long time ago. I'm now seriously considering dropping the left pedal for my next car. Either a PDK Porsche or a flappy paddle V8 Mustang.

BTW Even Westfield offer heated seats on the 7, so I'm not sure they count as luxury anymore!

Seat heaters? Nah. But I won't live without great heat, AC, good stereo and bluetooth now. Cruise and power windows/door locks have also become musts. It's nice after a long hot day of auto-x'ing to roll up the windows, crank the AC, plug in the iPhone and rock out to Pandora on the ride home.