A Cars forum. AutoBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » AutoBanter forum » Auto newsgroups » Driving
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

What would cars cost if they left off the silly frills?



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #91  
Old February 3rd 05, 08:23 PM
Daniel J. Stern
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Thu, 3 Feb 2005, Sherman Cahal wrote:

> Power windows are a time saver and a safety tool.


Please. That's just as stinky as Ralph Nader's claim that automatic
transmissions are safety devices.
Ads
  #92  
Old February 3rd 05, 09:30 PM
Robert Briggs
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Daniel J. Stern wrote:
> Sherman Cahal wrote:
>
> > Power windows are a time saver and a safety tool.

>
> Please. That's just as stinky as Ralph Nader's claim that
> automatic transmissions are safety devices.


IME, automatic boxes are quite the opposite of safety devices.

Once when my V40 was in for service, they lent me an automatic
V40 (or S40, I forget which).

It was bad enough that the wretched thing changed gear in silly
places (such as on a bend where I would simply *not* change gear
manually), but the beast came uncomfortably close to getting me
rear-ended at an amber light: it was just as well there was noone
tailgating me when I went for the clutch and the extra-wide brake
pedal went far too close to the floor.

Arrggghhhh!!!!!

I'd rather be landed with a manual Civic than another auto 40 ...
  #93  
Old February 3rd 05, 09:55 PM
Pete from Boston
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

John David Galt wrote:
> Paul D. DeRocco wrote:
>
>> Maybe so--I don't know much about the regulation of the car market. But I
>> wonder how many people really want stripped cars. Admittedly, I don't
>> hang
>> around with a lot of po' folks, but I only know one eccentric engineer
>> who
>> likes driving around without A/C (in SoCal) or power anything. He
>> recently
>> had to purchase more of a car than he would have liked, when his junker
>> Corolla gave up the ghost, but most people I know like pretty heavily
>> loaded
>> cars. I certainly do--I'm a road geek _and_ a gadget freak.

>
>
> I like mine loaded too, with features that actually do useful things
> (a nice radio, automatic transmission, air bags and ABS, and power
> steering). But I had to special-order my car to get it without a
> sunroof (they leak), and was not even allowed to get it without power
> windows and keyless entry, both of which I'd pay extra not to have.


Having a 15-year-old car as I do, I appreciate the desire to cut down on
bells and whistles that are only going to break down the road, and
instead putting that money into a car that'll outlast all that cheap
circuitry. My power locks, for example, lasted until the car's 9th year
(luckily they are redundant).

But power windows is one of those things I don't know if I could ever go
back to the days without.

  #94  
Old February 4th 05, 04:36 AM
Daniel J. Stern
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Thu, 3 Feb 2005, Pete from Boston wrote:

> But power windows is one of those things I don't know if I could ever go
> back to the days without.


Surely you could. It'd take about a week of annoyance then they wouldn't
bother you any longer.
  #95  
Old February 4th 05, 05:38 AM
Brent P
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

In article ich.edu>, Daniel J. Stern wrote:
> On Thu, 3 Feb 2005, Pete from Boston wrote:
>
>> But power windows is one of those things I don't know if I could ever go
>> back to the days without.

>
> Surely you could. It'd take about a week of annoyance then they wouldn't
> bother you any longer.


I never liked when it started to rain and the passenger side window was
down. I just don't feel comfortable leaning across to roll it up while
trying to drive at the same time. The driver's window could be left roll
up, but the ones that I can't reach as easily from the driver's seat I
prefer power.



  #96  
Old February 4th 05, 07:36 AM
Sherman Cahal
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Brent P wrote:
> In article

ich.edu>, Daniel J.
Stern wrote:
> > On Thu, 3 Feb 2005, Pete from Boston wrote:
> >
> >> But power windows is one of those things I don't know if I could

ever go
> >> back to the days without.

> >
> > Surely you could. It'd take about a week of annoyance then they

wouldn't
> > bother you any longer.

>
> I never liked when it started to rain and the passenger side window

was
> down. I just don't feel comfortable leaning across to roll it up

while
> trying to drive at the same time. The driver's window could be left

roll
> up, but the ones that I can't reach as easily from the driver's seat

I
> prefer power.


Add to that you have to reach for the crank to roll up the drivers side
window as well. What if some windows in the back were down? Or what if
you had to reach up and crank the sunroof closed? Those are all MAJOR
distractions that are virtually eliminated through power windows.

The power windows don't "break" unless you have a poorly designed car
(eg. Ford, GM), get lots of water on it (leaving windows open in the
rain), or disable it somehow.

  #97  
Old February 4th 05, 04:36 PM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

['Pete from Boston':]

> Having a 15-year-old car as I do, I appreciate the desire to cut down

on
> bells and whistles that are only going to break down the road, and
> instead putting that money into a car that'll outlast all that cheap
> circuitry. My power locks, for example, lasted until the car's 9th

year
> (luckily they are redundant).


My car (Rosie) is now 19 1/2 years old and the electronic gadgetry has
outlasted pretty much everything except the major powertrain
components. When my mother purchased Rosie in October 1985, the
various electronic gadgets--which came as standard on that trim
line--were still so novel to her that she insisted on a five-year
extended warranty for them as added insurance. She never recovered the
money she paid for it because the electronics worked flawlessly for the
entire warranty period.

Although I lost "every time" reliability about eight years ago on
accessories like cruise control, keyless door entry, and power door
locks, they are still very usable. I now consider them more or less
indispensable as convenience features. The keyless entry system once
saved me when I accidentally locked my keys in the trunk in the middle
of the Mojave Desert. I also use the cruise control system so heavily
on long trips that its complete failure is one of the very few
circumstances that would prompt me to get rid of the car without
hesitating (others include damage to the engine or transmission serious
enough to necessitate rebuilding or major overhaul).

I think it is very much a question of the reliability of the car model.
Rosie is a second-generation Nissan Maxima, well known for high
reliability in service. If I were forced to purchase a car made by an
American Big Three manufacturer going through dark days, I would think
carefully about electronic options too.

> But power windows is one of those things I don't know if I could ever

go
> back to the days without.


If I were buying a new car, I would still insist on power windows,
central door locking, power mirrors, and power seats, but I think I
could dispense with seat/mirror memory and automatic mirror dimming
(for the time being, at any rate--I know I will want mirror dimming as
my eyes get older, and memory seats are convenient when a car has to be
shared among multiple drivers). And I think I would be able to escape
from gas stations more rapidly if I had an electronic trip computer.
Practically the only widely touted accessory which I consider
completely useless is automatic headlight dimming.

  #98  
Old February 10th 05, 06:44 PM
Alex Rodriguez
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

In article . com>,
says...
>I think an automatic tranny is truly useful but power steering, brakes,
>and windows are a joke.


Again, your stupidity shines through. The auto trans is probably the item
you least need. Power steering is helpful when you park a car if you have a
car with a heavy motor and wide tires.

>Same with tinted glass


Tinted glass helps keep your car cooler during the summer months. That means
less work for your AC which translates into better gas mileage.

>and fancy paint jobs


These can offer better protection of your body panels than a poor job.

>and a million other doodads like the warning light for the windshield
>washer fluid and turn signals emebedded in the side mirrors.


These are benign options. I would say that the side mirror turn signals
are good because they are a non-ambiguos turn signal indicator. Something
that can't be said of cars that use the same lamp as a stop light and a
trun signal.

>No
>question to me but that it's a conspiracy. They add all these gadgets
>and make a 30% profit on each one. And more money when the damn things
>go bad .


Buy used and save your money.

>Most americans are not loonybirds


No, but you are one of the minority.

>who fall in love with cars.


Wrong, most folks do love their cars.

>We jsut
>want a vehicle that gets us from A to B and there is no reason why a
>perfectly functional brand new car should cost over $5,000.


Try going to a third world country where they sell those low end cars and
see how you like them. You will also find that they don't sell for $5000.
They sell for a bit more than that.
--------------
Alex


 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Drving faster, in my experience does not make a significant change in mileage... Cory Dunkle Driving 118 February 4th 05 04:00 PM
HEMI's HOT Luke Smith Driving 208 December 19th 04 06:27 PM
Vintage Cars Get Hot with Makeovers Grover C. McCoury III Ford Mustang 2 December 5th 04 05:13 AM
European Cars Least Reliable Richard Schulman VW water cooled 3 November 11th 04 10:41 AM
Brake Rotors: Why Different Sizes? Geoff Miller General 10 February 9th 04 10:35 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 10:49 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 AutoBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.