In-car emergency calling to be standard in new cars by April 2018

[Saracen]

I find that odd, basic aircon is just something waiting to go wrong, but climate control is nice. You buy a car, you tell it you want in my case 22 degrees, and then you never touch the controls again. If the air is humid, it can strip water out of the air to clear the windows far better than heat, and I don't miss the constant faffing about with heater controls from the cars of my youth. Lovely. Mind you, if I want old school heater controls I have my kit car which just has an air scoop that throws air in your face (and flies) and laughably inadequate heating in true 70's reproduction style

My wife has an Alfa GT V6 for these sorts of reasons though. You can't get that engine any more, there may never be another like it. Most of the modern safety and economy features that take control away from the driver just aren't present, so as you say she is quite happy to keep it for 20 to 30 years on top of the 5 or so she has already had it.

But .... you're paying for in it the price of the car, and in the case of that M3, paying a LOT. Also, you pay for it in engine overhead, and on a performance car, that isn't a performance trade-off I want, or a petrol cost I want. And in repair bills when it goes wrong. Besides, I prefer fresh air, with either roof down, or sunroof open. I also find bith aircon and CC tend to give me a headache. I have one car at the moment with it, and very rarely use it. Which kinda makes it pointless it being there.

[DanceswithUnix]

But .... you're paying for in it the price of the car, and in the case of that M3, paying a LOT. Also, you pay for it in engine overhead, and on a performance car, that isn't a performance trade-off I want, or a petrol cost I want. And in repair bills when it goes wrong. Besides, I prefer fresh air, with either roof down, or sunroof open. I also find bith aircon and CC tend to give me a headache. I have one car at the moment with it, and very rarely use it. Which kinda makes it pointless it being there.

I keep hearing people say that, but my last two Alfas don't seem to have any impact if I turn the climate to economy (don't use the compressor) or off. Though again, with climate the compressor will only run when it has to, not like a basic "cold" button of cheap aircon.

Still, if you don't like it that is fair enough. I can't see me ever paying 3K for a car stereo, I would rather wind the window down and listen to a V6 with the stereo off

Edit to add: I have yet to buy a brand new car, but I think for my current car the option was single or dual zone climate control and the previous one there was no option, you just get it. 6K is having a laugh, it can't cost them more than a couple of hundred to fit.

[Saracen]

On the previous M3, air-con was (from memory) about a £2.5k option. I opted not to.

As for the £3 stereo, I probably wouldn't now, either. Partly because I spend far less time in the car than I used to, and partly because my hearing isn't what it was, either. My income isn't what it was either, for that matter.

But as with all these things, new car or not, CC or fancy sound system, they're all just consumer decisions, so .... each to his/her own. A relative of mine spent about that on a pair of football club season tickets for him and domestic management. Now THAT is a consumer decision I really don't get.

[Ttaskmaster]

Supra? Not bad, but probably not my first choice.

I always had a thing for Knight Rider and the Supra is as close as I can get without lowering myself to buying an actual Pontiac Trans Am!

All a pipe dream at the moment though, as I don't yet have a driving licence... Although there *is* a Mk III Supra being stored on my driveway and I suspect the owning friend, whose company specialises in Supras, is doing it to motivate me!!


For now, I'm more concerned about how they plan to force all this monitoring crap into motorcycles... because you just know they'll try!!