Engine Shutoff for Naughty Car Buyers-

This gadget is not always such a good one to have on your car… especially if you make a habit of being a few days late on the payment of your bills. On the other hand, for those with poor credit, this handy little device might be an amount of reassurance for the dealer that you WILL pay on time.

This is how it works - for many of these devices, after you pay your bill on time they send you a code number to type into your “black box” and it will allow you a full month’s use of your car. However, if you do not pay your bill, you will not receive a code and your car will sit out in the driveway inoperable until the “repo” person can get there.

The other method is through wireless remote that can be activated or deactivated by the push of a button. But as we all know, there will probably be ways to bypass such devices, and to stop this they will have to dig deeper into your cars electrical system… which means more problems for you!

Just as long as they don’t start putting alarm systems on homes that won’t allow the owners to enter if they forgot to pay the mortgage on time!

Web Access for Your Beemer -

Well, as if you couldn’t have already seen this one coming…BMW is going to be introducing Internet as an option in their vehicle line, called ConnectedDrive. It will use the exact same technology most cell phones use, which really has to make one wonder, why bother.

We are talking about using Edge Technology, so you know high speed should not be a problem. And it won’t be a problem, simply because high speed is simply not an option with “Edge” technology. You have slow, and then you have slow, and if you are really in a hurry, you have even slower.

At least the screen will be bigger that your cell phone and it is situated in the center of the dashboard , so it will be easy to access by both the driver and passenger. It will be controlled by a an iDrive mouse, so detailed maneuvering might be next to impossible.

For safety sake the Internet will not function while in motion, but if you’re ever stuck in a traffic jam and you notice the Beemer in front of you hasn’t moved in awhile… now you’ll know why!

Convenience/safety item #2 (AWD- All Wheel Drive)- AWD today has become such a fad, that people seem to think they need it no matter where they live or what kind of whether they normally drive in. The thing to consider, is that even in bad whether AWD does not give a driver any more of an edge over a front wheel drive vehicle once the vehicle is in motion.

Too many people think that they do not have to drive cautiously if they have AWD, which is why many of the accidents in the winter are actually caused by these AWD consumers who were too overconfident in their vehicle. AWD is a nice feature for $1,500 to $2,000 if you routinely drive in snow, ice, and slush, but so are a few less expensive packages, such as anti-lock brakes and traction control.

Ego Booster/safety item #2 (HID Headlights)- There is much debate right now as to how much these headlights really improve nighttime vision for the average person. For some people it has been noted that the extra distance that the light is able to shine, is actually canceled out by the distance that the driver is able to clearly see with their own capable vision. Some consumers purchase this upgrade for the “crystal blue” beam these headlights cast, rather than for its increased light output.

But what you also have to really ask yourself, whether you like them for their safety or “looks” factor, is if these lights are benefiting you enough to justify the extra cost of $500 or more. Some experts say these type of lights actually blind oncoming traffic and bring a whole other safety issue into the mix. In general, halogen headlight that most new cars have today should give you plenty of visual detail for driving, so these certainly aren’t the “cat’s meow” that some dealers try to make them out to be.

Convenience item #3 (Dual Zone Climate Control)- For close to $1,000 over base price, this should be an insult to most peoples intelligence. If the driver is hot and running the air conditioner at 68 degrees and his passenger is cold and has the heat on at 74… don’t you think these two are going to cancel each other out and both end up in a climate zone of 71?

Most cars have the “sophisticated” technology to turn off and on a vent when we do not wish to receive any air on that side. This is usually as sufficient dual climate zone as anyone should ever need… but to each their own.

Remember, the next time you are in the hot seat at the dealer being thrown option after option. Are the options really necessary, or are they wasteful convenience/ego-boosters that will only empty your wallet offering little in return?

Have you ever wondered why the average car people purchase is well over $30,000, yet if you look at the average base car price it is generally $26,000 to $29,900? The answer to this is upgrades and features. Adding special features onto a new car can add as much as $5,000 on up to $15,000 for some luxury vehicles.

With the economy in the shape that it is right now, you really have to ask yourself if that $5,000 over base price is really necessary. Let’s take a look at a few of the popular features being sold as optional equipment and discuss the reality of their necessity.

Convenience Item #1 (GPS/Navigation System)- With the average cost of a portable GPS unit at around $150 to $400 right now, compared to the cost of a dealer installed unit at $1,500 to $2,000, you really have to wonder if the price of having it embedded in your dash is really worth the extra $1,000. How about using Velcro strips to secure it to your dash for 0.59 cents.

Best of all, the portable units allow you to transfer it from car to car and that includes a rental, with could save you as much as $15 a day on rental add-ons. Plus you have to consider that there may come a day when either the unit breaks or becomes “outdated”. It would be so much simpler to go out and buy a new one rather than try to replace an existing factory installed unit.

Ego Booster #1 (Sport Packages)- Manufacturers right now are really taking advantage of the popularity of the “sport package”. These typically involve an upgraded suspension, decals, hood scoops, exhaust, a few badges, and a little chrome “bling” on the inside and out. These come at the consumer as an increase of anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000 depending on the car.

What you really have to decide is whether or not having a factory built sports package is worth the thousands of extra dollars, when you could take your car down to a body shop and have the same upgrades installed for much less. You will have to make sure that nothing you do will effect your warranty, but generally most of the upgrades that manufacturers do are relatively simple and non-invasive to the vehicles basic functionality.

(to be continued…)