Buying a car is not that easy as it sounds. Before buying a car, most of us perform a thorough research work. First we check our budget and decide the type of car that we have to buy. It may be a small car, an SUV or sedan class. After that we go for the comparison of cars from various brands in the selected segment. Then we select the car and go through the looks and performance of the car. While going through the whole process, we keep an eye on increasing number of specifications with decreasing price.
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After all this when we buy our car, we expect it to run just perfectly for a long time interval as it has been bought from our hard earned money. In fact sometimes it is not the dealer or the bank that costs you extra money. Many of us end up with a car more expensive than it should be by choosing the optional features that do not affect the driving experience or even interfere with it and do not hold their value over time. Let us see some of the latest car features that are not really needed but unnecessarily enhance the cost of the car.
1. Leather upholstery
Many of the luxury cars come with leather upholstery. These decorative items enhance the price of the car unnecessarily. According to manufacturers, better quality synthetic materials are also available in the market that looks as good as leather but stands better. It is also less expensive to manufacture. It means the “leather like material” that works better than the real leather saves money. While the real leather is now, being bundled and packaged more than ever and just amplifying the cost of cars by thousands of dollars. If you are still only interested in real leather, then get it done from some other place after buying the car. It will be significantly less pricey for you.
2. Power-folding seats and power-closing doors
More and more cars are now offering power assistance for almost everything, including windows, locks, and mirrors. For example – the 2013 Ford Escape entirely skipped a convenient power front passenger seat and offers a power tailgate that opens at the wave of a foot. So, if you want your car to be light on your pocket just avoid these power-folding second and third row seats and power-closing doors, trunks, and tailgates. It may save up to thousands of dollars out of your pocket.
3. Internet service
These days, many companies are offering internet services in their cars to fool the customers. Just think in an era full of smartphones, laptops, iPads and tablets what is the meaning of such a service. It will be much cheaper to just purchase a new phone or a 3G dongle, than to purchase, install and subscribe to an aftermarket or OEM-accessory system that grafts a permanent 3G networks into a new car.
4. Voice command systems
An excess of voice-command systems have flooded the market, led by MyLincoln Touch, Ford’s SYNC and MyFord. Kia’s UVO and GM’s Intellilink system also include in the list. These voice systems are such complex that you have to spend hours understanding them. With these systems, it is very confusing to access music playlists and program navigation destinations. You may just opt for a vehicle without these complex, bleeding-edge systems. Out of these, Ford’s are the most superior and have the steepest learning curve, and as such, have encountered the most condemnation. If you still want to buy such vehicles then just remember that you have to spend time learning to operate it. After learning it, you have to make 3 or 4 swipes and strokes and commands to accomplish basic tasks like choosing radio station which is generally a one button affair.
5. Navigation systems
The price of GPS in cars is falling, but many people have already selected even less expensive solutions. Some safety and security systems like GM’s OnStar and Ford’s SYNC comes with serviceable, turn-by-turn navigation that eradicates pricey disc-based databases or hard drive and big LCD screens. In the meantime, Apple’s plan to incorporate Siri voice controls in cars threatens to make the whole in-car navigation market into a free-for-all. Some internal navigation systems are inexpensive like the latest ones from GM and Nissan. So, consider the practical options before wasting thousands on a bundled navigation system.
6. CD/DVD players or streaming-TV entertainment systems
CD players are almost out of cars. In fact most companies have already deleted them. The single-slot CD or DVD player is still being offered as a base sound system, or as a premium system when coupled with a navigation system. But when we are surrounded by bluetooth devices and USB ports, do we need to spend our precious money for such a service? Other devices like tablets, iPads, etc. are much cheaper, portable and easier to manage. You can also update these devices with the newest software.
7. All-wheel drive
All-wheel drive or four-wheel drive is very helpful feature for people driving in regular sloppy weather and hilly unpaved roads. For them AWD can distribute power more uniformly when traction is chancy. But the All-wheel drive system consumes more fuel and more money. A front-wheel-drive vehicle with good mud and snow tires are also very efficient when you really do not need the costlier all-wheel drive.
8. 72 month loan
And finally, last but not the least is the 72 month loan. It is a feature that many companies offer. This feature seems to be the biggest savings option, but on the contrary it is a feature to fool you. Longer car loans and lower payments are a trap to make you pay thousands of dollars more on a 72 month car loan. So, get a car that suits your budget, in case it does not fit your budget without a loan then opt for a 4 year or 48 month.