We have always had pretty old cars and add to that the fact that I am pretty old, every new gadget that appears on vehicles thrills me. Bear in mind that I can remember motoring before power steering, air conditioning and electric windows and a cassette player was top of the range and you can see why I am easily pleased.
I was a passenger in my friend's Citroen the other day and he was complaining about back ache. His wife helpfully switched on the built in back massager in the driver's seat for him!
I am delighted by automatic headlights and windscreen wipers so imagine my amazement at the Tesla which has automatic driving mode. As one who loves her remote controlled caravan mover, the idea of doing the same with my car is very appealing.
Apparently you can add this feature as an after-market improvement on many makes and models. An Acura remote starter installation for instance will allow you to start your Acura car as you walk towards it which would impress any onlookers I am sure.
Here we have my top five car accessories to make life easier and more fun:
- Keyless entry and start. My mum's car allows me to keep the keys safely in my handbag to open, start, stop and lock the car. - perfect for when I am juggling shopping, bags, phone etc.
- Heated seats. An odd sensation if you aren't used to it but beautiful for fast warm ups on cold days or nights. Great for bad backs too!
- Air conditioning. I swear I will never again buy a car without glacial air conditioning. Opening windows is fine when you are moving but I've spent too many days sweltering with overheated and grumbling children in traffic queues after a day out to ever want to endure the nightmare again.
- A decent music system. I love being able to stream music from my phone to the car speakers. In my older car I have a complicated set up with a gadget which allows me to stream via radio frequencies but my newer car lets me just plug it in. I also have a car with Apple play but that's currently out of action and I miss it so much!
- In car entertainment. When the children were small we had a car with a built own DVD player. It was brilliant! Now they can use gadgets like tablets and phones so I've bought a mobile wifi gadget which we can use in the car or caravan or in fact anywhere out and about where there is a 4G signal. You can get cars with built in wifi hotspots but I quite like the versatility of my mobile unit. You can pick them up online or even in Home Depot.