Toys you can no longer live without

Well... after moving to E39 a couple years ago, I sure miss having cupholders. Seriously, BMW, wtf are these?

Eric Cartman wrote: »

nah, the audio streaming over bluetooth just isn't the same quality as via cable, also doesn't allow full control like track browsing or artist selection from the interface / steering wheel.

I'd rather do something like that from my phone. I wouldn't notice the difference in audio quality either

Senecio wrote: »

I use bluetooth streaming quite a lot. It works fine, my only bugbear in my car is that the volume for streaming is significantly lower than all other inputs

I presume you have the volume on the phone at a decent level while streaming ?

The phone volume should control the streaming volume, thats a pretty standard thing across bluetooth streaming radios!

Paradoxically...I took the MX-5 (mk1) out for my commute today. Usuals are either a C220 CDI (auto, toys galore) or a Cooper S convert (manual, with all toys incl.cruise & heated seats).

I can't begin to tell you how I enjoyed having NO toys and "just driving", all busy and normal as the commute was. And I mean, unless you count the car radio, none. Not even leccy windows.

It's a car-respective thing, IMHO. Certain cars (or car types) are suited for toys (saloons, cruisers), others for none.

Xenon lights
Bluetooth streaming
Heated seats
Mfsw
Adaptive cruse control

They would be my top 5.

Xenon lights top of the list, you only really notice what you're missing when you don't have them.
I drove home last night on pitch black back roads in a car with H4's and 25 year old wiring, I was told the lights looked like Florence Nightingale with a lamp coming up the road lol.

bmwguy wrote: »

Petrol engine with more than 4 cylinders. I'm on my last one at the moment I think.

Drove a couple of E46 320is over the weekend. Six cylinders are so much nicer than fours - I really hate the fact that more and more so-called 'premium' cars are ditching their six pot engines for fours. The straight six petrol is surely one of the world's greatest inventions, they're so smooth running and sound great when extended.

I'd actually forgotten how much nicer six cylinder engines are, because it's been so long since I was last in never mind driven one.

Six pot diesels are lovely things as well, much nicer than the four cylinder rubbish. If anything, though, the difference between fours and sixes is wider for diesels than it is for petrols, mainly because the gap between petrols and diesels is narrow when you get to this level, the six pot diesel is already quite a refined thing to begin with.

Probably, the only one would be aircon for demisting during winter - and even so, I try to use it as little as possible because of...well, the power drain

I had a couple of MP3-capable head units, but my current 159 has the base-base-base Alfa OEM unit, and anything third party honestly looks pants on that central console, so I learnt to...keep CDs in the car again. I'd call it vintage if I wasn't old enough to actually have kept CASSETTES in the car for a few years

All the fancy stuff, honestly pointless to me - I have steering wheel audio controls which I never use as they're fiddly; The radio has a big '70s style volume dial which is about 15 times quicker and more practical to reach than pushing the little joypad thingie on the wheel.

Driving a few cars with various optionals, I can say I'm actually aggravated by a few of them - parking sensors probably being the biggest ones; Leave me alone - I know where the arse of the car is!
Cruise control also I can't stand - it's utterly distracting. I tried it for about 10Km, found myself lapsing attention to the road and switched it off. Never used it again.

I would agree with some posters about a sunroof - I had it on a couple previous cars and while definitely not a "must", it's a really nice thing to have!

I find cars without central locking a bit worrisome at times. I'm more than happy to learn to live without any creature comforts for the "right" car. I wouldn't say there is anything I really really need.

Saying that, for a daily driver I need to have abs. For a second car though anything goes!

ambro25 wrote: »

Paradoxically...I took the MX-5 (mk1) out for my commute today. Usuals are either a C220 CDI (auto, toys galore) or a Cooper S convert (manual, with all toys incl.cruise & heated seats).

I can't begin to tell you how I enjoyed having NO toys and "just driving", all busy and normal as the commute was. And I mean, unless you count the car radio, none. Not even leccy windows.

It's a car-respective thing, IMHO. Certain cars (or car types) are suited for toys (saloons, cruisers), others for none.

Thinking back to this, I could actually answer the thread question with "a ragtop". Duh! The latest pan roof posts just reminded me.

Household's never been without one since 2001, and it's been (consensually-) settled law with the Mrs since that time, that at least one of our cars should be a convert at any one time.

Yup, don't need any other toys whatsoever, so long as the roof is removable.

There's three things I wouldn't go without these days:


The turbo on my caldina,

And the get fit windows & manual box on my merc!

Cruise control and aircon. 6 speed box is a must too.

Forgot the cupholder - couldn't live without that.

For me I'd have to split it between essentials and nice to haves

Essentials

- Really Comfortable seats - Drive a 407 coupe with leather armchairs and I genuinely don't know how people can drive cars with seats as hard as cement blocks

- Cruise control - Not as important for me now as it used to be as I used to drive a lot more miles but I wouldn't be without it

- Bluetooth - More for music streaming than phone calls but handy for both

- Adjustable Headrests (not the normal up/down movement) - Had these on my 406 coupes and loved that I could move the headrest forward and backwards as well as up/down

- Parking sensors - I've gotten so lazy with these front and back!

- Air-con - Hate being too warm in the car

- Arm rest

Nice to haves

- Xenon lights - Great visibility but could live without them

- Auto lights/wipers - Again not a deal breaker

- Leather seats - Like them more for colour options than comfort

On a side note I see someone mentioned google maps integration - what car has this? I'm sure I can't afford it but interested!