New car - IRRITATING!

jsstevens said:
2006 Mini Cooper S convertible. The 2 extended warranties were some of the best investments I ever made. $3500 for the CarMax one, saved me $15K (sorry, AMUs) over the next 3 years. Then bought a follow on for $4200, saved me $8 AMUs until they canceled as the price of repairs exceeded the value of the car. Traded it for a 1 year old 2017 Nissan 370Z convertible. Still rocking that one.
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Mine was a 2010 S with sunroof. I won't go into all the repair history, but some highlights were a turbo and a timing chain tensioner. The @$%#! thing finally broke (!!!) the timing chain and punched some valves, and the cost of a new engine exceeded the value of the car.
 
StraightnLevel said:
Because it doesn't really work very well. Someone drifts across your lane 100 yards ahead and suddenly the car is going 15 mph too slow and backing up all of the traffic behind. Screw that - it should maintain the speed I set until I initiate a change in setting.
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I agree this scenario is aggravating. I am a big supporter of adaptive cruise control and use it all the time but it (in multiple vehicles) does seem to overcorrect for transient situations like that. Or taking too long to speed back up when a slow mover exits.

But that's all software and fine-tuning and sensors, it will get better. The concept and 99% of the implementation of adaptive cruise control is fantastic. I've gone on drives where I haven't touched the gas pedal for hours at a time.
 
2-Bit Speed said:
Because the distance at which it decides the car in front of you is 'too close' is far greater than my preference and makes passing cars in other lanes require the disabling of cruise control.
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Every car I've ever driven with ACC has the ability to change the distance setting. For me, these range from "are you kidding?" close to "come on I can barely see the other car" far, which should cover anybody's preference.
 
RussR said:
Every car I've ever driven with ACC has the ability to change the distance setting. For me, these range from "are you kidding?" close to "come on I can barely see the other car" far, which should cover anybody's preference.
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Yeah, I didn’t like the factory default. It left too large a following distance and other traffic would pull in. I found a setting I like and keep it there. And as for not accelerating quickly enough when resuming the set speed, I found a pedal on the floor that helps with that.

My biggest headache with ACC is when I gradually catch up with traffic and then, just as gradually slow down to match and maintain the gap. Then I wonder just how long I’ve been driving that slowly.
 
I think Elon kind for made self driving for everyoneScreenshot 2026-08-20 at 5.59.25 PM.png
 
Half Fast said:
Mine was a 2010 S with sunroof. I won't go into all the repair history, but some highlights were a turbo and a timing chain tensioner. The @$%#! thing finally broke (!!!) the timing chain and punched some valves, and the cost of a new engine exceeded the value of the car.
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Yeah. Mine was the last year of the British Leyland designed version. Built by BMW but they bought the product line after it was designed. Supercharged, stiff legged and drove like a go cart! Such a blast! But when you've got your own coffee mug at the mechanics, well... Nothing catastrophic happened to mine. Traded it at ~89,000 miles. But my last visit to the garage (first one post warranty) was $3600. And it wasn't anything major, but it wasn't simply maintainence either.
 
Half Fast said:
Mine was a 2010 S with sunroof. I won't go into all the repair history, but some highlights were a turbo and a timing chain tensioner. The @$%#! thing finally broke (!!!) the timing chain and punched some valves, and the cost of a new engine exceeded the value of the car.
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Did it do the "death rattle" before it let loose? BTW, 2010 was the last year of the N14 engine and the N18 that replaced it is known to be a lot more reliable. But I'll bet that's far from any consolation for you.
RussR said:
I agree this scenario is aggravating. I am a big supporter of adaptive cruise control and use it all the time but it (in multiple vehicles) does seem to overcorrect for transient situations like that. Or taking too long to speed back up when a slow mover exits.
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I'm a bit bipolar when it comes to cruise control. Anything between SAE level 0 and 4/5 is an uncanny valley for me. But cruise control is decidedly off when I'm doing extra-legal speeds.
2-Bit Speed said:
I will never own a car with either a touch screen or adaptive cruise control.
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How do you feel about hand cranked windows? Slate Truck!
 
asicer said:
Did it do the "death rattle" before it let loose? BTW, 2010 was the last year of the N14 engine and the N18 that replaced it is known to be a lot more reliable. But I'll bet that's far from any consolation for you.
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Nope. No warning. I pulled away from a stop sign and it just died. IIRC, I had about 130k or so on the odo. You're right - subsequent improvements in the engine aren't any use to me, as I will never buy another BMW product.
 
My only “envy” with the newer stuff are the airbag safety enhancements. Kind of like the Cirrus chutes and seatbelt airbags.

Rear camera is nice.

I have used cruise control no more than a few minutes over the last 40+ years. Waste of my money.
 
StraightnLevel said:
Actually, no. I prefer a car that does exactly what the driver wants and absolutely nothing else.

The only two features in the last 20 years that I find to be a net positive are reverse cameras and heads-up displays. Everything else is more of a frustration point than a benefit.

Simply put, I know how to drive. If I want to be constantly told I'm doing it wrong I'll take my wife along - no need for an electronic scolding or interference in the driving process.
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HUD is - in my humble opinion - wildly overrated. I had it in one car, I don't miss it. It's a pretty cool toy though.

My point about driving the old truck was not the new whiz-bang features in the new truck. There aren't really that many to begin with; it does have adaptive cruise which I also won't buy a car without again. It's more about driving a 15 year old 130K-mile vehicle in general. By that time the seats and interior are worn; the door seals are letting more road noise in (a real peeve of mine); the suspension isn't what it used to be. Of course one could refresh the suspension and replace door seals. The practical side, though, is that you're fighting a losing battle.

I have a buddy with a 2003 Chevy pickup truck that looks like new. He loves it. He has spent enough time and money on it over the years for it to qualify as a hobby. Despite all that, the rockers are rusting through - so there's a new project. For a daily driver, I'll pass. I don't need a new vehicle every year or two, and in fact never buy new... but life's too short to drive beaters. For me anyway. I had my years of "Screw new cars, I'm driving this thing until the wheels fall off" stubbornness; I got past it.
 
asicer said:
How do you feel about hand cranked windows? Slate Truck!
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Those cars need (functional) A/C. Cars without A/C need power windows. I spent a summer driving a truck with manual windows and A/C that didn't work. Not doing that again.
 
For me it’s not stubbornness. I exchanged my time for money while working. Every dollar I spend has some historical labor and time attached to it. And now I have limited time that I selectively spend on what I like. It’s a subjective equation in my own head. I can’t make a new vehicle math-out for myself. Retired an ‘01 Tahoe with 317k for an ‘01 Tahoe with 110k last April. That subjective math is different when we purchase a new Honda Odessey for wife later this year…
 
Most of these complaints boil down to technology done poorly. It is not the features that are the problem, it is the implementation.

We saw the same thing with the development of the smart phone. The early ones were a struggle with poor interfaces and tech that didn't work very well. iPhone and Android eventually gave us well designed interfaces that made the tech work and approachable for those who aren't techy themselves.

Watch the 2007 keynote where Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone. Listen to the cheers when he demonstrates scrolling, pinch-zoom, and other multi-touch functions that had never been seen before. It's comical now seeing an audience so excited about features that now seem as basic as a dial tone once was.

The same thing is happening with the tech in cars. A small group of manufacturers, mostly recent entrants, are producing UIs that are far ahead of what the legacy makers have. VW has done to Rivian for help in making more usable software for their cars so Legacies are starting to understand the problem.

 
Larry in TN said:
Most of these complaints boil down to technology done poorly. It is not the features that are the problem, it is the implementation.
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Sure. Like marrying the features to a touch screen. Then moving legacy tech (like A/C controls) to that same touch screen.
 
Larry in TN said:
Most of these complaints boil down to technology done poorly. It is not the features that are the problem, it is the implementation.
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Some, but not all.

I agree that the UI design can make a good concept a disaster.

That said, not all vehicles require 15 multi-directional sensors, automated driving nannies, and remote monitoring and control. I own a farm, and we need a farm truck. I just need a reliable engine and transmission. In fact, every additional sensor or auto-function makes a truck less suitable for use on the farm. Somebody lightly bangs a shovel into the front bumper, and now I have 5 error codes and warning lights all over the dash - all because a sensor that adds zero value got slightly scratched. Then, we have the fact that the telematics module drains the battery, because it cannot be turned off. Why the &%$# does a farm truck need a telematics module to begin with?

Sometimes, the problem isn't the implementation of a feature. The problem is that there was no need for the "feature" to begin with.
 
MackMooney said:
my take, this just seems to be curmudgeons outdoing each other in a contest to be the most curmudgeonly they can possibly be. -- How to Be the Most Curmudgeon contest. 8)
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When I was a boy, the 911 produced 130 hp and that's the way we liked it!
 
StraightnLevel said:
Well, even the Slate has all of that garbage in it. There are no "simple" vehicles being produced anymore.
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All that garbage? It has a non-ACC cruise control and air conditioning as standard. Those are the only things I can think of that could be optional. It doesn't have a radio, backup camera, power anything (windows, seats, etc). It comes in a single color.

It's pretty much as bare bones as it could possibly be. And from there you can customize as you like. It seems like it should be your dream car, at least according to the "simple vehicle" test.
 
2-Bit Speed said:
Those cars need (functional) A/C. Cars without A/C need power windows. I spent a summer driving a truck with manual windows and A/C that didn't work. Not doing that again.
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Apparently the Slate Truck does have A/C so you're covered there, along with no touch screen and no adaptive cruise control
Larry in TN said:
It has what's required by law, but not much else.
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49 CFR 571.111
49 CFR 571.126
49 CFR 571.127
49 CFR 571.208
49 CFR 571.226

... for those of you that haven't had enough of 14 CFR Part 61 and 91 :)
 
StraightnLevel said:
You're joking, right?
GM got caught tracking customers' cars and selling that tracking data to insurers and marketing firms. No way I would ever buy a track day car from them.
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You mean the same way your phone service provider sells your info? Your bank sells your info, as well, including your income. Oh, and your state. Your state sells auto registrations among other things.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
You mean the same way your phone service provider sells your info? Your bank sells your info, as well, including your income. Oh, and your state. Your state sells auto registrations among other things.
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Yep. All that stuff goes into databases. Along with your search history on the internet and a gazillion other things. Then smart people connect the data from the different databases and can tell a lot about you - commute patterns, interests, financial state, etc. And then they sell the information. That's how Alphabet, Meta, and the other data giants turn all that data into big bucks.
 
My 2023 Jeep has hand cranked windows, no power locks, no ACC. It has a backup camera as required by law. Touchscreen, but all normal functions have knobs or physical switches.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
I want a middle/early 90’s 911. Always the ones I have been drawn towards. Still can’t afford one. Lol

Congrats on the new car. Hopefully you’ll find your happy place.
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Me too, though basically not at all anymore. A nice base 964 C2 will set you back an absurd amount these days, thanks Singer. I guess our time was probably 15-20 years ago to have made that choice. I've gotten involved in other esoteric German cars from the 1990s instead. I keep a 2000's Mercedes wagon around as my DD/airport beater though. As was mentioned before, the wife does get a modern nice SUV, of Japanese descent, for kids and road trips and such. I grudgingly admit it is well done, and I like it. Sometimes I even steal it to go to the grocery store.
 
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