Today we are going to spend a little bit of time talking about needs and wants. When it comes to cars where are you spending your money? There are lots of cars out there that you can buy. It is definitely going towards more of a sport utility market right now and people are buying those up by the dozen every day. You still have choices for navigation, Bluetooth, heads-up display, all these different types of things. Most of the time when we’re shopping for things we think that we want it all. Do we really need to spend money on things we’re not going to use today?
Because of technology we aren’t even using some of the stuff that we’re spending money on. So we’re going to go through a few of these items, and maybe when you’re thinking about your next car you won’t spend more money to get stuff that you might not even use.
Let’s Talk About Navigation
I’m going to talk to you about a few options that may save you money if you do not buy them. We’re going to start off with navigation. How many of you have a cell phone? Look at how big the screen is. I have a Galaxy Note 10 and I can see the navigation on it just as well as in any car (outside of a Tesla). Tesla has a big 12 inch screen so their navigation beats the phone, however, when you’re doing navigation through Google Maps having actual navigation in the car is usually a $2000 option that you don’t need to spend money on. You already have it in your hand.
More importantly, navigation is one of those things that I find very few people use. If you’re a realtor who’s always going to different houses I find they use it. Contractors, who need to be at different locations all the time, they use the navigation. So if you’re in a profession that requires you to have hands-free voice-activated navigation in a fixed screen in your car every day I totally understand that. The majority of us just don’t need it because we have other tech that provides navigation for us.
So what does that mean for you? That means the cars come in different trims. Hyundai Santa Fe has an ultimate package which is all different packages. Each package adds more technology, more convenience items, more things that cost more money and so the goal is to figure out exactly which car you should be driving for the actual needs you have. I’m always talking about how the wants and likes always cost you a lot more money than just the things that you actually need. So before you buy your next car think about how big your phone is!
The DVD Player
The next thing is the DVD player. How many of you guys remember DVD’s? I have lot of clients with kids that want DVD players. Some of them are Bluetooth compatible. Some of them offer big screens for the back of the car, but once you have two or three kids they all want to watch different things. So, as quiet as you think they may be, when that movie is playing they’re still arguing because they want to watch different things.
I haven’t actually purchased a DVD for myself in probably three or four years because we use a digital platform that I can buy my movies on. The movies stay in the cloud for as long as I live, and then I can grandfather that to somebody else. You could probably get three iPads for the kids for the same amount of money as the DVD player. Then they can download the movies they want in the house before you go on a trip, put their headsets on, and watch exactly what they want to watch and it didn’t have to be this big fight over what movie we’re going to play. So give that some thought when you’re thinking about having to have a DVD player in your car (and if you’re still buying DVDs that’s okay).
Luxury Items
Memory seats and heads-up display are usually reserved for vehicles in the upper trim level like the ultimate package or the limited. Those things are ultra convenient luxury items. When you find yourself sitting in these cars test driving them, and you’re thinking I really need that heads-up display just think about where it keeps your eye line. When you’re looking at the speedometer, or the different notifications on the car, and it really doesn’t change your entire life then it may not be worth spending five, six, or seven thousand dollars more for that particular trim level.
If we’re talking about a Santa Fe you can get the Santa Fe with a SE package and not have the heads-up display. With the higher trim packages, it is good to be aware that they don’t come with just those two things. You’re going to be paying for a lot of stuff that you’re not even going to use. I hope this is making sense to you.
Another thing that is a bone of contention with people (even in my office) is cool seats….cooled, ventilated seats. First of all they’re not AC seats, they’re just ventilated. They have fans in the seats that pull air off your body or blow air on you. Heated seats are really cool, especially living in a cold climate, but ventilated (cool) seats are definitely a luxury, and they usually only come in the very upper trim level of the car. So when you say to yourself, “I’ve got to have cool seats.” you are telling yourself I’m going to spend seven to ten thousand dollars more for this particular car. You could have spent less, not had the cool seats, and did yourself a favor.
I’m not saying all this stuff to take all the fun out of the cars guys. I’m trying to help you think about what your future is when it comes to how you’re spending your money. Do you want it all going into a car so you can have the navigation, cool seats, heads-up display, and the surround-view camera which has a 360 view? (I don’t know why you’d ever need that, but it happens.) Basically, just think about where your dollars are going over the next five to seven years. Remember your dad…your dad would tell you that you don’t need that stuff. Maybe you ought to think about these things when you’re buying a car, and that will help you direct your dollars elsewhere instead of just into the car for the next five, six years.
Now, don’t get me wrong, that stuff is really cool to have. If it works within your budget then go ahead and buy it! We will catch up with you soon talking about cars!