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My New Car Wish List
Jan 05 2009 by Courtney Messenbaugh
I have no choice but to purchase a new car in 2009. The lease on my little sedan ends in February, and I need more space. With a new baby, a toddler, a dog, a hubby and all our various and sundry relations, friends and gear, a little sedan no longer cuts it.
I’ve been thinking about my “wish list” for whatever car I buy. I’m not talking about the wish lists of my car fantasies that have filled this site before (like the ’09 BMW Individual Seven Series Sedan) but a realistic list of nearly necessary features.
First, I want my next car to be green. No, not the color, but of the environmentally friendly sort. I want either a hybrid or an alternative-fuel-capable car. I also want this new car to have an optional third row, but I don’t want it to be a crazy-big car. Sadly, the juxtaposition of these two criteria narrows down my field of dreams pretty quickly. In light of this, I’d like to encourage manufacturers to bring those of us who are in a family way more choices for going green. For crying out loud, there isn’t even a hybrid minivan on the market yet (I don’t want a minivan, but if I did…)!
There are plenty of available features on my list to add panache and convenience to my life. I want easy-to-use Latch connectors. You’d think that all cars would have those already, but you’d be wrong. Come on automakers, follow Mini’s lead and give us something we’ll appreciate. Oops, I said I was moving on to “readily available” features, didn’t I?
An automatic liftgate is something I can no longer live without. When juggling kids, a large diaper bag and groceries, it’s a lifesaver. I also want a backup camera. I know that even with a camera you still need to check your surroundings before backing up, but I like the extra safety that the camera provides.
An iPod interface and DVD entertainment system must be in my new-car future. While the DVD player is a double-edged sword in my old-fashioned mind, I think I’d rather have one than not, especially for those multihour trips to the mountains.
Power (or heck, even manual) rear and side sunshades would be nice. I don’t mean to sound like an ingrate, but a little sun protection in sunny Colorado would be great.
Finally, some luxury cars have a massage feature for the driver’s seat. This seems like it should be standard on any car that any mom is driving. Don’t you agree? Comment below to tell us what features are must-haves on your wish list.
User Comments
That feature list sounds great! But please realize that for a vehicle to offer all of that it will probably cost $50,000+. That’s just reality!
WoW- this is exactly on my wishlist too- but in New England, sun is a rare thing we welcome & almost Need to have four-wheel drive. But what’s the car that has all this??
Chevy Tahoe hybrid has almost everything you mention, except the rear window sunshades and massaging seats…even has Kelly’s request for four-wheel drive.
Are there any Hybrid Vans in the works?