[jacanterbury]

I'm looking to buy a new family car but only want something thats safe, reliable and economical/environmentally friendly. I don't want to pay for loads of gadgets I'll never use (satnav, cruise control, electric wing mirrors,....) It's proving really hard to find cars where even the basic models don't come equiped with, what are to me, unnecessary gadgets. Does anyone know of a website/forum/magazine,... that will help restrict my search down to a manageable number of cars to consider? I don't mind paying for quality but I don't want to pay for toys. (if it was made in the UK that would be even better) Thanks for your time.

[Drivingforfun]

I think this is the case with almost all cars these days. Most people want lots of toys to play with and don’t care about how the car drives or reliability.

I was reading a thread today on another forum about how a Tesla doesn’t have a stalk to control the windscreen wipers! You either have to use a voice command (we all know they often don’t work) or press several buttons on the touch screen!

Have you looked at Dacia? Very simple cars and I think you get a 5 or 7 year warranty.

[Motman]

Originally Posted by jacanterbury;n198444

I don't mind paying for quality but I don't want to pay for toys. (if it was made in the UK that would be even better) Thanks for your time.

Ariel Atom. No unnecessary toys on them! :D

[Drivingforfun]

That’s a good shout Motman, I guess they are good for the environment as they are so light?:D

[jacanterbury]

Originally Posted by Motman;n198452

Ariel Atom. No unnecessary toys on them! :D

that would be nice, just not sure where I'd stick the wife and kids :-)

[jacanterbury]

Originally Posted by Motman;n198452

Ariel Atom. No unnecessary toys on them! :D

that would be nice, but I'm not sure where I'd put the wife and kids :-)

[jacanterbury]

Originally Posted by Drivingforfun;n198450

I think this is the case with almost all cars these days. Most people want lots of toys to play with and don’t care about how the car drives or reliability.

I was reading a thread today on another forum about how a Tesla doesn’t have a stalk to control the windscreen wipers! You either have to use a voice command (we all know they often don’t work) or press several buttons on the touch screen!

Have you looked at Dacia? Very simple cars and I think you get a 5 or 7 year warranty.

They do look good VFM and they have a new showroom opening near me in September so I'll check them out. Plus the bi-fuel petrol/LPG option looks interesting

[Snowball]

Know what you mean about “unnecessary toys”. Problem is, what is or is not necessary will always vary wildly from driver to driver, and manufacturers will install their gadgets to maximise luring in potential buyers. Personally, I would say that electrically adjustable door mirrors are a “must have” for safety reasons. A misaligned mirror can cause an unsafe situation, and can easily and safely be corrected when on the move. Misalignment can occur during the process of cleaning the mirror glass, and may go unnoticed until one is actually driving.