Just received my Westways magazine from AAA and it has an interesting article in it about obsolete vehicle features. What do you think? Can you think of more features that will eventually be phased out of vehicles? Here are the specific features with my own personal view on the subjects.


1. Ashtrays and lighters. We car lovers need more outlets for our electrical gadgets! Plus, this is California, who smokes anymore?

2. Bench seats. Ahh yes, bench seats. As a woman, I miss a bench seat in a car so I can sit close to my hunny. Cars have gotten so sporty now, we all want race car seats instead!

3. Mechanical door locks. Just another reason for a man to be able to hold something in his hand and have full control . They are handy when my arms are full of shopping bags, though.

4. Manually adjustable outside mirrors. I will NOT miss this feature! Who the heck wants to open the window doing mach 2 and mess your hair up?

5. Drum brakes. Nuttin' like disc brakes, plus they look cool drilled and slotted!

6. Hubcaps. How many of you have seen a hubcap go sailing across the freeway? Makes the freeway an AutoX course!

7. Full-size spare tires. I despise those lil buggers they have now. I really hate it when someone leaves it on their car for like, oooohh a year? PEOPLE, these itty bitty tires are meant to get you to a repair place, not travel 3000 miles across the US to Aunt Mabel's house! My 2002 Explorer has a full-size spare tire. Now that our daughter is driving that vehicle, I feel that she is better off if she gets a flat. At least she won't have to run out and buy a $180 tire right away!

8. CD players. Say it ain't so! I LOVE my 6 cd player! I can pop in 6 Nickelback cd's and listen to my guys for HOURS. I can find the buttons without taking my eyes off the road, and doesn't that mean safer driving? It's not that I dislike change...I could adapt to an mp3 player I guess...BUT I DON'T WANT TO! I was surprised when my 2002 Explorer came with a CASSETTE player! What? In 2002? Geez Ford get with the program! I am sure I will be saying it over again in a couple years but this time it will be, "Geez Ford, a cd player?? Get with the program!"

9. Fabric convertible tops. I will admit, I am not much of a convertible person. I don't relish a bee hitting me in the face with the force of a bullet while I am in a car. Once, on the freeway, we saw people slowing down (nothing new there, huh?) and I was thinking, "now what?" "Now what?" turned into a SWARM OF BEES crossing the freeway right through the cars! Holy crap! What if I had a convertible? Just the thought gives me nightmares. So I will leave this entire topic alone now. Moving on!

10. Manual transmissions. The article says 1 in 10 motorists buy a car with a manual transmission. I admit, in traffic an automatic is a blessing. I have gotten stuck in Los Angeles traffic in my Mustang and my left leg will be KILLING me by the time traffic starts flowing again. I catch myself muttering, "shoulda got an auto, shoulda got an auto!"....then as traffic clears and I am able to drop down a gear and zoom around people, I remember how much FUN a manual is!