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With the rate at which electronic safety features are advancing, I think the advantages of buying used have fallen a bit. A new base-model Corolla currently has
by alexhutcheson 7y ago
With the rate at which electronic safety features are advancing, I think the advantages of buying used have fallen a bit. A new base-model Corolla currently has more electronic safety features than a high-trim 3-4 year old Avalon or Lexus. That's a recent phenomenon, though, and it might be a temporary condition if the rate of improvement of those systems slows down.
- kevin_thibedeau 7y agoHow did everybody manage to convince themselves that they need these expensive add-ons? You need seatbelts, airbags, and impact absorption. That was perfected 20 years ago. Everything else is a luxury not needed for driving.
- henryfjordan 7y agoThe new radar systems in the front of the car that slam the brakes if you might hit something are lifesaving for both occupant and pedestrian. The little indicators if someone in your blind spot is also a HUGE safety increase for drivers and bikers/scooters/etc. Those should be as standard as seatbelts an airbags in 2020.
- spyspy 7y agoI’ll take the other side and say some of the newer (literal) bells and whistles are more a distraction than a life saver. Properly adjusted mirrors should have no blind spots - I don’t need lights on the mirrors constantly flashing on the highway. My last rental would beep whenever it thought I was drifting out of my lane but suffered from so many false positives it was infuriating.
- sokoloff 7y agoI’d add ABS (also readily avail though not standard 20 years ago) and side airbags (very uncommon 20 years ago) to the list. Most people are pretty poorly trained and now, often distracted, drivers.