4 ms·

But the fact that you paid for the heated seats upfront increases the value of the car when you resell it. Likely by more than what you saved by renting? …or m

But the fact that you paid for the heated seats upfront increases the value of the car when you resell it. Likely by more than what you saved by renting? …or maybe that was your point?

gambiting 5y ago
Indeed. BMW's argument to this is that all cars will have all equipment built in - it will all be unlockable by subscription. Want adaptive cruise control? $200 a year. Heated seats? $100 a year. Sport modes for the engine/transmission? $400 a year. etc etc etc. It annoys me to no end because it means you are paying(in the cost of the car) to have all of this advanced tech in the car, but you can't use it without subscription. What if I get a modder to enable it anyway? Am I now a criminal? What about the environmental impact of lugging around hardware that you don't want or need, just in case you or the next owner wants it?
- mikro2nd 5y ago
  BMW is (has long been) an intelligence test. If you bought one, you failed. Overhyped and hugely underwhelming. I rate BMW as among the worst and most uncomfortable cars I've ever driven. And during my consulting days on the road I was in rentals probably 3 weeks out of 4, so got to do extended test drives of a significant number of vehicles.
  - kcanini 5y ago
    What are your favorite vehicles?
    - mikro2nd 5y ago
      No favourites, really. To me they're "just transport" and cars bore me to tears, but the most comfortable drive I can recall was a Honda (model long since forgotten).
      - symlinkk 5y ago
        Do you seriously have this little self awareness? You aren’t a car enthusiast, that’s why you don’t understand the appeal of BMW
        GavinMcG 5y ago
        The insults aren't necessary and aren't a good fit here: > Be kind. Don't be snarky. Have curious conversation; don't cross-examine. Please don't fulminate. Please don't sneer, including at the rest of the community. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - StrictDabbler 5y ago
    I love renting BMWs. They feel like I'm just running along the road. I love that experience. Then I bought a BeaterMW because I needed a car, didn't want a loan, and had access to garage space. It was a wonderful and labor-intensive two years of driving pleasure followed by a lump of metal out front I still haven't gotten rid of. It took a very particular set of requirements to make that a win. I would never recommend a BMW to anybody.
- geonic 5y ago
  It's an interesting question. I bought the car. Ownership transferred to me. What if I decide to rewire some of the electronics and unlock heated seats or some other paid extra?
  - gambiting 5y ago
    I imagine they will make an argument that while you own the hardware, you are breaking the terms and conditions of their software. You never paid them to unlock the heated seats in software. Of course that argument fails if you get it modded so there's an extra button on the side and it just provides power to the seats, bypassing the rest of the system. It's going to be a fun legislative challenge once someone inevitably brings it to court, I'm sure.
    - adolph 5y ago
      Then the next lines of defence will be warrantee negation, OEM parts locking, sensor/actuator distribution (like seat-thermo tied to airbag weight sensor), safety regulation either directly or through failed inspection scams.

But the fact that you paid for the heated seats upfront increases the value of the car when you resell it. Likely by more than what you saved by renting? …or maybe that was your point?

gambiting 5y ago

Indeed. BMW's argument to this is that all cars will have all equipment built in - it will all be unlockable by subscription. Want adaptive cruise control? $200 a year. Heated seats? $100 a year. Sport modes for the engine/transmission? $400 a year. etc etc etc. It annoys me to no end because it means you are paying(in the cost of the car) to have all of this advanced tech in the car, but you can't use it without subscription. What if I get a modder to enable it anyway? Am I now a criminal? What about the environmental impact of lugging around hardware that you don't want or need, just in case you or the next owner wants it?

mikro2nd 5y ago
BMW is (has long been) an intelligence test. If you bought one, you failed. Overhyped and hugely underwhelming. I rate BMW as among the worst and most uncomfortable cars I've ever driven. And during my consulting days on the road I was in rentals probably 3 weeks out of 4, so got to do extended test drives of a significant number of vehicles.
- kcanini 5y ago
  What are your favorite vehicles?
  - mikro2nd 5y ago
    No favourites, really. To me they're "just transport" and cars bore me to tears, but the most comfortable drive I can recall was a Honda (model long since forgotten).
    - symlinkk 5y ago
      Do you seriously have this little self awareness? You aren’t a car enthusiast, that’s why you don’t understand the appeal of BMW
      - GavinMcG 5y ago
        The insults aren't necessary and aren't a good fit here: > Be kind. Don't be snarky. Have curious conversation; don't cross-examine. Please don't fulminate. Please don't sneer, including at the rest of the community. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- StrictDabbler 5y ago
  I love renting BMWs. They feel like I'm just running along the road. I love that experience. Then I bought a BeaterMW because I needed a car, didn't want a loan, and had access to garage space. It was a wonderful and labor-intensive two years of driving pleasure followed by a lump of metal out front I still haven't gotten rid of. It took a very particular set of requirements to make that a win. I would never recommend a BMW to anybody.
geonic 5y ago
It's an interesting question. I bought the car. Ownership transferred to me. What if I decide to rewire some of the electronics and unlock heated seats or some other paid extra?
- gambiting 5y ago
  I imagine they will make an argument that while you own the hardware, you are breaking the terms and conditions of their software. You never paid them to unlock the heated seats in software. Of course that argument fails if you get it modded so there's an extra button on the side and it just provides power to the seats, bypassing the rest of the system. It's going to be a fun legislative challenge once someone inevitably brings it to court, I'm sure.
  - adolph 5y ago
    Then the next lines of defence will be warrantee negation, OEM parts locking, sensor/actuator distribution (like seat-thermo tied to airbag weight sensor), safety regulation either directly or through failed inspection scams.