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Do you have an old car? Maybe it’s a hand-down you can’t let go of, or maybe you’re just waiting for some of the dealer signals to come down. Either way, you can quickly bring your clunker or classic with a few aftermarket options. Click here to make your old car safer and easier to drive.
When buying a car, you are presented with many options. Some you can do without (do you really need heated seats in Florida?), but the rest go a long way in terms of safety and comfort.
Here are five options and features not to be missed.
1. Get a bird’s eye view of your area
Backup cameras are standard as of 2018 and go a long way in helping you see what’s behind you when you’re moving in reverse. However, there is an even better way to see what’s around you that covers all sides of your car.
Bird’s eye or surround view systems mount multiple cameras around your car, including the fenders, side view mirrors, trunk/tailgate and grille. Together, they extend an artificial 360-degree view of your surroundings beyond your vehicle.
This is great for parallel parking or easing your car into tight spaces. With some systems, you even get visual guides that show your car’s current direction and expected path of travel at the angle of the steering wheel.
Some cars require upgrading to a larger or more feature-rich infotainment system to get a surround-view camera. For example, Toyota charges about $1,000 for the Highlander 12.3-inch touchscreen that comes with Toyota’s Bird’s-Eye Camera System.
To get the Intelligent Around View Monitor system in the Nissan Murano, you need to go for at least the SL trim. Even if you pay for this feature, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. Ask for a test drive to try it out.
2. Monitoring of the blind
Blind spot monitoring systems use surrounding sensors to alert you of cars or other objects to the side and rear of your car. You may see a small light on your side mirror or hear a ping if someone is in a blind spot. This is especially useful when merging onto the freeway or changing lanes. It will save you from colliding with another vehicle.
While this safety feature comes standard on many new vehicles, you may not find it on more budget-priced ones. For example, the Kia Forte offers Blind-Spot Collision Warning only on the top-spec GT manual, which costs $700 more than the next-model GT.
3. Automatic braking
An automatic braking system prevents a collision with another vehicle, person or object and is an important part of modern safety technology. If necessary, it can slow down or stop your vehicle completely.
A series of sensors, including radar, video, infrared or ultrasound, scan objects in front of the vehicle and apply the brakes automatically. In some cars, it works the other way around.
Let’s say you’re backing out of the parking lot at the supermarket. A person with a shopping cart walks behind your vehicle. If you have automatic braking, your car will stop on its own and avoid hitting them.
Automatic braking is usually combined with other technologies as a package, such as adaptive cruise control or pre-collision systems.
4. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto make your phone and car one.
Let’s face it. Car companies don’t invest as much time and money into their navigation systems as Apple and Google do. If you love your Waze, Apple Maps or Google Maps apps, the easiest way to integrate them into your car is with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
Between your phone and your car, you get an interface that gives you access to your phone’s apps on your car’s infotainment screen. Your phone essentially becomes one with your vehicle, and you can control it using your steering wheel buttons and car microphone.
In addition to using your favorite navigation app, you’ll have access to music and podcast apps, your smart assistant, messenger apps, and more. You can’t use highly distracting things like mobile games. And that’s a good thing!
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are becoming more popular as standard features, but you may need to upgrade the infotainment system for some cars. Both features of the Honda Civic are available as standard across the model line, but if you want them in the new Nissan Sentra, you’ll have to go above the base S trim.
Related: 5 Waze tips and tricks: Find cheap gas, send an alert and more
5. Automatic start/stop technology saves gas
It may seem strange to have your automobile shut off and restart the engine every time you come to a complete stop, but this feature has one significant benefit, especially considering current gas prices.
AAA conducted a 2014 study and concluded that start/stop technology can save up to 7% in fuel costs, or $179 per year. The test is based on driving 15,000 miles per year, averaging 20 MPG at a fuel cost of $3.65. That number is roughly $250 a year at today’s prices and inflation. That’s not bad at all.
In full-size trucks, saving just two MPG can make a big difference compared to more fuel-efficient cars, making the savings even greater. The base model Ford F-150 XL comes with automatic start technology. If you’re looking at RAM pickups, the 1500 line all come with start/stop technology, while the older models don’t.
The button to turn the feature on or off usually looks like the letter A with an arrow going around it. We recommend that you leave it.
Related: This cashback app will pay you more than a credit card when you buy gas.
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