How I Bought my Current Vehicle
Just over two and a half years ago, I decided to buy a new car. After having a look at all of the available models, I finally decided to remain loyal to my dealer (who also happens to be my neighbor), and I chose an Alfa Romeo MiTo.
I was looking for a car that was small, and easy to drive and park in the city, but powerful enough to be fun to drive on Corsica's twisty backroads. The gasoline engine version of the MiTo fulfilled all of these criteria, since its available with a relatively punchy engine at a reasonable price.
I went to see my dealer, and after we talked for a few minutes we found the model that was best suited for me. Afterwards, he began trying to convince me to purchase extra options.
I've always thought that the main purpose of a car was to get from one point to another as easily and comfortable as possible, so extras offered by the manufacturers always seemed largely superfluous .
It so happens that the engine I chose already comes with a very complete standard equipment package, and I didn't see the point in paying extra for chrome rearview mirrors, larger wheels, or some other such gadget.
Only two options really interested me at all: the spare tire (no longer standard on new cars), and those concerning the vehicle's audio system.
In fact, it seems that the carmakers seem to employ a particularly successful strategy. The stereo system that comes standard with the car has all of the standard functions one would expect, including a radio, a CD Player (that can read MP3 files!), and steering wheel controls.
For a price coming close to 10% of the total value of the car, I could upgrade (although I'm not even that's the right word...) to another model, capable of:
-connecting my phone via Bluetooth (for calls only), and
-a GPS system integrated into the car
Needless to say, I didn't need much time to think. I thought it was close to theft, considering I could already do those things with my phone, with only a few inexpensive accessories. Therefore, I chose to stick with the standard audio system, since it didn't seem reasonable to spend so much money on such simple features. Basically, there was just nothing there that piqued my interest.