<p>My DH lost his “key” (the thing that he needs in order for the button on the dash to respond) when he was out running and it cost close to $300 to replace, IIRC!! So to me, $150 is cheap!!!</p>
<p>I’ve had a new car for about five weeks now and am still discovering what certain buttons do. 
My H tells me to read the manual. I think he’s the only person in the world who does that when he gets a new car, and he changes cars often. My last car had the fob/push button start so I’m used to that. The new one has another twist. There is a fob but to start the car, you turn a permanent key that remains in the ‘ignition’, and it’s on the left side. This car has about everything anyone could ever want but it’s missing one thing I loved about my old car, a heads up display. I think every car should have that.</p>
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<p>Robotic cars are on the road already. One was in our neck of the woods recently. A human sits in the driver’s seat because the car cannot legally operate in our state (unlike Nevada), but the car does the driving. [When</a> The Car Is The Driver : All Tech Considered : NPR](<a href=“When The Car Is The Driver : All Tech Considered : NPR”>When The Car Is The Driver : All Tech Considered : NPR)</p>
<p>thumper1-speaking of having a higher SAT than the car…we bought a car recently and I noticed a button which said “SAT.” I had absolutely no idea what it was. A friend suggested that if I pushed the button, a voice might say a word like “lugubrious.” :)</p>
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<p>One of the best inventions for a car, ever. Satellite radio is wonderful!</p>
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<p>This will be the third car with the keyless entry keypad. Never used it on the first car (inherited) because we never found the code and didn’t want to pay $300 to the dealer to reprogram it. Same story on the second one, although my wife took a wild stab at a birthday code and eventually got that one figured out.</p>
<p>On this one, I think I’m going to leave a key hidden somewhere in the car, so as long I can remember my code, I’m good to go even if I lose a key. That wouldn’t work on your car unless you could leave that remote key far enough away from the sensor to keep the pushbutton start from working!</p>
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<p>You have to read the manual at least twice! Once just to find out what features are on the car and then a second time when you actually want to use one of them!</p>
<p>My H tells me to read the manual. I think he’s the only person in the world who does that when he gets a new car</p>
<p>I tried, unsuccessfully, to convince my D to read the manual on her new Prius (aka the rolling computer). When some warning light showed up, she called asking me to google it. When I asked why she didn’t look it up in the manual, she said she couldn’t because she was driving. Unbelievable. But of course I did it!</p>
<p>I can’t wait to get a smart phone. I’ll feel even dumber than I do already.</p>
<p>Why didn;t they prepare me for this at #1 LAC?</p>
<p>(Not giving up my 1995 Saturn, which has increased in value by 35% in the past six years. Maybe there’s a market…)</p>
<p>I was cutting edge at #1 LAC. I still have one of the Christmas cards I made using the punch cards that operated the only computer on campus – a big IBM mainframe in the science building! :)</p>
<p>I’m with you on cars. I nursed my 1998 until the day the cost/impracticality of an impending repair forced my hand. The auto health care “death panel” voted a thumbs down on treatment at her age, even though she was still spry and active!</p>
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<p>Oh my goodness, that brings back memories of ‘helping’ my H in the Physics building with his programming. I hated those stupid punch cards.</p>
<p>I recently rented a VW Passat for a week. Great car but operating the radio and other displays on the car required a degree in CS. Still could not figure out where to turn down the bass and up the treble for my old ears. But the Serius XM sat radio was a revelation. I want that now.</p>
<p>I’ve nursed my 1996 until the cost of impending repairs and expected imminent repairs (those parts are almost 17 years old after all) make it impractical to keep. S2, who learned to drive a manual on that car, and I will both miss it.</p>
<p>DH is such a dinosaur, he can’t believe that new cars no longer come with 6-CD changers (his 2008 car does). He doesn’t own an MP3 player and doesn’t want one.
He does like satellite radio in addition to his CDs.</p>
<p>My 2002 has the six-CD player and when I got it, I told my students that I needed to go buy four more CDs.</p>
<p>My husband’s new car has the linked in phone and that is really nice.</p>
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<p>Depends on the car. My new car has one.</p>
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<p>It’s great, isn’t it? We have it in the house as well as the cars.</p>
<p>RTFM people!</p>
<p>My new computer… er, I mean car… has Sirius XM radio, but I’m still trying to figure out the subscription options. I am a very active iPod user, for both music and podcasts, so I may never get around to the satellite radio. I did manage to program a few AM/FM presets. Pretty proud of myself for that! Probably puts me in the top 5% of Americans for gizmo skill. :)</p>
<p>The Sirius radio cuts out fairly regularly around here, so you may want to try it before that introductory rate expires.</p>
<p>“I did manage to program a few AM/FM presets. Pretty proud of myself for that! Probably puts me in the top 5% of Americans for gizmo skill.”</p>
<p>Remember when all you had to do was turn a little knob? Ah, those were the days!</p>
<p>People, people. The next time you have a geezer issue drive to a place where there are a lot of people. Get out of your car and scream at the top of your lungs - “Does anyone know how to read a manual?”.</p>
<p>Seriously, I’m 49 and this stuff is easy if you take a few minutes and read the manual.</p>
<p>We really like the XM radio. But as I like to say I live in radio dead space so not much to listen to here. </p>
<p>My kids on the other hand, don’t ever listen to the radio so I think that make me a dinosaur just for listening to the radio. </p>
<p>Kids just plug in their ipods or phones and listen that way. </p>
<p>I do love the bluetooth my H has in his car. He is prohibited by his company from talking on the phone without it. If he has to take my car, he has to stop by the side of the road to take a call.</p>