Tweet
Yeah, but, as I said to the VW saleswoman yesterday, car purchases are growing more and more like computer purchases and as a result I always buy new to gain the latest technology and future-proof my purchase as much as possible.
For example, when I bought my Macbook Air in 2010, 2Gb RAM was standard, but I paid an extra $100 or $150 or something (after a short while you never remember the extra cost that might stop you at purchase time, just the benefits, including peace of mind, they bring) for an extra 2Gb of RAM to "future proof"my Macbook. Soon after, all Macbooks boasted 4Gb RAM and I was comforted to reflect that my $1500 Macbook, bought a year earlier, remained on a par in this regard, for a mere 10% extra.
As time goes by, more and more factory options become standard equipment, eg the RVC on the Mark VI GTI / R was a no-brainer. Some of the people who said they did not need one or would not use and would prefer to pocket the $500 later discovered retrofitting was a $1500 exercise. All will be at some degree of disadvantage in the used car market when they sell as more consumers expect such technology in later model cars.
Similarly, Driver Assist will be standard on Mark 8 Golfs but for $1300, such a useful factory option, that cannot be retrofitted, makes a wise investment in my opinion.
As far as cost goes, paying less than 3% extra on a GTI to add potentially life-saving technology (not necessarily your life) is, for the reasons outlined above (including that you would never feel or recall the extra cost after a few months let alone years), to me, a no-brainer.
But each to his own.
For example, when I bought my Macbook Air in 2010, 2Gb RAM was standard, but I paid an extra $100 or $150 or something (after a short while you never remember the extra cost that might stop you at purchase time, just the benefits, including peace of mind, they bring) for an extra 2Gb of RAM to "future proof"my Macbook. Soon after, all Macbooks boasted 4Gb RAM and I was comforted to reflect that my $1500 Macbook, bought a year earlier, remained on a par in this regard, for a mere 10% extra.
As time goes by, more and more factory options become standard equipment, eg the RVC on the Mark VI GTI / R was a no-brainer. Some of the people who said they did not need one or would not use and would prefer to pocket the $500 later discovered retrofitting was a $1500 exercise. All will be at some degree of disadvantage in the used car market when they sell as more consumers expect such technology in later model cars.
Similarly, Driver Assist will be standard on Mark 8 Golfs but for $1300, such a useful factory option, that cannot be retrofitted, makes a wise investment in my opinion.
As far as cost goes, paying less than 3% extra on a GTI to add potentially life-saving technology (not necessarily your life) is, for the reasons outlined above (including that you would never feel or recall the extra cost after a few months let alone years), to me, a no-brainer.
But each to his own.
Comment