8 costly car features you don't need

3. Compact-disc changer

Audio systems that can handle multiple CDs are becoming standard -- just as CDs are going the way of vinyl.

Why you should skip it: With iPods and MP3 players becoming ubiquitous, there's no need anymore to junk up your car with stacks of CDs.

Cost savings: $500 or more.

Instead: A single CD player with AM/FM is fine -- as long as it has an auxiliary jack for external devices. Also consider satellite radio. After listening to 150 channels of mostly commercial-free music and talk, you'll realize how dead commercial radio is. And look for an audio system with duplicate controls on the steering wheel, which helps keep your eyes on the road and off the dashboard.

4. Power folding seats

This is an upscale option on many vehicles with third-row seats. Push a button, and it's like magic: The seat disappears and you're left with a flat cargo space.

Why you should skip it: On well-designed vehicles like the Honda Odyssey and the GMC Acadia, it's a breeze to fold the seats manually -- pull or push a couple of levers and you're done. It's usually faster than waiting for a motor to do the job, plus there's no complicated machinery that might break.

Cost savings: $700.

Instead: On SUVs and minivans, a power-operated liftgate can be very helpful for people, especially women, who find the rear hatch too high to reach or heavy to close. Plus, if your hands are full with groceries or kids, you can pop open a power liftgate at the touch of a button.

5. Keyless ignition

As long as the key fob is in your purse or pocket, all you have to do is push a button to start the car and drive off.

Why you should skip it: Keyless ignition is a cool feature that will probably be standard someday. But on most cars today, it falls one step short, since you still must have the key fob in hand to unlock the car. Then you have to find someplace to stash the key fob -- an invitation to misplace it. Some cars even have a little slot where you can store the "keyless" unlocking device. Isn't that the same thing the ignition slot used to do?

Cost savings: $200 to $400.

Instead: Remote start is a wonderful option, in winter and summer both. It lets you start your car from a distance, without being inside it, so you can cool or warm the car for a few minutes before you get in.

6. Xenon headlamps

Also known as high-intensity-discharge headlamps, these give off more light than ordinary halogen lamps and have the cool blue tint that often is their main appeal.

Why you should skip it: The light beam from xenon bulbs shines farther than many people can see or react to, and some experts worry that the stronger beam could interfere with the vision of oncoming drivers.

Cost savings: $300 to $500.

Instead: Get automatic headlamps. You set the cockpit switch to "A," and the lights automatically go on when it's dark and off when it's light. Even better: You no longer have to worry about leaving your lights on and running down your battery.

7. Dual-zone climate control

This lets you choose different temperature settings for the driver and passenger side. Tri-zone systems have a third control for the rear seat.

Why you should skip it: People who are really this fussy can achieve the same result by manipulating the air vents and fan settings. Besides, come on: If the driver's temp is 68, and the passenger's is 72, do you really believe it's not 70 inside the whole car?

Cost savings: $800 or more.

Instead: For people who drive in cold weather, heated seats are a delight -- and they often warm up faster than the climate system itself. Cooled seats seem to be less effective. But in both cases, they offer truly personalized comfort that doesn't bleed into somebody else's space.

8. Factory-installed navigation systems

Nav systems are marvelous, especially for people who drive routinely in unfamiliar places. Letting the onboard computer guide you to an address or destination is far better than reading a MapQuest printout, calling for directions on a cell phone -- or, God forbid, having to stop and ask a stranger.

Why you should skip it: The problem with installed nav systems is they're very pricey -- upward of $1,500 in most cases. Plus, they're so popular that some manufacturers offer them only on the upper trim lines of a given model, which draws even more money out of your pocket.

Cost savings: $1,500 to $2,000.

Instead: Shop for a portable, off-the-shelf navigation system. Good ones are available for $500 or less and can be moved from car to car.

This article was reported and written by Rick Newman for U.S. News & World Report.

Published June 26, 2007

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