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Comment by thinkingtoilet | Hacker News Reader

I loath Musk and will never buy a Tesla, but your criticisms are strange. I don't want a HUD. I don't want new features. I want as basic a car as possible that goes forward when I press the gas and stops when I press the brakes. I had a 2007 Honda Fit which I still regret getting rid of. I have a new Honda and every single new feature (except for displaying the speed limit, which has it's own problems) is useless at best and dangerous and distracting at worse.

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> I want as basic a car as possible that goes forward when I press the gas and stops when I press the brakes.

GP was talking about HUD and "new features" in the context of a $60k car. Presumably your desired "basic car" would cost considerably less.

What "new features" are we talking about? What else do you need in a car? Do you complain about "new features" in an expensive bottle of whiskey? Or a nice computer? No, you want the basics done really well and made with the highest of quality.

When I went from a 2006 mini to a 2021 polestar 2, there were a bunch of things that were either "up in class" or "15 years makes things better" - traction control, non-invasive lane-assist (with invasive options), per-driver (per-keyfob really) seat adjustment memory, charge-aware navigation, radar cruise-control, 360° camera fusion, headlight washers, kick-to-open trunk, interior pre-warm (including seats, as a software upgrade), smart (camera-based) auto-dim of high beams, mirror-retract when parked, mirror tilt when backing up, retractable trailer hitch... little of this is structural, it's just an accumulation of details and attention paid to them.

And a few downgrades (if my 2023 Polestar 2 is an indication)

* Wait 60 seconds to start using the GPS / nav to become responsive

* Unreliable backup camera (even after several software "fixes")

* No buttons or knobs for climate control

* No way to disable intrusive line detection that makes car vibrate when you get close to yellow and white lines

* Overzealous auto-dim of high beams (our 2023 Mazda CX-5 is significantly better with almost no false positives)

It's not all bad, and once the infotainment warms up, it's plenty responsive. It's certainly a luxury car though (as an admitted Mazda fan) you can get a lot of nice from a $30k Mazda.

I'm with the other poster. You're comparing apples to oranges in a 20k vs 60k car. I assume people spending that much on vehicles do want the fancy electronics.

20k cars do not exist any longer :)

lol. My resposne was going to be, find me a car for $20k.

better chance finding Waldo

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