Car salesmen are among the least trustworthy people in the world. They’re after one thing, your money, and they’ll say pretty much anything to get it. One of the ways that they’ll try to bleed you dry is by convincing you to buy all of those optional extras on your car. They’ll tell you how you just can’t live without that entertainment system so you best pay extra for it. A lot of that stuff is pretty useless and there’s no point spending money on it. But some of those optional extras are actually worth buying because they improve the driving experience and some can add resale value to the car. The trick is knowing which ones a waste of money and which ones are actually worth buying.
Drivetrain Warranty
If your car breaks down in future and you didn’t pay the extra for a drivetrain warranty, you’ll be kicking yourself. It covers the driveshaft, axles, transmission, and the wheels so most major issues are covered by it. Before you buy a new car, look into how to get an extended drivetrain warranty. You won’t need it for a few years and you might feel like you’ve wasted money, but when something does go wrong with the car, you’ll be glad you paid that bit extra for a drivetrain warranty.
Air Conditioning
Air conditioning used to come as standard on most cars but a lot of manufacturers are now taking it out and making it an optional extra. It’s a cheeky trick because, unless you live somewhere that’s constantly cold, you’re going to want air conditioning in your car. You could always call their bluff and skip that optional extra but when summer hits, you’ll wish you had just paid the money for it. It’s never that expensive and really it’s just a way for them to advertise the car as being slightly cheaper than it is. It’s annoying but you’ll just have to deal with it and pay the extra if you want to be comfortable.
Metallic Paint
Whether you like the look of metallic paint or not, it’s worth buying. It might seem stupid to pay extra money for paint that you don’t even like but a lot of people are really into it. That means it’ll increase the resale value of your car by quite a bit. It’s worth remembering though, if you want to expand the appeal of your car, go for a neutral color that most people can get on board with, like gray.
Parking Sensors
Even if you’re good at parking, it can still be a bit of a pain sometimes. Even more so if you end up scraping your car against something. You can make life a whole lot easier for yourself and avoid any bumps and scrapes by paying a little extra for parking sensors. There’s no need to go for an expensive self parking system, just get the cheaper sensors that will give you a beep when you’re getting too close to something.
These added extras are worth buying, but some of the more expensive stuff like built in satnav is just a waste, especially when you can just do it on your phone. As a general rule, ask yourself whether something will either improve your driving experience in a big way or add value to the car. If the answer is no, don’t buy it.
