Cars – Gadgets – J.D. Power

According to J.D. Power, we want gadgets in our cars. When we’re looking at vehicles, we consider a number of criteria: safety, fuel economy, performance, comfort, color, warranty, dealer reputation, and price. Trumping the list of features we prefer…is entertainment and connectivity.

I come from a place where a car owner would brag about having a 454 with a 4 barrel, hi-speed rear end, Hurst shift kit, chrome everywhere and pulling a quarter in 10 flat. That same guy is now talking about a car that gets 40 mpg, has 5.1 surround, backup cameras, Bluetooth, side-curtain airbags, iPod connection, GPS and a DVD player. “So…what’s in the dash?” has replaced “What’s under the hood?”

Among the toys we’re looking for...killer sound ranks the highest. GPS is also high, but interest wanes when the price of the option is revealed. Two-thirds of us want to use a portable music player through the vehicles speakers and 30% of us also want to connect a smart phone through the audio system. 70% of us want Bluetooth in the cars and among the vehicles out there now with Bluetooth…only half the owners actually use it.

Aside from the toys, bells and whistles...fuel economy "should" be a vital consideration for anyone buying a new car. Right? Maybe not. J.D. Power also shows the vehicles with the biggest gains month over month (May 08 vs. May 09) are full-size sedans, SUV’s and vans. Domestics outperformed imports when comparing sales from May 2008 to May 2009 and the list of vehicles with the biggest gains include:

• Lincoln Town Car (up 103%)
• Chevrolet Express (up 11%)
• Cadillac Escalade (up 21%)
• Buick Enclave (up 40%)
• GMC Yukon (up 43%)
• Pontiac G8 (up 70%)

When you look at the list, it becomes clear we’re a pretty funny bunch. Even though we KNOW gas prices are going to rise again…and even though we KNOW there might be a better choice for the planet…there’s just NO WAY we can pass up a smokin’ hot price on an Escalade.

So, I’m not alone: there are, apparently, a few of us caught deciding between “what we’ve always wanted” and “what we should probably do”. Regardless, I’m glad to hear any story about the auto industry that includes the word “gain”. I’m also happy that there’s some public preference for buying domestic vehicles…especially since we bought the companies.

On another note, I’d appreciate a little help finding a 72 Cutlass 442 convertible…with factory surround, GPS and Bluetooth.