While many of us are keen to extol the virtues of a car’s maximum speed or the time it takes to go from 0-60mph, for non-petrolheads there are far more important considerations to worry about. Personally, I don’t know the difference between a gearbox and a lunchbox,
so I present the five most important components on my car:
1. The Cupholders
The fact that the cupholders are the most important aspect of any car is so obvious that it’s barely worth mentioning. However, there are still plenty of Clarkson-wannabes who prefer to bang on about torque and horsepower, so it needs repeating.
When I sit in my car eating an overpriced chicken slice from a filling station, the last thing I want to worry about is whether my coffee cup will slide off the dashboard. My cupholders prevent me from such concerns, and are therefore irreplaceable. End of story.
2. The Stereo
Make no mistake, driving is mind-numbingly boring, so any journey of more than a mile without some music is simply unthinkable. I don’t care if it’s a death metal CD left behind by my daughter or the depressingly bouncy Chris Evans Show on the radio, you have to have some tunes.
Without the stereo doing its work, I would simply have to sing to keep my sanity, and that is a prospect that could have serious international repercussions. As the proud owner of a voice that can cut through brickwork, the threat to world peace is a major one.
3. The GPS
I could easily drive along an arrow-straight road with no turn-offs and still get lost, so the sat-nav system is a vital add-on for me. I like the fact that I can type in an address and the machine will get me there in the time it takes to, well, drive there.
My only complaint about my sat-nav is that I thought it would actually do the driving for me. It took a minor accident to convince me that this wasn’t the case. However, I think the GPS units of the future will do just that, and when that day comes I will be first in the queue to buy one.
4. Fold-down rear seats
Before acquiring a wife and children, I used to drive around in a two-seater sports car, and a very happy bunny I was, too. As the family expanded, I soon realised it was no longer practical, so I traded it in for a conformo-mobile that would suit husband, wife and 2.4 children.
Sometimes, though, I like to fold the rear seats down and pretend I’m still young, free and single. Although the top doesn’t fold down, I can at least open the sun roof and hold my hand out. It’s only a minor thing, but it makes me happy.
David Rice is a UK-based travel writer who is desperately clinging on to his past. He still calls Starburst sweets Opal Fruits. He rightly thinks the best place to find personal car leasing deals is on the Internet.
