Day 270
Earlier this week we made plans to drive an hour south to a larger town to do some shopping. Today was the day.
We wanted to try a new BBQ place our son-in-law raved about so we headed there first. It was our first time visiting so we mistakenly walked through a door which housed the ‘pit’. The gentleman smoking the meat simply smiled and said, “First time here”? We chuckled and said yes as he offered to walk us to the restaurant. He explained the menu and the pricing and welcomed us to the restaurant.
We both had beef brisket sandwiches with a couple of sides. It was SO good. The food was cooked to perfection.
Once we had eaten, we decided to test drive a couple of cars. There is only one dealership in our little town, so this was a chance to see and drive a few other options. We drove (and by that I mean hubby drove) four different cars. They were all very nice current models which means they were packed to the brim with gadgets and new safety features.
On-screen displays, navigation that displays the posted speed limit, lane change assist, safe driving distance monitor, weather alerts — heck your car can even find you a hotel room for the night. It was a bit much for my liking but it is the thing now for most new cars.
Both the sales people were great and there was no pressure at all at either dealership. We left with a lot to discuss.
After a couple of other brief stops, we headed home. I looked up a few reviews on the cars we drove. These safety features have some major glitches. Do I want a car that can stop me of its own accord? One reviewer complained that in fog, the lane assist features do not work and the cruise control gets completely disabled. The more I read about the features, the more I questioned having a computer in so much control. One car will center itself in a parking spot. The cars beep at you and brake for you if you make mistakes (and most of the beeping cannot be turned off). A person once crashed a car because he thought the car would stop itself when it was parked. It didn’t. Two cars got hit that day.
One of the cars had so many buttons on the steering wheel there was scarcely room for your hands to rest.
Too many gadgets for me! Inspector Gadget would have a hard time.
Luckily, we are in the early stages of looking and driving. Much to think about.
And, oh, yes, I failed to mention how expensive new cars are. There will be much research before any purchase is made.
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