Headlights serve two purposes. To help you see, and to help other drivers see you. I’ve never let my headlights get so gunked up that I couldn’t see where I was going, but I have definitely had problems seeing other cars in poor visibility conditions because they were driving around with a thick coating of muck on their headlights.
And what makes you think they are only available on luxury cars? Particularly headlight washers seem to be standard equipment on newer cars around here.
Sound of garage door opening. The parents are coming to visit. They always have to come in through the garage, not the front door. Why? So dad can play with the garage door.
Mom walks in.
Mom, with concern: “Your trunk is open!”
Me: “I know. It’s ok.”
Blank, worried look on mom’s face.
Me: “REALLY, it’s ok. I don’t have a light in my trunk.”
Mom: “You don’t have a light in your trunk! Are you sure?”
Dad walks in.
Dad: “Your trunk is open!”
Me: “I know, it’s ok, I don’t have a light in my trunk.”
Dad: “You don’t have a light in your trunk! Are you sure?”
Me: “Yes, I’ve checked. I’ve left my trunk open all night and it doesn’t kill the battery. It’s ok.”
Both parents look at car with concern.
Brother walks into the room.
Chorus from the parents: “She left her trunk open!”
Brother sighs. “I know, she does that. She’s weird. It’s ok, she doesn’t have a light in her trunk.”
Parents turn to me: “Why don’t you have a light in your trunk?”
Me: “I don’t know. Maybe because it’s the cheapest model of Honda I could get?”
Sigh. I’m the only one in my family who likes a non-frills car. I do have air conditioning, because I live in the south and it gets hot. But I don’t like power steering, power brakes, electric windows, or automatic transmission. The only thing I regret is not getting a stereo. I was going to get a better one put in later, and you know how that goes…
Oh, but I like the remote control unlock feature. My brother has it, and it much quicker than waiting for him to get into the car, then unlock the other door.
(Just to make it interesting, some of your frills I actually like :))
** Individual climate control? quit complaining and button your coat… I’m quite comfortable.**
Depends on the size of the car. With minivans/SUV’s it’s nice to have separate controls for the rear and front, which are often at wildly different temps.
**Power seats? How many times do you actually have to adjust your seat 6 different directions? **
As a person of height, I almost always have to adjust a seat in all six directions. The memory feature on some luxury models is super-sweet, since it lets two people of very different heights share a car with a little more convenience.
Headlight wipers and washers… On a car? Planning on mud covering up the front of the Mercedes?
Well, yes, actually. For the reasons other people said, plus bear in mind that Mercedes owners often have country houses.
Infra-Red sensor? If it’s really that foggy, should you really be driving?
Useful if you have to drive through low-lying areas, where fog is patchy. The real problem is when you’re driving and all of a sudden the road drops into fog with no warning.
Back up alarm? Use a mirror.
No, just drive a smaller damn vehicle! 
Pop down TV’s/DVD monitors? My dad always just told us to shut up and look out the window for entertainment.
When I was a kid, before long trips I used to load up on portable, handheld entertainment devices called books.
A couple of other things I like:
I do appreciate bunwarmer seats. Of course, I really prefer a cloth interior, but I realize that anyone with kids will choose leather, and then the bunwarmers really are handy. I’ve heard they’re even coming up with bunchillers for warmer climes, which would be nice when you’re wearing shorts and the seats are 130 degrees.
Radio controls on the steering wheel. I agree it depends on where they’re placed, but it sure beats listening to obnoxious ads until you can safely twiddle with the dial.
Feature I’d really like to see for hot weather: a sensor that detects interior temperature and the presence of a beating heart, with a link to the police or animal welfare to catch these yutzes who leave their babies and dogs in parked cars.
I actually like the idea of having a first aid kit in the back of an SUV, but then, I actually take the off-road vehicle off road for biking, hiking, etc.
Granted, you can always pack your own, but it’s nice to have one with its own storage space that is always there just in case.
Does anyone else get the sneaking suspicion that for every option that seems frivolous, someone will come along and assert their need for it?
Maybe there is a reason for all these features.
Now if I could only find a dealer who’ll throw in the 'CD dangling from the rear view mirror" option for free…
I’m just waiting for a car that comes with the bumper stickers already on it. For people who are too lazy to give their personality some definition.
Unless you drive a 1924 Honda, I can assure you, you have power brakes on that baby. 
I don’t. Trust me, our Renault Clio is about as far down the options list as you can get. The first time I stepped into my driving instructors Mazda with PAS, PAB, electric windows I really was bowled over. Just about every device mentioned above, I’ve been so long without them I really see it as totally superfluous.
A Clio without power-assisted brakes? I find that hard to believe. No ABS, sure. But no power brakes?
What year is it?
Every car younger than 30 years I’ve ever driven has had power brakes.
Driving my Mazda a few years back, I pulled up to the ATM. I couldn’t quite reach, so I opened the door just a crack with my head still hanging out of the window…and the automatic seat belt nearly strangled me. Gawd, I hated that thing.
Conversely, I do love the “Miles Til Empty-ometer” so idiots like my husband know exactly when it’s time to start pushing.
I drove a plain jane '93 Geo Prizm until one month ago. Besides the power steering/power brakes, it had one “amenity” - power outside mirrors (don’t ask me why, i bought it used). So I had to unlock the doors manually, roll down the windows, etc. And it was fine - car still got me where I wanted it to go.
So I decided to buy a new car (having moved to the NE) and my main requrements were 4WD/AWD and 6 cylinders. Went for the new Outback w/ 6 cylinders. 6-cylinders are new to Subaru, so the only models that come w/ it are fully loaded.
So I’ve got remote entry, heated seats, heated mirrors, windshield wiper defrost (!), two sunroofs, etc.
Do I need this stuff? No…
Do I love it? Absolutely… (esp. with this winter we’re having here in CT - crazy, man, crazy)
Hey… dontcha go on knockin’ seatwarmers until you spend a winter in Ottawa, Canada. My dad’s car has leather seats, and trust me, seatwarmers sure are better than a frostbitten ass.
Of course, his car also came with automatic - I kid you not - windshield wipers. Yep. They have sensors. They know when it is raining. They start aaaalllll by themselves, and (bonus!) regulate their own speed.
Oy.
E.
Elenfair: my fathers Peugeot 406 has those rain sensors as well.
I think it’s the best invention since sliced bread!
For full-disclosure, I must admit: I am a keyless entry goon. 
I bought my Subaru used (“pre-owned”?), and it came with the feature. I don’t know if I would have paid extra for it, but it does give me a simple joy. It’s particularly useful when extra folx are riding in the car with me.
On the other hand, in looking for a car, I had all sorts of features thrust upon me…GPS, temperature gauges, seat control features, including my favorite, bunwarmers. I laughed out loud when the salesman tried to pitch the heated leather seats.
Someone in my family bought an SUV 'bout two years ago, and that came with a built-in picnic table. 
Me, I want my dash to light up light up like the cockpit of a Boing 777 when I turn that ignintion key! I want every option known to man and then some. I want computers and GPS. I want charge, temperature and pressure guages for all electrical, water and oil cooled component in the car. I want inside and ouside ambient temps. I want elevation, pitch and yaw guages. I want g-force guages for when I make fast turns. Dual climate control? Yes indeed. Heated and cooled seats? Natch. Voice command console to control it all? Damn right!
I want to be able to control and be aware of every single aspect of the car and how it’s feeling moment to moment. I don’t just want to open the doors to the car with a remote, I want the car to start, adjust the seats and climate control to my preferences and tune in the right music to match my mood before my ass actually hits the driver’s seat. I want all that with a manual tranny, sport suspension and monster power under the hood.
But most of all, every now and then, I’d like to be able to turn off all the toys with the flick of a switch and be able to drive it like I stole it.
We had thought the Med Kit that came with Mr. Athena’s Xterra was pretty dumb, until he sliced off the tip of his thumb while dicing some tomatos about 2 months ago. After frantically searching the house for some non-expired Bacitracin and some gauze, it suddenly occured to me that there was probably some of both in the med kit in the Xterra out in the driveway. Sure enough, there it was.
'course, had we been normal people who keep such stuff in the house, we probably wouldn’t have needed it.
I use my seat warmers with my leather seats all the time. I love 'em. How else can you ride with the top down when it’s 30 degrees out?!?
I was fortunate to get a truck that had pretty much what I wanted without frills. Automatic tranny, heavy duty cooling and transmission oil cooler (I live in Arizona), A/C (see previous comment), cruise control, split highback cloth seats and black rubber floor mat instead of carpet! It has a discreet two tone paint job to keep it from looking too plain. The dealer installed a Class IV hitch reciver and I had a camper shell and a decent stereo installed. Truck nirvana.
My first truck, a '64 Dodge I had in high school in the late seventies had optional factory equipment as well, a heater.
An automatic tranny, huh? You mean she came with the car? So you didn’t have to pick her up off the street? I guess that saves you from that Eddie Murphy-style embarassment…
Actually I think you’re right, it must be the length of time since it was last serviced (and perhaps my driving). It doesn’t have the other stuff though.
Well, get that puppy fixed then, lad! Brakes are not something to mess with.
I once spent NLG 2000 (say, $800) on an almost complete brake renewal for my ancient Peugeot 205. The car was a 1989, and was at that point over 9 years old. I traded it in only 4 months later, and got NLG 3500 for it. Still, I would not have liked to have driven the last 4 months with dodgy brakes… some things are worth the dough.
F’rinstance, this Saturday, my car will get four brand spanking new Toyo Roadmaster Tires (Lookie here! Coldie’s sponsoring the US economy!). My old Pirellis were far from gone, but have made me almost soil my pants one time too many. Six hundred Guilders? Gladly, if the alternative is sliding into an Italian canyon (which I nearly did a couple of weeks ago, correcting for a bit of hyperbole ;)).
Of course, this has nothing to do with Car Options you DON’T need. So carry on!
