# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 3)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [January 29, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157 "2026-01-29T18:21:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 126
### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2026, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2501 "2026-08-01T15:35:34Z")
Here’s the current standing of the car poll. I have to say, I’m not certain what all of these are:
> Some car buyers are deliberately seeking out used or new models that have minimal or no “high tech” gadgetry. Which of these features would you rather do _without_, i.e. don’t want or need?
>
> - 88%AI to counsel you about life’s stressors
Presumably a joke
> - 77%Touch controls instead of physical knobs
> - 66%A virtual assistant to help you find things
Not sure what this is. A map function to help you find a coffee shop? Sometime to help you find the sunglasses you lost in the car?
> - 66%Breathalyzer to determine sobriety
> - 55%Self-driving capability
> - 55%Tracker(s) so authorities can find you
> - 44%Alert when you don’t immediately move forward at stop signs and red lights
Is this the one that beeps when the car in front of you moves? I mostly have it go off in traffic jams, not at lights/stop signs, but I’m guessing that’s what you’re describing.
> - 44%Digital readouts for speed, gas tank status etc.
> - 44%Infrared camera to monitor driver alertness
> - 44%Touchscreen display
> - 33%A neat car phone like Mannix had
Another joke, presumably, although i don’t know the reference.
> - 33%Mini-spare tire instead of full-sized one
> - 33%No AM radio
> - 22%Alert when detecting cross traffic while you’re backing up
> - 22%Lane departure warning
> - 11%Automatic transmission
> - 0%Air bags
> - 0%Back-up camera
Anyway, I’m pretty sure the breathalyzer is only put in cars with a court order, not new from the dealer, but it wouldn’t bother me, unless it’s likely to malfunction. No one ever drives my car drunk. (My husband is a teetotaler, so if i have even a glass or two of wine, he drives home.)
I think the tracker is a premium feature that lots of people like, because it’s primary use is to alert the authorities if you are in a bad enough accident that you can’t exit the car on your own.
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### Author:  [@Jegpeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jegpeg)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2502 "2026-08-01T16:46:39Z")
Can I switch off / not use these features. I have no problem with a car that has the ability to drone on about life’s stresses as long as I don’t have to listen to it.
One I found interesting was “mini spare tire instead of full size one”. I haven’t seen a car, of the type I drive with a full size spare tyre/tire for years, I probably couldn’t fit it in the boot/trunk without folding down the back seats.
Here the option is a mini spare tyre or a can of gunge and compressed air which which may be able to seal a whole in your tire if it is small enough until to get to a fitting station but will meen the tyre needs to be replaced rather than repaired when you get there. The last two cars I bought I paid extra to get a mini spare tire.
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### Author:  [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2026, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2503 "2026-08-01T19:27:45Z")
My vote assumes the current state of self driving technology. If they ever get good enough at it to be reliable on the roads around here, then I do want it.
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### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2026, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2504 "2026-08-01T23:02:27Z")
We just ordered sinks like that for our master bath. They will be Taj Mahal quartzite (same as countertop). It’s just for teeth brushing and hand washing. We will have a “utility sink” not far away for filling up watering cans and for making coffee. I’ll report back in October when it’s finished.
A similar sink (we’ll have two) can be seen in the photo on this page:
[Why Taj Mahal Quartzite is the Definitive Choice Over Synthetic Counterparts in 2026 - ESTA STONE](https://whitemarblegranite.com/why-taj-mahal-quartzite-is-the-definitive-choice-over-synthetic-counterparts-in-2026/)
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2026, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2505 "2026-08-01T23:39:47Z")
It’s not a style of sink i especially like, but i don’t dislike it, either. If that’s what was in style, and it was a moderately priced option, i might get it
I do wonder how it works for shaving (my husband) and hand washing garments (me), though.
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### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2026, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2506 "2026-08-02T00:04:47Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> I do wonder how it works for shaving (my husband) and hand washing garments (me), though.
I think it would be fine for shaving. It might be a problem for handwashing garments. But, as I said, we have another sink nearby for projects like that.
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### Author:  [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2026, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2507 "2026-08-02T00:17:01Z")
> [@Jegpeg](#):
>
> Here the option is a mini spare tyre or a can of gunge and compressed air which which may be able to seal a whole in your tire if it is small enough until to get to a fitting station but will meen the tyre needs to be replaced rather than repaired when you get there. The last two cars I bought I paid extra to get a mini spare tire.
Same here, my wife’s 2024 Rav4 Prime had a donut spare as a _luxury_ add-on. My 2025 Prius PHEV has the goop plus compressed air, and it’s $700 for a custom donut spare and install. It’s not included in _any_ trim level by default.
I kept it, but added a USB charged air compressor with tire plugs and sealant as a much more useful emergency road puncture option.
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2026, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2508 "2026-08-02T00:25:24Z")
> [@Procrustus](#):
>
> > [@puzzlegal](#):
> >
> > I do wonder how it works for shaving (my husband) and hand washing garments (me), though.
>
> I think it would be fine for shaving. It might be a problem for handwashing garments. But, as I said, we have another sink nearby for projects like that.
So there’s a way to stop the drain?
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### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2026, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2509 "2026-08-02T00:26:01Z")
I honestly don’t know. I’ll report back
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2026, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2510 "2026-08-02T01:01:08Z")
My husband needs to stop the drain to shave. That’s why i asked.
Sinks shaped like that have become common in public restrooms. Maybe they’re easier to clean? Maybe they just look cool? Anyway, they seem completely fine for hand washing.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2026, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2511 "2026-08-02T04:04:07Z")
The only “hospital film” I really liked was K-Pax. However- _The Road to Wellville_ was pretty good. Neither were listed.
Sure i agree that One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest was well acted, but I didnt _like_ it.
> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> My husband needs to stop the drain to shave.
I prefer to do that, but I can work with running water, but that’s a bit of a waste, eh?
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### Author:  [@Jegpeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jegpeg)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2026, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2512 "2026-08-02T08:34:18Z")
In Europe I think a lot if it is down to regulations.
The manufactures have to improve the efficiency of their fleet (measured my fuel consumption over a standard “journey”). The tests are done with the standard equipment for each model. If the high trim model had a spare wheel as standard it would be be in in the car for the test, the extra weight would adversely affect the reported fuel economy.
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2026, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2513 "2026-08-02T11:42:16Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> > [@puzzlegal](#):
> >
> > My husband needs to stop the drain to shave.
>
> I prefer to do that, but I can work with running water, but that’s a bit of a waste, eh?
Well, I’m sure he’d find some way to manage. But we have two sinks in the ensuite bathroom, and the stopper never worked in mine, and i finally just replaced it with a little mesh cup, so hair doesn’t get stuck in the pipes. And he asked, “how do you stop it to fill the sink”. I told him i use his sink when i need to fill the sink.
He’d be pretty sad if his bathroom sink wasn’t fully functional, and for him, that includes being able to fill the basin.
(I sometimes wash a garment or two in a hotel sink where i can’t fill the basin. Not only does it take more water, it doesn’t work as well.)
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### Author:  [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2026, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2514 "2026-08-02T11:47:13Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> Sinks shaped like that have become common in public restrooms.
The mall near us, which opened in 2017, has sinks like those. Probably because of that I think of that sink style as institutional and wouldn’t have it in my home.
> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> He’d be pretty sad if his bathroom sink wasn’t fully functional, and for him, that includes being able to fill the basin.
When we renovated our bathrooms (coincidentally the same year the mall opened), almost none of the available sinks that appealed to us had stoppers or overflow drain. It would have really restricted our choices if that was mandatory for us.
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2026, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2515 "2026-08-02T12:00:36Z")
That’s interesting. All the sinks i considered had both, mine is just defective.
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### Author:  [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2026, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2516 "2026-08-02T16:40:25Z")
I’ve been shaving for over 50 years, and I’ve never filled a sink to do so. Am I doing it wrong? What’s the purpose of filling the sink with water?
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2026, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2517 "2026-08-02T18:27:16Z")
If you shave with a blade, not electric, you rinse off the razor from time to time to get off the accumulated shaving cream and beard hairs. Now you can do that with running water or a sink full of hot water. The full sink uses less water.
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### Author:  [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2026, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2518 "2026-08-02T18:35:32Z")
I shave with a blade and just run the water briefly/intermittently while doing so.
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### Author:  [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2026, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2519 "2026-08-02T18:35:52Z")
I just turn on the tap for a second to rinse off the blade, then turn it off again and continue shaving. Doing that four or five times certainly doesn’t use more water than filling the sink.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2026, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2520 "2026-08-02T18:40:13Z")
Sure, but that’s just another preference. I have no idea which uses more water- and note we dont FILL the sink, just a couple inches of water.
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