San Diego Auto Repair

Car owners and manufacturers are always trying to stand out from the crowd, and understandably so; we all know someone who drives a blue Honda Civic. Some car features are the result of a safety idea, like the seat belts that slide across the door frame and buckle themselves (look ma, no hands!). Other features sound good in theory but are impractical, some scream ridiculous wealth, and some are just plain silly (fake bullet hole stickers, we're talking about you). Here is our list of those more ridiculous car features:

Top 10 Most Ridiculous Car Features

1. We'll start with an easy one: The Nissan Cube's headliner. The designers of the rectangle on wheels decided to think outside the box when decorating the interior. The juxtaposition of circular ripples on a car that shares its name with a uniform 3-D square is obviously a bit ridiculous.
2. If you thought the Cube's headliner was out there, check out the Rolls-Royce starlight headliner. Not too sure on what the selling point would be on this one. Sure, city dwellers can't see too many stars because of light pollution, but having them overhead while on the road seems a bit distracting. Maybe it's big in places where they drive on the left...
3. There is no shortage of ridiculous features offered at Rolls-Royce, apparently. The Rolls Royce Ghost comes with its own door-mounted umbrella! People who can afford a Rolls-Royce can surely afford their own umbrella, but just in case they need one mounted inside their car door, Rolls-Royce has them covered.
4. Since we are on the subject of needless luxury, let's take a look at the Aston Martin AMVOX2 Transponder Rapide. It's a $34,000 wristwatch that doubles as a key. Controls allow the user to lock or unlock the doors, along with other standard features. If you don't like wearing a watch you could settle for the standard sapphire key fob.
5. Hate parallel parking? You're not alone. Self-parking technology was first introduced by Lexus in 2006, and similar systems are now found in cars made by Ford, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercury, and Toyota. Great idea for those who don't like squeezing into tight spots, but it will be interesting to see if those robots have the maneuverability to actually get into those tricky spaces.
6. It won't be interesting to see robots screw up when they are controlling Google's new self-driving car. Now legal in California, the scientists at Google hope to have the contraptions on public roads within five years. The car currently must have a human passenger as a safety measure, but what would happen if there was no human? Would a cop be able to convince the robot to pull over? Would the robot be ticketed?
7. Only two specimens in time have been able to walk on land and on water, and only one has been recorded doing so (do a YouTube search for the basilisk lizard, aka the Jesus Christ lizard). In the late 90's the Watercar Python joined this exclusive club. With a rudder attached to the rear, and the backseat designed like a boat, drivers could transition from leaving exhaust in their trail to leaving a wake without exiting their vehicle.
8. You knew it would be on here somewhere: spinning rims. Popularized in rap songs and last decade's ultimate symbol of being trendy, spinners serve no real purpose besides being flashy. When dropping your kid off at soccer practice, nothing says 'cool' quite like screeching to halt in your SUV, rims still spinning, windows down, hip hop on full blast.
9. How about a car that is almost a ridiculous feature in its entirety? The Pontiac Aztek debuted at the turn of the millennium and disappeared as quickly as it came. The compartments on the back of the seats detached and became backpacks, there was an ice chest in the center console, the backseats folded down into a full size bed, a tent and inflatable mattress were built into the rear compartment, and the back hatch converted into a camper. Sounds pretty cool, but consumers could not ignore its hideous exterior.
10. If you thought the Aztek was a bit ridiculous, the Dartz Prombron Monaco Red Edition is plain absurd. With an exterior that looks like a Lego Hummer, gold-plated bullet-proof windows that are 7cm thick, gold-plated control guages encrusted with gems, three bottles of vodka included, and kevlar coating, this car is a shoo-in. I'll let you do your own research on the leather interior, audio system, and exhaust.

Does your car have any ridiculous features? Let us know!