should we or shouldn't we?
 

We have a 2009 Mariner with 75,000 miles. Runs fine, just thinking that perhaps we should upgrade to a newer car with latest technology, but cost is a factor.

Question is to keep current vehicle and spend @$1500 to use aftermarket tech or bite the bullet and buy newer vehicle, (Rav4, Niro,PriusV etc).:confused:

Asking for the collective wisdom of this forum for thoughts.

Thanks.

Re: should we or shouldn't we?
 

I have 6 cars. The newest and lowest mile is a 2008 Prius w/140K.

I really don't understand the question. The car is likely barely at the 50% mark in terms of life.

What means this, "$1500 to use aftermarket tech"?

Re: should we or shouldn't we?
 

Question is to buy a newer car or not to take advantage of recent technology:

Forward Collision warning/braking, Blind Spot monitoring, Back up camera. Most of these are available with aftermarket accessories.

Re: should we or shouldn't we?
 

Ah. I can't comment on that. I just don't care about any of that stuff. It has no value to me whatsoever. Those types of systems are really just compensating for being a bad driver. I try to be a good attentive driver, thus I don't need any of that. Being a better driver has benefits beyond what those systems may offer.

Again, newest car is 08 with 140K, so you can see my perspective is skewed.

Re: should we or shouldn't we?
 

I use the backup camera all the time. Without it you can never be certain that a child hasn't wandered behind the vehicle. The blind spot monitor works well too. I do agree that an attentive driver would not need the blind spot monitor, but I'd rather have it than not have it. No amount of attentiveness will prevent a small child from running unexpectedly behind the vehicle so for that reason I will never own a vehicle without a backup camera again. Plus, it's very helpful for backing out of tight spots especially if you get the ones with the backing lines that move with the steering wheel.

Adaptive Cruise Control is great feature and works really well. I use it a lot on longer road trips.

Collision Warning is a step in the right direction, but it's use is limited because it does not actively avoid a collision...at least on our 2017 Ford Explorer it doesn't. It will precharge the brakes, but you still have to put your foot on the brake pedal.

I haven't researched the aftermarket stuff yet, but I'm having a hard time believing they could even come close to competing with the features that were designed into the vehicle from the start.

Re: should we or shouldn't we?
 

Good question. If you have the cash, a newer vehicle is always nice. But your MMH is still relatively new. Note that of the choices only the Rav4 Hybrid has awd.

I have used a Mobileye 560 on my FEH for a couple of years. I found ways to get the cost down to about $700cdn. I find it works surprisingly well. I can't say if it has saved me any accidents, but I certainly would have had a few close calls without it. It does not control any vehicle systems, but does give a variety of warnings with a variety of urgency.

There are a lot of FCW and LDW aftermarket systems, but the only ones that work well are ones that tie into the car's CAN bus for data such as speed. The precision required can only be gained from the bus. Determining speed via gps signals, as most of them do, is far too crude for driving situations.

Do not buy the older Mobileye systems. Although they are cheap, they fail. Mobileye won't help you.

I find the Mobileye FCW and LDW surprisingly accurate. FCW especially, and even in conditions you would not imagine it would work. LDW does not work on gravel roads or roads completely covered with snow. But humans don't use lane lines where they don't exist either.

I assume your MMH has backup sensors. I prefer them to a backup cam because the cam occupies your eyes so you're not watching things like front end swing. The disadvantage of the sensors is that they won't warn you if you're about to back over a cliff.

I also assume your MMH has the navigation unit. Although an aftermarket system would lose the hybrid data display, even $400 aftermarket systems are vastly superior with vastly more features.

An '09 MMH with a Mobileye system, backup cam and contemporary head unit would be quite nice, I think.

Re: should we or shouldn't we?
 

I find this a tiresome perspective. Do you also think seatbelts, headrests, crash structures, disc brakes and collapsible steering columns are not needed by skilled drivers?

Why do aircraft have even more safety systems than cars despite their operators being far more skilled and trained?

Do you think you will never fall asleep during your driving life? You may be in for a surprise during a pleasant dream some day.

How about protection from others making mistakes?

Not that I'm against drivers being competent and driving responsibly. Why not add another layer of protection? Car crashes are awful, you know.

Re: should we or shouldn't we?
 

I'm just the opposite. My 06 MMH has almost 300k on her and I'm as happy as can be with what options it has on it. ;)