What are the Top 10 things you must have in your car?
What are those items that you always bring with you on an inaugural ride in a brand new car, or those things that you transport from one vehicle to the next that you can't live without? Automotoportal posted a list of the Top Things You Must Have in Your Car and for the most part we wholeheartedly disagree with the choices (the full list can be found after the jump). Lip balm? A Candy bar? Those hardly make the cut of must have items for motoring in our book. We did agree with the inclusion of the American Map 2007 U.S. Road Atlas, although we'd prefer a portable sat-nav system to the old ink and parchment. The meager pen is also a must have for scribbling missives while tooling along or penning a good-bye letter when stranded in a snow drift. Sure, a first-aid kit is a good idea, but don't spend your own money on that, let your mother buy it as a Christmas or Chanukah present. And a flashlight? I always have two of them with me when driving; they're called the left and right headlights. Joking aside, if you're going for essentials then where's the bottled water, extra quart of oil, blanket and road flares?
Missing from the list entirely is spare change, and lots of it. And we're not talking about pennies here, we mean quarters. Quarters are about ten times more valuable inside a car than out because you can hardly ever find one when it's time to pay the piper his toll fee. Kudos to the first company who installs a portable mint in the glovebox to produce quarters on demand, we'd take that over heated and cooled cup holders any day. The Automotoportal list also doesn't include any tuneage. At this point I'd rather listen to silence while driving than local radio, so if there's no iPod or satellite radio handy than we need to inform Houston we have a problem.
What items do you need with you at all times in the car? If you answer lip balm, you will be made fun of.
[Source: Automotoportal]
Top 10 Things You Must Have in Your Car (from Automotoportal):
1) American Map 2007 U.S. Road Atlas - The must-have! This brand new edition -- the gold standard of road atlases -- delivers all the features of a deluxe atlas at a price you'd expect to pay for an atlas with much less to offer. With colorful, easy-to-read maps, spiral binding, and accuracy guaranteed, this item is a necessity for every driver on the road.
2) Umbrella - "Murphy's Law" - It will rain on the day you have that important client meeting.
3) Pen - We all do business and take messages in the car.
4) Flashlight - Everyone drives at night; make sure you're not left in the dark.
5) First Aid Kit - You never know when you'll need a band aid - and won't have one in the car.
6) Tire Gauge - In this time of skyrocketing gas prices, correct tire pressure will increase gas mileage.
7) Sunglasses - Two words - sun glare!
8) Lip Balm - Might not be essential, but it's nice to have in the glove compartment.
9) Air Freshener - Whether it's takeout food or hockey equipment, no one wants their car to smell like the stuff we transport.
10) Candy Bar - As you go from point "A" to point "B" and you don't want to stop, you might need a quick snack.
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Matt Thomas 10:00AM (10/06/2006)
Why does the list have Lip Balm, Air Freshener, and Candy Bar but no Jumper Cables? Horrible list!
Reply
Dr. Woo 10:02AM (10/06/2006)
Hand sanitizer. A quick clean so those grimy, sweaty hands feel less like blasphemy while holding that leather-wrapped steering wheel.
Travel Kleenex. I run into problems with a runny nose pretty often. Which leads me to my next one...
Spitoon. Yeah, gross...but during those seasons (Spring and Summer) where my allergies are at their most heinous, it's nice to have somewhere to spit all that gross nose stuff rather than all along the side of your car or...God forbid...not spitting it out.
Condoms. 'cuz ya never know.
Small towels. For cleaning messes or just cleaning for cleaning's sake. I also have a small bottle of water-Woolite mixture specifically for cleaning off the leather and dash material.
Handsfree device. I have a stir-it-yourself gearbox, so talking with a handset is not just dangerous, it's damn near impossible.
I agree with many of the above, but definitely not the air freshener. I like the natural smell of a car, and since I keep mine clean (eating is most assuredly NOT allowed in my car), I never have to worry about funk. My 2001 Audi A4, when I sold it in March of this year (2006), still smelled brand-new.
Reply
mattlach 10:09AM (10/06/2006)
1.) Radar detector
2.) Jumper Cables
3.) Spare DI Casette (Because I drive a Saab)
4.) Sunglasses
Reply
CanuckGreg 10:16AM (10/06/2006)
Add to list: Leatherman tool (or similar), roll of duct tape.
Reply
dp 10:18AM (10/06/2006)
Lip Balm! j/k
My Top 3:
1. Phone charger
2. DVD Player (essential when travelling with kids)
3. Sunglasses
Reply
JT 5:55PM (10/06/2006)
Hazmat suit. As a scientist, I'm constantly working with materials that threaten life on a global scale, and, sometimes, they spill.
Reply
Brian E 10:23AM (10/06/2006)
I have a towel in the rear window shelf of my car. Why? A real hip frood always knows where his towel is, of course.
It also comes in handy to wipe the condensation off the rear windows in the morning.
Reply
christopher 10:25AM (10/06/2006)
That is the wussiest list I've ever seen. What about a real emergency, like if you were stranded in your car for a night or broke down in the middle of nowhere? Lip balm is not going to change your tire, and sunglasses won't keep you warm in a blizzard. That's some guy who lives in the city and whose idea of an emergency is that the Starbucks is closed and he has to drive across town to find another. Here's a better list in no particular order:
1. Jumper cables
2. First aid kit
3. Blanket or sleeping bag
4. Spare tire with tire-changing tools
5. Cell phone or CB radio
6. Maps or GPS nav
7. Pen and paper
8. Water and dry food, like GORP or granola bar
9. Flashlight, preferably rechargeable or hand-crank
10. Basic toolbox with enough tools to make quick repairs.
Reply
TheClassic 10:31AM (10/06/2006)
1. Engine
2. Transmission
3. Gasoline
4. Oil
5. Steering wheel
6. Brake pedal
7. Gas pedal
8. Blonde
9. Brunette
10. Redhead
Reply
Jason_801 10:34AM (10/06/2006)
I'll make the Canadian list, being one myself:
Hockey stick / helmet
Emergency bacon / maple syrup
False teeth (see hockey gear)
Parka / winter hat (year round)
Mouth guard (for when the moose you just hit comes through your windshield)
Tire chains (year round)
Case of beer (Molson, some in the trunk, one can in your hand while driving)
Razor and soap (just kidding)
Antifreeze (for your beer)
Snowshoes (on the roof ski-rack)
Eight flannel shirts (aka, your entire closet)
Bright orange hunter's vest
Extra winter boots (on the dash)
Someone else can make a US-specific one. :)
Reply
vinay menon 10:38AM (10/06/2006)
Number ONE item I need in a car:
1. C L U T CH P E D A L
Reply
Accordsforall 10:39AM (10/06/2006)
Dont forget a case of engine oil, wiper fluid, rock salt, small shovel, enough stuff to get ya out of a jam all the while reducing ya trunk space by 15%.
I could add tire chains, jumper cables, full emergency tool kit, and duct tape.
Dump the blond, brunette and or red head.. especially if they are driving.. theres too much air in either of them. And real men dont need leather wheels.. or leather interior. Just put on rubber floor mats front and rear.. a good bon jovi / aerosmith / u2 / depesche mode / inxs CD.. and life is made.
Reply
MikeW 10:42AM (10/06/2006)
Why the booster cables? Most new cars have battery run down protection.
Propel/Gatorade endurance
MRE/powerbar
Cash/Credit card/ATM card
Passport
Telescopic self defense baton
Retroreflective strap
Windex/paper towels
LED headlight/Inova T5/lithium AAAs & 123s
Rechargeable tire inflator/backup handpump
Bionic driving gloves
Reply
DC_1 10:45AM (10/06/2006)
Beyonce CD.
Gum.
Cell Phone.
Reply
mavkato 10:43AM (10/06/2006)
jumper cables
basic tools - wrenches, screwdrivers, etc
duct tape
flashlight - Mag Lite w/4 D-cells - useful for any nighttime emergencies (my headlights are aligned properly so that they don't shine on the sides of my truck) also useful as a tire iron and protection in bad neighborhoods
Reply
Jason_801 10:43AM (10/06/2006)
You just used "real men" and "INXS" in the same paragraph.
Reply
Greg A. 10:47AM (10/06/2006)
AAA membership card
Reply
mattlach 10:52AM (10/06/2006)
Christopher:
Why would anyone ever want to drive further than 30 miles from a major metropolitan center? :p
I'm disappointed enough that my commute takes me 30miles from Boston. If I had the option I'd never leave the city :p
Reply
Steve0 10:58AM (10/06/2006)
As a Cooper S driver, I don't have much stowage space so I have to keep the item list on the lighter side. I am OCD when it comes to a neat & clean interior, so I keep most items in a little backpack in the "trunk":
--Sunglasses (in the door pocket)
--Phone & iPod chargers (glovebox)
--Cleaning towel (rolled up & stowed under the drivers seat for easy access)
In my "go bag":
--Chamois
--Fleece blanket
--Tire pressure gauge
--Quart of oil
--Carnuba wax
--Jumper cables
Reply
thesawzall 10:58AM (10/06/2006)
If you're bringing the iPod or other mp3 player in my case, gotta bring the FM transmitter.
And yes with some GPS devices coming into the $200 range, I hope to replace my collection of not so useful maps on the short list soon.
Reply