I would like to know what are the things we should ask for before buying a car such as music system, mobile charger, cigar lighter etc etc. ( for extra comfort )

Please post things that are inside your car/SUV/MUV.

Thanks in advance.

Whilst pondering the extra comfort that a cigar lighter might give, I'll add I always make sure I have cup-holders, oh, and brakes.

I consider central locking essential - for one's personal safety against things like car-jacking.

I bought a new car a year ago and while I was looking at factors like central locking and fuel economy, my teenage daughter was concerned with only three things - that the car was a "cool" colour, and that it had a CD player and cup holders.

Having just bought a new car, the things important to me were air conditioning, power steering and finally the colour (for which I paid extra).

I haven`t much to add except to agree that air-con,power steering and central locking are almost essential these days.
A cup holder can be handy and a spare wheel with a jack is absolutely needed.
The sound system is the last thing of value to safe driving and it`s really something that can be added after you buy the vehicle, as with a cigarette lighter, mobile charger,dvd player etc.
The colour plays a part in your comfort if you are in an area of extreme temperatures. White would be best for a hot environment and black for a cold one.
I have a vhf cb as well, but that`s only needed if you are traveling to remote areas.
A street directory is of great value as well.

If you do a lot of high speed freeway or turnpike driving, cruise control is helpful.

If you drive on a lot of toll roads or bridges, electric windows can be a real convenience.

I think it's worth it to spend a bit more and have a normal size spare tire instead of the 'kidie car' wheels that come standard.

I also think it's important to have a glove box that's lockable...just in case.

It also helps to have the same key that locks/unlocks the car be the same key that starts/turns off the car.

Mr. Simpleton here. I was always just glad the engine turned over and started. Beyond that, I never got too fussy. It's kind of funny - I have a car now that has A/C. Used to be I'd just stick my head out the window to cool off. Now I get to drive around like I'm in a hotel room or something. For me, the cars were the basic utensil. Luxuries didn't matter. I had a friend once whose car seats massaged passengers as they traveled. Goodness!, (and it WAS nice) but it comes down to personal happies and what you find important or necessary, I suppose. Golly, I'm such a "stick to the basics" sort. If the kiddies need a cup holder or something well, heck, I'd likely ask "Do you have a lap? Last I checked you did." That's just me, though. Good thing I never had kids of my own. Poor things! Likely miserable road trips all around.

If I were buying a new rig, I'd insist on a standard shift, V6 engine, a usable [non -bumper] jack, a real spare tire [ already on a rim, if possible] and a/c due to the intense heat down here.
And a CD player. Other than that, any color will do except maybe pink or purple, or something.

Four-wheel drive and a gun-rack in the back window.

Never would have thought that cup holders would be important, but I find that I really like them, now I have them. Electric windows have good and bad points - you need to have the key in the ignition in order to use them, so can't just send the kids out to roll up the windows if it looks like rain, can't leave someone in the car waiting for you without leaving them the key, so they can regulate temperature, etc. It would be nice if electric windows had a roll up option.
Never use my airconditioning, don't even know how to work it, after owning the car for a year. Couldn't live without the rear window defroster, though. Guess it's a question of climate.
Cruise control is essential, I do a lot of highway driving.
Another climate thing - block heater and a really good battery.
4wd probably not really essential - I live in the country, in a snowy place, and even so very rarely use the 4wd.

Don't you get a spare wheel and a wheel jack as standard equipment? Every car I have owned has had them as standard.

In the south, A/C is a must for anyone who isn't a masochist. Beyond that, all I really need is everything available.
The car has all the bells and whistles that came with it, but my home away from home is my full-size truck, 20 yrs. old in a few months. While it's nice to have auto door locks and buttons to open the hood and trunk, a good stereo system is essential on both. Nevermind that the truck is a workhorse, it's still immaculate, quiet and the super-cab makes it feel like being in a surround-sound theater.

Sue, in most American cars you get something known as a 'doughnut' in lieu of a real spare tire on a rim...I hate them with a passion, they are difficult to change, only good to get you to a station. Plus -they are ugly and make your car look pitiful and lopsided.

Doughnut spare tires are a pain.

I read recently that cupholders are one of the main things that people want in America in their car because so many of us eat a couple of meals a week, oh come on, let's be open, probably per day, in our vehicles.
However, like Agony, I find them very convenient.

One gadget that's a real bell and whistle but very nice to have, is the two driver adjustment. When one person is tall in the saddle, and the other one shorter, the car immediately adjusts for that when you press on your button, or, with your keys! I found that way cool.

The cars around here have seat warmers, but in CA you rarely need them.

In the Eastern states and the Midwestern states, I actually had a car without a rear window defroster which was sheer hell.

In the Southern States, I drove a car without Air Conditioning, and the hospital refused to release me with my baby till nightfall as they were afraid she'd succomb to heat prostration.

A bell and whistle, but a neat one is my Moon roof on my bug. That is so fun to play James Bond.

My bug has a bud vase for putting a flower in it, but that's pure fantasy. Do I put flowers in it? Sure I do.

Spare tyres are taken for granted in Britain, though a couple of BMWs have now stopped having them as apparently 'there isn't enough room'.

Other than that, I once had electric windows which was very useful, but not for a long time now. The only real essential for me is the radio, which is never off when I'm in the car, but luckily the easiest accesory to add to a car. This car has power steering, which is the best feature especially when turning round on our narrow roads here, but as others have said, all four wheels and brakes is the main thing, the rest is a bonus. Considering not long before I was born many cars didn't even have heaters I can easily manage without any of the luxuries I first discovered on a trip to the States in 1980, which our new cars are now slowly including, though I have yet to see any car in this country with a fuel consumption meter on the dashboard.

Mind you, for a very reasonable £1.99 I do have a little plastic cupholder attached to the front as well. Stops me spilling my cans when I eat on the move (I suspect we're not allowed to do that, but...).

You find out the darndest things about other habits and preferences on this site, don't you? Cup holders are a priority option on my $30k investment? (Probably not, if it's my money. More likely it'll be who makes it) No gas gauge? (Ah, that's what AAA is for) Doughnut tires are ugly and limited? (We call it a spare and not replacement for a good reason, written right on the tire itself).

If simplicity is necessary, I like fjohn's needs the best. My rack carries levels of various sizes, but easily converts to gun use.

Honestly, I came across the cupholder article while car shopping, so, here's a link. It's actually dealer information. Americans take their eating and drinking in the car seriously.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FJN/is_8_38/ai_n6156120

I've seen a survey indicating that the cup thing beat the gas mileage by far too. They weren't as concerned about fuel usage as they were their cup holders.

I don't doubt the capacity of Americans to be uniquely frivolous with their money; not for a second. I think we lead the world in that category. Sadly hilarious, but doesn't it make my chest puff out to know our cup holders are rated best in the world!

Besides all the neat stuff everybody else has already mentioned, I'd have to have an arm rest between the seats in addition to the one on the door. When traveling long distances, this is a must for me. Also a must is a good engine that's going to get me high miles per gallon of gas. With the high price of fuel these days, good fuel economy is the way to go.

Ok, here's my two cents, because I can NEVER resist tossing pennies at people.

I drove a 1991 Pontiac from almost the moment it was driven off the lot (well, I wasn't QUITE old enough, but I learned to drive on the thing) until it died a slow, painful death 11 years later. This car had most of the modern ammenities that folks are talking about, being newer, and if you're in it for the long haul on a car, it's worth thinking about these things for a moment.

First, the Grand Am, especially that vintage, wasn't known for it's workmanship, but I know this happens to other cars as well. After about 5 years, those wonderful automatic windows had to have the motors in the doors replaced or they wouldn't roll down. This had to be done again 5 years later. My new car (a 2002 Ford Escort) has manual windows!

The automatic locks lasted about 9 years, and then the wiring went all kinds of screwy and sometimes they worked and sometimes they didn't, and you could never tell which was which. However, unlike the windows, which simply STOPPED rolling down completely, the doors could still be locked and unlocked in the normal, manual manner, with keys and fingers. It was way to expensive to have the wiring fixed. We lived with it. My new car has manual locks!

Ultimately, the more electrical conveniences you add to a car, the more chances of an electrical problem, and then you run into things not working like they should. My arm will always be able to roll the window down in my new car. Since I plan on having this car until I can't drive it anymore, it's nice to know that in 10 years I won't have to replace any motor but my own. Same thing for the door locks. While the safety issue is a good one, electric locks are NOT neccessary to be safe. I lock my doors from the inside before I leave my driveway, and as soon as I get back into the car where ever I am. And I know that my doors will always lock and unlock properly.

I like the arm rest for long trips, though I've gotten used to not having one in my new car. I never thought I WOULD get used to it, and the first trip to Indianapolis in the new car was really uncomfortable, but you find other positions when you must.

Cup holders are important for me because I've got a toddler, and she ALWAYS has a cup with her. Also, if I'd known in January the year I bought my new car that by March I'd be pregnant, I would have gotten a 4-door instead of a 2-door. If there is ANY chance that you'll be carrying passengers regularly, spring the extra for 4 doors!!

Mileage is the way to go, and so MANY cars are available with the ability to use high-ethanol fuels these days, you might look into that.

My car has a nifty little thing that's basically a traveling ashtray. While I myself don't use either the car lighter or the ashtray in my car, the ashtray, of course, has many uses (coin holder, etc.) besides it's intended. And mine is made to fit in a cup holder, but is self-enclosed with a little hinged lid and can be moved from holder to holder, or just tossed in the glove box with the contents intact. It's MUCH nicer than a regular, fixed ashtray.

I can't really think of much else. The radio is almost always on in my car too, but it is of only secondary importance, because if there's no good music on, I just turn it off and sing. Having a trunk-popping button on the dash board is VERY nice, so you can pop your trunk to remove something without turning off your car. (You'd be surprised how often that is a situation.)

I agree wholehheartedly with Lothruin's point about electronic gadgets breaking down. When I finally had to bite the bullet and sell my '79 Lincoln, amost nothing inside the car worked. Once the windows refused to budge, either up or down, but stayed sorta halfway, I had to get rid of the car. The last two years I had it, none of the doors could be locked at all. That's not really that much of a problem where I live, anyway, and if kids got into my car overnight, none of them wanted to steal my 8 tracks! The trunk locked so I kept my insurance and registration in there. I was stopped for speeding once, and the look on the face of the cop was something to see, as, when he asked for license and registartion, I got out of the car and started to unlock the trunk. He stepped back about three feet, and his hand was over his holster as I reached in and got my paperwork. Could just see him thinking "Is this middle aged woman with a car full of kids going to bring a loaded shotgun up out of there, and start blasting?"

Hand controls. These are important items that help my better half maintain her independence from me and others. Also, she never drinks alcohol and I sometimes do. The hand controls mean I can be chauffeured if necessary.

An automatic gearbox (most cars come with a manual one as standard in UK). Not only is one needed for the above reason but it is just preferred anyway. Driving a car in heavy traffic is not quite so bad if the car has an automatic box.

Air conditioning for sure.

A simple radio rather than a music centre is OK.

I have power windows, power doors, a car alarm, and Lojack (in case the car is stolen...it can be found asap).

When I bought the car, it was only two years old and had 11,000 miles on it. It has cupholders, AM/FM radio, cassette player, air conditioning, heating, anti-lock brakes, power side mirrors, anti-glare rearview mirror, fold down back seats for more trunk space (if needed). Inside the trunk there is a lever for if one is ever locked inside the trunk. The car's colour is silver.

The only thing the car doesn't have is an ashtray and lighter, as Honda makes non-smoking cars, so I bought an ashtray and always carry my lighter with me.

Quote:

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Does it still have the lighter socket for plugging in handy items such as a phone charger, tyre pump etc?

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Yes, it still has the lighter socket for plugging in cell phones, tire pumps, personal CD players, etc.

I didn't find out until after I purchased my car and signed the neccessary paperwork, that I could have bought the "smoker's kit" for my car. The kit included a built in ashtray and lighter for about $500.00 dollars.