Tag Archives: new car

May 8, 2026 · 7:09 am

It’s Official: I Love Adaptive Cruise Control (And What It Means For Self-Driving Cars)

Interior view of Tesla dashboard and steering wheel driving on highway with mountain sunset

In July of 2025, I bought a new car. It was actually the first wholly new car I’d ever bought. Prior to that, I’ve owned two used cars. Neither one of those cars had a model year within the decade I’d owned it. The first still had a tape deck. So, getting a brand new car with all the most up-to-date features you’d expect of a car made within the past eight years was a big deal.

Now, I could go on and on how much I love my new car. I could dedicate entire articles to how much I enjoy Apple Carplay, seats that don’t feel like a metal slab, and an air conditioning that’s actually reliable. But of all the features I’ve come to love about my new car, one in particular stands out. And that’s adaptive cruise control.

If you own a car made within the last four years, chances are you know what it is. You’ve probably used it to a point where it’s mundane. But for me, a guy who generally avoids long drives and lengthy road trips, it felt like a revelation. It also got me even more excited about the future of self-driving cars.

To appreciate this sentiment, I need to share a little anecdote. Even thought I bought my new car nearly a year ago, I didn’t take it on any long road trips. The furthest I drove it was to a relative’s house and that was barely a 40 minute drive. I admit I did have a bit of reluctance to take those drives. On top of not liking lengthy road trips in general, I felt protective of my new car. It’s the first new car I’d ever owned. The last thing I wanted was to put much strain on it. I know that sounds dumb, but that’s how I felt.

Then, I finally had to make a trip. My family planned a small get-together. But this time, the location wasn’t close. It was a two-hour drive away. I agreed to go. I wanted to go because this was one of those family get-togethers that was overdue. It marked the longest drive I’d done to date with this car. Since a good chunk of it would be on a major highway, I planned to use adaptive cruise control.

I admit I was a bit confused on the controls. I ended up watching some YouTube Shorts to learn how it operated. But once I got the hang of it, I was astonished by how well it worked. More importantly, it made that two-hour drive (which ended up being longer because of heavy traffic) much less stressful.

It felt like a natural evolution of cruise control. My previous car did have cruise control, but it rarely made driving easier. Whenever I went on road trips, I didn’t get many chances to use it. Traffic was too erratic and the roads did not support it, even on highways. But adaptive cruise control does a bit more than maintain speed.

When you pair it with lane control, the car essentially is on autopilot. It stays within a particular lane of the highway. And it uses sensors to detect whether there’s a car in front of you and whether it’s necessary to decelerate. You still need to keep your hands on the wheel. The car does have this beeping noise that reminds you to stay engaged. But that’s largely a safety thing. I understand it because this isn’t full self-driving. This is just making these long stretches of highway driving smoother, less stressful, and less strenuous.

I admit I didn’t know how effective it would be. I’ve heard mixed reviews of self-driving and adaptive cruise control features in cars. But my personal experience was remarkable. By the time I got to my destination, which ended up taking two-and-a-half hours because of traffic, I didn’t feel nearly as drained or sore as I usually did. It showed in how the get-together went. And when I drove back that same evening, I was sold. I don’t think I’ll ever buy another car without this feature.

It still took some getting used to. For the first few miles of using adaptive cruise control, I still culched the wheel like I often did with my old car. Eventually, I saw how effective it was at sensing other cars ahead, maintaining a certain speed, and staying within the lanes. There was still this weird feeling, having a car drive itself to some extent. I think it had less to do with trusting the technology and more to do with changing how I approached driving a car on a highway. I don’t know how common that feeling is. I suspect it might play a part in why people remain skeptical about self-driving cars. But for me, it got me genuinely excited for the future of this technology.

I understand that, as I’m writing this, fully autonomous cars aren’t where they need to be. Even though there are already robotaxi services like Waymo, the technology still has its share of kinks. And I suspect the public doesn’t trust self-driving cars, to say nothing of the companies producing them.

But it’s also worth remembering that this tends to happen a lot with new technology. It took a while for the public to trust cars. The novelty can be overwhelming and it takes time to get used to the idea. Eventually, the utility and economic advantages of cars overshadowed the reluctance. It didn’t happen overnight. It didn’t even happen in the span of a few years. All technology goes through periods of refinement, development, and regulatory approval. Self-driving cars will be no exception.

I don’t know when that time will come, but it feels a lot closer now. After having experienced the joys of adaptive cruise control in my new car, I’m honestly rooting for this technology even more. I understand there are skeptics. I don’t doubt there are real concerns about the safety, reliability, and overall impact of self-driving cars. In the end, it’s a simple calculus. Do the benefits outweigh the drawbacks? Society has made that calculation in the past. It did so with cars and it’ll do so again with self-driving cars.

As much as I love my new car at the moment, I know there will come a time when I prepare to buy a new one. Hopefully, when that time comes, the car I buy will have a self-driving feature. It’ll be something where I just get inside, input my destination, and relax for the duration of the drip, no matter how long or short it might be. If that’s an option, then what could that mean? Would that mean I suddenly feel more open to long trips? Would I travel more, go to new places, and meet new people? I don’t yet know, but I look forward to finding out.

My Excitement (And Hopes) For Buying My First New Car

I’ve never been much of a “car guy.” I’m not someone who gives much thought or passion to whatever I’m driving. To me, my car is just my car. It’s my way of getting around. Given where I live, it’s painfully necessary. Public transportation is present, but woefully inadequate.

Simply put, I need to have a car. And I’ve never cared much for style or features. I only care that it runs.

As a result, I’ve only ever owned two cars in my adult life. Both were bought used and with a fair amount of miles on them. My first car was a used Buick. It wasn’t pretty and it had few features, aside from air conditioning. But the previous owner hadn’t driven it much and it was fairly reliable. So, I drove that for years.

My second car was actually my parents’ old car. It was a Honda sedan and had far better features than my Buick, such as seat warmers, a GPS navigation system, and an AC that actually worked on hot days. After putting well over 60,000 miles on it, they sought to sell it and trade up for a new one. When I expressed interest, they gladly accommodated me. They even gave me a nice discount.

I’ve been driving that car ever since. And it has definitely shown its age. It’s so old that it still has a 6-CD changer. It’s also had increasingly expensive repair bills in recent years. It’s at a point where keeping it for much longer is going to be costlier than buying a new car.

And that’s why I’m genuinely excited about my next car. Because for once, I’m not just looking for something that runs. I’m looking to purchase a new car off the lot for the first time in my life.

That may not sound like such a novel concept. But since I’m not being a car guy, it’s going to be a new experience for me. I’ve been saving up money for quite some time now. I may not be able to afford anything luxurious, but I should be able to buy something that’s decent, up-to-date, and has features appropriate for this decade.

In addition, I hope that buying a new car will help change another perspective I’ve developed over the years. In general, I do not like long drives. If any trip means driving for more than two hours at most, I look for alternatives. It’s not that I can’t endure those drives. I just prefer not to.

I don’t know if it’s because of the cars I drive or if it’s just how I’m wired. But if I’m driving for more than a couple hours, my back starts hurting and so does my right shoulder. It becomes so painful and strenuous that I have to pull over at times, just to stretch. I also get very anxious when stuck in traffic, more so than most people.

Perhaps a new car with better seats and better features will change that. Maybe a car that has adaptive cruise control will make longer drives less strenuous and more enjoyable. Maybe I would be more inclined to go on more trips and visit more loved ones. In my area, I don’t live too far from major train stations. But the schedule is limited and the service isn’t always reliable. If a new car can change that, then maybe that’ll change how I approach other things in my life.

That’s my primary hope for this car. A part of me also hopes this is the last car I’ll ever buy. Because by the time I’m ready to let it go, self-driving cars will have advanced enough to make that unnecessary. But those hopes are remote. Unless I move somewhere with vastly better public transportation, I’ll likely need a car for many years to come.

I don’t need it to be fancy, futuristic, or big. I just need it to be reliable and comfortable. That way, I can see driving as less of a strain and more of a simple chore. If that opens up other opportunities along the way, then that’s just a nice bonus.

Why I’m Considering An Electric Car In The Future (And Why You Should Too)

The Tesla Buying Experience Is 10× Nicer Than The Auto Dealer Buying Experience - CleanTechnica

When it comes to upgrading technology, I like to be near the front of the line. That’s not to say I’m the kind of person who will camp out in front of an Apple store for two weeks to get a new iPhone. I love technology, but not that much. I’m more inclined to wait just long enough for the early bugs to be worked out before I completely buy in.

That’s what I did with smartphones years ago. I was not among those who immediately jumped into buying an iPhone when it first came out. I actually waited longer than most to buy my first smartphone, mostly because I felt like there were too many shortcomings to warrant the cost. Once I felt ready, though, I went for it and I don’t regret it.

For certain technologies, I don’t mind being near the back of the line. It’s not that I’m against it or have no faith in it. Sometimes, it’s just cost prohibitive for me and I don’t see gaining widespread use for an extended period. That’s why I never bought a Segway or a Sega Dreamcast.

Like my first smartphone, I like to wait until I’m reasonably certain that this technology is a good long-term investment. Sometimes, I end up waiting longer than I should, but I think that’s important, especially for something I know I’ll use a lot.

For that reason, I’ve never been inclined to consider an electric car. Unlike smartphones, I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to cars. I’m also not big on making my car flashy or stylish. For me, a car is just a means of getting from one point to another and nothing more. I get that cars mean a lot more to certain people, but that’s just not me.

On top of that, I’ve never actually purchased a brand new car with zero miles on it. My first car was a used car that didn’t have GPS, Satellite radio, or even a means of plugging in my smartphone. However, I didn’t mind because it was my first car. I just needed it to get from place to place.

My second car, which is the one I’m driving now, is a lot nicer, relatively speaking. It was also used. Specifically, it’s my parents’ old car. They sold it to me nine years ago when they decided to buy a new car. This one has more features, including GPS and an auxiliary port for my phone. It has served me well for many years.

However, it’s starting to accumulate a lot of miles. It’s also starting to show its age in some places. On more than one occasion, I’ve had to pay for some rather pricy repairs to keep it in good condition. It’s almost at a point where the idea of buying a new car is starting to appeal to me.

This time around, for my third car, I want it to be new. I want it to be a car that can last with minimum repairs. Not long ago, that would’ve eliminated most electric cars from consideration. Now, I’m not so sure.

The more I contemplate the possibility of a new car, the more serious it becomes. Over the past several years, I’ve seen more and more electric cars on the road. In my own neighborhood, I know two people who own Teslas and I frequently see them on the road. In addition, electric vehicle charging stations seem to be popping up everywhere. Nearly every major shopping center in my area has at least one.

I also have noticed the increasing price of gas. Even if it isn’t as high as it was earlier this spring, I’ve seen a lot of price spikes over the past few years. That’s becoming harder and harder to overlook. Even though my car now gets pretty decent mileage, the cost of filling up the tank is starting to concern me. There’s also the environmental factor to consider, which is important to me.

At the end of the day, a lot of it will come down to cost. I’m willing to pay extra for quality, but only to a point. On that front, electric cars were always out of my range, but that too might be changing.

It used to be that most electric cars worth having would cost at least over $60,000, even with subsidies. That was how expensive they were when I bought my last car from my parents. Now, if rumors from Tesla are to be believed, there could be an electric car for as little as $25,000 within the next couple years.

That’s actually not much more than what my parents paid for the car I’m driving now. In the coming years, that cost could come down even more, especially as battery technology continues to improve and charging stations become more plentiful. By the time I’m ready to buy a new car, they might be the better long-term option over gas.

That’s why I’m considering an electric car this time around.

That’s also why I encourage others to do so as well.

This is not an automotive fad like station wagons or Hummers. Electric cars are a growing part of the market and that growth isn’t slowing down. Like the early smartphone market, there are plenty of shortcomings, but those shortcomings are slowly and steadily being mitigated.

Eventually, there will come a point where the advantages of electric cars are greater than traditional gasoline cars, with respect to fueling, maintenance, and even cost. That point is not that far off. It may seem like electric cars aren’t too appealing in the short-term, but what happens when the price of gas just gets too high to ignore?

Even if gasoline cars are cheaper and just more familiar to the average consumer, their value is still at the mercy of gas prices. Should gas ever get above $8.00 a gallon, then electric vehicles don’t just become appealing. They become the better long-term option.

That’s often my most pressing concern in buying a car. It’s a big investment and one I don’t intend to make light of. None of this is to say I’m definitely buying an electric car, but for the first time in my adult life, I’m seriously considering it. I think in the coming years, as the technology and the market continues to evolve, I won’t be the only one.

Tag Archives: new car

It’s Official: I Love Adaptive Cruise Control (And What It Means For Self-Driving Cars)

My Excitement (And Hopes) For Buying My First New Car

Why I’m Considering An Electric Car In The Future (And Why You Should Too)

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