"Huge" wrote in message
...
I've driven cars since 1970 and until 2005 never had air conditioning.
I didn't miss it, except possibly for one summer day in 1994.

However, since owning a car with a/c I do appreciate it, and can afford
to buy a car that has it.

My point is that it isn't really necessary in the UK -

A/C is nowhere near as necessary as a heater. My first three cars didn't
have it. I *think* my 1993 Mark III Golf had A/C. I know my various Peugeots
(306 and 308) have had it.

I managed without until then. There were days when I got into an unbearably
hot car and had the blower blowing "cold" (ambient air temperature) air onto
me to keep me cool. There were a few days when this wasn't sufficient,
especially if I was stuck in a traffic jam and had *only* the blower,
without the added ram-jet effect of the car travelling along at 60 mph to
force air through the dashboard vents.

When I got a car with A/C it made a tremendous difference. Firstly it kept
the car to a bearable temperature on the relatively few scorching hot days.
Secondly it dried the air which made it demist the inside of the windows a
lot more quickly on cold damp mornings. I used to have to wipe the inside of
the windscreen and side windows before it was safe to drive, and they
quickly misted up again; now I have A/C, I put the heater on hot with A/C to
get hot dry air, which demists the windows and keeps them demisted. Warm dry
air is better than hot humid air for doing this (the A/C chills as well as
dries the air, and the heater has to overcome the chilling).

A/C is very nice to have, but not essential like a heater is. I've never
appreciated a heater more than the freezing cold day that the windows of my
1993 Golf spontaneously went down and wouldn't go back up, just as I parked
at work. That lunchtime (*) I had to drive about 10 miles to the garage in
sub-zero temperatures with the heater on full blast blowing very hot air out
of all the vents to try to counteract the chilly air that was coming in
through the windows. The fault was found to be a burned-out loom, and
neither VW nor the branch of Halfords which fitted my alarm would accept
responsibility, so I had to fork out about £400 for that.


(*) Fortunately when I explained what had happened, the security guys at
work let me park right next to their office so they could keep an eye on the
car, since it was insecure with the windows open (but the doors dead-locked
so they couldn't be opened by anyone who put their hand in through the open
window).