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Anchor
Intro: These days modern cars can come packed with high-tech features that
make your ride safer, more fun and maybe a littler easier. But if you get mesmerized
by all the bells and whistles without checking a few key facts, it could really
wreck your budget. Bankrate.com explains.
Voice over 1: Everybody knows that maintaining a car isn't
cheap. But the price of repairs for some of today's accessories could blow you
and your budget away. Voice over 2: Example? Navigation
screens that also contain your radio, climate control and more. Voice
over 3: Say you hit the brakes one day and your kid's baseball bat flies forward
and... SOT:(Bankrate's Terry Jackson) "...you might
say to yourself, 'OK, I'm not going to fix it, I can do without the radio." But
the problem is, it controls many other systems, so you go to get it fixed and
maybe when the car was new it was $2,000 option. To replace it might be $5,000
or $6,000 and now you're in trouble." Voice over 4:
And that's just one of many examples. SOT: "Let's say
sensors in the bumper that monitor parking -- there's even some cars now that
have radar cruise control -- and if you crash the front end of the car, where
these sensors are, they are going to be horrifically expensive to replace." Voice
over 5: Of course, if you can afford to buy a car like this $65,000 Corvette
or the $80,000 Audi A8, that kind of expense may not bust your budget. But pity
the poor person who buys these cars used -- then something high-tech goes haywire. SOT:
"The replacement value, the repair value could exceed the value of the car, especially
in the eyes of your insurance company." Standup: So
while navigation is nice and sonar sensors sound sexy, today's technology may
be a ticking time-bomb, especially if you buy your cars used. So do some research,
and avoid totaling your family's finances. For Bankrate.com, I'm Kristin Arnold Editor's
note: : Since the recording of this video Bankrate auto expert, columnist
and writer Terry Jackson passed away after a lenghty battle with cancer. | 
