[Jimbodawg]

I will be moving to Vegas soon and will need to buy another car. I assumed due to the heat, that there would be a lot of white cars. Surprised it isn't quite that way.
I want to know what options people consider a must for Vegas.

I'll start with tinted windows!

[EA]

I used to be a big black car guy. Now, I don't want a black car ever again. lol.

Leather seats HURT. You'll be sitting in traffic a lot with the ac on full blast, get something economical.

There are a lot of idiot drivers on the streets. Get something big and durable. ecoboost f150 comes to mind.

[beachhead]

silver is a great color in the desert. It hides the dust really well, and still shines. I prefer it over white personally. And this goes without saying, A/C would be my #1 must have (after reliability of course)

And EA is right, the drivers here have little clue on how to drive. I've seen so many rollovers on flat, wide roads that I still shake my head. If you happen upon a traffic circle, be prepared for carnage, as the "yield" sign seems to be a foreign concept to most of the bozo's out there on the road. And never trust a signal that just turned green, especially around here..

[Packrat1]

I have a Toyota Highlander which had really dark tinted windows almost limo tint even on the side windows when I bought it. It was extremely hard to see cars beside me and I felt it was a hazard.

There is a product called LLumar Air Blue 80 which is an almost clear tint for car windows but provides significant heat resistance on par with the dark tint. I had Eco Tint remove my old tint (which actually was an illegal tint on the side windows) and install the Air Blue 80. I also use a rigid fitted UVS100 Covercraft for the windshield when I park. This seems to work much better than the flimsy one I had from NAPA Auto parts.

Although some people put the air blue on the inside of the windshield too, I didn't do that as I want my windshield view crystal clear. I did put the Air Blue on the inside of the sun roof though.

[usnftcret]

I have airblue 80 installed on both windshields of my cars. No issues with visibility yet. Its been over 2 years on my toyota. It does keep the car cooler and I don't have to blast the ac in 110 heat.

[KingpinLasVegas]

I have a brand new Audi R8 in black. In fact the whole car has been blacked out. I love it but keeping the car clean here in Las Vegas is a challenge. I really don't worry about the heat with a black car or leather seats I just blast the air and go. I also have a Porsche Panamera in white with tinted windows and it has been relatively easy to keep clean. I've lived in Chicago, San francisco and Austin and I've never encountered so much dust, ever. I've tried driving really fast to solve the dust problem, really fun but no luck so far. As far as the drivers, it's crazy. I would be much more worried about that than the color of my car. My advice is to buy a heavy duty Unimog with ice cold a/c and enjoy all that Las Vegas has to offer.

[BBMW]

Jimbo,

What capabilities do you need in a car? How many people will you be carrying on a regular basis. How much, stuff? Will it ever see anything but pavement under its wheels?

[KingpinLasVegas]

Honestly, unless you plan on going four wheeling or something I don't really see a big difference between here or really anywhere else. Tint your windows, get a good reliable car with cold a/c, park in the shade if you have to or get one of those windshield covers, coming from Texas it's still in the hundreds all summer and you see every type and color of car imaginable. As far as leather goes, all my cars have leather and I don't really see a problem with it. My sister lives in Scottsdale and has cloth seats. It's all personal preference. If leather seats were such a big deal in the Southwest than , Mercedes, Jaguar, Audi and every other luxury brand that doesn't offer cloth would probably go out of business here. Again, tint windows, A/C, good reliable car and you'll be fine.

[oeccscclhjhn]

I drive a white car, with tan cloth seats. I keep a thermometer in there and when I used to park outside during 110F / 43.3C high temp days I'd get readings of 130F / 54.4C and up. Not a big deal really. Steering wheel was ok with bare hands. Tinted the sides and back. I used one of those reflective fold up shields under the windshield and it seemed to work I guess. In the grand scheme of things it's not a big deal.

[Daddys///M3]

I have a dark blue subaru wrx with black leather. I've driven black cars, white cars, silver cars, blue cars, red cars. To be honest hot is hot and the difference in heat between a black car and white out here is negligible. My only must have option is a manual transmission in a car that handles like it's on rails with enough power to have fun. A/C doesn't make the list because it's pretty much standard on anything that's not 30 years old.