You can add safety and convenience to nearly any vehicle.

Today's cars are full of safety features, but before you've had the chance to break in the vehicle you own, there is a new one being made with more gadgets than the last. Don't get me wrong, I love finding out what's next cool gadget being added, but they come at a cost.

Some of you have the ability to choose the right vehicle for you, like my father, and drive them until the wheels fall off so to speak. You can put a couple hundred thousand miles on a vehicle and be just as happy with it as the day you bought it. You see new a vehicle driving down the road and you know the price they are paying for that new ride and it makes you happy just knowing the money you are saving.

You are seriously considering it, but why?

You really don't need a smartphone to connect the Bluetooth, most of the Android radios today will connect to any device that is Bluetooth ready, but let's say with the money you are saving you bought a smartphone and now you would like to make the best of the Bluetooth with the hands-free calling option that everyone else has. Then you find that you can download a playlist of your favorite songs to your phone. Now you want a radio that can play your songs while you are in your vehicle. And to top it all off, your new smartphone has GPS navigation, but it uses your data. Even with all of these features, you still don't have a backup camera.

How do you get all of these features in your vehicle without trading up or spending a small fortune on an upgraded radio, with an affordable aftermarket radio? There is a wide range of radios on the market. There are some that are less than the average car payment and then there are some that are as much as the average mortgage payment. We opted for the reasonably affordable kind. You will have to get a touch screen radio if you're looking for the built-in navigation or a backup camera. Don't be afraid, if you can operate a smartphone, you can operate a touch screen radio.

What came with our new ride?

We own a 2016 year model vehicle that came from the factory with a touch screen radio, Bluetooth, and a backup camera. It does not have the navigation because that would have required an added badge to the truck put the cost of the vehicle out of our price range. With that being said, we recently upgraded the radio in our 2002 year model vehicle with a radio that has all the bells and whistles, including GPS navigation, and we are seriously debating whether or not we should upgrade the newer truck. The aftermarket radio has more options, a larger screen, and it looks really cool.

Why did we choose ours?

Our teen drives the 2002 model vehicle. The primary reason for adding every safety feature a radio has to offer. We wanted Bluetooth for hands-free calling and streaming music wirelessly, GPS navigation, WIFI, a DVR dash cam(yeah a Dash Cam), and a backup camera without filling the dash full of devices.

Their music is downloaded to the phone or through an app. With the built-in Bluetooth, the radio automatically connects to the phone, giving them access to their music. No more flipping through CD's just to find that one song you want to listen to. It was nothing short of a miracle all those years of flipping through CD's while driving down the road and keeping it between the ditches. Talk about distractions!

In conclusion.

It's ok to take that small leap into the future. You will probably appreciate answering phone calls without reaching for the phone. Use the backup camera to hook up to the camper or any other trailer and get it right the first time. Navigate to a destination without having an extra device hanging from the dash. And last but not least, our radio has a built-in DVR dash cam. I don't even have to explain the importance of that feature.