Any Hyundai models 2001 and later are really fine cars. Earlier ones used left-over antique Mitsubishi powertrain and had their own quality problems. They've been making real nice cars lately at much lower price than Japanese rivals. I have had 2 late Hyundais (Santa Fe & Elantra) and 1 Kia Spectra (which is now owned by Hyundai and share the same major components) and I have had zero problems. The new Kia Spectra is just rebadged Hyundai Elantra (2.0L 140 HP). It looks compact but classified as medium size car by EPA on '06 model. Same thing for a medium sized '06 Sonata - it is now classified as a full-size car by EPA. They are roomy inside. I would buy these cares again if their relatively low price and 10 yr wty remains. The hardest thing when purchasing a Hyundai was pursuading my Toyota-loving wife!

I wouldn't want to be without my OXO hair trap! This thing really does trap stray hairs and keep them from going down the drain, where they just accumulate and form a disgusting giant rat over time. I also like my car's backup camera, although I refuse to rely on it solely and still physically turn to look in all directions before backing out. Recently I rode in the car with someone who put her car in reverse, checked her backup camera, and then just roared out of the parking space. Her confidence in that thing kinda freaked me out! Also love having Bluetooth/hands-free phone ability in the car. It looks funny to me now to see someone driving and holding a phone to their ear, and no longer looks odd to see someone driving alone and carrying on an animated conversation. ;-)

I love Alexa! I have an Echo, a Tap (great for taking out to the pool/yard for music and NPR), 3 Dots, and a remote. If you have a supported Amazon Fire tablet, you can try it out that way. You won't get the full experience but what the heck. Read about it here - Using Alexa on Your Fire Tablet I have Hue lights all over the house and in the couple of lamps without Hue lights (they have 3-way bulbs) I've plugged them into TP-Link Smart Plugs. The TP-Link Smart Plugs were awesome for the Christmas tree and indoor lights this year - you don't need Alexa to use them but Alexa allows me to control them by voice. I turn off/on and dim/brighten my Hue lights by voice command. I can control my lights by group (living room, basement, etc) or separately. I also have an 'all lights' group that I can turn on/off. I use Alexa for my grocery list, convenient to just say what I need where I am at the moment I realize I need it without looking for pen & paper. Pull it up in the app when I'm in the store - easy. I add things to my To Do list when the idea strikes, not when I find pen & paper. My Google calendar is linked so I can ask about what's on my calendar. I use it as a kitchen timer, no buttons, no clock watching, can set a timer even if the microwave is in use, no forgetting - just say it. I used to subscribe to Pandora Plus because that's what I used on the Tap for pool/yard time but Amazon just started an Echo program for Amazon Music Unlimited for the same price ($4) so I'm using that now. Weather forecast, current temperature, news briefs. Hands free alarm on and off. If you subscribe to Audible, you can have your books read through the devices. There are a ton of skills which you can peruse here - Alexa Skills Then there's a whole world of IFTTT (IF This Then That) for Alexa and other devices. Discover more here - IFTTT My thoughts - I LOVE it. The Echo and Tap devices have great sound - the Dot sounds awful for music but is fine as a device. The remote is nice if you don't want to keep waking *her* up - Alexa this, Alexa that - just hold the microphone button and say what you want. It's nice if you're running around the house, watching TV, etc. The only thing that's missing right now, imo, is search capability but I'm sure that's on the way.

lazygardens asked for: A washing machine and dryer that can send you an IM over the house network when it has finished. That's all - nothing fancier needed. I want a dryer that starts even when you forget to push the button. Oh, and even better, a washer that moves the clothes to the dryer for you. We're facing the tech question now because we'll be building soon. I'm pretty sure I want a programmable front door lock. Our Nest never learned a pattern from us, because 1) we both work at home so don't have predictable schedules and 2) the thermostat is too high on the hall to notice when I walk by. I thought it was broken, but, no, I'm just short. We've never had a "is the garage door closed?" capability but wouldn't object to it. I won't spend extra for our smoke detectors to talk to our thermostat. We have no interaction besides batteries with our CO2 detector or smoke detectors. I don't need them to be smart--just to work. I'm interested in being able to turn off all the lights at once but don't know that I care about mood settings. I insist on being able to turn on the outside light from my car--DH programmed that for me so my 3rd HomeLink button in the car turns on the outside lights--I love that. It's even better than the motion sensitive light, because that didn't click in until I was already in the driveway. (I've already got the tall dark and handsome part down)