As the resident car buying expert, I try to stay away from absolute statements because every car buyer’s needs are unique. That being said, you should always splurge on heated seats, regardless of where you live.

The entire Jalopnik staff is in agreement, which is incredibly rare, (we argue over everything, even ) that once you own a car with heated seats, it’s very hard to live without them. Now I’ll admit that when I was a younger man that cared only about speed and performance, seat warmers were not high on my priority list. Then I bought my first new car—a 2004 Mini Cooper S. I’ll never forget the first winter I fired up the those heated seats and my life changed forever. The Mini also came with heated mirrors as well, which while not a must-have, was a nice bonus.

Now, you may be thinking “Tom, I live in a warmer climate and have no need for such luxury.” Well, I got news for you friend. With the bulk of the US currently turning into some kind of arctic wasteland everyone can appreciate a warmed seat. Our writers in Texas don’t always need the cold weather options on their cars, but when even the Lone Star state is frosty heated seats can make life just a little bit more bearable.

The benefits of heated seats go beyond just the winter months. Now that I’m an older man of 37 I have hit that age where random, innocent activities can end with pull muscles in my back I have a newfound love for heated seats. Not only do they keep your tush warm in the cold but they also act as a pretty excellent therapy device for sore muscles.

But what if the car you are currently driving does not have heated seats? Well friend, you can skip the gnashing of teeth and rending of garments. Aftermarket shops and even some dealerships can add seat heaters to your beater for around $500 depending on the application.

Seriously. Get yourself some heated seats.