My current car is old. I had a lot of repairs done on it recently. If I get a new car, I don’t want features. Lane assist, backup camera, DUI Camera, telemetry, auto breaking or other frankly silly features. Call me grumpy, but I find modern cars very distracting.
Can I ask a dealership to disable these at purchase? Is there a car that works best for being private besides just older cars?
I drive very little in a year. No, I can’t ride a bike.
Can you pay someone to ride a bike while you sit comfortably in a little covered wagon behind the bike?
Too hilly here. I wish I could ride a bike.
Looked into Ebikes at all? I’ve seen ppl, even some old ppl using ebikes in hilly areas. They really help with hills.
Not trying to say it can replace a car. For most ppl it can’t replace a car, so you still have to figure out the car issues. But it can sometimes be used instead for many trips. Cheaper to run, better for the environment, and lowers repair costs for the car over time. Also the car will last longer so you don’t have to worry as much about whatever new privacy hell exists years later.
I have.
-
I have poor balance. I don’t even know how to ride a bike.
-
I live in a crime filled city. It will get stolen.
-
The city is essentially walled around by non-bike friendly highways. So, I still need a car for things unfortunately.
-
I have disabled all kinds of telemetry and radio on many different kinds of cars.
You cannot buy a new car without it.
Your best bet if you’re concerned is to buy an 0s model. Contrary to popular belief, this all became inescapable a little over ten years ago. 0s models with systems like onstar are still acceptable because the 2g cell networks they use to operate simply don’t exist and the system itself was relatively easy to disable and we’ll documented in cases where it’s not easy.
Reply with your needs and habits and I’ll point you at the right model.
You are awesome. I drive about 5000 miles a year. I’m tall. Not sure if a Miata would work. I want something reliable and fixable. I had an older car (late 80s) that always broke and it was hard to find parts. I live in an area that gets snow. I also dislike leather interiors.
Xv 20,30, and the first half of 40 Camrys were made in a plant in Alabama instead of Japan and have factory body coating that helps them resist the salt.
The corollas are good too, but you lose headroom and a lot of other comfort features.
The domestic production is a huge plus because jdm vehicles are basically all built for the big ten year inspection that country requires by law; which is designed to fail cars and get them off the road to juice consumption. Export vehicles built in the same places as jdm tend to have “it wasn’t meant to be around that long” problems. Nissans are famous for this. Perfect beautiful car for exactly 12 years.
You probably don’t need a 4wd/awd. If you live down a dirt road (below the highway, as in you travel downhill on a dirt road to get home) or literally don’t know how to drive then you may need that feature.
Another fantastic option, classic car guy recommendation, first or second gen Honda fit. Roomy, reliable, performant. More spartan than a Camry, but they’re all hatchbacks. They’re getting expensiver now that people have caught on.
Small trucks: mid 90s to about 2012 tacomas and manual transmission 4cyl rangers unless you’re willing to put the work in to really know exactly which v6 you have because ford sold one that was basically perfect alongside one from the 70s that had three timing chains.
Full size pickups or suvs: gmt-800 up through the cateyes. The dodges are all falling apart from abuse and that time period was fords wandering in the wilderness years when it comes to the f150. You can’t afford the Toyotas.
Since you don’t drive much, make sure to tell your mechanic and actually get your oil changed at that 6 month mark instead of waiting the whole year.
E: Camrys come out of Kentucky, not Alabama.
I was eyeing up the fit. Those things have a deceptive amount of storage space. Thank you for the recommendations!
I just had a similar conversation recently… Looks like 3G is also dead, at least in US, so some cars from 2010s also can’t connect to the network anymore. However, depending on make and model, this “problem” may have been mitigated during a routine dealership service by upgrading hardware or software… Maybe it’s worth researching which models never got the “fix”
Some cars have a favourite button to disable the more annoying features like driver monitoring and lane assist with one button press once its set up in the menu.
The features are required to be installed by law.
I get not wanting the internal camera and telemetry crap, but not wanting the other stuff puts you in the same group of people that opposed seat belts when they first became mandatory for cars.
Backup cams, lane warnings, blind spot detection, and auto breaking are all incredible advancements that have significantly improved vehicle saftey.
The features I don’t like are things that take total control of the car like auto pilot, lane merging, auto park, or lane correction. It should not fight you trying to avoid something on the road. A little beep to say, “hey you’re leaving the lane” is okay, a little beep to remind you to keep your eyes on the road is theoretically okay (but we all know the massive privacy concerns with that one.)
I feel backup cameras are a gateway drug for cars. I would not turn a car down for having one for example. As other features go, I drive so little that the car doesn’t need to be fancy. It’s a way to get from point a to b.
Tell that to the kids and pets that got run over because they were in a blind spot, backup cameras help to prevent that.
I completely understand not wanting the whole suite of modern safety features, I hate most them too, but they do save lives. If you don’t drive that much, then they shouldn’t bother you if they are there. Most can be turned off anyway. If you’re that desperate to not have a rear cam, just tape over it, but please don’t.
Even the “cheap”, sub $30k new cars come with a lot of the safety features standard now. (Based on general internet rumblings), a used 2018-2022 higher trim car will probably be the sweet spot between having some of the safety features (that can be turned off), physical AC controls, and not having the ads and giant tablet screens. Personally, I wouldn’t go any older than 2020 unless you find something well taken care of. A 2018 model year would have be released summer 2017, 9 years ago.
I followed up with similar comments. The backup screen just seemed like a gateway drug to all the other distracting touch screen slop. I don’t actually hate back up cameras, it’s that it’s required to function for inspection and it’s one more part that can break.
Keep your existing car until it gets too expensive to repair. Find a similar car with low miles and then rinse and repeat. Do not waste your money on a new car.
That’s hopefully the plan. My worry is eventually I’ll have to get a newer car one day. But, until that day, I will stick to my car I have. Buying new seems silly.
when you buy the car they will most likely try and setup your phone to it to “activate your warrenty” just decline this if they ask you to do anything with your phone say no and just dont link anything for the most privacy an the other features should be able to be disabled in settings
That’s a thing? Ew.
Short answer is no. All new cars do it. Dealers can’t disable it. It is what it is.
There are a few niche cars that don’t have all the tracking cruft, good luck getting one.
I drive a 30-yrar-old Honda.
It’s totally worth repairing an old car.
Learn more about total cost of ownership (TCO). My car costs a couple thousand a year in repairs and maintenance, but that’s significantly less than replacing it would cost. Your car might be similar.
A time frame when Honda was still an excellent manufacturer.
Actual question considering I’ve had no reason to look at their newer cars:
What’s wrong with them now?
Build quality is lower. Parts don’t last as long, and driving dynamics are worse. Also, paint and exterior finishes are prerty trash.
I’ve owned and driven Hondas from the 80s, 90s, 00s, and 10s, and its an easy call to say the 90s were peak. They drove nicely, were cheap to maintain, and had excellent durability/longevity.
They are still decent cars, but not excellent as they once were. Toyota/Lexus are much better in the last 20 years.
One guys opinion anyway.
Well damn.
Not that I’m planning to replace my car anytime soon, but it’s sad to hear the build quality’s gotten worse.
It’s totally worth repairing an old car.
it’s also a lot cheaper, especially if you have shitty credit
Take a look at this list:
https://www.thetechedvocate.org/10-best-new-cars-for-people-that-dont-care-about-technology/
It’s a couple years old, but the info is likely still good.
You can maybe look into the base models of cars around 2019-2022. You won’t escape everything completely, but it’s better than getting an old car. I once had a 2020 Kia base model that only had the backup camera among the stuff you listed.
Also some of that vintage, it’s easier to remove or disable the parts that phone home, compared to newer cars.
The automatic emergency braking is probably one of the absolutely best safety features in “recent” cars…and i say “recent” because this has been standard equipment on all trim levels for probably a decade.
ABS brakes were a game changer. People used to panic and spin around taking out 5-6 cars.
I always thought ABS stood for Antilock Braking System.
In this case it’s automatic breaking systems.
I just don’t like the idea of my car making driving decisions. Plastic bag goes across the highway and I get rear ended due to the car breaking for me. Nope, don’t want it.
Good call, mine used to rapidly brake because it saw nonexistant obstacles. More than once.
what year?
If old means 20 year old to you, I would recommend buying used from around 2015 ish. That seems to be the time things started going “smart”. Some not too recent cars can be software modded by good techs/tuner shops to disable stop-start and similar. Probably other annoyances too, but I would assume it’s very dependent on make, model etc.
That’s because backup camera law just passed in 2014, effective 2018. Which means that screens of some kind became mandatory in all cars.
Once you have to have a screen, might as well throw a few features in to make use of that expensive screen since it’s just a couple bucks here or there to add things like an infotainment.
Now that people need the touchscreen anyway for the infotainment, might as well get rid of those expensive buttons and just do everything with a touchscreen menu.
As long as we have all that other stuff, might as well throw in a cell modem and get some $$$ from the insurance companies and data brokers to get some ongoing revenue from these cars we sold.
And as much as I don’t like having to look at the camera to back up, it does seem to have a wider FOV and the backup sensors see things even further out, and the rear end of cars are just so high and back windows are so small (I think these are now all this way for rear end crash and rollover reasons) that you just can’t see out the back like you could out of an older car. It’s pretty much just how it has to be with the safety requirements these days.
auto-braking
It was really cool driving a uhaul that was way too big for me to be qualified to drive only to find it did some automatic ffucking braking or downshifting shit going down hills and it’s like, yes, thank you, that’s exactly what i want when i’m maneuvering something unfamiliar the size of a whale- random automated bullshit i don’t understand randomly fucking with what Im doing
If you live in the USA:
Despite all of the arising automobile safety technologies, there are just a few that are required by regulations. These mandated safety functions consist of Seatbelts, Airbags, LATCH child safety seat system, Tire-Pressure Display, Electronic Stability Control, and Backup Cameras. All-new vehicles will certainly have that tech and in addition, the NHTSA recommends the following Motorist Assistance Technologies:
FWD Crash Warning
Automatic Emergency Situation Braking
Lane Departure Warning
Whether you can ask the dealer to turn them off is dependent entirely on whether the manufacturer will allow them to do that. Generally the manufacturer is the one who allows the dealer access to scan tool tech that would be able to do this and what access they have varies by manufacturer.
There are things you can potentially do yourself including pulling fuses or relays (where applicable), disconnecting antennas (depending on your level of skill to get access), and asking an aftermarket shop to physically disable certain systems.
The main problem with this is, 1. It could void your warranty which may mean you aren’t eligible for some warrantable repairs including but not limited to recalls. 2. You could potentially do some damage to systems yourself by accident that you would be on the hook for. 3. You will likely lose other features you paid for. This is of course dependent on how the manufacturer integrated the systems you want to remove or disable.
It may be a better idea to see what options you have to avoid paying for those optional features and make your decision based on what manufacturers allow you to remove them when you order the vehicle. This may be better for you than trying to drive a dealer vehicle off the lot. It will take more time though.
I think if I were you and I had to have a newer car I would try to buy a used car that doesn’t have these features you don’t want.
Very well said. I plan on keeping my car until it dies. Eventually, I know I will need to get a newer car.
I wanted to make it particularly clear that some safety features are non-negotiable if you buy a new car from a dealer because the manufacturer is required by law to include them. But some people do believe that more safety features are required by law than actually are and even in the event that some of them are telemetry isn’t, and may be disabled in some instance depending on the vehicle.
I personally am willing to fix my older car until it dies and I can’t anymore over buying a brand new one but I’ve also never bought a brand new car in my life. I understand that my approach is possibly prohibitively expensive for quite a lot of people.
Anyway, I hope you find what you’re looking for.
Thank you, your comment was kind. I plan on fixing my car until it’s not an option. 50k for a car is ridiculous. Especially when I can find C7 Corvettes for 37k (more than I ever need)
Adding to your point… “impaired driver detection” is already federal law, however it is still held up in the federal rulemaking process. There were (if I recall) deadlines in 2024 and 2026, but the rule making process can take a long ass time, so for now, it is still a future thing, but I mention it to say that there is broad congressional support for in-car surveillance tech. It’s definitely coming.
The main problem with this is, 1. It could void your warranty
Manufacturers cannot void the warranty because of aftermarket modifications. They can deny claims for failures that are caused by the aftermarket modifications, but they cannot “void” a warranty. In several years of working on this stuff, the only times I ever saw voided warranties was when cars were salvage branded titles, such as from total loss accidents, flood recoveries and so on. And even in those cases, federal emissions equipment warranties remained in effect. There are reasonably strong consumer protections for aftermarket modifications that go back several decades. They don’t entirely stop manufacturers from doing dodgy shit, but it has limited it.
Good point, and a good thing to add to things to consider. Thank you.
I was more thinking along the lines of the different classes of warrantable repairs and different classes of recalls.
You could absolutely have a recall pertinent to your vehicle that turns out to be voluntary and the automaker refuses to honor it if that system has been deactivated, tampered with, or modified.
You could absolutely have a recall pertinent to your vehicle that turns out to be voluntary and the automaker refuses to honor it if that system has been deactivated, tampered with, or modified.
Yeah, this could happen, but in most cases, you take your car to the dealership for recalls. And the dealer isn’t the manufacturer, they don’t care if you disable manufacturer shit. The dealer could get stinky and say no on the manufacturers behalf, but they would rather do the simple work and get paid for it, then try to upsell you on preventive maintenance like an oil change, tires, etc… Unless you’re doing something that’ll come back to them (like odometer fraud), they’re not gonna go out of their way (and spend 5x the time) to deny a recall claim that even the manufacturer doesn’t give a shit about paying. That was my experience anyway.
Much of it can be done at the fuse level, but you’ll need to do your research.
If it’s got a physical SIM (perhaps a criterion) pull that for anonymity, do your research to make sure it won’t brick the car. eSIM and you’re in there pulling antennas and shit, more research.
A lot of infotainment centers can be replaced with third party stuff with good sound systems. Again, research. Honestly, backup cameras are pretty good, you can keep the rest. Physical buttons on the steering wheel for next song and volume are pretty great, as is a heads up speedometer.
Perhaps an old mercedes and put the difference into refurbishing? Older Prius?
Maybe an ebike ? Depending on where you are and what you get it can be pretty much sitting and pressing a button (perhaps a little hacking needed in some places).
TLDR: research, shit’s bad out there.
