51–60 of 183 posts
can you buy a recent car and hack away the tracking features? e.g. disable gps / trackers, microphones, etc.
4. Touchscreens - I'd say these are useful for running android auto or apple car play? - But this would fall into your tracking/internet criteria for Google at least.
All I need is Bluetooth and/or AUX. Head units get crufty and are hard or impossible to upgrade, unlike my phone on a magnetic mount.
I used to have a 15 Rav4. There was a shitty touchscreen but if you were just trying to interact with it minimally and just wanted to be able to pause music or skip a song, there was physical buttons on the steering wheel so you'd never have to touch/look at a screen. It fits all your other criteria too, except the mpg.
I believe Mazda is the mainstream brand with the most recent botnet-free cars. Definitely double-check but I'm pretty sure they only started adding internet connectivity in the 2019 model year. They also emphasize physical controls, but AWD is hard to find in this vintage.
I really like that all the auto stuff can be turned off if you want, and all the capability of the screen but still having physical buttons. Plus I got 36mpg on my first road trip with cruise control set at 85.
Are there kinds of vehicles that are completely off limits for you, eg because of difficulties parking, the environment you live it, etc?
Does it have to be new? If not, how many years back are you prepared to go?
If you are in North America, AWD/4wd puts you in a special zone: some light trucks and SUVs, a vanishingly small number of wagons, and Subaru.
If it has to be new, layering on your reqts 1-4 pushes you away from anything premium and towards lower end models. And (sadly) it also pushes you away from the very newest models. For example, if a truck is acceptable, a 2022 Ford Ranger instead of a F-150.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
During the part of my life when I lived in an intensely snowy climate, I never had a vehicle with four-wheel drive, and never had any issues. Four-wheel drive is a crutch to get you into situations your brakes can't get you out of.
I’ve had all kinds of problems in the snow but I’m a New Yorker so I cope. I dig other people out more often than get stuck myself. The AWD vehicle has a more complex drivetrain, will be more expensive to maintain and probably get worse gas mileage. Friends of mine swear by Subaru but I think they are crazy. If I wanted AWD I think I’d look for a small SUV like a Ford Escape.
Subaru does do a very good job with the symmetrical AWD, letting you feel overconfident and forget that you have awful braking traction.
can you buy a recent car and hack away the tracking features? e.g. disable gps / trackers, microphones, etc.
I'm concerned that they have phone-home features that will go haywire if they haven't been able to connect for too long. If I could be convinced that wouldn't happen, then I'll use whatever violence is needed to disable such features physically.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
My 2018 Honda Fit meets all these features. and it has Apple Car and rear view cameras.
Something to be mindful of about connected cars.. they are monitoring you while in offline mode and will upload all of their contents when connected to the dealership system. This system is used by dealers for all service requests and independent repair shops for specific service requests.
The AWD hatchback claims 24/32 MPG and these reviewers got 41 MPG from it [2]. Get the base model to avoid the Carplay / touchscreen.
[0] https://www.motoringresearch.com/car-news/mazda-getting-rid-...
4. Touchscreens - I'd say these are useful for running android auto or apple car play? - But this would fall into your tracking/internet criteria for Google at least.
All I need is Bluetooth and/or AUX. Head units get crufty and are hard or impossible to upgrade, unlike my phone on a magnetic mount.