Some cars (like the Miata) are still specifically meant to remain more or less tinkerer-friendly, but yes, unfortunately the trend seems to be doing everything

Some cars (like the Miata) are still specifically meant to remain more or less tinkerer-friendly, but yes, unfortunately the trend seems to be doing everything possible to force you to visit the stealership for even the most basic of repairs (headlight bulb replacement, oil change, etc.). I would pay a healthy premium for a solid off-road-capable vehicle that wasn't intentionally as locked down as possible. I imagine one of the chief challenges is manufacturer fear of NHTSA or EPA retribution when someone releases an ECU image that turns a Prius into a rolling coal in exchange for a bit more power. I doubt this is going to change without explicit regulation protecting tinkering.