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Having trouble thinking what user-facing technology cars have gained recently that I actually need. Backup cameras are nice, my last two cars had them but my cu

Having trouble thinking what user-facing technology cars have gained recently that I actually need. Backup cameras are nice, my last two cars had them but my current one does not. Life goes on. Heard anecdotally that new cars in US require then now, so I guess next car will probably have one again. Blindspot indicators on side mirrors are nice too, but physically turning and looking is too engrained in me to stop doing. It seems like there has to be a market for something other than what we are getting. I'd like something that benefits from improvements in emissions/gas mileage but doesn't bolt on infotainment or phone integrations or networked everything. Zero interest in lane-assist technology. Preemptively saying no to any O.T.A. updates. I basically want what in 2023 would be considered a work-truck level of utilitarianism but in a form I can use to get my family from A to B, since throwing young kids up front on a bench seat in a work-truck is a no-go. It would be nice if it weren't actively ugly as well, but on this point I am negotiable.

chadlavi 4y ago
I think you probably want a 2017ish Subaru
- chucksmash 4y ago
  Close. Funnily enough, the last car was a 2014 Subaru we bought in 2021. My spouse drives our kids more, so she staked out the claim on that one though. Maybe the Bronco selling like crazy will convince carmakers to issue "remastered" versions of previous cars, and maybe the remastering won't be "stick a 17inch screen in the center console."
kylehotchkiss 4y ago
adaptive cruise control is another good one
Psychlist 4y ago
There's a lot that can be done by disintegrated systems, too. I put cameras onto a box truck so I had reversing etc, but I used an 8-camera wired security system with video recorder and eSIM for that. The screen was optional but I found one that only had one button (to toggle views) rather than a "command console" type that by its nature gave full control over the security system. Driving around displaying the bumper-height rear camera on the screen was quite handy, normally it's a blind spot of trucks. Likewise the GPS tracking system, I bought a stand-alone navigation system (you need a truck-specific one that you can at the very least type height and weight into so it doesn't direct you down roads you can't fit through), and obviously a separate anti-theft tracker (well, two, because the immobiliser also had one). And of course there was a radio/CD player in the cab, no need to wire that into the one computer to rule them all that modern mobile infotainment systems have. I mean, "computers with wheels" or whatever the transport as a service companies call their devices these days.
- climb_stealth 4y ago
  Which anti theft tracker did you go with? Is it a standalone unit with big battery? Just asking because you mention it. Everyone is reselling the more or less same cheap Chinese units at insane markups. Firmware seems to be mostly identical. The tracking portals never have HTTPS. I haven't been able to find anything decent so far.
  - Psychlist 4y ago
    Sorry, I can't remember, this was several years ago and I've since sold the truck. But loosely my requirements were 24V input to match the truck, battery life of at least a week, external antenna and ability to work without user input. I just played on ebay until I found one that looked likely, searched for support forums and found a discussion on a European trucking forum where they liked it. It was under $US100. Access to it was either via the manufacturer website or you could configure your own server IP and it would send JSON packets via HTTP post. No verification of the server, but it was also annoying enough to configure that I thought even a thief that found it would just smash it rather than fscking with it. AFAIK no-one ever did, it only stopped working when I stopped paying for the eSIM (the new owner never took over that tracker even though I told them all about it) The immobiliser was a whole other ball of shit. It had a keyfob, but also remote monitoring via a physical SIM. I couldn't find a DIY-able one, so I was paying ~$US50/year to some Chinese company to monitor the system and allow me to track and immobilise it via their app. That worked, as did the geographic restrictions, but it was also easy enough to remove/bypass - the new owner hated the system and rang me to yell about it before removing it. I assume they just added a bypass wire and moved on.
    - climb_stealth 4y ago
      Ha, no worries! Thanks for responding though. All this stuff is super frustrating to deal with. I see regular posts on forums about people having to deal with old shitty immobiliser installs that have turned bad. My thinking is that GPS tracking at least gives a chance of finding the car again if it gets stolen. Being able to configure a server is already great. Will do some more digging.
autoexec 4y ago
I'm with you, I like the additional warnings, but I have no interest in a car that acts on its own based on what it thinks is best. I like backup cameras, but don't want OnStar connected or people being able to remotely disable my vehicle. > It seems like there has to be a market for something other than what we are getting. I might have a few small wishes, like I'd appreciate windshields and rear windows that quickly adapt to blinding headlights (or better regulations for highlights with actual enforcement), but cars have been mostly "good enough" for ages.
DangitBobby 4y ago
Lane assist is actually really nice. I also had 0 interest but now I use it.

chadlavi 4y ago

I think you probably want a 2017ish Subaru

chucksmash 4y ago
Close. Funnily enough, the last car was a 2014 Subaru we bought in 2021. My spouse drives our kids more, so she staked out the claim on that one though. Maybe the Bronco selling like crazy will convince carmakers to issue "remastered" versions of previous cars, and maybe the remastering won't be "stick a 17inch screen in the center console."

kylehotchkiss 4y ago

adaptive cruise control is another good one

Psychlist 4y ago

There's a lot that can be done by disintegrated systems, too. I put cameras onto a box truck so I had reversing etc, but I used an 8-camera wired security system with video recorder and eSIM for that. The screen was optional but I found one that only had one button (to toggle views) rather than a "command console" type that by its nature gave full control over the security system. Driving around displaying the bumper-height rear camera on the screen was quite handy, normally it's a blind spot of trucks. Likewise the GPS tracking system, I bought a stand-alone navigation system (you need a truck-specific one that you can at the very least type height and weight into so it doesn't direct you down roads you can't fit through), and obviously a separate anti-theft tracker (well, two, because the immobiliser also had one). And of course there was a radio/CD player in the cab, no need to wire that into the one computer to rule them all that modern mobile infotainment systems have. I mean, "computers with wheels" or whatever the transport as a service companies call their devices these days.

climb_stealth 4y ago
Which anti theft tracker did you go with? Is it a standalone unit with big battery? Just asking because you mention it. Everyone is reselling the more or less same cheap Chinese units at insane markups. Firmware seems to be mostly identical. The tracking portals never have HTTPS. I haven't been able to find anything decent so far.
- Psychlist 4y ago
  Sorry, I can't remember, this was several years ago and I've since sold the truck. But loosely my requirements were 24V input to match the truck, battery life of at least a week, external antenna and ability to work without user input. I just played on ebay until I found one that looked likely, searched for support forums and found a discussion on a European trucking forum where they liked it. It was under $US100. Access to it was either via the manufacturer website or you could configure your own server IP and it would send JSON packets via HTTP post. No verification of the server, but it was also annoying enough to configure that I thought even a thief that found it would just smash it rather than fscking with it. AFAIK no-one ever did, it only stopped working when I stopped paying for the eSIM (the new owner never took over that tracker even though I told them all about it) The immobiliser was a whole other ball of shit. It had a keyfob, but also remote monitoring via a physical SIM. I couldn't find a DIY-able one, so I was paying ~$US50/year to some Chinese company to monitor the system and allow me to track and immobilise it via their app. That worked, as did the geographic restrictions, but it was also easy enough to remove/bypass - the new owner hated the system and rang me to yell about it before removing it. I assume they just added a bypass wire and moved on.
  - climb_stealth 4y ago
    Ha, no worries! Thanks for responding though. All this stuff is super frustrating to deal with. I see regular posts on forums about people having to deal with old shitty immobiliser installs that have turned bad. My thinking is that GPS tracking at least gives a chance of finding the car again if it gets stolen. Being able to configure a server is already great. Will do some more digging.

autoexec 4y ago

I'm with you, I like the additional warnings, but I have no interest in a car that acts on its own based on what it thinks is best. I like backup cameras, but don't want OnStar connected or people being able to remotely disable my vehicle. > It seems like there has to be a market for something other than what we are getting. I might have a few small wishes, like I'd appreciate windshields and rear windows that quickly adapt to blinding headlights (or better regulations for highlights with actual enforcement), but cars have been mostly "good enough" for ages.

DangitBobby 4y ago

Lane assist is actually really nice. I also had 0 interest but now I use it.