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I’ve got a 13 and 25 year old truck. They don’t seem to make cheap, simple cars anymore. I have the money to buy something newer, but each time I get excited I

I’ve got a 13 and 25 year old truck. They don’t seem to make cheap, simple cars anymore. I have the money to buy something newer, but each time I get excited I look at l the electronic crap in new cars, the insane dealer markups, and the general rising price of new cars. I think I’ll just make these last as long as I can.

Carrok 3y ago
Mine is almost 25 as well. When I read stories like this [1] from 3 days about Toyota leaking car location data and videos, it reinforces my desire to have as few computer chips in my car as possible. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35919133 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35919133
AlotOfReading 3y ago
I don't know what your definition of "cheap" is, but a brand new Kia Rio is $17k base. That would be approximately $4.5k in 1980, or just a bit higher than a base Pinto. The problem with "simple" is that everyone uses a different definition and there's a dramatic asymmetry in how people treat missing vs extraneous features. You probably won't reject a vehicle for having Bluetooth, but many people won't buy a car without it for example. A simple car also won't convert someone who wants a truck, nor will it convert the person who wants to fix it in his garage with only a wrench set because it still has to comply with safety and efficiency regs that require electronics. Another issue is that you're not actually paying the full development cost of your vehicle. Development costs are amortized over multiple trims, models, platforms, and even manufacturers. It's likely that a "simpler" vehicle would wind up costing more due to more custom development and fewer economies of scale.
- everdrive 3y ago
  Even in the last 10 years, new car prices have skewed higher. It’s not as if there are _zero_ cheap cars left, but the field is heavily narrowed. We almost had a cheap pickup truck, but 1) it’s got a 4.5’ bed, and 2) no one can actually buy one. WRT to simplicity, I hear you. Given modern regulations and cost margins it may not be possible to see a simple, basic car or truck ever again. I’m not suggesting this is the manufacturer’s fault, but simply that they’re not offering anything I want to buy.
imoverclocked 3y ago
Engine control and monitoring is the only place I want electronics. If I want more, just give me a smartphone holder that integrates with the car. Maybe there is an app for the car but even that might be too much, IMO. 1) those electronics don’t age well. 2) my smartphone already does all of the things I could possibly want a touch panel to do and I’m already familiar with it. 3) why does my car need software updates? At most, it’s a peripheral. 4) just give me nice unique knobs and buttons for critical things like environmental controls, signals, wipers etc. I don’t ever want to look/tap/swipe/etc to do these things. 5) shiny things I can’t easily move/remove in my field of vision are horrible while driving.

Carrok 3y ago

Mine is almost 25 as well. When I read stories like this [1] from 3 days about Toyota leaking car location data and videos, it reinforces my desire to have as few computer chips in my car as possible. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35919133 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35919133

AlotOfReading 3y ago

I don't know what your definition of "cheap" is, but a brand new Kia Rio is $17k base. That would be approximately $4.5k in 1980, or just a bit higher than a base Pinto. The problem with "simple" is that everyone uses a different definition and there's a dramatic asymmetry in how people treat missing vs extraneous features. You probably won't reject a vehicle for having Bluetooth, but many people won't buy a car without it for example. A simple car also won't convert someone who wants a truck, nor will it convert the person who wants to fix it in his garage with only a wrench set because it still has to comply with safety and efficiency regs that require electronics. Another issue is that you're not actually paying the full development cost of your vehicle. Development costs are amortized over multiple trims, models, platforms, and even manufacturers. It's likely that a "simpler" vehicle would wind up costing more due to more custom development and fewer economies of scale.

everdrive 3y ago
Even in the last 10 years, new car prices have skewed higher. It’s not as if there are _zero_ cheap cars left, but the field is heavily narrowed. We almost had a cheap pickup truck, but 1) it’s got a 4.5’ bed, and 2) no one can actually buy one. WRT to simplicity, I hear you. Given modern regulations and cost margins it may not be possible to see a simple, basic car or truck ever again. I’m not suggesting this is the manufacturer’s fault, but simply that they’re not offering anything I want to buy.

imoverclocked 3y ago

Engine control and monitoring is the only place I want electronics. If I want more, just give me a smartphone holder that integrates with the car. Maybe there is an app for the car but even that might be too much, IMO. 1) those electronics don’t age well. 2) my smartphone already does all of the things I could possibly want a touch panel to do and I’m already familiar with it. 3) why does my car need software updates? At most, it’s a peripheral. 4) just give me nice unique knobs and buttons for critical things like environmental controls, signals, wipers etc. I don’t ever want to look/tap/swipe/etc to do these things. 5) shiny things I can’t easily move/remove in my field of vision are horrible while driving.