Whenever i get a collectible car, one of the first things i do to it is replace the points with Pertronix electronic ignition.
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I am not interested is owning a vehicle that is overloaded with computers as well. 5 is plenty, 50 is too many.
This is the computer list from the SUV I just worked on;
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Good idea for more modern cars. They don’t go back too many years (about 7 I think). Also, I’d be happy with any car in the top 3 or 4 categories for reliability, depending on what specific problems they show. CR’s ratings are quite compressed. IIRC, the Much Worse Than Average group includes 4% and worse failure rate. I do credit them for making this information available.
Is your concern that you don’t want to operate a dashboard full of touch screens and computer controls?
Or is the concern with maintaining and repairing your vehicle. And that you’d rather not have computers or electronics involved in your diagnosis or repairs?
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I used to be able to repair my television set. This was back in the vacuum tube days with hand wired chassis-no printed circuits. Would I like to go back to that time period? NO. I probably couldn’t fix my flat screen TV, but nothing has ever gone wrong with it.
The last “computer less” car I owned was a 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass. Of all the vehicles I have owned since, I have never had a problem with the onboard computers. I have had water pump replacement, a transmission rebuild, a couple of wheel bearings, an air conditioning recharge,etc. but never a computer problem and this spans 10 vehicles.
My 1950 Chevrolet pickup was simple. However, I spent most of an afternoon rebuilding the one barrel carburetor. I have never had a problem with the fuel injection on my later vehicles.
I am an old geezer going on 80, but I just take my Geritol® and appreciate the modern times.
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It is what it is. Sure big bucks or new cars in our future.
Continuing the discussion from Tired of the computer stuff: seeking recommendations:
I find it concerning that someone can hack into a vehicles computer system taking control of said vehicle or commit an act of invasion of privacy. Or simply cause a terrible accident by human data input error. I totally get the safety factor on reading the little so called black boxes after an accident which tells a lot which can hold the driver accountable unlawfully and right now that is an invasion of privacy in itself. And these companies are stretching our constitutional rights pretty thin as it is. I find every bit of this very concerning and it start with the little black bock embedded in a computer chip.
Read your windows software agreement, they own the software not you, thus your computer operation is at their discretion.
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Good Grief , why are you so paranoid . Destroy your home computer , smash your phone and wear a Tin Foil hat . Seriously , the chance that someone will hack your vehicle is so low it is not even worth 2 seconds of worry time. As for that Black Box , the data in it might just be the thing you need in a Lawsuit .
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Neither of those require a computer. I’ve actually installed a fuel injection (Holly) on a classic Camaro. It wasn’t computer controlled. Electronic ignition has been around since the 70’s.
But I agree…I’d add them too…along with 4-wheel disk brakes.
Continuing the discussion from Tired of the computer stuff: seeking recommendations:
Someone hacking into my car/SUV computer system and taking control of my vehicle or invasion of privacy. I get the safety factor but it doesn’t ease my concerns AT ALL.
You should have placed this post into your first thread so people will know what you are adding to the conversation. Your fears are not based on and real possible occurrence . As for privacy , that went out the window when you got a home PC or smart phone . Beside NSA already knows what you are doing and where you are.
@cdaquila Carolyn , if you are not out of touch because of the weather headed your way could you combine this persons posts ?
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One can never hide from a college or university alumni office. They can track anybody down in 15 minutes. These organizations are even better than NSA.
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Just because a vehicle has computers in it doesn’t mean it can be hacked. In order for that to even be remotely possible there has to be an external connection into the vehicle…My 2014 Highlander has zero outside connections.
Some vehicles have been hacked this way…but it needs that outside connection. And many are not working on preventing this. This should have been done from the beginning. Manufacturers left the door open by not securing these connections. There should be no way for your entertainment system to have access to any of the vehicles functions. But they do.
I don’t think we should go down this path because there is just no real answer and it must be hammered out by the courts and Congress. I’m not particularly concerned so far but I think if you are not a little concerned about AI and all of the information collected about you and shared for profit with others, you just are not paying attention.
I think a main issue is who owns the information concerning how you were driving (or what items you looked at on Amazon) and can you be compelled to testify against yourself, per se? Somehow I think so far the courts got it wrong. If you buy a Ford or a John Deere, you should own whatever is included-not to be able to sell the software but to be able to access or disable it as you please.
But this is a losing discussion. I don’t even know where the black boxes are to be able to pull the plug and I pay for OnStar. I still don’t understand though how when I look at a weed eater on Amazon, I can get an Email from them a couple days later. I don’t belong to them.
I remember removing norton, as I had mcafee under my control and reporting for 100 computers, if you are worried about internet security, disconnect your network cable.
I’d be very surprised if either current system would not have an a cpu somewhere, computing the spark timing or fuel pulse length. My CIS VW fuel injection was mechanical, but since then most are electronically controlled.
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I’m going to go way against the grain here. I do not think the OP literally wants a car with no computers. I think he wants a car with a reasonable amount of electronics, but without all the gimmicky “high tech” features that today’s models are equipped with.
From the early 1980s until the early 2000s, cars improved year after year. Reliability, performance, and fuel economy all improved, and this was no doubt due to more sophisticated computers and sensors replacing the feedback carburetors of the late 1970s-early 1980s. However, there came a point where the addition of “high tech” features made the car less reliable, less enjoyable to drive, less easy to work on, and less secure.
I would argue that the best cars ever made were built from the early 1990s to the early 2000s. By this point, electronic controls and better manufacturing tolerances resulted in excellent reliability, very good performance and fuel economy, and no telemetry/Big Brother built in. Cars from this era are easy to work on, easy to diagnose, and (for the most part) easy to find spare parts for. Cars from this era also offer decent safety features, without all the autonomous Big Brother stuff that’s common today.
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Yes you have nailed it to the letter and wth great information! Thank you!
Except that it needs that access for certain features. For instance, it needs access to speed information so that it can automatically adjust the radio volume when you go faster and make more noise.
The answer isn’t to bar access to the computer, the answer is to secure that access, and at least where possible make it read-only access.
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