How To Buy a Low-Tech Car on Edmunds.com

Edmunds.com

How To Buy a Low-Tech Car on Edmunds.com

Today's cars have increasingly complex infotainment systems. If that's not right for you, here's how to find a car that's free of distracting technology.

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throwback

My personal low tech ride of choice would be a '65 Riviera. That will be my "son's done with college" project. I can't wait; crate LS6, The Hotrod shop chassis, Baer brakes....

zimtheinvader

"The technology tipping point was 2006, says professional auto shopper Christopher F. Abrahms, owner of the Cars for All brokerage in Burbank, California. Cars and trucks built before then are less likely to be overloaded with complex technology systems."

As a guy that drove a car from the early 70s to work today I don't take my own advice but keep in mind that pre 2006 car won't be as good in a crash or in crash avoidance. Not a reason to avoid older cars but another figure to put in the equation. Especially if you aren't going so far back as to be fun but just trying to avoid technology.

PF_Flyer

Ah, if I could turn back time... I'd love to have my 1966 Chrysler Newport with the 383 V-8 2 barrel and a sticker price of $3474. I could work on everything on that car. I saw one on the road when my kids were little, and they asked me if the roads were wider back then

When you stepped on it, that car WENT

any1there

After owning many new vehicles (concluding with my current '01 vintage), my experience is that dealers are loathe to perform any kind of warranty service, and with the intermittent glitches these new systems are sure to present - sometimes resulting in dire consequences - I can imagine headaches-aplenty as these cars age.

nyccarguy

No Tech? Supposedly a late '70's - Early '80's Mercedes Diesel is your car.

darthbimmer

One of the problems I've found with buying a tech-heavy car is that the salespeople don't know how to use the tech. When I shopped for a new car a few years ago their demos of voice commands, iPhone integration, and even selectable mode switches (sport transmission, etc.) failed much more often than they worked. That left me, as a prospective customer, skeptical that these expensive "features" were fussy and unreliable or, worse, shams. I gave up on new cars and bought a used '08 model with no infotainment and no "smart" controllers.

mittzombie

I think I will take a new Lotus with a Double Din stereo slot!

It is just horrible that people spend thousands extra for bad nav and stereo systems like Bose, total junk and hard to replace.

drgraceg

what is the best car that will start after the power grid is knocked off and all the cars are electronic? I want to chose the best one which will still work even without electricity and microchips.

stever

What about fuel? The gas pumps won't work without power either and it doesn't store well. That leaves diesel.

How about a 1953 FarmAll Super MD? (and I'm only half joking...)

PF_Flyer

Talk about not knowing how to operate tech... we were at a family gathering over the weekend. *I* had my Nikon with a decent lens with me, and everyone with their "camera" that could text and make phone calls got a lesson in things you can do with a real camera

montanan2

I have been effectively removed from the new car market as I am not willing to pay for technology that I don't want or have any use for. The touchscreen infotainment system tops the list for me.

I have rented a few cars with this feature and find that they are quite a distraction. I want buttons and switches. I have looked for cars without this feature and find that most of them are stripped down base models that I am unable to add features to unless I go to the next higher model and then the touch screen is standard. I can't understand why auto makers think that everyone is ready to embrace all of the technology that they THINK people want. There is no way to special order an upgraded model without a touch screen. Manufacturers just won't do it.

Yes, some people do want high tech features, but what's wrong with giving the new car buyer a choice instead of shoving their technology down the buyers throats.

I guess I'll be saving myself a lot of money by not paying for a new car full of features I don't need.

Mr_Shiftright

nyccarguy said:

No Tech? Supposedly a late '70's - Early '80's Mercedes Diesel is your car.

Yes but then you have laughably inept German AC to deal with.

PF_Flyer

montanan2 said:

I have been effectively removed from the new car market as I am not willing to pay for technology that I don't want or have any use for. The touchscreen infotainment system tops the list for me.

I have rented a few cars with this feature and find that they are quite a distraction. I want buttons and switches. I have looked for cars without this feature and find that most of them are stripped down base models that I am unable to add features to unless I go to the next higher model and then the touch screen is standard. I can't understand why auto makers think that everyone is ready to embrace all of the technology that they THINK people want. There is no way to special order an upgraded model without a touch screen. Manufacturers just won't do it.

Yes, some people do want high tech features, but what's wrong with giving the new car buyer a choice instead of shoving their technology down the buyers throats.

I guess I'll be saving myself a lot of money by not paying for a new car full of features I don't need.

Try being a manual transmission fan!