I have a 2010 Toyota Corolla. She’s been my trusty steed for the last 14 years and is in good working order. I recognize she won’t last forever, and if, god forbid (mostly for her) I get in an accident, I will need to get a new car. So what dumb cars do you drive, and what would you replace them with?
I recommend a 2010 Toyota Corolla.
I was just pointing out the car OP already had, which isn’t far off from the newest “dumb cars” you can get.
He’s asking what he can switch to that’s even newer than 2010, while all my cars (that I have no intention of ever replacing due to age) are already 5-15 years older than his.
If you don’t live in that one country where they get stolen easily, Hyundai I10 and I20 base models are the perfect dumb car
Absolutely nothing to go wrong; the most technological thing on them is a Bluetooth stereo, and the little 1.25L motor only needs an oil change every 20k kilometres to keep it sweet
The motors in us Hyundais are pretty notorious for not lasting long. Pretty much the opposite of a Toyota.
Am I missing something or people are calling engine of a car “motor”? Because there is a big difference between the two.
When you say dumb, do you mean like with minimal computers? I think I remember reading about Mercedes or something working on a vehicle that’s entirely mechanical with zero computer integration. I imagine it would be pretty expensive though
No way. Anyone have a link? Its gotta at least have electronic fuel injection. A 2025 Benz with a carburetor and old school distributor is not believable.
For that, they’d have to develop an entirely new engine, which they then couldn’t sell in Europe, America, Australia or most of Asia due to emissions regulations. So maybe they’re doing it, but it will be a one-off prestige project at the end of the internal combustion engine age, and all of them will be put in museums or private collections.
I would prefer something old enough it wouldn’t even have a backup camera
You have to buy one prior to 2018 then. I believe that was the year it became standard.
Why? I wouldn’t go without a backup camera. It only takes one time for a small child running after a ball to slip your eye and you’ve got blood on your hands. When a driver gets behind the wheel, they are barely in control of a multi-ton murder machine. A backup camera is a very easy-to-use tool to keep the murder machine under control.
So staring at a tiny screen on your dashboard makes you less likely to hit a child that already would’ve gone unnoticed if you were actively looking in multiple directions with a wider field of vision?
They became required because a dad backed over and killed his own son. That father fought for years to make them required so no one would have to go through the same pain he went through. Why would you not want one? You could not look at it if you don’t like it. But it’s one of the best possible safety features imo, and it’s dirt cheap compared to the cost of a car.
If it’s a new car, I don’t think it will be legal for them to sell it in the US with all the new laws we’ve been getting that require “safety features” like the ability to remotely stop the vehicle.
Many Toyotas. Even their newest series LandCruiser is doing well and will continue the legacy of doing well because durable mechanical simplicity is what it brings to the competitive table.
A lot of Toyotas last a long time and are easy to work on. That in turn makes them popular, making parts for them even cheaper.
Honestly? Consider grabbing another Corolla if you liked your Corolla. The Toyota price tag pays itself off in longevity and low ongoing cost. They just don’t die and do their job well for a long time.
Honestly? Consider grabbing another Corolla if you liked your Corolla
Agreed. My 2020 corolla has very little of the digital bells and whistles that are increasingly getting in the way of things “just working” in the driving experience.
Still, more than I’d like, but much less than any other vehicle I’ve driven in the last 10 years.
And, as far as I can tell, it doesn’t have any way of “phoning home” to tell the corporate overlords if I’m doing something they don’t approve of.
I can’t quote it offhand, but I know I’ve read an article recently about corporations phoning home and I believe Toyota was on the list. I’ll see if I can dig it up.
That said, I agree about the Toyotas. Even if they DO phone home and we have to deal with that crap, they’re bulletproof and deserve their reputation.
Edit: guess I never ended up reading the whole article, but it was Mozilla. Hopefully this helps: https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/blog/privacy-nightmare-on-wheels-every-car-brand-reviewed-by-mozilla-including-ford-volkswagen-and-toyota-flunks-privacy-test/
Yeah it seems all cars share data now according to that report :(
Just gotta get an older dumb car that’s reliable (like Toyota or Lexus) or maybe you can remove the modem from the car.
Edit: after some quick googling you can remove the fuses on some cars to disable the wireless connectivity but that’s on a case by case basis.
I’ve read through your comments, and honestly, you’re just going to want to buy an old civic or another Corolla, and if you need to, swap in a new engine. You really have to choose working on an old car to keep it running, or live with even the basic standard safety features like a backup camera. Keep in mind that the new lane assist or collision avoidance stuff can be turned off in virtually all new cars. Plenty of new cars don’t have an obnoxious infotainment screen as well.
Plenty of new cars don’t have an obnoxious infotainment screen as well.
maybe list them for OP instead of hinting at their existence.
I mean, I can’t list every one of them? It all depends on if you find a 6 inch screen too big or something Tesla sized.
I know my Ford Maverick and my wife’s Kia Soul are pretty tame with the infotainment system.
just having a couple brands and models to look into is pretty helpful. I know i’m sick to death of massive screens with touchscreen buttons for everything. i drive my step mother’s recent model BMW sometimes and trying to just change the radio station is a chore that involves clicking accept on a screen with a huge disclaimer warning you not to get distracted by the touchscreen while driving before you can even operate it.
