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New Car Question
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this post was submitted on 04 Jun 2026
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Privacy
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I get not wanting the internal camera and telemetry crap, but not wanting the other stuff puts you in the same group of people that opposed seat belts when they first became mandatory for cars.
Backup cams, lane warnings, blind spot detection, and auto breaking are all incredible advancements that have significantly improved vehicle saftey.
The features I don't like are things that take total control of the car like auto pilot, lane merging, auto park, or lane correction. It should not fight you trying to avoid something on the road. A little beep to say, "hey you're leaving the lane" is okay, a little beep to remind you to keep your eyes on the road is theoretically okay (but we all know the massive privacy concerns with that one.)
And to answer your question, yes you can get still cars with less of those features. Often the more advanced automation features are sold as an add-ons package or at higher trim level. Unfortunately, comforts like heated seats or motorized trunks are part of the same package, there is no getting one with out the other.
I feel backup cameras are a gateway drug for cars. I would not turn a car down for having one for example. As other features go, I drive so little that the car doesn't need to be fancy. It's a way to get from point a to b.
You're the perfect customer to buy a Corolla! ๐
Sadly all those assist features come standard now even on the lowest trim, but I think you can easily disable them from options, bar the reverse camera. Plus, at least on my 2020 software one, they're not always-on, I think the lane-assist and cruise-control have to be turned on by a button, I use them only on longer trips.
Only the auto-breaking part I'm not sure if it can be disabled, but it doesn't work in lower speeds, so it's as good as not there in less intensive situations.
Top picks of cars I was eyeing up were a Miata, Carolla, Honda Fit, Mazda 3, or Hyundai K-2.
I'd think about electric if it were possible to charge it. It seems like a pain in the butt as I don't have the ability to use bank cards for payment.
I don't know where you're located, but backup cameras are legally required on all new cars in North America starting May 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backup_camera
US. I just don't like distracting screens.
Tell that to the kids and pets that got run over because they were in a blind spot, backup cameras help to prevent that.
I completely understand not wanting the whole suite of modern safety features, I hate most them too, but they do save lives. If you don't drive that much, then they shouldn't bother you if they are there. Most can be turned off anyway. If you're that desperate to not have a rear cam, just tape over it, but please don't.
Even the "cheap", sub $30k new cars come with a lot of the safety features standard now. (Based on general internet rumblings), a used 2018-2022 higher trim car will probably be the sweet spot between having some of the safety features (that can be turned off), physical AC controls, and not having the ads and giant tablet screens. Personally, I wouldn't go any older than 2020 unless you find something well taken care of. A 2018 model year would have be released summer 2017, 9 years ago.
I followed up with similar comments. The backup screen just seemed like a gateway drug to all the other distracting touch screen slop. I don't actually hate back up cameras, it's that it's required to function for inspection and it's one more part that can break.