this post was submitted on 23 Jun 2026
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Why does a car need an android app?
So you can buy a subscription for the soft locked features like remote start. And so they get you to agree to a location tracking EULA. Got a VW this year and the dealership pushed the app really hard, apparently they have to pay VW a fee if they don't hit a quota for sign ups.
Why does car need to be an android app?
It doesn't need it, it will drive just fine without app connection, but it provides convenient remote access and control capabilities.
I'd prefer a car that's entirely analog. What a crazy dream.
My first car was a 1992 honda civic. As time went on and cars cot more modern, i yearned for a more modern car. Infotainment seemed like so much fun, all thr convenient knick knacks and gizmos.
Now, unironocally my dream car is my 1992 honda civic from back in the day
Get me a '94 Camry with a nice stereo and I'll be happy.
This is the millennial midlife crisis vehicle. Not the Lamborghini or Ferrari or Porsche or Corvette. Nah. Something that I can leave behind for my descendants.
90s Civic or Miata has been my dream forever, I’m with ya.
Two pieces of modern tech, though: security and sound.
90s Civics were notoriously easy to steal, so I’d definitely want something to prevent that.
When I was younger, I’d always dreamed of having a nice sound system in my car, but could never afford to do it. Now that I have a car with a super nice sound system and a sub, I can never go back. No “infotainment” BS tho, just gimme a standard deck. USB support is nice, but an aux jack is all I really need.
I have a suzuki samurai that was intended to just be a project car.
But now, I think the highest technology item it has is whatever transistor is firing the spark plugs. Its tempting to just daily it.
I remember seeing guys in samurais off roading down ATV trails and I was always a little jealous.
I'd love to get one to wrench on, but I don't need another project.
In my civic i installed a "killswitch", which was just a hidden switch to turn on the fuel pump. Not really sure how much that would prevent theft in the real world, but i think it was hard enough to find that someone trying to steal the car would rather give up than spending more time on this car. I had a pretty good sound system, which i wouldn't need anymore. Infotainment is super overrated, my dream setup now is just something that mirrors my phone
I had a similar switch on an old truck, and it did prevent it from being stolen once. It appeared to have started and moved far enough to get out of its parking space and was left in the lot with the door open.
So it will work if your vehicle is such a sad decripit POS that it just appears to be broken when they try to start it.
We had an old manual Ford Escort that we had drilled the ignition out of and put a switch in instead. No one figured it out without us telling them (friends family borrowing). Ours wasn't even really hidden, just unexpected... thieves rarely want to spend extra time and effort on unexpecteds.
I switched to a 1989 VW Golf a couple weeks back. No regrets
Well there's always buying an old beater or a classic and restoring it. But you'd have to go more than 40 years back to find cars that are entirely without digital components.
That would not even be legal on today's roads, at least in EU for new vehicles.
It’s the one modern feature I wouldn’t want to give up. Cooling my car down before I get in it without having to walk out to it is very nice.
I'm a convert for the fob systems. Despite having grown up a locksmith, I still lock my keys in my car more than I'm proud to admit. But ever since I got a newish Avalon, it hasn't let me do it once. Plus I got tactile buttons for most all control. Ac is still touch screen type buttons, but everything else I get a reassuring click.
Infotaiment system. It integrates your audio library, your maps, contacts and other apps seamlessly. You get current traffic info, automatic updates and huge app library (for example CoMaps and many apps for public chargers). Integrated infotamiment system were left far behind years ago.
You get all that through android auto. The manufacturer app is for when you're not in the car.
Oh, I thought we're talking about android auto. If this is the specific car app it's a different story, yes.