That depends on the person. I refuse to ever buy a Tesla because it’s filled with smart technology insanity and then they charge a subscription for this punishment they force on you.

All I need is a stick shift and radio smart enough to parse and navigate mp3 files. The car doesn’t even have to come with that radio as it’s a trivial aftermarket upgrade.

I’ve owned a Tesla since 2018 and never paid a subscription nor needed one.

I suppose a "dumb car" should be called "feature car", the same way as old-school mobiles are called "feature phones".

Feature phones are not old-school mobile phones. They're crippled smartphones. As near as I can tell, nobody actually makes good old, dumb, cellphones anymore.

I'm not sure that is correct. Granted, there doesn't seem to be a lot of them anymore, but they're not all gone. Here's a list of dumb phones made in 2021-2024 running an "unnamed OS": https://www.prisjakt.nu/c/mobiltelefoner?197=2024%7C2021&438... (sorry, Swedish product comparison site, but the phones should be possible to search for elsewhere on the web) I don't get the impression they are crippled smartphones.

We’re starting to see this. For instance, some cars have absurdly overactive VESS (engine tone) systems.

Some are so loud they wake up neighbors. Others don’t shut off at the NHTSA recommended 30kph, and sound like distant ambulances on the freeway.

Even if it is legal to disable them, many insurance policies include a carve out that invalidates your coverage if you do so. So, you could lose your house as punishment without ever getting to defend yourself in front of a jury.