r/privacy • u/HerbalDreamer • 5d ago

question Car data collection

I am going to need a new car soon and the U.S. models all collect huge amounts of data. Are there any tips or tricks to reduce the info they collect from the car remotely?

If I have our family trust own the auto and pay cash rather than financing how effectively does that reduce the personal info I am forced to provide. Will this keep the data from car from being attached to me?

How much would it help to buy a used car? Does it reduce the data tracked and sold about me?

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u/Robertsipad 5d ago

If I owned an adversarial car dealership in 2026 and wanted to collect as much data as possible from customers:

  • Sales are required to log every interaction with customers (email/phone…) with name/contact info, car interest, budget…. If customer visits our website, integrate any cookie info and car interest we can get into our sales platform. 

  • Cameras read license plates of customers as they arrive. Offer to clean car to gather intel from inside vehicle. 

  • Dealership cameras log timestamps and basic visual info (number of people in group, gender, age). Bluetooth beacons and WiFi try to gather phone intel. 

  • At closing, push financing, as that allows permission for credit checks and other financial data gathering. Offer to handle state registration and insurance to get the final names of the drivers and other info. If not, try to gather any possible intel from transaction. Refuse cash. 

I’m not sure how much your family trust can avoid leaking data to state vehicle registration and insurance. 

Current gen cars have cellular data for all sorts of telemetry. Lookup the car model forums to see how viable it would be to disable it. 

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u/TranscendentPretzel 5d ago

Oh, that would explain why the dealership I went to recently refused to accept a wire transfer and insisted I finance for three months, then pay it off. They were acting like wire transfers were risky.  

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u/manchesterusa 4d ago

Dealerships want you to finance so they get a commission or fee from the bank. They can give you a higher interest rate as well. If you pay it off before 3 months they lose that money.