There's a certain year for each car where it's guaranteed to be untrue, and same for each mfg. I don't know if it's 2015 or 2010 or 2005 but I would imagine back around 2000 the vast majority of cars can't be remotely hacked.

I've been telling people that 2006 is peak car for at least 5 years and almost everyone thinks I'm crazy but I just get more convinced ever year.

Hah not only same message from me but exact same year too, end of the GMT800 and the TJ. Probably other stuff I’m forgetting.

The Toyotas from 2000 can hardly be unlocked even if you insert the key into the lock and turn it. Unless you already did the super-fiddly repair that required you to disassemble and reassemble the doors and latch systems to replace the actuators. Or paid half as much as the value of the car to get your mechanic to do it for you…

Why 2006 specifically?

That's more my personal estimation than a Number Backed By Science (tm) but here are my reasons:

1. Enough computer control for reasonable efficiency

2. Largely independent computers

3. No centralized infotainment that controls the entire car (you can swap the radio)

4. Still lots of knobs and dials, no touchscreens

5. Enough computers to get pretty good diagnostics if/when something goes wrong

6. Most of them have lock clickers, maybe trunk, almost nothing else

7. Engines are older, built "heavily" and don't suffer from too much boost / high bearing load

I think the last one is a big one that the closer a car gets to say 2020ish the more you really have to look at how it was built to know what you're getting. It's great to have a two-stage oil pump to reduce pumping losses when an engine doesn't REALLY need 60psi of oil pressure at all times. But GM 6.2L V8s are grenading all over the place to save less than 1mpg and over 100kmi at say 18mpg vs 17mpg that's 5555 gallons of gas vs 5882 gallons or 350 gallons. Even at $5/gallon that's only $1750 in gas vs $10-$20k for a new engine and I can't imagine it's net-reduced emissions as there's absolutely a bunch of emissions encapsulated in that at least $10k price. This is just one example.

BTW I'm not advocating for any policy or that anyone should be forced to do anything. I'm just personally more excited about keeping older (fuel injected, computer controlled, efficient) cars running well than I am about spending a bunch of money on a new car that's got a lot of engine "innovation" in it where all the kinks haven't been worked out yet.

Also diesel emissions got a lot tougher in 2006 ish in North America.

If you a “burn anything”, no emissions junk to fail diesel, stick to pre 2006

also when bimmers started getting heads up displays

To add to sibling comment, the "Great Recession" (2007-09) also had a huge impact on the global auto industry. GM and Chrysler both filed for bankruptcy in 09 for example. This downturn in the car industry made many car companies far more conservative and a significant number of "fun"/unique cars were removed from the market and never really replaced, alongside big reductions in R&D spend for new products.

Sales also plummeted at major European and Japanese automakers during this period - Toyota recorded its first loss in decades etc.

I think they mean any car that can't be trivially defeated by shimming the door lock and plugging into the obd2 to program a new key.

2009 still had 3G modems. 3G isn't online anymore.