6 Ways to Modernize Your Old Car

Automotive tech is continually evolving. Infotainment systems have become more robust, sensors and driving aids continue to be refined in service of autonomous driving and operating a car is easier than it ever has been thanks to a host of convenience features. While we admire older cars for their simplicity compared to today’s high-tech machines, if you’ve ever used Apple CarPlay or blind spot monitoring, you can appreciate that high-tech features really do make for a better driving experience. But, you don’t need to buy a new car if you do want the latest and greatest tech. These six aftermarket accessories can bring almost any older car into the 21st century.

Infotainment

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Pioneer AppRadio 4 SPH-DA120

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Carplay and Android Auto are quite possibly two of the most convenient automotive tech advancements in the last couple years. Their integration into your old ride is miles above the tape deck auxiliary converter. Pioneer’s AppRadio 4 not only seamlessly connects your phone and its subsequent apps to your car’s dash, but also provides users with audio streaming, navigation and hands-free calling. It can also connect with an aftermarket backup camera. (But if you have a classic 911, we highly recommend one of these.)

Back-Up Camera

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Esky EC170-06

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A small, waterproof camera that can be easily and discreetly installed above your license plate. It offers a 170-degree field of visibility behind your vehicle, and can be hooked up to your aftermarket infotainment system or a separate backup camera monitor.

Traffic Monitoring

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Mobileye 560

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In the age of the modern vehicle, laser and radar sensors have become de rigueur, but you can, in fact, purchase an aftermarket system for your classic that offers some of the same safety features. From Mobileye — which is among one of the many companies researching autonomous driving technology — the 560-sensor kit features pedestrian and forward collision warnings, as well as lane departure and blind spot monitoring.

Data Monitoring

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Automatic Labs Smart Driving Assistant

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This simple adapter can be plugged into your car’s OBD-II (on-board diagnostics) port and access tons of driving data from your car’s computer and send it to your smartphone via Bluetooth. This grants you access to detailed information on your car’s fuel consumption, engine issues and your own driving habits (hard stops, hard acceleration, etc). It can even log your car’s position via GPS if you don’t quite remember where you’ve parked.

Remote Start

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Viper 4706v 2-Way LCD Remote Start System

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Getting a head start on your heater or AC on those cold winter mornings or hot summer days can make a commute a little less miserable, which is why remote start is a godsend. Viper’s LCD remote system can be outfitted to most older cars and, in addition to remote start, can monitor the interior temperature and display it on the LCD remote.

Tire Pressure Monitoring

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CARCHET Tire Pressure Monitoring System

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TPMS is another safety feature that has become incredibly ubiquitous on modern cars, and for good reason: driving with too little air in your tires is incredibly dangerous. CARCHET’s TPMS is made up of four tire stem caps that wirelessly connect with a monitor that plugs into your car’s 12V socket.

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