Jfc my heart goes out to everyone who is financially coerced into getting one of these policies. This is not okay. People who have a voice need to push back on this. Your own devices should never be used against you.

What’s a good resource for someone who wants to do this but doesn’t know much about car computer systems?

Fun story:

Tonight I pirated the PC version of Firmament (made by Cyan Worlds). I backed the game well over two years ago but the game was delayed, and then when it finally released a year ago, Cyan only released the PC version, and the PS4/5 version —the version I elected to receive — still hasn’t come out yet. I don’t know if it ever will and I’m tired of waiting.

So I pirated a game I bought for a different platform because it never released for the platform I bought it for.

DRM-free versions are [almost] always available somewhere. If it’s DRM-free, I will buy it if I like it. If the DRM-free version isn’t for sale or I can’t easily circumvent the DRM, it just means it came from the high seas instead of a local media store.

And don’t even get me started on how often TV shows aren’t even released on DVD/Blu-ray/4K. Again, I can’t pay for it if no one is offering to sell it to me.

Music can be easy to make, but IMO good music usually isn’t easy to produce still requires a fair amount of time and talent.

Also I never stopped buying good music despite my pirating. The recording industry has certainly stopped wanting to sell us music though, and prefers we perpetually rent it instead. There is exactly one business my town where there is a decent selection of CDs I can buy, and it’s a local, independent new-and-used media store. The ONLY alternatives are walmart and target, who have maybe a dozen or so albums for sale.

P.S. To anyone who releases an album on vinyl but not on CD in 2024: I hate you with the passion and determination of a hundred honey badgers.

The Sony Xperia 1 iii, 1iv, and 1 v should meet all of OP’s requirements except size, and should have most of the bonus features too. Last year I was able to find a used xperia 1 iii for under $500USD. Sony allows bootloader unlocking so I put LineageOS with microg on it, rooted with magisk, and my phone does any thing I want (as long as that thing doesn’t require Google Play Services).

Wait, what? Candy canes have pesticides?

Green Party. Also, you could get involved in local politics to help get Ranked Choice Voting passed in your state.