[rpcope1]

These sort of devices seem to show up a lot on cars from "Buy Here, Pay Here" lots (for buyers at risk of default), and have been for a while now. This is one the ways those sorts of lots make a lot of money; an couple of acquaintances run some of these lots and I'm told some cars may be repossessed many times, often paying themselves off many times over. This is another mode of fleecing the poor like payday loan vendors, and it's real lucrative (but pretty morally pungent).

It's sort of funny that a lot of people in the comments here had no idea that this stuff exists; it highlights the lack of demographic overlap between people posting on HN and the sort of person that would wind up getting a device like this installed (or need to use a buy here pay here lot).