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That and the ever present complaint that they can't take a hit like they used too. Never mind that makes them way safer and saves tons of lives. Some people wa

That and the ever present complaint that they can't take a hit like they used too. Never mind that makes them way safer and saves tons of lives. Some people want to crash up derby their car every weekend.

mrguyorama 6y ago
It's also not even remotely true. Check out the IIHS crashing a 60s bel air into a modern malibu. "They don't make them like they used to" has always been a nostalgic crock of shit, like the people who think the NES was the golden age of video games, despite the vast majority of the 700 or so releases being utter trash for $60 that sometimes didn't even work! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_r5UJrxcck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_r5UJrxcck
- omgwtfbyobbq 6y ago
  I think they're talking about damage from low speed hits. Older cars can take those without as much apparent damage because they have big heavy bumpers and aren't designed for occupant/pedestrian safety, but like you said they'll fold up like a tin can in higher speed crashes.
- throwaway0a5e 6y ago
  That's a promotional video for showcasing how far safety has come. It's about as grounded in reality as that Top Gear episode with the Hilux that the online fanboys all beat it to but people who actually work in industry roll their eyes at. Nobody's ever done an 80s Town Car vs a 2010 Town Car at 30mph because a crash test where the result is "both drivers would have walked away" is boring and doesn't make for the kinds of DARE-esque media that the people who do crash testing have found it worthwhile to put out.
- h_anna_h 6y ago
  I can give you an anecdote. A modern car crashed on our nissan from 1990's a while ago and while absolutely nothing happened to ours the other car looked like a wreck. Maybe the behind of the car is made to be more durable than the front? I do not know.
  - mrguyorama 6y ago
    The body may not have warped much, but that just means the force was transferred directly to the occupants with zero reduction from crumple zones. This is terrible for safety but good for the pocket book if you are lucky enough to escape unscathed. With significant and well engineered crumple zones and fairly expensive components, modern cars are significantly easier to total.
throwaway0a5e 6y ago
Having a crumple zone turn to mush in a 10mph parking lot mishap does pretty much nothing to make your car more survivable in a crash that might hurt you. There's no real reason slow speed crashes have to be as damaging as they are. It's just a result of what our tests our and natural optimization toward them. If the NHTSA reintroduced a "is the vehicle drive-able after a minor hit" type crash things would get a lot better very quickly.

mrguyorama 6y ago

It's also not even remotely true. Check out the IIHS crashing a 60s bel air into a modern malibu. "They don't make them like they used to" has always been a nostalgic crock of shit, like the people who think the NES was the golden age of video games, despite the vast majority of the 700 or so releases being utter trash for $60 that sometimes didn't even work! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_r5UJrxcck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_r5UJrxcck

omgwtfbyobbq 6y ago
I think they're talking about damage from low speed hits. Older cars can take those without as much apparent damage because they have big heavy bumpers and aren't designed for occupant/pedestrian safety, but like you said they'll fold up like a tin can in higher speed crashes.
throwaway0a5e 6y ago
That's a promotional video for showcasing how far safety has come. It's about as grounded in reality as that Top Gear episode with the Hilux that the online fanboys all beat it to but people who actually work in industry roll their eyes at. Nobody's ever done an 80s Town Car vs a 2010 Town Car at 30mph because a crash test where the result is "both drivers would have walked away" is boring and doesn't make for the kinds of DARE-esque media that the people who do crash testing have found it worthwhile to put out.
h_anna_h 6y ago
I can give you an anecdote. A modern car crashed on our nissan from 1990's a while ago and while absolutely nothing happened to ours the other car looked like a wreck. Maybe the behind of the car is made to be more durable than the front? I do not know.
- mrguyorama 6y ago
  The body may not have warped much, but that just means the force was transferred directly to the occupants with zero reduction from crumple zones. This is terrible for safety but good for the pocket book if you are lucky enough to escape unscathed. With significant and well engineered crumple zones and fairly expensive components, modern cars are significantly easier to total.

throwaway0a5e 6y ago

Having a crumple zone turn to mush in a 10mph parking lot mishap does pretty much nothing to make your car more survivable in a crash that might hurt you. There's no real reason slow speed crashes have to be as damaging as they are. It's just a result of what our tests our and natural optimization toward them. If the NHTSA reintroduced a "is the vehicle drive-able after a minor hit" type crash things would get a lot better very quickly.