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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_r5UJrxcck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_r5UJrxcck Malibu vs Bel Air crash test. You better believe that modern cars are

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_r5UJrxcck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_r5UJrxcck Malibu vs Bel Air crash test. You better believe that modern cars are better, its incredible how _BAD_ cars were before we cared about safety. And that's just safety. Today's cars have better MPG, go faster, have more power, easier to maintain, consistently hit 150,000 miles, etc. etc.

rightbyte 3y ago
I have to admit cars have gotten better. I wonder why, since pretty much any other machinery have become worse. Monkey wrenches, kitchen aids, washing machines. Even static tools like frying pans, screw drivers. You name it. But not cars.
- meheleventyone 3y ago
  Cars are heavily regulated.
  - brewdad 3y ago
    > The car market appears to be as close to perfect competition as we can muster. Theres an enormous amount of big players that all compete and try to outdo one another > Cars are heavily regulated I love that both of these statements, while reflecting opposing ends of political philosophy, are entirely true.
    - meheleventyone 3y ago
      There's only a handful of umbrella companies for most of the brands.
- anthonypasq 3y ago
  The car market appears to be as close to perfect competition as we can muster. Theres an enormous amount of big players that all compete and try to outdo one another
  - SideburnsOfDoom 3y ago
    This is not a marker of "perfect competition", in fact, far from it https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/podcast/knowledge-at-wharton-podcast/auto-bailout-ten-years-later-right-call/ https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/podcast/knowledge-at-wha...
- floxy 3y ago
  You can't buy cars at Amazon (?). So there is no race to the bottom trying to compete with counterfeit and/or products made with substandard materials?
- squarefoot 3y ago
  Cars can kill people in numerous ways and as a consequence are more regulated pretty much everywhere except the useless things; other items are only where it counts. A washing machine might be a piece of crap wrt its function, but for sure must pass all sorts of certifications for electrical safety. That wouldn't prevent it from being crap, though.
- uxp100 3y ago
  I mean, modern washing machines use much less water and electricity, and leave the clothes less wet so the dryer has less to do. I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were less damaging to clothes as well.
- m463 3y ago
  I think much of everything else has been ruthlessly optimized for volume + price/profit, so the minimum viable product rises to the top.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
0cf8612b2e1e 3y ago
Also worth noting how the car industry fought their damndest against safety features. After Ralph Nader published Unsafe at any Speed, the car industry set their goons after him. Blurb from Wikipedia > In response to Nader's criticisms, GM attempted to sabotage Nader's reputation. It "(1) conducted a series of interviews with acquaintances of the plaintiff, 'questioning them about, and casting aspersions upon [his] political, social, racial and religious views; his integrity; his sexual proclivities and inclinations; and his personal habits'; (2) kept him under surveillance in public places for an unreasonable length of time; (3) caused him to be accosted by girls for the purpose of entrapping him into illicit relationships; (4) made threatening, harassing and obnoxious telephone calls to him; (5) tapped his telephone and eavesdropped, by means of mechanical and electronic equipment, on his private conversations with others; and (6) conducted a 'continuing' and harassing investigation of him."[12] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsafe_at_Any_Speed https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsafe_at_Any_Speed
MisterTea 3y ago
> Malibu vs Bel Air crash test. Bel Air? 1955? We can go well into the 90's with many cars which were little more than sheet metal shells on a frame. My oldest friend was killed in his '89 Nissan sentra after he was hit from behind by a wreckless driver sending the little tin foil box into a pole and tree shredding it into a pile of scrap metal along with him. > consistently hit 150,000 miles Tell that to Merc 300D's. But aside from anomalies drive-line reliability greatly improved int he 90's after we ditched carbs and early fuel injection. My 1995 tahoe had 175k on the clock when sold and only needed a transfer case rebuild after my mother shifted it while moving (broke the fork and was stuck in 4hi). After the awful demise of my friend I sold my '96 civic (4th owner) with over 300k on the odo, it broke at 300 and I believe it was around 350-360 when I sold it. My 2004 Jeep Libery made it to 220k before it started falling apart and sold it to a guy who ran it for another few years (the 3.7 v6 in them were crap too). > easier to maintain, consistently hit 150,000 miles, etc. etc. Back in March my friend woke up to find that his less than 2 month old 2023 Kia Sportage hybrid stone dead in his driveway. Dealer dropped off a 15 year old loaner and took 40 days to find and fix the problem. They told him it was a "bad wiring harness". Super easy maintenance, eh? > go faster, have more power, The amount of morons who think they are the king of the road has massively increased thanks to COVID and the last thing we need is to empower these morons with faster piles of metal.

rightbyte 3y ago

I have to admit cars have gotten better. I wonder why, since pretty much any other machinery have become worse. Monkey wrenches, kitchen aids, washing machines. Even static tools like frying pans, screw drivers. You name it. But not cars.

meheleventyone 3y ago
Cars are heavily regulated.
- brewdad 3y ago
  > The car market appears to be as close to perfect competition as we can muster. Theres an enormous amount of big players that all compete and try to outdo one another > Cars are heavily regulated I love that both of these statements, while reflecting opposing ends of political philosophy, are entirely true.
  - meheleventyone 3y ago
    There's only a handful of umbrella companies for most of the brands.
anthonypasq 3y ago
The car market appears to be as close to perfect competition as we can muster. Theres an enormous amount of big players that all compete and try to outdo one another
- SideburnsOfDoom 3y ago
  This is not a marker of "perfect competition", in fact, far from it https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/podcast/knowledge-at-wharton-podcast/auto-bailout-ten-years-later-right-call/ https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/podcast/knowledge-at-wha...
floxy 3y ago
You can't buy cars at Amazon (?). So there is no race to the bottom trying to compete with counterfeit and/or products made with substandard materials?
squarefoot 3y ago
Cars can kill people in numerous ways and as a consequence are more regulated pretty much everywhere except the useless things; other items are only where it counts. A washing machine might be a piece of crap wrt its function, but for sure must pass all sorts of certifications for electrical safety. That wouldn't prevent it from being crap, though.
uxp100 3y ago
I mean, modern washing machines use much less water and electricity, and leave the clothes less wet so the dryer has less to do. I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were less damaging to clothes as well.
m463 3y ago
I think much of everything else has been ruthlessly optimized for volume + price/profit, so the minimum viable product rises to the top.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

0cf8612b2e1e 3y ago

Also worth noting how the car industry fought their damndest against safety features. After Ralph Nader published Unsafe at any Speed, the car industry set their goons after him. Blurb from Wikipedia > In response to Nader's criticisms, GM attempted to sabotage Nader's reputation. It "(1) conducted a series of interviews with acquaintances of the plaintiff, 'questioning them about, and casting aspersions upon [his] political, social, racial and religious views; his integrity; his sexual proclivities and inclinations; and his personal habits'; (2) kept him under surveillance in public places for an unreasonable length of time; (3) caused him to be accosted by girls for the purpose of entrapping him into illicit relationships; (4) made threatening, harassing and obnoxious telephone calls to him; (5) tapped his telephone and eavesdropped, by means of mechanical and electronic equipment, on his private conversations with others; and (6) conducted a 'continuing' and harassing investigation of him."[12] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsafe_at_Any_Speed https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsafe_at_Any_Speed

MisterTea 3y ago

> Malibu vs Bel Air crash test. Bel Air? 1955? We can go well into the 90's with many cars which were little more than sheet metal shells on a frame. My oldest friend was killed in his '89 Nissan sentra after he was hit from behind by a wreckless driver sending the little tin foil box into a pole and tree shredding it into a pile of scrap metal along with him. > consistently hit 150,000 miles Tell that to Merc 300D's. But aside from anomalies drive-line reliability greatly improved int he 90's after we ditched carbs and early fuel injection. My 1995 tahoe had 175k on the clock when sold and only needed a transfer case rebuild after my mother shifted it while moving (broke the fork and was stuck in 4hi). After the awful demise of my friend I sold my '96 civic (4th owner) with over 300k on the odo, it broke at 300 and I believe it was around 350-360 when I sold it. My 2004 Jeep Libery made it to 220k before it started falling apart and sold it to a guy who ran it for another few years (the 3.7 v6 in them were crap too). > easier to maintain, consistently hit 150,000 miles, etc. etc. Back in March my friend woke up to find that his less than 2 month old 2023 Kia Sportage hybrid stone dead in his driveway. Dealer dropped off a 15 year old loaner and took 40 days to find and fix the problem. They told him it was a "bad wiring harness". Super easy maintenance, eh? > go faster, have more power, The amount of morons who think they are the king of the road has massively increased thanks to COVID and the last thing we need is to empower these morons with faster piles of metal.