Well part of that is a '08 Lexus is made from plastic and styrofoam with some metal in for seasoning.

Taking pride in a vehicle? Anyone who drives a hyundai, some hybrid crap, or a generic luxury car has no pride in their vehicle. Theyre rolling in those because theyre either cheap, trying to show how much they 'care' about the environment, or just trying to impress the other stuffed suits respectively. Only a true automotive enthusiast would own, maintain and drive something like a cherried '60s era mustang, vintage Austin-Healey, old skool Bronco, etc.

If anything, the econoboxes, mid size sedans and minivans should be the ones getting crushed since theyre pointless and boring.

 

But that's not the whole point of this scheme. They want safer cleaner cars on the road. It has little to do with pride, respect or whatever.

 

Id hardly call most of these newer cars 'safe'. Ive seen whats underneath them. I wouldnt trust my life and limb to a piece of government approved plastic. My Wrangler's rollcage, ride height and fully boxed ladder frame mean that it will stand up to an impact, which means Ill survive in one piece. The fact that I plowed it right into a concrete barrier at 45-50 mph and the only casualties were the airbags popping the dash apart, a bent tie rod, and the only frame damage was the little ears at the front where the bumper mounts which are noticeably lighter gauge than everything else. That same impact would destroy any newer car, meaning it has to be fully scrapped and replaced. It takes energy to build cars and the pollution spewed out by factories cranking out disposable cars is WAY above and beyond what it would be if we just made them simple and built them to last. Keep the classics on the road!

 

As one of those who drives and take pride in their Old School daily driver, I choose to because these are the cars with style and class. Life is a rat race and I like being the "rat" that stands out in the crowd, before the accident with the 5th Ave, I would turn heads driving to and from work, even though its considered totaled I still take a certain amount of pride in it. It still gets washed, waxed, and properly maintained. As for safe the Kia that hit me had close to 4k in damage, all I got was a dented quarter panel, bent bumper, and broken tail light.
If such a law is passed, I have to say if a few more K coupes were lost it would only raise the value of mine.

 

I'm not going to waste my time explaining why, but the newer cars are safer than the cars of the '80s, '70s or '60s. Yes, they may crumple in an accident, but they are designed to do so to keep the occupant safe. And yes, there is more plastic and lighter weight materials, but that helps increase mpg and they have not sacrificed safety in the process.

 

You are absolutely right. My 84 will put a hurt on anything it hits, but with 80's technology hitting 21st century technology I would end up getting less damage to the car but more injuries to myself, my 84 isnt made of energy absorbing materials, I would be absorbing some of that energy. I also think feeling safe in an older car has to do with the fact you are surrounded by steel, long hood in front and long trunk, heavy doors, etc.

 

Speaking of 80s technology, I saw a clean little black Rampage? K-car truck this morning. I haven't seen one of those in years. Charger front with a bed on the back.

 

Government tests dont tell the whole story. Something crumpling up on impact means it isnt structurally sound. If it tears apart at the least little impact, sorry but Ill take my chances. I have airbags in my rig now, when I go and get an old school CJ-5 Ill go with full harnesses.

But here's what tells the REAL story: Take a look at how a nascar stocker is built. Tube frame all around, its designed to protect the driver in a 200mph crash. Theres no unibody, plastic, styrofoam or any of this other crap. If its good enough for that kind of impact then itll protect you on the street. Personally I think that the cars we buy as daily drivers should be based VERY heavily on racing technology. If a race driver doesnt need it or its not safe for him/her then YOU dont want it either.