What happened to bumpers? (1 Viewer)

[Shane Gralaw]

Remember cars made before 1985? The had bumpers on the front and back end. They were super-useful. There are times in even the best driver's life where you bump something or are bumped. No biggie back in the old days, but now that bumpers are gone and the front and back end are just big pieces of plastic - any little bump turns into a $500 repair bill. I smell a conspiracy!

 

[MarkHastings]

Shane, in the early 90's, I knew a kid who wiped out on the highway. He was ok and the cop said that he was lucky that his car was one of the newer "No bumper" styles because the front and back were so flexible, that he bounced off the guard rail. He said that if he had the old fashioned bumpers, the accident would have been a lot more severe.

 

[Grant B]

Now they are purdddddeeeeeee!

 

[dpippel]

Cars still have bumpers, they're just hidden under expensively molded and painted body panels.

 

[Jay H]

Then the new ones have those backup sensors on them that must be even more expensive to replace!

Jay

 

[Stephen J*]

Hey now! Some of them have styrofoam filling!

 

[Micah Cohen]

DELICIOUS styrofoam filling! Yum!




MC

 

[MarkHastings]

If they were filled with Silica, do you think they would absorb the impact better?

 

[Karl_Luph]

Takes me back to the days when the women had curves and the chrome was THICK

 

[Chris Lockwood]

I was riding in someone's new Civic & someone barely clipped the front corner of the car in a parking lot doing about 10 mph. The whole front of the car fell off in one piece, like those toy cars from the 1970s that were supposed to do that when they crashed- anyone remember what those were called?

 

[johnADA]

EXACTLY!!!!


Besides the fact, women look like women and men looked like men!!

 

[MarkHastings]

What do you mean? They still do!

 

[johnADA]

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!


Thats one side of the argument I guess!!!!

 

[Garrett Lundy]

$500? Around here a stone chip starts at about $1700 (more if they have to replace anything that needs to be painted).

Its a conspiracy by the car manufacturers to sell more cars, since its probably cheaper in the long run.

 

[Keith Paynter]

Aaggh! My eyes! The goggles do nothing!

I remember my high school days riding in an old steel bumper beater, where all you had to do if you were in an accident was go to a car wash, hose off the blood, and be on your way. Those were the days...

 

[Jimi C]

"like those toy cars from the 1970s that were supposed to do that when they crashed- anyone remember what those were called?"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inc..._Crash_Dummies

 

[Bryan X]

I thought he was talking about "Smash Up Derby" toys from the '70s.

http://www.vintagetoyroom.com/review...03Review.shtml

 

[Jimi C]

Could be. I'm not that old. I go with what I know. The Crash Test Dummies toys had cars as well. Not very fun toys however, most time was spent on reassembly.

 

[Bryan X]

Unfortunately I am. Those Smash Up Derby cars were a blast to play with.

 

[Shane Gralaw]

Ok, I had originally started this thread because I had messed up my back bumber by backing up into a tree in a parking lot. I didn't have the money to repair it so it has been cracked for a few weeks now. Yesterday, I got rear-ended by another driver who hit the exact same spot- totally his fault. The damage is now much MUCH worse- the catch- he has no idea it was already damaged and now it looks like his insurance will pay for it. Is it unethical to get it repaired this way? The hit certainly wouldv'e caused more damage either way, so he still would've had to pay...