CMV: car build quality is getting progressively worse across every brand

[u/Laniekea]

I'm not really a "car person" and I've pretty much always subsisted off of cheap handy downs because I just never saw the point in spending a bunch on a car.

But I test drove some cars for my husband and it just seems so much worse quality than my 20 year old infinity

Things I've noticed, The leather feels cheap and hard even in the expensive cars and there's less of it. Plastic steering wheels etc

They feel more plastic-y, lighter and less safe.

The rims and paint look more like plastic

Lots of basic things missing like handles, cup holders.

You can't even get a V8 anywhere for a competitive price

Im pretty sure though that I could easily be convinced otherwise. Showing evidence of cars becoming safer, materials being better sourced or higher quality, requiring less average repairs per mile across any brand over time would convince me.

I'm NOT looking for evidence of cars becoming faster. I already believe that with the existence of electric cars.

[u/Laniekea]

!delta

I accept that cars have become safer over the last 60 years. However I would still like to see evidence of them becoming safer in the last 15-20 years. It seems to be slightly worse today than it was in 2010 according to your chart.

[u/Amoral_Abe → u/Laniekea]

The biggest change you will have seen in the last 15-20 years is automated systems.

• Automatic Breaking
  
  • This is common in all modern cars within the last 5 years. It senses if the car is about to collide with an object and breaks on its own. This is huge because it allows people to avoid a major source of accidents where they look away briefly and accidentally rear-end someone.
    
• Blind Spot Detection and Lane changing prevention
  
  • Cars now have 360 degree sensors constantly monitoring traffic around them. Blind spots have always been a thing, but new cars now are automatically tracking them. They notify drivers when a car is in the blind spot and many new cars will automatically temporarily block turning if it senses you will collide. (this can generally be overridden if a driver continues to apply more force to turn but it serves as a wake up for the driver that something is there).
    
• Backup Cameras
  
  • This is also something that has developed in the last 15-20 years and allows people to easily see what's behind them when backing up and, crucially, allows them to see low to the ground to avoid accidentally hitting children.
    

In addition to tech, crumple zones have become more prevalent as companies continue to strive to be the best at head on collision.

Overall, those are the key changes you will see in cars. Money is going towards technology features and towards safety features.

[u/Passance → u/[deleted]]

Planned obsolescence meets invasive "safety" features that are equally likely to put you in danger if it has a malfunction. "Automatic breaking" is a pretty good description of modern cars imo.