[quote]Today, nobody rebuilds
[quote]Today, nobody rebuilds carburetors, driveway oil changes are unusual, and [b]cars are tiny[/b] with a lot more electronics than steel. The land yacht whose safety relied on sheer size and mass has been replaced by air bags and collision sensors. [/quote]
Today's cars are much MUCH bigger and more massive than cars from the 70s.
70s Civic: ~1500 lb., new Civic ~2700 lb.
70s Camaro: ~3500 lb., new Camaro 3800 - 4200 lb.
Add to the fact that while most cars have gone UP in weight, more and more people are driving absurdly outsized/overweight SUVs, which have ALSO gotten much heavier (original Jeep Cherokee: ~3200 lb., modern equivalent well over 4000 lb. up to 5000+ lb.).
Today's cars are FAR from tiny relative to even the barges from the 70s!
CAFE should have continued to increase year to year instead of holding at 1987 levels for about 20 years. Also should be applied EQUALLY to large cars and SUVs.
People who want to buy massive cars should pay for the privilege in the form of increased and more broadly/evenly applied gas-guzzler taxes, and road-use taxes based on vehicle mass.
The ever-increasing size/weight trend has truly gotten absurd...