Disposable Cars?

Have automobiles become disposable? With exotic lamp assemblies costing over a thousand dollars and a dash pads ripped by airbags, the repair bill often exceeds the value the car. Insurance companies limit their liability to a percent of the wholesale value, and it is simply cheaper to “total” the car than to fix it. Since a damaged car has more depreciation, it’s no wonder that over 15% of 2004 crashes were chalked up as “totals.”

Auto manufacturers make their money on NEW cars, and repaired ones cut into their market. The fewer left around, the better they like it! Throw in the new car “incentives” – a nice new word for “discount” - and the scales tilt even further towards replacement.

Then that ugly word “liability” creeps from under the gnarled sheet metal. When a body shop “reclaims” a car from two or more donor vehicles - (Hey, that sounds better than “piecing them together”) -they assume a huge responsibility. I was told about an “assembled” car making a quick stop, and the front seat passengers suddenly parting company from the backseat gang. The car literally split in two. Fortunately the slow speed prevented any injury.

New materials make the two-man body shop as extinct as the dinosaurs. Specialized metals such as titanium, exotic aluminum alloys and boron steel are now common components. They are strong and light, but behave differently than cold-rolled steel. Replacement is often the only option. The modern unit body shell has tolerances measured in millimeters. Just eyeballing down the quarter panel is not enough.

New cars are crammed with creature comforts, including sun roofs. Imagine straightening the top so completely that the glass opens flawlessly again! What about the “nervous system” of delicate of sensors and servos that link the components together? The old coil and leaf springs are insufficient for the precision steering demanded by Interstate Highway driving. Repairs to the suspension system alone may top $10,000.

Data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (www.iihs.org) claims the average repair cost is $3,681 per claim. That’s 12% higher than two years ago. Throw in a few luxury items such as parking sensors (Hey, what happened to the old cat whiskers on the fenders?) and air conditioned seats –I’m not kidding – the price for repair escalates further.

Over my forty year medical career I have observed a shift in the automobile injury pattern. The energy absorbing crumple zones now kill the car instead of the occupant! The “windshield face” and crushing chest injuries are rare since airbags. The single seat belt was a good start, but it created spinal fractures as the upper body flexed over the stable pelvis. The shoulder strap now secures the entire body and improved seat design cushions the torso and internal organs.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to treat both victims in a head-on collision - one restrained and the other not. The protected lady went home with only minor bruises but the young man got an opportunity to spend six hours in the operating room.

A few weeks later, she lady reluctantly told me a humorous side to the event. Helplessly, she saw this car careening across the centerline…then a dead center impact and a grinding, jolting crash. Everything went black. She was dazed but alert enough to realize she could hear but not see. “Am I dead?” she thought. Slowly regaining her senses, she felt around her face and discovered her head was inside the burst airbag!

So where does that leave our vintage cars? Labor costs will continue to rise but most hobbyists do much of their own work. Unless we cream a classic Auburn or Duesenberg, I think we will be OK. Our safe driving record is reflected in the low rates offered by old car specialty insurers.

Maybe this disposable car trend will simply provide a good source of spare parts for future collectors!

See you next month!

Bob

A quick quiz: Select the best answer.

1. More highway deaths occur:
July 4th
Labor Day
1st January
July 3rd

2. The average number of highway deaths PER DAY are between:
50-75
100-125
125-150
greater than 150

3. What percent of the highway deaths on New Year’s Day involve high blood alcohol levels?
10%
35%
50%
60%

4. More miles are driven in:
December
March
June
August

5. The safest day of the week is:
Monday
Tuesday
Thursday
Sunday

6. The most PEDESTRIAN deaths occur on:
New Year’s Day
Valentine’s Day
4th of July
Brooke Davis’ Birthday

7. One fatality occurs in a motor vehicle almost every:
Hour
Half hour
Fifteen minutes
Five minutes

8. What percent of children ages 4-8 in fatal crashes are totally unrestrained?
30-40%
40-50%
60-70%
80%

9. The most frequent group of drivers that fall asleep are:
16-29
30-45
45-55
older than 60

10.The first motorized vehicle accident occurred in:
1898
1771
1901
1910
 

Answers:
1. A – 4th of July with 1612 deaths per day
2. B –117 per day
3. C – Actually it is 51% - On the 4th of July it is 41%
4. D – August – With an average of 132 deaths/day
5. B – Tuesday, followed by Monday and Wednesday
6. A – New Year’s Day – a tie with October 31st
7. C – One fatality every 13 minutes
8. B – 40-50%
9. A – 16-29 – These are often hard working teens driving AFTER midnight.
10. B – Nicolas Joseph Cugnot, a French military man accidentally drove his steam powered vehicle into a brick wall to become the world’s first vehicle accident!

Brooke has worked as editor of the Rummage Box for the past four years. He has done an outstanding job with this publication, and his dedication and hard work as editor and a member of the Regions Committee is appreciated by all.

Brooke has always enjoyed working on the Rummage Box, but in 2005, he decided to “retire” from the editorship. He had planned on handing over the reins in 2006 following publication of this issue. However, the need to take care of some persistent back problems required him to bow out early. Brooke and Vice President of Regions Joe Gagliano asked me to consider taking the editor job and publish this issue of the Rummage Box. Whether or not this is a permanent position for me is still to be decided by those in the position to make such decisions.

I first met Brooke via email after I became editor of our region’s newsletter, the “Harford Horn”. Brooke asked this then unknown, rookie editor about exchanging newsletters. I readily agreed, but after receiving the first copy of Hornet Nest Region’s outstanding publication “Member News”, I contacted Brooke again to make sure he understood the newsletter he was getting in return was hardly worthy in comparison. Brooke assured me that he still wanted to exchange newsletters, and we have done so ever since. It is partly his inspiration over the years that influenced me to work in turning the “Harford Horn” into a Master Editor publication.
The Rummage Box is a useful tool for the Region/Chapter editors and an informative news provider for the Region/Chapter presidents. The intention is to continue to provide a publication of the same quality that Brooke has over the years. Brooke’s work as editor has been a great asset to the AACA and his influence on the Rummage Box will be felt for along time.

Meanwhile, Brooke will still be around. He expects to be in shape to attend the Annual Meeting in February. He plans to continue enjoying the old car hobby and edit the Hornet Nest Region’s newsletter. I am sure he will also continue to influence and inspire new AACA editors down the road.

I want to take this time, on behalf of the AACA newsletter editors, to thank Brooke for all of his hard work as the Rummage Box Editor.

Happy Antique Motoring.
Bruce