[JoeProBono]

[txnativegop]

Matte metal bumpers okay, but chrome is far too reflective on a bright sunny day! It blinds oncoming drivers too easily.

[Domandred]

For a split second you get "blinded" by the sun. In that second, you have a 2 mile per hour collision with a metal parking sign.

That is how my roommate wrecked my 240SX coupe. Cept it was another car, both going 2 to 5 mph. Car still drove but the front 6 inches completely caved in.

[digger48]

[jcsjcm]

Wow - this is such a coincidence! I was just discussing this with my hubby on the ride home today. I saw a rear bumper (plastic mind you) that had been torn off by the rear driver side. I was stating to him why do they not have the wrap around bumpers like the olden cars use to. What the heck is that protecting? There was practically no sign of any bumper under that plastic that was ripped off.

I want my old cars back. Even I use to be able to fix them if I broke down on the side of the road.

[john drake]

Unfortunately you’re right. Two things driving this madness; government edict to increase gas mileage and the easiest way is to lighten the weight of the materials that the parts are constructed of, hence easy demolition. As for the car being designed so that the only way any work can be done on it is at the dealer vs. the home handy mechanic, forget it. Those days are over. The dealer and the manufacturer have it in for you from the moment you buy the pig until you get rid of it, kind of like the government medical care program....cradle to grave pickpocketing. Enjoy.

[Stentor]

I learned attention to detail while polishing the chrome bumpers on a succession of family Pontiacs. Took my driving test in a 1960 Bonneville.

[jcsjcm]

Here's my first car - Ford Fairline 500XL convertible. Mine had red interior - very, very nice! Paid $85.00 for it, I so wish I kept it!

[earlJam]

*** Your off to work early in the morning ***

“Your”???

[humblegunner]

How about sturdy chrome front and rear metal bumbers?!

What is a bumber?

[FrankR]

Probably not a good idea...then we’d have another union to f*** with...the Chromeworkers of America or some silly crap.

[srmorton]

This is so true! I have a 2008 Honda Civic which has very low “bumpers”. One morning I pulled a little too far into a parking space and the passenger side of the car got caught on the curb (which was a little higher than the curb is where I usually park). When I backed up a little, I heard a slight grinding noise, but, when I got out of the car to look from the driver's side, nothing seemed to be wrong. I did not notice until the next day when I happened to be on the passenger side of the car that the so-called bumper had actually become dislodged from the car! My husband was able to put it back in place, but it gave me pause to realize how little protection that “bumper” would be were I to have an accident because I was probably going less than two miles an hour when I pulled into the space.

[6SJ7]

How about all natural wooden bumpers??

[Jack Hydrazine]

Modern cars look like jellybeans on wheels.

[Psycho_Bunny]

I rear ended a late model BMW at around 10 miles an hour a couple years ago. I was driving my 83 Mercedes 240D.

My car didn’t have a scratch but the BMW had a couple thousand in damage. I can’t believe insurance companies aren’t throwing a fit with automakers.

[The Great RJ]

These plastic and styrofoam “bumpers”are likely a result of CAFE standards. Lighter vehicles get better gas mileage, but at the sacrifice of crash protection. Wait until Obama’s new CAFE standards kick in and we will be driving around in glorified golf carts that have the crash protection of a bicycle.

[smokingfrog]

[count-your-change]

Imagine that you’re having your car washed and someone presses too hard on the front end of the car. Bad news! The whole plastic front end falls off in pieces and the repair bill is $3000 in parts and $100 in labor.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Friend of mine had a VW van with a homemade wood bumper. Probably a 2x8 if memory serves. Stained and finished, it looked pretty nice. And I imagine it had pretty good shock absorbing properties.

[FReepaholic]

There’s nothing more satisfying than waxing a car and seeing the shine on the chrome bumper.