New IIHS tests: Mazda6 is the only midsize sedan with decent bumpers

Started by ifcar, August 05, 2009, 10:26:08 PM


Cookie Monster

RWD > FWD
President of the "I survived the Volvo S80 Thread" Club
2007 Mazda MX-5 | 1999 Honda Nighthawk 750 | 1989 Volvo 240 | 1991 Toyota 4Runner | 2006 Honda CBR600F4i | 2015 Yamaha FJ-09 | 1999 Honda CBR600F4 | 2009 Yamaha WR250X | 1985 Mazda RX-7 | 2000 Yamaha YZ426F | 2006 Yamaha FZ1 | 2002 Honda CBR954RR | 1996 Subaru Outback | 2018 Subaru Crosstrek | 1986 Toyota MR2
Quote from: 68_427 on November 27, 2016, 07:43:14 AM
Or order from fortune auto and when lyft rider asks why your car feels bumpy you can show them the dyno curve
1 3 5
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2 4 R

Secret Chimp

The pictures are key for this test. Nobody's going to foot a huge "well yer whole bamper foameroni is shot" bill if all they can see on the outside is a paint scuff.


Quote from: BENZ BOY15 on January 02, 2014, 02:40:13 PM
That's a great local brewery that we have. Do I drink their beer? No.

ifcar

Quote from: Secret Chimp on August 05, 2009, 11:23:53 PM
The pictures are key for this test. Nobody's going to foot a huge "well yer whole bamper foameroni is shot" bill if all they can see on the outside is a paint scuff.

The car on the receiving end of the hit no doubt would get the full repairs, out of the other driver's pocket.

Laconian

GO TEAM GO

The Maxima pays a steep price for style. Man, that car's screwed.
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

nickdrinkwater


ifcar

Quote from: nickdrinkwater on August 06, 2009, 06:43:26 AM
Who cares?  The insurance pays anyway.

Funny that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety might be concerned about that...

But from a consumer perspective, you get lower premiums when cars are designed better and you don't necessarily have to get the car repaired if the damage is only slight.

The Pirate

Quote from: nickdrinkwater on August 06, 2009, 06:43:26 AM
Who cares?  The insurance pays anyway.

Anybody who pays for auto insurance should care.  This will absolutely raise insurance costs.  Make a few claims and your rates go up.  And, you pay for it anyway, as insurance premiums are effected by a number of variables, including the cost to repair the car.  In 1997, when the C5 Corvette came out, cost to insure a Corvette dropped (all other variables being equal), relative to the outgoing C4 model.  Why?  The car had received design changes that had significantly lowered the cost of repair.  In particular, the C4 had a pretty complex hood that extended halfway down the side of the car.  Thus, hood replacement was fairly common (and pricey) for any front end damage on the C4.  That's just one example, there are more.

Insurance is a numbers game, and one of those numbers is how much something is going to cost to repair on the insured's vehicle.  My rates jumped a bit when I bought the Mazda - one reason is that parts cost significantly more on this car than they did on my last car.

I'm not sure how the insurance game works in the UK, but here, the whole 'The insurance pays' mentality is pretty naive.  And it jacks up the rates for everybody.  I view insurance as assistance for big incidents.  Anything that is relatively minor, I just pay out of pocket.

Not a dig on you, but that seems to be the mentality in the U.S. - Oh, it's okay, that's what insurance is for.  Well, it doesn't work like that.  We (the end customers) will pay for it.  Insurance companies are businesses like any other, and expect to post a profit.  Their expenses increase, then they will make the necessary adjustments to increase income. 
1989 Audi 80 quattro, 2001 Mazda Protege ES

Secretary of the "I Survived the Volvo S80 thread" Club

Quote from: omicron on July 10, 2007, 10:58:12 PM
After you wake up with the sun at 6am on someone's floor, coughing up cigarette butts and tasting like warm beer, you may well change your opinion on this matter.

hotrodalex


USA_Idol

Given the design of most modern cars and their attempt to "integrate" the bumpers into the car's design (which leads to inferior protection of pricey parts...including sheetmetal), such repair costs do not surprise me.  None escaped undamaged, even the "acceptable" Mazda 6.  That said, I'd rather pay $900 in repairs than $5,300 (G6).   :mask: