Driving rant: PLEASE stop this!!
- Thread starter jbhtexas
- Start date
Has anyone had
Almost certain vehicles were bigger on average in the 50s-70s than they are now.
Almost certain vehicles were bigger on average in the 50s-70s than they are now.
There's no way that's true. Maybe if you put two sedans side by side but the size of trucks have increased dramatically as well as the introduction of SUVs and vans. My 90s 3/4 ton is dwarfed by current trucks and large SUVs.
Cars are smaller. Pickups have gotten taller for the most part.
A lot of American cars were bigger, but trucks seemed to be smaller. For example:
1964 Cadillac Coupe de Ville
223.5 in length
79.7 width
2025 Ford F-150 SuperCab
231.7 in
79.9 width
2026 Toyota Camry
193.5 in
72.4
I had a 2 DOOR Monte Carlo that was 213.3in long.
We had a ford ranger in 1980. Back then this was their size
They were full size. Shortly after, they became the compact crappy thing.
I agree with you, both in your understanding of the technicalities and your wisdom in knowing how to navigate Iowa traffic culture.
P.S. A 4-way stop in Iowa may be more dangerous than an expressway in Chicago. At least in Chicago, you know that everyone around you will be aggressive. In Iowa, you never know who is going to do what. It is a mixture of Iowa nice and utter indecisiveness. I've seen situations in which everyone just stares at each other, then 2 or 3 lurch forward at the same time, only to slam on the brakes and go through another round of staring. Usually, I try to hurry up or slow down so that it is very clear who gets there first, but even then, if either of us is turning, they will wait and sometimes waive me through. Just follow the rules of the road people!
I'd use Rome as a similar example. Everyone's agressive but they know it and even better they know how to use their horns to signal, a tap "hey, I'm here" vs slamming it for "WTF dude"
The one time I've been selected for jury duty was someone suing over a fender bender at a 4 way stop. Both drivers were elderly women, the one being sued had passed before the suit, so it was really against her estate/insurance company. Lady suing went, lady being sued also went and tapped her car, leaving a tiny dent. Plaintiff was asking for $100k in medical exspenses, 2 days of court proceedings (+1 for jury selection) led to 2 minutes of deliberation to award $0 and a $27 check to us jurors for our time.
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Throw in dedicated left turn lanes at the 4-way stop and the chaos jumps to another level. Set it a few blocks away from a school and watch morning rush turn into an utter crap show.
My father in law is ~82 with mobility issues, has had multiple fender benders, and is still rather pissed that we won't let him drive any more.
I said 50s-70s. Mid 70s being the biggest. Absolute boats of cars. And yes, the cars then were shorter (slightly) than trucks now, obviously, but they were just as heavy.
80s and 90s had vehicles get way smaller, which is why your pickup is dwarfed today.
Hey wait, you young whipper-snapper! I'm 70 and I just bought a 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe (for obvious reasons). Or did you mean at least reached an age over 70, like 71, say?
As long as we're on the subject of Jumbo Pick-ups, how about passing a law the trailer hitches can only be on the back of the truck when towing a trailer. Those add another 2 feet to the length of the already too long vehicle. Not to mention the tripping/shin hazard in the dark.
I was hit-and-run by a truck with a trailer hitch backing into a vehicle about 10 years ago. (Somebody left a note. Not the perp. But didn't have license number).
