How is that still on the road?

[DavidB]

I saw this in South Pasadena in LA a few months ago, and was delighted by    a) how mashed it was and b) how it was driven out as it wasn’t there the next day.

We are stricter over things like this here and I’m amazed at seeing cars being driven missing front bumpers like it was nothing.

[DavidB]

I see this beast occasionally also, but never get round to taking a photo of it:

[Spiny Norman]

I've seen some horrors from the US.
I think some states have a 'If it starts, goes and stops it's OK' policy. Either that or their Police are far too busy shooting unarmed civilians with more important Police work to bother.

[Schaefft]

Still in Tennessee until tomorrow. The amount of smashed up cars, mostly with missing front bumpers, is mind boggling.

[Zelandeth]

Visiting one of the northern states with hard winters is quite an eye opener... I'm in Michigan quote frequently, and it's absolutely normal to see cars you can see daylight all the way through.  Or pick up trucks where the bodywork is clearly holding the chassis together.

Always interesting being overtaken by something doing 90+ down the freeway which is visibly flexing in the middle as it goes down the road.

[N Dentressangle]

YT channels like Vice Grip Garage routinely seem to drive stuff hundreds of miles home with no MoT or basic roadworthiness. I have no idea of what US regs are, but there are clearly nothing like the controls we have here.

[artdjones]

13 minutes ago, N Dentressangle said:

YT channels like Vice Grip Garage routinely seem to drive stuff hundreds of miles home with no MoT or basic roadworthiness. I have no idea of what US regs are, but there are clearly nothing like the controls we have here.

It depends. It's a state law matter, some very strict, others with almost no regulations.

[N Dentressangle]

13 minutes ago, artdjones said:

It depends. It's a state law matter, some very strict, others with almost no regulations.

Yeah, I did look into it out of curiosity, and it looks like their state laws are so diverse you could drive across the line and be illegal. Quite weird when you're used to EU standards of mutual acceptance etc.

[sutty2006]

I bet 90% of cars we scrap here would carry on for years with a few holes in the sills and a missing bumper. 

[Rusty Pelican]

[SiC]

3 hours ago, N Dentressangle said:

YT channels like Vice Grip Garage routinely seem to drive stuff hundreds of miles home with no MoT or basic roadworthiness. I have no idea of what US regs are, but there are clearly nothing like the controls we have here.

He did explain that his home state was easier with tags. Iirc there is a 30day exemption after purchase. I think he knows what he does often is a bit sketchy but that he gets away with it by avoiding main roads and such. 

The bigger camper he drove back was pulled over by the cops but was let off. 

[SiC]

I saw this in San Francisco. The guy looking at me was presumably the owner and I don't think appreciated me taking the photo. I scarpered soon after!

[SiC]

2 hours ago, sutty2006 said:

I bet 90% of cars we scrap here would carry on for years with a few holes in the sills and a missing bumper. 

I wonder how many old British cars from the 60s/70s would still be here if we had more lax bodywork test standards. Probably a fair few more. 

Even though the MOT is popular to keep on top of standards, actual accidents from mechanical malfunction are very low. Vast majority are from driver error. 

[MJK 24]

3 hours ago, SiC said:

I wonder how many old British cars from the 60s/70s would still be here if we had more lax bodywork test standards. Probably a fair few more. 

Even though the MOT is popular to keep on top of standards, actual accidents from mechanical malfunction are very low. Vast majority are from driver error. 

But in the driver error scenario, it’d be nice to know the seatbelt mounts aren’t going to pull straight through the floor / sill?!

[DavidB]

4 hours ago, SiC said:

I saw this in San Francisco. The guy looking at me was presumably the owner and I don't think appreciated me taking the photo. I scarpered soon after!

I like tose Saturns, they are pretty weird looking, it’s like they designed their cars to look futuristic, but five years in the future futuristic.

[Fumbler]

While visiting my fiancée in Wisconsin, I noticed structural rust on cars is pretty normal. Even vehicles from as recent as 2016 had galloping rot. I pictured these two in January -

Ford Taurus with wifi arches, sills and floor. The screw-on aftermarket oversills were clinging on for dear life.

Dodge Dakota. Absolutely nothing left where the suspension conveniently mounts to. You could see the carpet and the wiring loom sagging through where metal should've been.

In Wisconsin, at least, roadworthiness is determined by the rozzers if you get pulled over, much like here if your car is exempt iirc. I never saw many patrolling local roads, but saw several on the highways, usually pulling people over or taking down people's speeds.

[DavidB]

I remembered I DID get a photo of that Toyota!

 

[Ghosty]

14 minutes ago, DavidB said:

I remembered I DID get a photo of that Toyota!

 

That's a Subaru Legacy.

[andy18s]

Some states only require an inspection when a car is being sold/bought..

Here in BG it's an annual inspection but very relaxed rules being applied 

[HMC]

I didntreallise it varies between states. I presume the most shite friendly state would be a less wealthy state, with a kind climate, and a laid back approach to enforcement.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

11 hours ago, andy18s said:

Here in BG it's an annual inspection but very relaxed rules bribes being applied 

FTFY

[Zelandeth]

It's one of the reasons that used cars hold their value so much better over there - as they tend to be used right up until the point that they literally fall apart.  Not when the car fails an MOT for a warning light being on that will cost thousands to fix because a dealer-only ECU needs replacement.

This is a pretty normal condition for an older car to be in around the Lansing area.

[meggersdog]

I remember James Walshe buying an American spec Rover 800 whilst on holiday in the States. He got some mates to drive it west to east. The car had some sort of safety inspection in Maryland. James drove it around Manhatten then put it in a container and had it shipped here. Luckily it was trailored from the docks to the PC workshop. James asked me to look at what it would need to get an MoT to register it.

On the ramp to strange noise James heard when driving around Manhatten became apparent. The right hand front Macpherson strut had dropped through the hub assembly  and had worm deep grooves in the driveshaft. Only a few days before he drove it the car had been inspected.