[henk4]

Originally posted by crisis
[b]You win. I really cant see the point of this thread.

I think the point is that to meet the same requirements (performance, space or what ever) you are getting a car that is at least 25% heavier than say 15-20 years ago. A decently sized european middle class car back then would tip the balance at say around 950-1000 kg's. Today you would be lucky if a similar car weighs less than 1300 kg's. As road tax (at least over here) is charged according to the weight of the car governments love these developments.
If you are talking (would be) sports cars just compare the MGB and the BMW Z3. (920 kg vs. something over 1250).

Now where is all this weight coming from? Partly from all the automatic devices that make people forget that they were born with hands, but partly also because doors are fitted with steel reinforcing beams and the roofs are now protected to allow a full roll without loosing your head. Is this a good or bad development? It is matter of what you want to sacrifice, either your life or the pleasure of driving a driver oriented car. If you can afford the comprimise, go for a modern car as your daily driver, and get yourself a decent classic to enjoy pure motoring the way it used to be, on a sunny (partly clouded, because you will have no airco) day, outside the peak hours.