Is the Malaise Era Coming Back?

This is my personal and rushed opinion jumbled into a video for your viewing pleasure, not displeasure. Don't forget that.

[@Mis73rRand0m]

New cars are a luxury and a burden.

[@joeym7291]

We should call this the gimmick era because that’s what’s happening. And everyone just wants the new thing. This guys right, just take a look at Chrysler right now that’s all the proof I need.

[@billspangler2685]

With electronic speed limiters incoming and every car under 50 grand packing a small displacement turbo engine or land whale electric power train, we're living it.

[@sterlinsilver]

I think america needs some sort of kei car program. Automakers need an incentive to make affordable econoboxes. Maybe allow them to have far lighter safety/emmissions regulations in return they need to be under a specific price ($15000?) and have over a certain MPG. America needs a new saturn or geo metro...

[@royalspindrift]

Agree 100%. I've NEVER understood why Pickups and SUVs get exceptions out the WAZOO, but affordable and environmentally innocent econoboxes don't. NEVER FORGET, Chrysler made a deal so the hideous PT Cruiser was classified as a LIGHT TRUCK by the EPA so it could be produced AT ALL.

[@X85283]

@@sterlinsilver you can go buy a base model Sentra or Corolla or Forte or Elantra or whatever right now. Buy one that is a couple years old and you can have it for under 15k. Nobody actually wants to buy a Kei car - something that only goes 55mph flat out, in the US. This isn’t Japan.

[@77R_]

@@X85283 No, there is a market for them but they’re all imported and all are very old.

[@Squirmish89]

We need the return of the ‘99 Corolla. Just an efficient, cheap no nonsense reliable car. Maybe one day we’ll see the return in a 25k compact electric sedan

[@jlcii]

Problem is, what's the point of bringing that back if no one would buy it?

[@milfscorp]

@@jlciiThere’s a market for it - people would buy it. The biggest issue I heard when I was working in sales was that EV charging networks were bad and that EVs were too expensive. People WANT a no-frills EV at an affordable price that gets enough range that charging is less of a fear. That market is only going to keep getting bigger as more charging stations (and more reliable ones) get added too.

[@X85283]

@@Squirmish89 go look at a base model Corolla, Sentra, Forte, Etc. They aren’t that different from a 99 Corolla and are flat out a lot better vehicles in every way

[@MTODbasics]

Totally agree on 40 inch TV screens not having a place in vehicles. Until the inevitable autonomous chariots arrive, then I'm all for it.

[@axelkusanagi4139]

There's a good point to be made that there's no way to build muscle memory on a touchscreen and therefore you have to peel your eyes off the road in a way you didn't have to with buttons

[@cavalierliberty6838]

The malaise era restarted about 2006, we're still in it. There's been some exciting cars, yes, but just like in the malaise era, most popular cars look the exact same, are absolute disappointments, and they're adding bullshit features to distract you from knowing yoe are driving the rolling embodiment of reading a dictionary cover to cover.

[@thecactusman17]

Not true. The reality is that cars have steadily gotten more powerful, more exciting and more reliable since the early 2000s. Right now, a 2024 Toyota Prius has more horsepower than a 2000 base Ford Mustang. What has happened is that the 1st world market is essentially done with shitbox cars. Decent power, handling, safety and conveniences are the bare minimum expectations. Add in certain mandatory safety features like rearview cameras and it's actually more expensive to not include the other luxury features that used to cost extra. And this means that aside from raw horsepower and certain luxury materials there's a smaller gap than ever between the experience of low end and high end vehicles. So the fact that everything from the last 10 years is drastically improved compared to anything made before 2010 doesn't stick out as much until you actually have to go back to daily drive something older. This is a big reason why luxury companies like Audi, Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are having to put subscription services to certain vehicles - they're actually having to turn off features of lower end cars to make their high end clients feel special because the exclusive features of older luxury models are now common in Hyundais and Toyotas and you can buy a 5 year old Tesla for cheaper than a new Prius.

[@X85283]

Absolute L take. Just completely wrong.

[@cavalierliberty6838]

@@X85283 how many cars look exactly like a Chevy equinox, and for how long?

[@X85283]

@@cavalierliberty6838 Looking alike had nothing to do with the malaise era. Normal everyday cars from literally every era of cars have absolutely always looked alike. Just because you don't like the form that trend has gone towards now doesn't make it a new malaise era. The top level Mustang having like 150hp was the malaise era. Chrysler being nearly bankrupt and so deciding to put every car on the same platform (the K car) was the malaise era. A base model Mustang today, the Ecoboost, makes more power than any factory-produced Mustang V8 ever sold until the Coyote V8 in 2011. Minivans, trucks, and yes crossovers today will walk all over even near-exotics from only a couple of decades ago.

[@Spherz]

@@cavalierliberty6838Most do not, infact the 1990s-2010s are a golden age of car styling with so many unique styles across different brands

[@InfiniteLoop]

Malaise era 2 started with the rise of Giant trucks and SUVs

[@Strv-]

We can probably trace that back to the introduction of the Hummer H2. At the time it was introduced in 2004 people complained that it had terrible gas mileage and was ridiculously big. But that seems par for the course with today’s suvs and trucks. Hell, the H2 is getting smaller compared to today’s cars. I own an h2 and when I see a new truck it makes my car feel like a crossover. And the new hummer EV is 2000ibs heavier than the h2 which is already a stupidly heavy car. It’s gotten ridiculous.

[@jwalster9412]

​@@Strv-the Hummer EV is probably the most pathetic EV ever. Imagine if they made it 1/10 the weight. It would still be just as capable of the acceleration.

[@hamburgerhamburgerv2]

@@jwalster9412900lbs?

[@ricardohd1991]

Sound mixing aside, this is good. :D Your voice pops more than an AMG Mercedes on a burble tune, lol

[@capmadman6486]

Who the fuck cares pay attention to the message not of the quality of it

[@paxvictori2385]

Honestly I think the future is hybrids, have your batteries and electric motors but have a gas/diesel electric generator under the hood and you can run it when you need too. It's the best of both worlds imo and there's already a company up in Canada that's doing it for trucks, their name is Tesla Motors btw.

[@Strv-]

Correction it’s Edison motors but aside from that I am really hopeful they are successful. Hybrids are imo the best choice.

[@beaneater6923]

100 per cent support this "tesla motors" company as much as you do here in this u.s. of a. i drive round in one o their cars myself. a sibertruck, in fact. lemme tell ya that thing revs like a bitch, and tows like one too. i daily it to work and i can plow through school zones like its nothing in my 0 to 60 in 2.3 seconds 5 ton lump of purebred american steel. it is a damn good car. 🔥🔥💯💯😎😎

[@edwinjesuspaleta9022]

Its hard to believe that despite all the fancy electronics and ipads, new cars are probably dumber than ever. Electronic brake systems that dont brake, self driving cars driving straight into walls or running people over, and most importantly PAY FOR ALREADY INSTALLED FUNCTIONS IN YOUR CAR. OMFG

[@hamburgerhamburgerv2]

The self driving issue is on Elon

[@Rakinor]

Hit the recommended page. Signs are looking good for this one. My only recommendation is to get a pop filter.

[@workingclassless84]

Horsepower is the difference between the boats and the tanks.

[@buzz86us2005]

Malaise has been back for a long time. Look at the big 3 building huge ridiculous vehicles that nobody demanded. Who went out and said they want a Hummer EV? For every 5 Cybertrucks i see one Hummer. Legacy auto is a fucking clown show.

[@johnroussakis4541]

Someone said something to this effect in a different video: “The malaise era never went away, it just came back with crossover SUVs.”

[@CRWNVCTRA]

if we have an EV Malaise Era I’m actually going to crash out

[@ryancraig2795]

Emissions standards were a double whammy with the increase in oil prices, as fuel economy dropped along with compression ratios. It would take catalytic converters combined with closed loop fuel injection before we would get the performance back.

[@max19970]

man, great storytelling!! Subscribed!!

[@Ludicrous_Speedway]

This was a lot funnier than I was expecting 👍

[@raymond_sycamore]

You underestimated the weight of that hood.

[@tangoliketuna6205]

@@raymond_sycamore absolutely lolol

[@fatalpwn]

nice video mate. subbed 🫡

[@drewstephens8576]

I liked this video. Please do it.

[@CyberUtilia]

How you sound and present things reminds me of Gerbert Johnson from KZbin, but you talk about cars :D

[@tangoliketuna6205]

im not sure who that is but thank you, i think

[@toska8664]

This was a really great video, it's crazy that its your first major doc cos this is up there with RCR's quality. Do keep this up it's great stuff. Love to see a vid exploring psychology of modern car sales, the emotions and manipulations behind what is popular today comparison to say the 50s with the whole "Century of the Self" stuff

[@tangoliketuna6205]

@@toska8664 I love rcr thank you that means alot

[@servicerifle16]

Its funny because most of the industry except GM is walking back their EV plans because Americans just aren't buying them, at least in the numbers to stay in business. The technology and infrastructure just isn't there yet, especially in rural America.

[@GoddessOfMisfortune]

It makes me sad every time i see these points outlined by so many different people, myself included, yet nothing is done. CAFE standards are the reason for these massive trucks you can't see out of, as well as why you don't see small pickups anymore. I did some window shopping for even new a manual car, there's only a handful, and none of them have awd beyond the DI wrxs and firebomb GR corollas! Instead we get electric missiles like the cyberdumpster and the 9000lb hummer EV/silverado EV, or another crossover.

[@kolkoki]

Yeah so because in the name of "profit !!" automakers would prefer to stick to their old easy ways instead of doing the right way. Call the CAFE standards bullcrap but you sure wouldnt want to still live in the era of leaded fuel, catalyc-less cars. Preparing for the future cost money now, whereas putting this away will cost more money, but later, for the future owners, not us. The problem? This time everyone is in. Europe, Japan, nobodys fucking making cheap subcomcompact evs. Only the chinese do. But people like me keep screaming "make cheap EV now or be consumed later by the CCP", and people keep laughing at me calling me a cuck libtard and keep using their 700hp ford raptor financed over 35 years then complain about rising gas prices for their 10mpg "liberty machines". And its mentally exhausting.

[@superromangaming]

As someone who was born in 2008 and I just got my drivers license this year it pisses me off that I got robbed of cool gas/diesel powered cars. For example the V8/V6 Dodge Challenger. I will still try to look for one that has been used but it still upsets me these dumb evs are rolling in.

[@milfscorp]

Unfortunately gas is going to the wayside either way - gas will continue to get more expensive as time goes on and it’s not the most renewable or available of resources. It’s really better that they’re getting ahead of the curve with it now then waiting until we no longer have access to enough gas at a price people can afford. EVs definitely suck for now (and some more than others) but there’s no reason to believe it won’t get better with time.

[@em1699]

Great analogy

[@foodmanelman]

This was so good!!!

[@JP-th8sq]

We need to put a huge chunk of the EV money thats going towards EV's to biofuel. Makes it so much easier since it's the same technology and means we don't need a boatload new cars which means a boatload of new production (read more carbon/pollution). Also all the lane assist back up camera bullshit is making drives so much worse. Information overload for someone with an iq lower than their gas mileage who can't find the oil dip stick now is given a fighter jet pilot's worth of information about everything but still can't use their blinker. No depth of field on the back up cameras too and honestly if you can't back up with just your head, you shouldn't be on the road.

[@GaminglikeTuna]

car

[@theballintruth3369]

Bro is based

[@axelkusanagi4139]

I'm excited for hydrogen to take over for ICEngines.

[@hamburgerhamburgerv2]

No. Not happening. One hole in the tank and it’s screwed

[@axelkusanagi4139]

@@hamburgerhamburgerv2 Okay, but if it's that energy dense, you can just armor the tank up

[@Less_Serious]

the government is the problem, Cash for Clunkers part 2 coming

[@servicerifle16]

Wanna bet they'll make it mandatory this time?

[@hamburgerhamburgerv2]

Trump won’t give you the Challenger back.

[@Less_Serious]

@@servicerifle16 "Nobody is coming to take your vehicles. We just want common sense, mandatory vehicle buy backs"

[@servicerifle16]

@@hamburgerhamburgerv2 Wow, didn't even mention the orangutan and you still brought him, he really does live rent free.

[@servicerifle16]

@@Less_Serious "Think of the children" 🥺👉👈

[@shahbaazbrar8333]

I really enjoyed this video!

[@DrPizzle]

honestly a pretty interesting take

[@theblackjubalharshaw]

Good video, subscribed!

[@stevangucu522]

I think it never left 😅

[@Sirjayden2000]

I laugh at all the fools who think the "first" malaise era ever ended!!!

[@wheejinnies]

nice

[@datothercesar]

nice vid bro

[@aliabdallah102]

Me when I'm in a malaise-off and my opponents are the automakers

[@Crazytwister-vw4er]

Nice vid opening

[@sartorialdriver6528]

With Ralph Nader, "he wrote a book" is about the best way to describe it. Before he bitched and moaned about automotive safety (without inventing anything to help make cars safer), cars looked good. Then in 1973, the laws were changed, all the car companies scrambled to adhere to the pedestrian safety standards, and tacked on the ugliest front ends on the planet to appease the government. American buyers looked at the cars that came before, said "they're ugly now", and then bought equally ugly Japaense cars that were more economic.

[@hamburgerhamburgerv2]

Grow up.

[@Bleaxh]

cool video

[@vixo6162]

real

[@MrLraewoo]

1d ago

[@jwalster9412]

Modern supercars are getting so generic and simaler i wouldnt be surprised if half the brands making them today just up and vanished. Especially looking at Lamborghini right now with the tamario

[@tangoliketuna6205]

@@jwalster9412 fr i used to watch top gear and fanboy over Murcielagos and enzos now they all look like a gaming mouse and makes 1000s of soulless hp

[@evanwhite7226]

2nd video!

[@scotjr4]

*sigh* The Mustang II is NOT on the same platform as the Pinto.

[@tangoliketuna6205]

@@scotjr4 but they look so similar

[@X85283]

@@scotjr4 yes it is…

[@strawberrymilk9767]

EVs will never take over. They're shit cars. All automakers will make EVs for 10 years, they will loose money. People will hate EVs. And then they'll just be like "well those things sucked lets not do that again" and then go straight back to making good gas powered cars.

[@hamburgerhamburgerv2]

I highly doubt you will ever see the 440 V8 in a car ever again. It’s a dumbass fantasy that your childhood will EVER come back: it will not.

[@strawberrymilk9767]

@@hamburgerhamburgerv2 I highly doubt we see any EVs on the road after 2035. They're less efficient than gas cars. They're more expensive than gas cars. They're harder to repair than gas cars. They're less reliable than gas cars. Gas cars last longer. They take forever to charge. They don't work in cold or harsh weather. Electric trucks can't tow anywhere near as much as gas powered trucks. Plus they're worse for the environment than gas cars, despite being marketed as "eco freindly vehicles." It's even better how the general population prefers gas over electric currently. The EV era will come to an end, and big gas engines will be back. Just like the Malaise era from the 70's. We aren't driving Malaise era cars today are we?

[@larrylentini5688]

The cyber truck malaise? That's like calling the crystler prowler malaise. It's something unique on roads of similar bubbles

[@pontozannata8847]

Unlike the prowler, the cybertruck is a pile of garbage, thats the diference

[@hamburgerhamburgerv2]

You just aren’t the majority of buyers.

[@tangoliketuna6205]

@@hamburgerhamburgerv2 im poor