This is ultimately why minor fender benders have become so expensive with new cars. They are designed to be destroyed. Having a huge solid chrome bumper seems safer. But it actually just transfers the energy of a crash directly to your body.
Is it not also possible that car parts have become a giant ripoff? Surely if you bought a $30k car by parts you would be paying like $50-100k, even for late model cars still in production.
Why would you consider that a ripoff? Do you not understanding that things like warehousing cost a LOT of money, especially given that the actual demand for spares will be more or less random.
I guess it's a bit of both - I'm sure car manufacturers have realised that they they can lower the sticker price by bumping up the margins on aftermarket
$50-100k seems cheap when you compare the cost and space required to store a complete car (can store it outdoors even!) vs a fully dissasembled vehicle with all the shelving, bins, packaging, and inventory system for someone to pick specific parts for those who need it.
I'm pretty sure the bumpers were steel with a chrome plating, so not solid anything actually.