I'd have to go with the older cars, my 08 ram's front end worried me so much that I hated driving it intil I bought a ranchhand bumper for it (it only had one bar across the top between the fenderwalls), pulling a travel trailer with it before scared the daylights out of me when I got off the interstate for fear of deer,elk and such, and lets not even talk about other drivers, and if it came between me and another (older) truck, I would have put my money on the older truck anyday (not now of course but only cause of my bumper) "engineering" vehicles to survive crashes just doesn't sit well with me, cause in the end your putting your life on the line for someone who was sitting behind a computer saying "oh yea, that'll work"

 

The computer designs are also crash tested, not just dreamed up.

How old a truck you think is safe? The ones with the solid steering shaft that pushes you through the back of the cab, or just goes right through you? Of course, without seat belts, which just hold you in to burn to death or drown if you go into water, you'll be thrown clear, avoiding the steering shaft or fire.

Even if that '59 Chev was show-room fresh, that crash would have still killed the driver, and the '09 driver would still limp away.

 

The computer designs are also crash tested, not just dreamed up. < Oh I'm sorry, I'm completely retarded and in 15 years have never thought about that, wow that was really stupid of me for posting something that should have been completely obvious to the average 4th grader , but hey if you still wanna believe they are safer, I'm not gonna stop ya, afterall I have a hit few deer in my life and know what it does vehicles, I can imagine what it would do if it were an elk, the newer cars and trucks are great in car to car accidents with both vehicles being of like mass _the first time_ but what happens if you keep wrecking? like you know, in real life or if you hit an elk or bigger vehicle?

"How old a truck you think is safe? The ones with the solid steering shaft that pushes you through the back of the cab, or just goes right through you?" < as a matter of fact I had an uncle die like that, he hit a telephone pole doing over 90 in a 63 chevy pickup (alot newer back in 82), but the steering wheel didn't move an inch he did infact, even though seat belts were installed, he wasn't wearing any, the cop on the scene said you could place a 5 gallon bucket right though him, the cab of the truck was in pretty decent shape all concidering, he might still be here today if he was wearing a seatbelt.

"Of course, without seat belts, which just hold you in to burn to death or drown if you go into water,"> This is redundant considering that this can still happen today
"Of course, without seat belts you'll be thrown clear, avoiding the steering shaft or fire."> many people today don't wear seatbelts hoping this will happen, even though more poeple are killed by getting throw from the vehicle then if they stayed put, but this argument goes both ways, how many restored, or custom built car builders -don't- put in seatbelts?

"Even if that '59 Chev was show-room fresh, that crash would have still killed the driver, and the '09 driver would still limp away." >sure, a 59 bel air with no restraints in a staged enviroment, but just for kicks, lets rethink this, lets put in some seatbelts, offset crash both cars together down a two lane country road with poor gaurd rails and then watch as the cars are rolled off the side off a hill and see which on fairs better, the all steel car with no crumple zones or the one with crumple zones designed to be disposable after one crash. In the real world, I'd put my money on the older car anyday.

 

I'm sorry, but that's just plain ignorant.

Chalk up another one for, "People will believe what they want to believe, regardless of how much evidence there is to the contrary."

Someone should tell all the automotive engineers that have been steadily decreasing the crash fatality rate for the last 80 years that they have been wasting their time. Apparently, we have our very own experts right here on FTE that have everything figured out already.

 

Good points! you know we didnt need all these air bags and saftey devices untill these new cars came around! now that the cars a made so weak we need all theses saftey devices in them.

 

This is just plain stupid.

 

gotta say great way to state your case, if we all just called everybody else stupid instead of you know, actually putting up a sturdy conversation, everyone would be oh so much more mature and intelligent.
and correct me if I'm wrong but weren't you being sarcasstic b-uno?

 

I was the passenger in a 1964 Pontiac Parisienne, that was hit head on by a drunk driver, and his 2 passengers in a 2005 Toyota Camry.

Myself and my friend got out and walked over to the toyota, and called 911.
While the two of us were just a little shook up, and my friend had a sore left leg.
All three in the much newer car were severaly injured.
Two were in critical condition, and life flighted to a large hospital, and the third was treated in hospital and released a few days later, with just 2 broken legs, back, and head injuries.
They said it was iffy if the driver would live at the time, and he died 2 days later. And his passenger was so badly injuried he had to have many surgeries, and was off work for years.
He was retrained in the computer field, as he could not go back to the physical lumber yard job he had before.

I still remember the police, and ambulance attendants saying to me, how lucky I was to be in a big old American piece of iron, allowing me to go relatively unhurt.
Not in a new plastic, disposable car that always loses in these sorts of crashes.
My friend actualy fixed up the old Pontiac and still drives it to this day.
What a tough car that thing is.

 

Id rather die in style in a old AMERICAN vehicle, then in some compact rice burning plastic junk.

 

Well, according to ClearlyBC and his own personal experience.....that may be a tad difficult!

 

The older car may fair better in the crash, but the cabs of those older vehicles are death traps. For example go wreck a 59 Bel-Air at 60 mph into a concrete wall and see what happens. You will break your neck on the column, and then go out the windshield. The G-Forces experienced in older cars is also much higher due to the fact that there are no crumple zones to slow the car before it rebounds. Bel-Air will hit the wall and literally bounce off, pushing massive G-Forces on the driver. Yay! The Bel-Air survived intact for the most part! What about the driver? O he is lying in the field 100 yards away with a broken neck caused by the column, he was dead before he went through the windshield so seatbelts had nothing to do with it. Now go crash that Malibu into a wall. The crumple zones will do there job and slow the acceleration(acceleration works both ways, positive and negatively) which in turn will lower the G-Forces, the airbags will deploy, the seatbelt will lock. The driver will hit the airbag(which would also help keep said driver in seat in the event he wasn't wearing a belt which would be stupid anyway, cause in the event you do fly out the windshield from not having your belt on, chances are your DEAD anyway from flying through a windshield headfirst like a rag doll.) His head/chest will not torpedo into a steering column, and the car will eventually rebound off the wall but not until it has crumpled, saving the drivers life. (Insert sarcasm here)O no, the malibu didn't survive, darn. What about the driver? O he will live, broken arm or leg. I'd rather kill a new car and have me live, than have an old car kill me and live to drive.

 

but the problem is when your in a new car and crashing into a old car.. your new car isnt deisgned to hit things that are so unforgiving, and the older car steals your crumplezones for itself to lessin its impact while yours increases substantially. so in todays day and age your safer in a older car, since there are so many crumple zones and air bags all around you to absorb your impact.

So yes, you can have your cake and eat it too, if you drive old american iron.

 

I can no longer subject myself to the stupidity and ignorance of this thread.

Unsubscribing.

 

I do drive "old american iron"! I drive a '77 F-150. Even if the older car "steals" the crumplezones, the cab of the older car will KILL you. You'll rocket head first at the column, push it up to the dash then rocket out the windshield. You are worried what the end result of the car will be instead of the driver.

 

The fact of the matter is this:

The old vehicle will fair better in a collision (look at the T-bird versus cop car or truck versus Escort)

However you'll more likely walk away if you were in the NEWER vehicle.

The 59 Chevy crash was bogus from the outset. The car was known to have a flawed design when it was new, plus the fact it was a rusted POS for their crash test. I dare them to redo the crash with a Fairlane, Galaxie or Cadiallac.

Josh