Safest family car. Cheap (therefore old)

Circa 1990 I was in a car (the Fiat version of the Lancia Thema turbo) that was racing a Pontiac Trans-Am*. Anyway we ended rolling it up the road a few times. I was belted – matey in rear wasn’t.

We all got out with no cuts. Only broken cubes of glass inside my loafers was the only thing to note.

*No he didn’t stop to make sure that we were ok.

Personal experience- have been in a major head on shunt, my Passat vs Nissan Almera. Other driver pulled out from behind a transit to overtake, without looking first. Cars met head on with partial overlap on the drivers’ sides. We’d both dumped some speed but it was still a big impact. I walked away sore, he needed quite some help to get out of the car.
I still drive a Passat, which is much the same underneath as an A6. I don’t like the ‘feeling’ of less safety in smaller cars and NCAP doesn’t really address this sort of real world collision, where a large object hits a smaller car, offset.

There are some oddities as well like the smart car and the tiny merc. Due to the cage construction during impact the structural integrity of it means it stays undeformed and as such doors can be opened easily. Problem tho seems to be no give and so people are dying of internal injuries in such cars. Oh and the merc is terrible in fire too

Yes, it’s not hard to build a small car that is strong enough so that it shrugs off major impacts. But then your aorta bursts when you hit the seatbelt in the massive decleration.

NCAP doesn’t really address this sort of real world collision, where a large object hits a smaller car, offset.

I think they do do offset collisions with solid objects, which is like hitting a really big car.

Look at the Toyota Camry V Yaris crash at 1:43 in this video and decide which car you would rather be in.

I can show you plenty of gaps through which I’d rather try to fit a Yaris than a Camry 🙂

🙂

The fundamental point that you can see quite clearly in the Camry vs Yaris crash in the vid above is that the heavier car travels further forward after impact than the lighter one – the effect of that is that the heavier car’s occupants slow down over a longer distance/time (and don’t then go backwards) which in theory will result in lesser injuries. It also shows that the longer distance seems to result in pushing further into the smaller car.

The question of how likely you are to be able to avoid a crash in a smallr car is not yet answered.

Fair comment. Do you have any evidence to suggest that there actually is a better chance of avoiding in the smaller car?

The problem is you are still buying a 10 year old car and so it won’t have the same strength as the new ones tested. If you want high safety then a 10 year old car doesn’t cut it.

If you are looking at the Saabs the 9-5 is far more reliable than the 9-3 ,
avoid all the diesel models at your budget. Saloons are cheaper than estate and
have large boot. I would choose the last version of the 9-5 2.0l before the dame edna version.

Do you have any evidence to suggest that there actually is a better chance of avoiding in the smaller car?

No, that’s why I’m not claiming there is a better chance. But it seems plausible and it would be interesting to investigate.

I still think the OP’s best bet is a higher mileage more recent car.

The problem is you are still buying a 10 year old car and so it won’t have the same strength as the new ones tested. If you want high safety then a 10 year old car doesn’t cut it.

Yeah I was thinking that too, but £3K is the budget so it’s going to be a significant compromise. There are not many sensible options for newer cars in that price range.

There are not many sensible options for newer cars in that price range.

I posted earlier that petrol Mazda 6’s, 2008/2009 are that price.

There are some, you just have to avoid the premium brands and marques that hold value.

molgrips – Member

No, that’s why I’m not claiming there is a better chance. But it seems plausible and it would be interesting to investigate.

I still think the OP’s best bet is a higher mileage more recent car.

Do you mean in terms of better maneuverability or being narrower?

Given that the top vehicles in the moose test are all large cars, I think the first is probably unlikely. In terms of size, a Yaris is only 15cm narrower than a 5 series so I can’t imagine that making too much difference.

Simply being narrower would help I think.

But it’s all conjecture unless someone studies it. I have read studies that say there’s no correlation between car size and death rate, so I am wondering what about small cars cancels out the things mentioned above. If that is the case, in fact.

EDIT those cars in the moose test link you posted are all either sporty cars or have active suspension. I’d be interested to see how non “sport” versions of normal family cars compare.

molgrips – Member

Simply being narrower would help I think.

But it’s all conjecture unless someone studies it. I have read studies that say there’s no correlation between car size and death rate, so I am wondering what about small cars cancels out the things mentioned above. If that is the case, in fact.

EDIT those cars in the moose test link you posted are all either sporty cars or have active suspension. I’d be interested to see how non “sport” versions of normal family cars compare.

Resultat i Teknikens Världs älgtest

I posted earlier that petrol Mazda 6’s, 2008/2009 are that price.

That would be a great choice if they really are that cheap. I’m surprised they are not more expensive to be honest.

Ah but nemesis the crash i mentioned above the heaviest car loat out as its engine mounting bolts snapped on impact and went thru the cabin and everyone died.

So at the end of the day get what car you want as something can always go wrong. And dont worry about it 😉

So at the end of the day get what car you want as something can always go wrong. And dont worry about it

But it’s all about small advantages. Small cars have plus points. Cheaper, easier to park etc. But they are less safe.

Saying get any car because something can always go wrong is a bit like saying soldiers shouldn’t bother with body armour because they can get killed anyway.

As the OP wanted a safe car then small cars are best avoided.

Personally I like bigger cars because you get more kit, more plushness nd more comfort for similar money, and if you do mostly motorway like me the fuel difference is negligible.

Is body armour something else you have charts for? You want to do some body armour research. I did 10 years in the army prior to joining the fire service and body armour is more about the lads around the person that’s hit than the person thats hit. Anyway enough 😉

Personally I’d listen to firestarter with his real world experience.

Research >> individual experience.