What would you rather crash in?...

[danp]

...a 10 year old 4* NCAP little hatchback, or a 20 year old German saloon?

Looking to replace my lovely old mk2 daily driver Golf with something (a little) newer and more crash worthy... will be doing a few more miles (still only around 5/6k a year), but more on the motorway.

Torn between something (relatively!) new and efficient (like a ten year old Polo/Lupo), and something a bit more interesting (like an early 1990's Merc 190E). Will probably only spend shed and a bit money...

http://www.euroncap.com/tests/mercedes_benz_c_clas... (obviously the 190 is an even older design)

http://www.euroncap.com/tests/bmw_3_series_1997/15...

The above didn't fill me with confidence on the older option, but interested to know what folk think (you can't really compare the NCAP * ratings between different class cars)

E39 5 series also looks tempting, tho' I like the idea of the Merc as I'd imagine it's somewhat simpler and thus cheaper to run.

http://www.euroncap.com/tests/bmw_5_series_1998/49...

Thanks! Dan

Edited by danp on Tuesday 17th January 16:16

[fatboy69]

A Volvo!!!

[StottyZr]

Very odd whatcar. I've never had "car safety" as a requirement for any of my cars to be honest.

My workaround is to not crash.

[EDLT]

Fifth Gear crashed a 5* hatchback into a Volvo 940:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBDyeWofcLY

[Codswallop]

Would rather crash in the newer car. The way that A-pillar has given way is not re-assuring, and was one of the main factors that swayed me away from getting an E36 BMW.

Why not get a interesting newer car? You don't have to pick one over the other, even at shed money

[Targarama]

5th Gear did a crash test between an older Volvo and a new Scenic (or something like that). The newer car passengers fared much better. Remember, it is not how the car crumples, rather how the occupants are decelerated upon impact.

[Changedmyname]

I don't want to "crash" as you put it ,but yeah a volvo,those big fkoff estates.

[rhinochopig]

fatboy69 said:

A Volvo!!!

A 20 year old swede for me too please.

[johno333]

Any electric car - there'd be one less of them on the road.

[Targarama]

StottyZr said:

Very odd whatcar. I've never had "car safety" as a requirement for any of my cars to be honest.

My workaround is to not crash.

Car to be driven by wife? Have kids? Different answer then maybe?

[fatboy69]

As in a 20 year old Ulrika look-a-like?

[BriC175]

Don't forget though, the N Cap doesn't take into account the weight of the vehicle, which gives it better safety when hitting moveable objects (like other cars).

BMW E39 has a 4 star N Cap rating, and given they were first released 16 years ago, I think that's fairly impressive! One of the factors that made me get one when I was looking at a car to commute 100 miles a day in

[Codswallop]

StottyZr said:

Very odd whatcar. I've never had "car safety" as a requirement for any of my cars to be honest.

My workaround is to not crash.

Although I have passengered in many, many old 'unsafe' cars throughout my youth, my fisrt car had a 4 star NCAP rating, and when it came time to change, safety was always a big nagging thing at the back of my mind, and I felt that I didn't want a less safe car (on paper at least) because I felt I would regret it if something were to occur, resulting in crash, and I was less well protected than before.

[CBR JGWRR]

Depends on where we are crashing - on a track with lots of run off, then bike. (You don't stay on a bike in a accident, which means you don't get caught up in it, which causes all the nasty injuries in cars.)

On road? Volvo.

[Dave Hedgehog]

EDLT said:

Fifth Gear crashed a 5* hatchback into a Volvo 940:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBDyeWofcLY

thats the problem, 5 star cars are basically battering rams, gawd forbid anyone in an original mini ever gets hit by one ..

[Codswallop]

BriC175 said:

Don't forget though, the N Cap doesn't take into account the weight of the vehicle, which gives it better safety when hitting moveable objects (like other cars).

Swings and roundabouts. A heavier car will come of worse if it hits an impovable object (eg, tree, sturdy wall, house etc) than a lighter car.

[martin84]

Someone elses car

[StottyZr]

Targarama said:

StottyZr said:

Very odd whatcar. I've never had "car safety" as a requirement for any of my cars to be honest.

My workaround is to not crash.

Car to be driven by wife? Have kids? Different answer then maybe?

Oh you didn't have to go there. Wife and kids, my stomachs gone all funny

[Fireblade69]

martin84 said:

Someone elses car

[Sir Bagalot]

EDLT said:

Fifth Gear crashed a 5* hatchback into a Volvo 940:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBDyeWofcLY

First time I saw that clip I was laughing head off. The Renault quite simply didn't stand a chance. I knew Volvos as my Dad owned five of them and I knew they were built like tanks.

Video surprised me