Old VW's Unsafe?

Is it true that if you get into an accident driving an old Volkswagen, you will be severely injured? I was shocked when I recently read that the 1960s and 1970s Volkswagens are the most unsafest cars in the world. The article I was reading mentioned you will probably end up in a motorized wheelchair in which you will need to operate with your tongue after being in an accident driving an old VW. My father used to always say that he would never drive one of those "foreign jobs" (he referred to all import cars as foreign jobs), because they were too small and he despised buying foreign products of any kind. I am just the opposite. I truly love imports from all different countries, especially from Germany...

Reply to
Sm704
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On 10 Oct 2004 10:55:49 -0700, snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com (Sm704) scribbled this interesting note:

The morals of the story are...

Don't believe everything you hear and read and Don't get into accidents!:~)

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

Reply to
John Willis

of course you will...i have been in many wrecks in old vw's...and everything still works..(except maybe the finger i got between the fanbelt and alt pulley on the running engine...it is more for decoration than anything...)

------------------- Chris Perdue "I'm ever so thankful for the Internet; it has allowed me to keep a finger in the pie and to make some small contribution to those younger who will carry the air-cooled legend forward" Jim Mais Feb. 2004

Reply to
Chris Perdue

Obviously old VWs are far less safe than cars built later with all the mandatory safety improvements. It is NOT true that if you get into an accident with a VW that you will be severely injured. You do have a higher chance of being severely hurt compared to newer vehicles. But, you need to factor what the odds are of having a severe crash are in the first place. You can get overly paranoid about this sort of thing by losing perspective.

Reply to
ccr

If you drive like an idiot, or it's just time for you to have an accident, sure, you will get hurt. But, you can also get hurt in a Sherman Tank, if conditions are right.. I am often asked by people a question somewhat like this- "My son/daughter/mistress/whatever is getting his/hers/it's driver's license soon, what would be a good Air cooled VW to stick them in for a first car?" and I usually tell them to look for an already cut (no sense in killing more of them, unless the front or back has already been hit, and is unrepairable, either financially or parts-wise) link-pin, swingaxle, Baja Bug. Put a camber compensator or sway bar on the back so the wheels can't tuck all the way under, get a 6 point roll cage and WELD IT IN with 6"x6" plates that are a minimum 3/16 inch thick, tie it into the rear frame horns and front bulkhead, make sure there is a door bar (I don't care HOW hard it makes getting into the driver's seat, if you get T-boned you'll thank me.) Use disc brakes ( on all 4 wheels, if you can afford them), and an SFI-approved 5 point harness, and make it so that there is an interlock system so that, if the harness ain't buckled, the car won't start. I have seen cars that have taken a helluva hit from the side, or endo'ed or rolled at 80 mph, and the driver usually gets out, looks at the car, and asks for an aspirin and a beer.....

Reply to
Kaferdave

Have an '85 Yota 2WD PU that is probably in same league - no door beam and flimsey front end -- add to that no traction in wet or icy conditions. Do like gas tank in rear and not high in front.

Reply to
Wolfgang

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Troll

Reply to
Bob Hoover

Wow, that's exactly what I was thinking but wasn't gonna say. It's as if though Bob and I are thinking alike... heh heh Zoinks!!! Someone's gotta be turnin' over in their grave right now!

Reply to
Shaggie

Some of the later models from the 70s are actually quite safe for the standards in effect of their manufactured date. It is quite likely that they would hold up better in an accident than one of today's dinky econoboxes like a Geo Metreo or equivalant. From the rear and the front you are protected by substantial amounts of material. Later models had reinforcing beams in the doors for side impacts, but that is probably still the worst place to get hit. Still though, most cars are wider than the space inbetween the fenders, so a direct perpindicular hit to the side would hit the fenders and wheels first, offering you SOME extra protection. If you drive a very early Beetle, replace the steering column with a late model collapsable version so you don't get speared through the chest if something hits you in front. Install the three-point saftey belts from a later model as well, and if you don't care about originality, install the later seats with headrests. These substantially reduce the amount of neck injuries sustained.

Still though, I drive mine like I'm riding a motorcycle. I realize that any potential accident could be fatal so I drive extremely carefuly in my '73. But this is the case in any vehicle! Any accident could be fatal. Just don't drive like a dimwit and you've already reduced your chances of an accident greatly.

Sure, the older VWs aren't the safest cars on the road. If saftey is a huge concern for you, don't drive one.....but you'll be worried no matter WHAT you're driving. Just enjoy life while it lasts. When you go, you go.

~Anthony

Reply to
Anthony

And dont get into Renault 4's or Citroen 2CV's.... Or for those old enough to remeber Renault Daupihne's(sp) or 8's for that matter.

J.

Reply to
P.J.Berg

not really...the "dimwits"(nicer than what i call them..) are the ones that leave wreckage and destruction behind them while everyone scurries to avoid them...but they tend to never end up in it...sad really...

------------------- Chris Perdue "I'm ever so thankful for the Internet; it has allowed me to keep a finger in the pie and to make some small contribution to those younger who will carry the air-cooled legend forward" Jim Mais Feb. 2004

Reply to
Chris Perdue

Hey, I resemble that remark! :-)

Reply to
Ben Boyle

First, is it a surprise to you that a 30+ year old car might not be a safe as a new Honda?..

I totaled out a 72 Super. Driving home from the shop one night, came up on a 4 way intersection. I had the right of way, the sidestreet had to stop.

She didn't stop. Police later estimate she was running about 55. I was running about 45, when I saw her headlights I turned left for all I was worth (she was traveling right to left in front of me) Put the Super sideways and slid into her, my passenger side to her driver's side. (She was in a Scirocco). We matched length perfectly. The complete right side of the Super was bashed; the complete left side of her waterpumper was bent.

When we hit side-to-side I used my right knee to lay the gearshift over onto the floor.

After the inital impact, I slid off the road head-on into a ditch. This folded the front end up and under, and at this time I put my left knee into the dashboard. Also sustained neck and back injuries. Both knees have been operated on; the doc mentioned that I should expect to have to replace at least one knee before I die (assuming a reasonable lifetime).

From the front bumper to the rear bumper the entire right side of the Super was trashed; front suspension bent, both fenders, door, dashboard buckled bad enough the glovebox wouldn't close, rear suspension bent, and axle driven through side of transmission.

Stuff happens.. life is a terminal disease. Indian Larry died about a month ago; a few months before that I lost a friend when a UPS truck turned in front of him as he was riding his motorcycle to work. That same week another friend dropped his bike; didn't get hurt, but racked up a nice chrome bill.

Remember, paint and chrome cost; skin grows back free.

As others have mentioned, old cars don't have the safety features of new cars, just be careful and enjoy the ride.

regards,

Jim

Reply to
Jim

LOL...if you are lucky....

------------------- Chris Perdue "I'm ever so thankful for the Internet; it has allowed me to keep a finger in the pie and to make some small contribution to those younger who will carry the air-cooled legend forward" Jim Mais Feb. 2004

Reply to
Chris Perdue

My first car was a '70 beetle. It had 3 point belts, but they didn't lock. I was at a dead stop waiting for people in front of me to turn and I got hit by a 16 year old girl in her dad's camry who was going 45. She knocked my car about 80-100ft, bent the bumper up under the fender, popped the left valve cover off and pushed the decklid up a couple of inches. All I got was a sore neck/back for a couple days. On a side not, I got the car back on the road for about $85.

Jay

Reply to
Jay McGraw

I always thought the Bug to be quite safe. While the Bug was still being imported to the USA, VW's other small car, the Audi 50/Polo, could not pass the safety regulations. The shape of the Bug's bodywork (egg style) has inherent strength and the lack of the heavy dense lump in the front allows for greater shock absorption in a frontal impact. The gas tank is situated behind the front axle, which is a generally accepted safe zone. Side impact is probably its weakest point and the door reinforcement bars, fitted in the early 70's, were more for preventing the passenger compartment from being crushed front and rear than for side impact - Although I am sure they help. Being thrown from the car is one of the aspects of an accident most likely to result in death. Seat belts generally prevent that, as well as laminated windshields with 'non-burst fitting teeth' and to a small extent the small size of the windows. This is not all fact but mainly my humble opinion.

Reply to
Peter

No, just a safety concerned buyer. How does that make me a troll? I asked a simple question and expected some honest opinions. Instead, I get called a troll. As I type this, I am trying to find the article I read so I can post a link to it if you don't believe me...

Reply to
Sm704

On 11 Oct 2004 06:44:54 -0700, snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com (Sm704) scribbled this interesting note:

It does not matter what the article has to say, it is exaggerated and merely an opinion. "...the most unsafest cars in the world..." indeed. Ever see how a Model A performs in an accident? Ever hear of a glass necklace? Heard of a Ford Pinto?

And those are merely examples here in the US.

I don't know for certain, but I feel pretty sure that other vehicles built in countries where safety standards don't exist, and never have (as well as places like France, etc!:~) have built modes of transportation that make the safety record of Beetles look positively rosy!

Like I said before, "Don't believe everything you hear and read and Don't get into accidents!:~)"

(BYW, that bit about believing what you read and hear applies to anything I, or others in this group or any other, have to say as well. In other words, watch, listen, live, learn, and think for yourself!:~)

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

Reply to
John Willis

You forgot all those chevy pickup trucks with side mounted gas tanks.

Randy

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Reply to
RSMEINER

On Mon, 11 Oct 2004 09:34:38 -0400, "Peter" scribbled this interesting note:

My Dad was a Dallas police officer for 23 years. He retired over two decades ago. When gasoline prices jumped in the seventies he found a nice 1967 Beetle Convertible in which to commute to and from work, despite having watched a fellow, years before, burn to death in a Beetle because that front mounted bomb, uh, I mean gas tank, ruptured in an accident, and the gasoline landed in his lap and ignited. Did I mention the guy was trapped in the seat because of the new geometry of the dash, seat, and steering wheel after the accident? There was nothing anyone could do for him since this was back in the sixties and police cars weren't required to carry fire extinguishers and it took a while longer for fire trucks to respond, and at any rate, this guy, if not dead already, soon would be, or wish he were.

The idea of having to watch someone burn to death while hearing his screams is not a particularly nice one.

My Dad has many more stories from his years serving as a police officer. Some are funny or interesting, and those are good ones to hear. Some are dark and disturbing, and the few of these he has related, I usually wish he hadn't.

The moral of this story is, even after seeing something like this, knowing full well, and probably better than most anyone reading this group could, what the possible consequences might be, my Dad bought the '67 'Vert and drove it happily for years and years. That car was mine to drive in high school, and my sister drove it after me. To this day it sits under his carport, unburnt, unwrecked, and looking pretty darn good.

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

Reply to
John Willis

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