They don't build 'em like they used to.........THANK GOD!

[malthumb]

How many times has someone older than you said something to the effect of "I don't trust these new cars. They're made too flimsy" or "If I'm ever in an accident, I'd want to be driving one of the older cars. They were built tougher."

Well, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which was started in 1959, recently celebrated their 50th anniversary by doing a head-on crash test of a 1959 Chevrolet Belair with a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu.

Some of the findings....(the text is from several reviews of the test that I've come across)

A video produced by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air hurtling into a collision with a 2009 Malibu at 40mph. The outcome wasn't pretty. The driver of the Bel Air would be close to dead, while the driver of the Chevy, may have walked away.


As this video illustrates, automotive safety has improved dramatically in the past five decades. The 2009 Chevrolet Malibu has as standard equipment: antilock brakes, stability control, occupant-sensing front air bags, and side air bags. Beyond the safety gear, advancements in vehicle engineering give the Malibu a clear advantage in this match up. In IIHS front- and side-crash tests, it earns the highest rating of Good. Likewise, in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tests, it earns top marks. (In the government rollover test, it was rated better than average.) While classic cars are often considered to be rock solid, this '59 demonstrates how much better today's cars are. And the IIHS has played a key role in driving these advancements.





See the video and the whole story here....

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2009/09/video-iihs-crash-tests-2009-chevrolet-malibu-vs-1959-bel-air-.html

My wife drives a 2009 Malibu, so I feel pretty good about this.

Peace,

James

[LaylaMonroe]

Lemme tell you... a couple of years ago, my family and I were driving to Norfolk for my little cousin's funeral. There was a really bad freezing rain storm, and the roads were very bad.  At the time, my MIL had something going on at church and she needed my truck, so we had her car (a Chevy Cavalier). We were driving about 25 mph because it had just started raining again, and we had passed two truck accidents in about 5 miles.

Next thing I know, we're spinning in 360 degree circles over and over again, and ended up going through the steel cables, after having spun about 3 times in very, very slow motion.  We ended up on the southbound side, facing north.

The cables broke the windshield and the passenger side window, which is where I was sitting.  My door was caved in and couldn't be opened.  No one was seriously hurt, although I had a lot of glass in my skin and hair (and scalp).  To this very day, I still find glass in the pocketbook I wore that day. My daughter was behind me and she had a bruised rib from the seatbelt and glass in her skin and hair.

It was a very minor accident, considering we were only going about 20-25 mph... yet the car was TOTALLED.

I still can't get that.... lol.

[funkStrat_97]

Modern cars are light years ahead of those classics (well quite a few are more junk than classic).  Today's cars require less mainteneanc, will last longer, and are oveall safer than they were in the so-called "good-old-days".  Having said that, I would hate to see what my beautiful Mazda6 would look like after being hit by an original Chevy Impala!  Old cars were probably easier to fix too, which is a good thing considering that you had to fix them more often.

[funkStrat_97]

Wow!  After watching that video, you can see the stark contrast between how well the passenger cabin of the Malibu held up compred to the Bel-Air.  Not the mention the lack of airbags in the Bel-Air.

[LaylaMonroe]

Ok, I just watched the video (well, the first 49 seconds... lol).  Looks to me like the drivers of both vehicles should be dead or very badly injured.  Both cars are to'e up. Though I'll admit I'm surprised because I was one of those who thought the old cars were more sturdy.

[under13]

interesting.

One thing I really hate about the newer cars though, is that if someone bumps into you, you get a huge dent in your bumper. Years ago that didnt happen, cars had real bumpers. Why are car makers making their bumpers hollow and cheap? is it for pedestrian safety or what?

[malthumb]

Lemme tell you... a couple of years ago, my family and I were driving to Norfolk for my little cousin's funeral. There was a really bad freezing rain storm, and the roads were very bad.  At the time, my MIL had something going on at church and she needed my truck, so we had her car (a Chevy Cavalier). We were driving about 25 mph because it had just started raining again, and we had passed two truck accidents in about 5 miles.

Next thing I know, we're spinning in 360 degree circles over and over again, and ended up going through the steel cables, after having spun about 3 times in very, very slow motion.  We ended up on the southbound side, facing north.

The cables broke the windshield and the passenger side window, which is where I was sitting.  My door was caved in and couldn't be opened.  No one was seriously hurt, although I had a lot of glass in my skin and hair (and scalp).  To this very day, I still find glass in the pocketbook I wore that day. My daughter was behind me and she had a bruised rib from the seatbelt and glass in her skin and hair.

It was a very minor accident, considering we were only going about 20-25 mph... yet the car was TOTALLED.

I still can't get that.... lol.

A couple thoughts on your totalled Cavalier....

1) First of all, 20 - 25 mph is pretty significant in terms of accidents.  Lot of damage can be done to glass and body panels. 

One of the things you'll notice in the Malibu / Bel Air video is that even though the front end of the Malibu got creamed, the damage to the passenger compartment was minimal and the roof was pretty much untouched.  The Bel Air front pillar collapsed, bringing the roof down on the occupants in a twisted manner.  Assuming the occupants were wearing seatbelts (optional in 1959)and weren't thrown from the vehicle when the door popped open.

Modern cars are engineered to absorb the energy and crumple the front end in order to protect the passenger compartment.  The car is sacrificed to protect the passengers.  Try this experiment....Get a paper towel tube and a flashlight, preferably a Maglight.  One in each hand.  Smack both of them into a tree at the same time.  Which arm feels better?  The paper towel tube will collapse and your arm will feel virtually nothing.  It'll probably be destroyed in the process.  The arm with the flashlight will have an intense ringing sensation all the way up to the shoulder from the energy being transmitted through the stiff frame directly into your arm.  The flashlight will still probably break in the process, unless it's a Maglight.

2) Cost to repair vs cost to replace.  My MIL was just in an accident.  She took a right on red when she shouldn't have and got clipped in the front driver's side fender.  Her car was 16 years old with 42,000 miles on it and in otherwise good condition.  Insurance totalled the car because the cost to repair it was beyond the book value.

[malthumb]

interesting.

One thing I really hate about the newer cars though, is that if someone bumps into you, you get a huge dent in your bumper. Years ago that didnt happen, cars had real bumpers. Why are car makers making their bumpers hollow and cheap? is it for pedestrian safety or what?

Hollow?  Yes.  Cheap?  No.  Several reasons for the changes in bumper design.

• Pedestrian safety and reduction of damage done to property in low speed bumps.
• Passenger safety by designing "crumple zones" into the bumper systems.  If you remove a bumper covering, you'll see what looks like massive honeycombs.  In the event of a collision, they collapse and absorb a lot of the energy of the crash, just as I've described in the paper towel tube / flashlight experiment in my previous post.
• Weight.  Weight is the enemy of fuel economy.  Steel bumpers are heavy.
• Cost.  Chrome is expensive
• Environmental concern.  The processes for plating chrome onto steel are very hazardous.  That's why most chrome you see today isn't.
  

[under13]

Hollow?  Yes.  Cheap?  No.  Several reasons for the changes in bumper design.

• Pedestrian safety and reduction of damage done to property in low speed bumps.
• Passenger safety by designing "crumple zones" into the bumper systems.  If you remove a bumper covering, you'll see what looks like massive honeycombs.  In the event of a collision, they collapse and absorb a lot of the energy of the crash, just as I've described in the paper towel tube / flashlight experiment in my previous post.
• Weight.  Weight is the enemy of fuel economy.  Steel bumpers are heavy.
• Cost.  Chrome is expensive
• Environmental concern.  The processes for plating chrome onto steel are very hazardous.  That's why most chrome you see today isn't.
  

Makes some sense. Thanks