Anyone miss the larger cars?

[SandburRanch]

Yes, a quiet and pleasant ride.

 

[Country Geek]

The least safe car in a crash I have is probably my 2004 F150 because trucks don't have to meet the same crash test standards as cars and while big they will fold like an accordion when hit. Plus they much less stable and maneuverable.

We have a recent example of that around here. NFL QB Cam Newton in his big truck had an accident with a smaller Buick sedan. He rolled, his roof collapsed, and he fractured his back. The damage to the smaller car was contained to the front end, not the passenger compartment. Look at this story, and be sure to scroll down to see the picture of his truck being loaded on the flatbed and compare it to the picture of the other car. As far as I can tell the other driver wasn't injured: Cam Newton'''s car overturns in accident outside Panthers stadium - SBNation.com

It's all about the technology, not the size. Smaller cars may feel less substantial but in general more modern cars have better engineered frames, impact dissipating beams, etc.

This video is an oldie but a goodie but it also puts it in proper perspective. I like this one better than the old Impala vs new Impala crash test video because it's more a more realistic combination and involves more modern cars.

 

[dodge man]

I think people are wrong when they say newer cars are lighter. Usually that's not the case. Sure there are small cars like a Prisus, Smart Car and such but most are heavier than the older stuff. A lot of this has to do with safety and emissions items. Air bags and such add weight.

I owned a 70 Challenger convertible, it weighed 3700 lbs, my 2010 Challenger weighs about 4000 lbs.

My wifes 2011 300C weighs about 4200 lbs, my 1972 Satellite weighed about 3600 lbs.

 

[HeLa]

It's funny that this discussion comes up. I was driving yesterday and saw an old Toyota Corolla (20+ years old), and was thinking about how much larger cars have become. The old Toyotas, Hondas, even the BMW 2002 and original 325 are so much smaller than their current versions.

size creep.

it lines up:
Corporate Average Fuel Economy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

i credit most of this to cafe standards, and the lack of updates there. in the early 1980's there was an enormous requirement for fuel economy. manufacturers acted quickly and met the regulatory requirements. cars got smaller and power disappeared. however, manufacturers didn't stop developing powertrain technology. so what to do with the new-found efficiency? there is zero motivation to increase economy beyond user-tolerated levels so the extra power is used to push larger, heavier faster cars! it's not all bad - a lot of the of extra size and weight goes into safety systems.

in both of these crashes i was struck while stopped by cars traveling at approximately 50 mph. in both cases i drove it home and was unhurt. i can't say that this would have been the case with a 20 year old Corolla OR a big heavy american classic.

 

[sd455dan]

Park one of those old large cars beside a modern Honda and you might be surprised which one is bigger.

Parked my 1996 Chev Caprice 9c1 next to many new hondas and they look pretty small... Length wise the old caprice is like 17 feet long and over 4100lbs.

I would nominate one of GMs 9 passenger safari wagons from the early 1970s as a true land barge. also the chrysler Newports. many were destroyed in demo derbys which was also a good slow speed toughness test

 

[tcartwri]

Parked my 1996 Chev Caprice 9c1 next to many new hondas and they look pretty small... Length wise the old caprice is like 17 feet long and over 4100lbs.

I would nominate one of GMs 9 passenger safari wagons from the early 1970s as a true land barge. also the chrysler Newports. many were destroyed in demo derbys which was also a good slow speed toughness test

I have a 77 Impala wagon. I bet it weighs less than most modern sedans. My 65 Impala was only 3800 lbs.

More shocking is when I see a Fox mustang in traffic today. It is tiny. ( I have one of those also. )

 

[tcartwri]

Actually I'll park my 77 wagon next to my 2012 Passat tonight and take a picture.

 

[Loadstar]

A friend of mine has a family member with a mint dodge imperial. Think it could seat ten inside and another 20 in the trunk. I think you could put chairs under the hood to work on the 440. My grandfather has a 69 caddy convertible that the previous owner used to tow his sailboat. That car probably has a higher towing capacity than my f250.

Although I love them and if I had time and money I would love to modernize an old road barge... New stuff is much safer. If you look at old wreck photos plenty of occupants perished in wrecks that did not total a car. I would rather walk away from a totaled car than the other way around.

 

[turnkey4099]

The subject came up at work today when discussing gas prices. When I was growing up during the Carter administration, gasoline when through the roof if you could even buy it. Honda Civics were just entering the scene and after doing the math I really wanted one. All my buddies had V8s and could barely afford to drive them.

I was never able to afford a new Civic and never had anything that got really good mileage but after gas went up in 2006 I vowed to fix the problem. I went out and bought a brand new 08 Hyundai Accent and on a good tank can get up to 40mpg. If I ever buy another big car it will be for recreation only. I hate having to drive our 4x4 suv when it snows. I swear I can see the gas gauge moving.

No kidding. I came back from Japan in 1972, met my girl in Eugene, Ore to get married, bought a used 54 Buick, rented a u-haul trailer and moved all her stuff to Colfax, Wa to visit my folks and then to San, Angelo Tx. Left Salt Lake City the second day trying to move around 65 into a stiff wind. I _could_ see that guage moving.

Harry K

 

[Bird]

I guess my biggest one was the 1955 Cadillac Coupe DeVille that I bought in 1960. That was my first car with air-conditioning, and I liked it back then, but I much prefer the newer cars now.