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Is a classic car right for me?

178 messages,  Last post on Jan 10, 2013 at 2:37 PM

You are in the Classic Cars Forum.

What is this discussion about? Car Buying, Classic Cars, Coupe, Convertible, Sedan

Messages Page 15 of 18

#139 of 178 Re: Still thinking about a daily driver [texases] by andre1969

Dec 23, 2012 (2:35 pm)

Replying to: texases (Dec 23, 2012 12:25 pm)
Interestingly, it looks like recessions have the biggest effect on the reduction of death rates. 1954, 1958, 1974, and 1982 were all bad years, economically, compared to 1953, 1957, 1973, and 1981 (not that 1980 was a particularly "good" year)
 
In contrast, it looks like things like increased seatbelt use, and more widespread use of airbags have had a relatively negligible effect on death rates.

#140 of 178 Re: Still thinking about a daily driver [andre1969] by texases

Dec 23, 2012 (2:52 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Dec 23, 2012 2:35 pm)
"n contrast, it looks like things like increased seatbelt use, and more widespread use of airbags have had a relatively negligible effect on death rates. "
 
?? I'd come to the exact opposite conclusion. There is overall a constant drop in fatality rate, with small jumps at times. Remember, this is the overall death rate, with newer cars coming in gradually over time. So as modern safety equipment has gotten into the fleet the rate drops, to 1/5 of what it was initially.

#141 of 178 Re: Still thinking about a daily driver [texases] by andre1969

Dec 23, 2012 (2:59 pm)

Replying to: texases (Dec 23, 2012 2:52 pm)
Yeah, you do have to take into account that new cars come online gradually, and it takes time to get older cars out of circulation. And overall, the trend has been downward, except for that uptick in the mid 1960's. But still, it looks like the biggest year-to-year drops are 1953-54, 1957-58, 1973-74, and 1980-81.

#142 of 178 Re: Still thinking about a daily driver [andre1969] by berri

Dec 23, 2012 (6:34 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Dec 23, 2012 2:59 pm)
I may be mistaken, but I think those were all recession years, I know several of them were. That usually means less miles driven, so that may play into that data.

#143 of 178 Re: Still thinking about a daily driver [berri] by andre1969

Dec 24, 2012 (6:47 am)

Replying to: berri (Dec 23, 2012 6:34 pm)
Yeah, they were all recession years. However, that graph is plotting deaths per 100M miles driven, and not simply total deaths overall. So, it takes miles driven into account.
 
However, in recession years, perhaps people drive more gently? Or they cut out pleasure driving? Although, I dunno if "pleasure" driving is more dangerous than the driving you have to do, such as going to work, running errands, etc.
 
Or, maybe they're less likely to go out to a party or bar, get sloshed, and end up crashing on the way home?

#144 of 178 Less Drunk Driving by hpmctorque

Dec 26, 2012 (4:09 pm)

Another factor that has contributed to the decline in death rates is tighter allowable alcohol limits and stricter enforcement.

#145 of 178 Re: '59 Chevy vs. '09 Malibu by uplanderguy

Jan 02, 2013 (3:30 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Dec 24, 2012 6:47 am)
A friend who is a monthly columnist in the Studebaker Drivers' Club magazine feels very strongly that the guys who set up this "accident" were real....well, you get it.
 
I've also heard that red dust comes out of the '59 upon impact, implying some structural rust.
 
Still, my friend opines (and I agree), what was the purpose, other than grandstanding? A nice, affordable collector car for someone was ruined, and for what? I think most people know an '09 car is safer than a '59.
 
My friend looked at the car when it was for sale, before it was bought to crash. He said it looked pretty nice, all things considered.
 
It was a dumb stunt, I think.

#146 of 178 Re: '59 Chevy vs. '09 Malibu [uplanderguy] by texases

Jan 02, 2013 (3:37 pm)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Jan 02, 2013 3:30 pm)
"I think most people know an '09 car is safer than a '59. "
 
You might, but I get a lot of 'they don't build them like they used to' comments in other forums, often from folks wanting to buy a '60s car for their teen son/daughter. If that video convinced one of them not to do it, it was well worth the 'loss'.

#147 of 178 Re: '59 Chevy vs. '09 Malibu [texases] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Jan 02, 2013 (7:21 pm)

Replying to: texases (Jan 02, 2013 3:37 pm)
yes I think the "stunt" sent a valuable message to people who basically have no real understanding of vehicle design and the progress we've made in that area. As for the car, no big loss really---you can't preserve every "old thing", and besides, many people turn old 'classics' into grotesque rods, sand buggies, pickup trucks, sculpture, etc.

#148 of 178 Re: '59 Chevy vs. '09 Malibu [Mr_Shiftright] by fintail

Jan 02, 2013 (7:44 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jan 02, 2013 7:21 pm)
Heck, in 2010 an even older MB was crash tested - notice the rust dust and general poor condition of the car. Held up OK, but this is before MB used a collapsible steering columns, so not fun there.

Messages Page 15 of 18

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