I have a great little 95 honda civic that I need to do some repairs on (exhaust, check passenger airbag light is on etc)
I transport small children in this car. Would the safety of an newer (2008, 2009, etc) Camry be that much more that it would justify upgrading this car?
The level of passenger protection provided by virtually any 2008/2009 car is FAR superior to the level of passenger protection in a 1995 Civic. Great strides in passenger protection have been made during the 10+ years since that car was manufactured.
Even though I drive cars that are as old as your Civic, the answer is YES, a newer car would offer greater passenger protection in the event of a crash. There have been great strides in automotive safety technology in the last decade.
I would not upgrade for this reason alone, but I don’t transport young children. If your Civic is about to cost you some money (and the airbag light could be expensive to fix) I would certainly consider trading it for a newer Camry or Accord if safety is a major concern.
There’s no question that the new Camry is a much safer car in a given crash than a '95 Civic. And since your passenger airbag warning light is on it’ll be FAR, FAR safer.
Yes, your concerns make upgrading the car justifiable. Sheetmetal is easily replacable, but the importance of the safety of our loved ones is impossible to measure.
I respect and honor your priorities. You have them in the proper order. Get the Camry.
The Camry is larger than a Civic, and has many additional safety features, such as side curtain airbags and passenger airbag turnoff.