Hello,
I am looking at purchasing a classic car. The car will be driven by a teenager, so I was wondering what classic cars have airbags or which of these cars are the safest? What years I should be looking at? I have been looking at Austin Healey, Porsche, Jaguar (MK2) (or others). Out of these cars what would you say was the safest? Is there a way to tell by years if cars of have airbags?
Thank you!
What is your definition of a classic car? You could get early 1970’s gm full size cars with airbags, as well as mid 1980’s mercedes as well as other assorted cars in the 1980’s.
Just because a car has airbags doesn’t mean it is safe by todays standards, you could get a 1990 plymouth horizon with airbags, but that doesnt mean its a safe car.
By 1997 all cars had to have dual airbags IIRC.
To be honest, the examples listed in your post all sound like bad ideas for a teenagers first car.
Airbag on a classic car? No such thing.
‘I am looking at purchasing a classic car. The car will be driven by a teenager,’
Big mistake. Get them a safe car, this is the most dangerous thing they’ll likely do in their life.
You’ll be lucky if some of these cars have seat belts, much less air bags. They also will lack energy-absorbing steering columns, adequate braking systems, headrests to avoid whiplash, and any number of other things people today take for granted.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but these cars are chosen for fun, not safety. The cheapest, most basic Kia on the road today will be infinitely safer than the cars you mention.
So put safety out of your mind and buy whatever is the best looking, most fun car to drive and enjoy!
Those cars you mention are also high maintenance (a.k.a. pricy…) to keep up as compared to a Toyota Corolla or what have you.
A brother in law of mine always wanted a Porsche. He finally pulled the trigger and bought a used one after selling his Corvette. Within 6 months the Porsche was gone after he faced a few Porsche repair bills and compared them against his old Chevy.
Of the three brands you mention, I’d guess the Porsche would probably be the safest.
Hmm…a rear engine high power sports car + teenager…uh-oh
Any of these cars is an accident waiting to happen, if a teenager is driving
As far as I’m concerned, if the car is for a teenager, it should be at least mid-sized, have front and side airbags, abs, at the very least
that absolutely rules out any classic cars
And it should be something you won’t miss terribly if it gets wrecked by that teenager
We all know that some teenagers aren’t exactly the best drivers
Again, that absolutely rules out any classic cars, because you’ll be all bent out of shape if that Austin Healey gets wrapped around a tree
Also, the car shouldn’t be fast and powerful. Don’t give the teenager rope to hang himself with, so to speak
Remember that movie where the girl graduated high school, and her dad gave her a Ford Tempo . . . you get the idea
If the Tempo was still being built, it would have all those safety features I mentioned. Plus many more
Take my word for it, you do not even want to see the insurance rates for teenage boy and classic car.
A Porsche isn’t necessarily a high power rear engine car. It depends on the model and year.
Oh come on guys, lighten up a little bit. Sometimes you gotta go live life, it can’t always be about safety and crash test ratings and supplemental restraints. If the kid wants a car like that and the parents are willing and able, let them have a go at it.
" If the kid wants a car like that and the parents are willing and able, let them have a go at it. "
Nope. He asking my opinion, and I gave it, applies 100% of the time.
Yep free advice. The first air bag car we had was a 95 GM. Nothing in our 86, 89, 87, etc. Plus, they have advanced quite a bit in the past ten years so they aren’t the killers they used to be. We just had an 18 year old killed a couple days ago wrapping the car around a tree-speed was a factor. I would highly recommend being the adult here, and reconsidering putting one of these sporty impressionable cars in the possession of a teen. I was never tempted to show off in my Morris Minor or VW Bug, and they never went that fast.
Whose money is being used for the purchase? Whoever that is, ought to have final say as to what is purchased. Were it me, I would purchase base transport in a frumpy Grampy-mobile: upgrades from that default being sole responsibility of the driver!
This is an article from the perspective of a father and step-father who has allowed teenagers to drive the vintage cars in the fleet. It all depends on how much you trust the teenager in question and their driving ability.Insuring a classic car for a teenager might be difficult and expensive.
A teenager driving anything classified as a sports car will incur a hefty insurance rate. I’d go for a simple and sturdy car about 10 years old like a Crown Victoria or Taurus.
Maybe he hates his teen. They can get on your nerves sometimes.
Anything from the late 1970s or 1980s will be slow because of the smog gear. Auto manufacturers had not figured out how to get clean cars and power at the same time. That started in the 1990s. You might look into a 1990s car, like a Corvette. But the insurance is likely to be outrageous if the teem is listed as the main driver. Pick out a Corvette for sale on the Internet. Call your insurer and give them the VIN. They will tell you the cost to insure it with the teen as the main driver. Then decide if the cost is too high. Expect any sportscar or sport sedan/coupe to ave a similar high cost.
A teenager with a Corvette . . . another accident waiting to happen
in my opinion
Teens WILL wreck their cars. They WILL wreck their cars. I said it twice so the message will stick. It may be cool to drive a classic as a teen, I sure wanted to, but your teen WILL wreck the car. Statistically I am confident in making this prediction. Buy a cheap, late model with airbags and ABS wait for the inevitable. THEN consider the classic car, but not before.