I have comments and a question. I have been led to believe that crash safety ratings are done for comparison of similar-sized vehicles hitting each other. Does anyone have any confirmatory or contradictory information? If true, a four-star crash rating for a small car would be worth less than a four-star crash rating for a big car.
The body-on-frame vehicles (Crown Vic and bretheren) may not be as good as unibody vehicles in crash tests. That is because the body has and needs less structural integrity than the unibody vehicles because the FRAME does that function.
Do check the crash ratings and make no assumptions based solely on size.
Pickup trucks don’t have the same body integrity that similarly sized SUVs have. They tend to collapse at the point in the frame where the cab and bed meet - where you sit. I would not classify pick-ups as safe, unless they meet a small car. An SUV would be safer than a pick-up. Bigger is better.
Bigger is safer. I’m not talking about a couple hundred pounds. But if you look at the safety ratings of classes of cars and trucks on the IIHS web site, you will see that bigger clearly equates to safer. I don’t mean the fudged-up frontal offset crash test. That only shows what happens if you meet the same vehicle and don’t apply your brakes. There is also a database of collision, injury, and theft losses. This compares all vehicles on the same scale. And bigger is always safer.
I had initially thought of that since the car that hit us was a sedan we were similar in size so the injuries not as severe, but I will look into the safety ratings and see if I can compare a full size sedan in impact with a larger SUV and see how they performed. It is conusing to see these crash test results but I am trying
The average for all vehicles is 100. If you pick anything under 60 in Personal Injury Protection or Medical Payment, you have a safe car. some of the vehicles in this group are:
BMW 7, BMW 5, Audi 8, Audi 6, Cadillac DTS, Lexus 430, Jaguar XJ, MB E-Class Wagon, Volvo S-80 4WD, Volvo V70 wagon, and Saab 9-5. Those are all luxury cars. Among sedans, only the Buick Lucerne and Mercury Montego 4WD qualify.
BTW, did you notice that all but the Saab 9-5 are large or very large cars? I should also allow that the driver has some impact on this rating. An added bonus is that you get lower insurance rates by buying one of the better rated vehicles.
I was referring to an S-class mercedes; pretty big (about 4500 pounds), pretty safe (lots of air-bags, etc.), overpriced (about $90,000), but very nice:
I would definitely have it checked out by a good BMW shop or a dealer to make sure it doesn’t have any major issues. Like the benz, they are nice cars but they can get expensive if they’ve been neglected. $4500 sounds like a good deal if it’s in good shape.
A 3-series isn’t a large car, it sounded like you were looking for something a little more massive.
Well a very good car is a 1997,1998,1999 or 2000 VOLVO S70 or V70. THE S70 is the sedan model and the V70 is the stacion wagon VOLVO is one of the safest cars in the world the S70 and V70 are very good they come with cruise control heated seats and ALOT OF AIRBAGS that includ dual front and side airbags.
Some S70S come with AWD others with turbo and others with both very few come with a manual transmission. The base engine was a 2.4-liter dual overhead cam straight-5 gasoline engine that produced a maximum output of 168 hp (125 kW). The GLT had a turbocharged version of that engine that increased the power to 190 hp (141 kw). The T5 had a more highly tuned 2.3-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with an output of 236 hp (175 kw). The Base and T5 models had an optional five-speed manual transmission, the GL and GLT were available with only an automatic transmission. An option on the S70 was the TRACS traction control system that would apply the front brakes to limit wheel slippage. All models had disc brakes and anti-lock braking system. These were also among the first cars in the United States to offer side airbags, an option that has extended to nearly all models today. All-wheel drive was also offered with the GLT model in 1999 and 2000 years.
And there is another car that I would recommend A 1999 and 2000 BMW 328i A VERY NICE CAR see it on ebay GOOD LUCK.
Sorry for chiming in late in this discussion, but I agree with those who believe that more weight and height don’t, by themselves, make a vehicle safer. After all, I would rather have a large sedan with side curtain airbags than an SUV without them. Personally, I don’t recommend an SUV simply for safety reasons, but you seem to know what you want. In this case, I would look at the Toyota Highlander and the Honda Pilot. See if you can get them with side curtain air bags. Since price is no issue for the vehicle and for fuel, look at the high-end Lexus and German (BMW and Mecerdes) vehicles. Also, why not look at Volvos? Whatever you get should have the latest safety equipment. As much as I hate SUVs, it is important that you are comfortable with the vehicle you choose. I am confortable with my loved ones driving a Honda Civic with side curtain air bags, but that doesn’t make it right for everyone else and I should not force my beliefs on to anyone else.
I agree regarding SUVs/trucks/minivans, I don’t like driving them and don’t like the feeling of a high center of gravity. For maximum safety, I would shop for a large sedan/wagon. Last weekend, I drove across IA in the middle of a nasty ice storm (no fun), most of the vehicles (other than semis) I saw on their roofs were SUVs/trucks/minivans. I saw quite a few sedans off the road, but almost all were still on their wheels.
I have had many SUVs, and the best one if price and gas are no object is the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S. It is very heavy, the underside is fully protected by steel plates, it has the most airbags of any SUV. It also has 3 4WD settings, one locked 4WD with a 4:1 transfer case for rock crawling, the other a high range locked and a full time AWD otherwise. It is roomy, solid, luxurious (leather is first rate) and rides and handles like a sports car, it has 520 HP and 0-60 in around 4 seconds. You just can’t ask for more or get more from any SUV. I have had mine for over 45,000 miles (2 1/2 years) and it has never been in the shop except for oil changes (2).
I’m not sure I would really classify the Cayenne as a SUV; but I’m not sure what else to call it, it seems like more of an AWD sports sedan. It doesn’t have a high center of gravity, which is a big advantage over “conventional” SUVs. It is a very cool vehicle, although I’m not crazy about it’s looks. If I really wanted a SUV (as opposed to a AWD performance car), I would probably go for a g-wagon for the same money. I don’t know which is safer.
The BMW 3 series are really pretty small. They always feel cramped to me. Now a 5 series, that’s a more substantial vehicle.
Large luxury cars are probably your best bet for safety in a crash. SUVs, in my opinion, are just more likely to get you into a crash due to handling characteristics. A big sedan is a better choice. Check that web site jtsanders posted.
Probably, I’ve lost track of the porsche prices. Do they still sell the G55 AMG (that was pretty pricey last time I looked)?
Edit: No, I just checked, there’s not that much difference. The Cayenne Turbo S lists for $94K, the current G500 lists for $87K. I don’t see the G55 AMG anymore, as I recall it was about $120K.
For 2008, Porsche has dropped the Turbo S, so what you see is the Turbo. I paid over $120,000 for mine in 2005, and the base prices was over#110,000. The S has a larger turbocharger and intercooler, and had 70 HP more than the base turbo.
OK, I’ve lost track of porsche’s models (actually I lost interest when they started selling liquid cooled engines). I don’t know what happened to the G55 AMG either, maybe the U.S. market wasn’t supporting that price range (weak dollar). It sounds like both the current cayenne and g-wagon are in the under $100K range now. They’re both interesting (but different) cars, I have no idea if that’s what the OP is looking for.
Soooo many to choose from. Just list all your wants and needs and shop from there. Include larger sedans and check out CR crash tests. I’m a big CR fan to get started on the shopping. Just to go to an SUV to protect yourself in a two car crash, you sacrifice handling and leave yourself open to other problems. Many good car based SUV’s if you insist.