Thanks again for all your help. My dad still needs convincing as to the safety. Can anyone attest to the safety ofa classic Stang? I think I have sold him on the reliability factor, but he still needs work for safety.one more thing, is any one of yall in the west TN or north MS area that I could come by and maybe test drive? I wouldn't try to buy, but possibly pick your brain in person.

 

I don't see what the big deal is about using a classic as a daily. I drive my 1968 buick everyday to and from work on long trips ect. I feel much safer in it then any newer car. As far as breaking down.. every car will have problem's wether it be new or old.

 

be prepared for this:

 

If you're worried bout the safety, weld in a roll cage and put in seats with a 5 pt harness. That will be safer than the hugest SUV with all teh neck snapping airbags in the world.

 

You are delusional if you think that your 68 Buick is safer than any modern car. Comparing the safety of a 1968 car with a modern car is like like comparing an abacus with a modern PC. Back in the day, a friend had a 68 Buick GS. Lets compare. First, the GS he had did not have head rests which are well known to prevent whiplash. There were no airbags which prevent eating the dash and steering wheel, borked craniums etc.. Modern cars have crumple zones designed to absorb the force of an impact so that your body doesn't have to. Real modern cars have side curtain airbags for side impact collisions. Modern cars stop better to avoid collisions. Modern cars, even cheap ones handle better which also can help you avoid an accident. Depending on age an old car can have a solid steering shaft which can go right through you like a spear in a collision. Shoud I go on????

You may "feel" safer in your old car but you are not.

An old car car definitely be made reliable, but reliable is not the only factor. As for those that say you have to know how to work on and old car and what if it breaks down?? My answer is CELL PHONE. An old car goes up on a flat bed tow truck justlike a new car. Get real guys!! Quit blowing smoke up this poor guys rear leading him to believe that a classic can be made as safe as a modern car. You may be able to make it as reliable, at a cost, but you aren't going to make it as safe as a modern car by any stretch.

 

Only if wearing your neck collar and helmet along with that roll cage. A roll over in that with your head bouncing off the roll cage would be fun. Real enjoyable to drive around town too. Plus it would be real practical having for him to have he and his girlfriend climbing over the roll cage to get in and out of the car when on a date.

Lets stick to practical suggestions that will really help.

 

109jb: They can't be that bad. I can understand that a side impact would devastating, but with all of the metal in front, wouldn't that help the frontal impacts? I would definitely be getting high back seats.

 

Don't get me wrong. I think the classic cars are great. I was responding mostly to posts saying they are safer than newer cars because they are bigger. That isn't true at all and was my main point.

In regard to your question, imagine holding a block of wood the size of a mattress in front of you (pretend you could carry it wothout problem). Now imagine running into a wall as fast as you can while carrying it in front of you. All the energy of the impact would be transmitted right through the big block of wood to your body. Now do the same thing, but instead imagine using an actual mattress. Kind of different huh. This is what crumple zones on cars do. They absorb the energy of the impact to try and prevent it from getting to the passengers. Older cars were not designed with these crumple zones. What this would do is let the front of the older car survive better because it is stiffer, but it won't absorb as much energy and will transmit more. The weakest part of the car will crush. In modern cars that weakest area is designed in with the crumple zones. Who knows what part is for sure the weakest in older cars, but I'd guess it's the passenger compartment on our mustangs.

My little Acura that I use as a daily driver is much safer than any car from the 60's. Even seat belts in modern cars are more technologically advanced. The current seat belts lock to restrain, but also have tension limiting that prevents then from exerting too much force to the body. This in conjunction with air bags is much safer.

My in-laws were involved in a head on collision at highway speed when an oncoming driver in a Cadillac Escalade crossed into their lane a few months ago. Both were wearing seatbelts and the car had airbags. They not only lived, but escaped with only a few broken ribs each. The front of their car (Dodge caravan) crumpled completely, but the passenger compartment remained intact. The steering column also collapsed as designed. If that were an older car, they would have almost certainy been killed. They at least would have had much more serious injuries.

I'm not trying to scare you away from a classic mustang. Hell, I have one that I'm bringing back to life, but I just don't think that they are the best for daily driving especially if safety is a concern. You can certainly make them safer than original, but there is only so much you can do. As I said before, mine will be a sunny day driver mostly on weekends. As someone else mentioned, a more modern economy car would also pay for itself in just a short time with the cost of gas these days. My Acura I got for $1,500 which was a real deal. It gets me average 30 mpg (32 if I baby it). My Mustang will probably get about 15, but lets be optimistic and say 20 mpg. That 10 mpg difference would pay for the Acura in 22,500 miles. By the way, I drive the Acura for this exact reason because my truck gets only gets 17 mpg on Diesel.

 

Laughs.....if I were your Dad, you would have a fight on your hands as to who was going to use it as a DD. And I'm older so I WIN!! Right now my son and I are finishing up a clutch change and I have already told him that I am taking it to work the first day it is running again, gotta show it off to the guys who drool when I pull into the parking lot.

 

Why not put in a safety cage. Works for NASCAR?