Fifth Gear crash test – Volvo 940 estate vs Renault ModusThis post is mainly to vent my opinion and frustration over the argument of whether to buy a brand new (or new used car) or old vehicle. Personally I have only had two cars, my first ever car was three years old when I got it, so I would consider that a ‘new-used’ car, I had that car for two years before deciding to upgrade and get a brand new Focus. Now all up I consider myself a pretty safe driver, have been driving for 5 years now and have had no accidents (touch wood).
But there is a very good reason I get frustrated talking about old vs new cars and seeing people – young people in particular – driving old cars. I understand that there is a lot of cost involved in purchasing a new or recent model car especially for a young person. But the biggest reason I get frustrated is that old fuddy duddies seem to have this opinion that ‘in the olden days they built cars better than the plastic they build now’ and this clearly is not true! First may I say that back in the day cars were built like tanks, old cars have chassis that are made from metals that are so strong that there is no give at all, they are too rigid. This is the problem there’s no protection for the passengers from the major forces that they are subject to when involved in an accident. Not only this but it has been shown that vehicles fitted with airbags and the like safety equipment have better occupant safety results than cars that don’t. The reason I believe new cars are far more superior than old cars is because designers are aware of what it takes to protect passengers, they have safety cells around the passengers to shield them, with softer crumple zones around the car to absorb the shock and stress in an accident, so that the passengers suffer less from things like whiplash.
Now out of all drivers which is the group that needs the most protection and the biggest array of saftey features? Yes its the young drivers!?!?! They are statistically the most at risk group when driving on the road for being involved in an accident. Why would any self respecting parent either willingly let their son or daughter drive an old car, or actually drive an old out of date car themselves with their newborn in the back? Quite honestly newer safer cars are not that expensive. It makes me cringe when I see a new mum driving an on bomb of a car that wouldn’t be worth anything to even a wrecker, and here they are with ‘baby on board’ signs!?!?! They may as well feed their kid arsenic.
In my humble old opinion it is worth paying the extra money for a new car, yes they depreciate in value, but so does every car!! Spend the extra money when buying a new car, buy something that you want, you will enjoy driving it. New cars don’t have the constant cost of upkeep like old cars do, you can go on a trip and not worry if the gearbox is going to fall out onto the highway while your cruising at 110km/hr. And you would have the peace of mind knowing that if you are unfortunately in the situation where you have an accident then you are going to have so much more of a chance at walking away with less injuries, possibly a life that you wouldn’t have had otherwise.
I have embedded this video because I think it sends a fantastic message, and highlights just what risks you expose yourself to if your driving an older vehicle.
And this video sums up nicely why I feel its a good idea to seriously evaluate what type of modern car you do buy, because they are not all built the same – all comes down to, you get what you pay for! However I believe companies like Kia & Proton who perform well in the cheaper car segments should seriously be compelled, as should all car manufacturers, to build cars with the highest possible safety ratings they can achieve.
