What's safer a 2001 Honda Accord or a 1994 BMW 325?

A930Rocket · 02-17-2011, 08:00 AM

What's safer in an accident, etc., a 2001 Honda Accord or a 1994 BMW 325? That's pretty broad question, but what are your thoughts?

Our 2001 Accord has front driver and passenger air bags, no ABS, etc. The BMW has front air bags and ABS. The honda seems very light to drive (I like it, but not sure what the results would be in a big wreck). It seemed to survive the small one our daughter had, but I'm surprised the air bag didn't go off. Maybe it wasn't hit hard enough or there's a problem?

I work on all our cars, so maintenance isn't an issue.

VincentVega · 02-17-2011, 08:12 AM

You can get test results from the source, 1990-2010 Vehicle Search Results | Safercar -- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Not every model is listed, but I assume a e36 is pretty much a e36.

Eric Coffey · 02-17-2011, 08:34 AM

Don't know about crash tests, but I believe there are benefits to German steel. We had a horrible hail storm here a few months back (rare for this area), with hail stones literally up to tennis ball size. Most insurance co's sent "emergency response" teams here, setting up large tents in Wal-Mart/Home Depot parking lots to process hail damage claims.

Anyway, after the storm most of the Hondas I saw looked like golf balls, whereas most BMW's faired MUCH better. My body shop guy said it was due to cheap/thin steel used on Hondas vs. the thicker, quality steel used on Bimmers. YMMV.

A930Rocket · 02-17-2011, 09:05 AM

Interesting. For what's rated, the Honda comes out on top for the 1993 and 1995 years. The 1994 isn't listed, but might be similar.

1990-2010 Vehicle Search Results | Safercar -- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),

Quote:

Originally Posted by VincentVega

You can get test results from the source, 1990-2010 Vehicle Search Results | Safercar -- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Not every model is listed, but I assume a e36 is pretty much a e36.

kanadary · 02-17-2011, 10:57 AM

i agree with the german steel comment. my e36 is alot better built than the accord i use to have. both have airbags, abs..

A930Rocket · 02-17-2011, 11:00 AM

Just looked at a 1993 325i. The steel may be thicker, but it appears to rust easily. Maybe it was a northern car?

911pcars · 02-17-2011, 11:37 AM

You might have to dig deeper. Many manufacturers use high-strength sheet steel in key areas. You can't tell visually or by measuring the thickness, nor can you reverse engineer the chassis design by merely looking at it. There might be accident or insurance stats that can indicate the severity of collision damage.

There's safety in avoiding an accident and there's safety in surviving an accident. In regards to the latter, the little egg versus big egg theory still applies. In that respect and FWIW, a Kenworth tractor/trailer is probably safer than either Bimmer or Honda.

Sherwood

A930Rocket · 02-17-2011, 11:58 AM

I'm sure they would be better off in my 2001 F150 SuperCrew, but it's a gas hog (11-12 mpg) with just front air bags and ABS. I'm looking to get something that is safe, gets good mpg and I can work on. Oh and cheap too.

They are all mutually exclusive though...

kanadary · 02-17-2011, 12:27 PM

i just go by the thump sound as i close the door vs the tin sound with the japanese variety.

Robert Adams · Robert Adams's Garage

no offense, but if we go by the door thump factor, I'll take a 55 Chevy any day of the week. But we all know how safe a 55 Chevy has proven to be when compared to the modern machines.
just say'n

rnln · 02-17-2011, 01:49 PM

I don't know for sure but I tend to think german always build better than janpanese regarding this area. Remember, body strength is one thing but also handling should be considered in avoiding accidents. If you drive both, you will have an answer for yourself regarding this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

What's safer in an accident, etc., a 2001 Honda Accord or a 1994 BMW 325? That's pretty broad question, but what are your thoughts?

Our 2001 Accord has front driver and passenger air bags, no ABS, etc. The BMW has front air bags and ABS. The honda seems very light to drive (I like it, but not sure what the results would be in a big wreck). It seemed to survive the small one our daughter had, but I'm surprised the air bag didn't go off. Maybe it wasn't hit hard enough or there's a problem?

I work on all our cars, so maintenance isn't an issue.

Tim Hancock · 02-17-2011, 01:56 PM

I have a '92 325i E36 I bought used for my wife in 1998 that has lived it's entire life in Ohio driving on salted roads. I have been using it as a daily driver for the last few years. I have neglected it badly as far as wash/wax the last couple years and have been parking it outside figuring it would die soon with the high mileage. Well at 317,000 miles it still runs strong. I have fixed little spots of rust on several occasions, but basically both front fenders have had rot issues just behind each front wheel due to salt/slush packing in there year after year. There has also been slight rusting on the back left wheel well (where it meets the top corner of the rear bumper) and a tad of rust along the bottom of the doors on the passenger side. I have kept up with the rust over the years, but I don't see myself doing it much longer. I still have a bit of paint left, but I can't believe this thing will keep running for indefinitely.

The AC, power windows, mirrors all still work and the tan leather interior is still decent. I have owned a bunch of cars over the years, but this one by far has been the most durable/trustworthy. On top of that, I "stole" it back in '98 for 5 grand which was about 3-4k under BB value IIRC as it needed struts, an AC O-ring and heater core.

I have never had the car to a dealership or indepedant for repairs (except for tire mounting balancing).... DIY work is pretty straight foward for a somewhat "modern" car.

kanadary · 02-17-2011, 05:19 PM

your '55 chevy probably has as much metal as a dozen of today's cars. they are built like tanks. i had a 67 chevelle.. not as tankish but lots of metal behind there.

onewhippedpuppy · 02-17-2011, 07:30 PM

Take a look at this video from 5th Gear:

Very few would expect a small modern city car to fare better than a big heavy Volvo 940, but it does. In reality the weight of a car or strength of its steel have very little to do with safety, but its ability to absorb the extreme energy of a crash does. Your '55 Chevy tank might have the ability to hit a brick wall with very little damage, but what ability does your body have to go from 40 to zero in milliseconds? Modern cars are designed to take the damage FOR YOU, absorbing the kinetic energy of the impact so you don't have to. Because of continual advances in safety along with increased requirements for crash testing, you're nearly always going to be safer in a newer car. Ultimately its about engineering, pure and simple.

1990C4S · 05:55 AM

You know that your driving 'style' is far more important than the car, right?

And the probability of the 'safety difference' ever being relevant is about, hmmm, zero?

Do people also compare airline crash records? Refuse to fly in small planes? Not drive at night? Call me a fatalist (or an idiot), but I don't loose sleep over over the air-bag in my car (or the one I removed), or the integrity of the crumple zone on my (slightly) rusty Volvo.

Choose the car you would rather drive.

911pcars · 02-18-2011, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

You know that your driving 'style' is far more important than the car, right?

And the probability of the 'safety difference' ever being relevant is about, hmmm, zero?

Do people also compare airline crash records? Refuse to fly in small planes? Not drive at night? Call me a fatalist (or an idiot), but I don't loose sleep over over the air-bag in my car (or the one I removed), or the integrity of the crumple zone on my (slightly) rusty Volvo.

Choose the car you would rather drive.

"You know that your driving 'style' is far more important than the car, right?" And the probability of the 'safety difference' ever being relevant is about, hmmm, zero?

Obviously, YMMV. I think you overestimate the importance of "driving style". Not sure if driving style made any difference to the drivers/passengers in these and similar cars:

..... and finally, this driving style makes absolutely no difference in the outcome:

Sherwood

yellowline · 02-18-2011, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Take a look at this video from 5th Gear:

Very few would expect a small modern city car to fare better than a big heavy Volvo 940, but it does.

Skeptics about on that video. Look for the engine in the Volvo, it's pretty hard to find.

Add that to the host acting like Renault paid him, and one wonders what they could've done. Buy a rebuilt wreck with failed crumple zones?

Radioactive · 02-18-2011, 04:20 PM

Four Killed in Crash: 4 People Killed in Crash in Colton - ktla.com

UPDATE: All four killed in wreck were from San Bernardino - PE.com - Daily News Digest

911pcars · 02-18-2011, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yellowline

Skeptics about on that video. Look for the engine in the Volvo, it's pretty hard to find.

Add that to the host acting like Renault paid him, and one wonders what they could've done. Buy a rebuilt wreck with failed crumple zones?

Do you think an installed engine would have protected the passengers? AFAIK, an engine is pretty much non-compressible. IOW, it doesn't dissipate any collision energy.

Crumple zones are designed to be outside of the cabin area.

Sherwood

sc_rufctr · 02-18-2011, 05:49 PM

One thing to consider...

There are a lot of SUVs on the road and the possibility of having an accident with one of these is worth thinking about.
The BMW would fair better IMHO because the hard part of the car is higher up than a Honda.

The problem with SUVs is that the chassis rails that extend out into the engine bay are very strong and higher than the equivalent area of a standard car.
What this means is the when an SUV hits a standard car it hits the softer upper body panels missing the chassis rails.

So to what effect??? The SUV plows over the car causing a great deal of damage and can even plow into passenger area. Sounds like a horror show?

Did you see the movie "Death Proof" with Kurt Russell? That's a Honda under there.... Yes it's from a movie but it's also very realistic.