49 replies to this topic

[Carlos W]

I am amazed that some people who own classic cars are concerned that they lack structural integrity.

Of course the structural integrity may be less than a modern Euro-Box, but that is part of what classic car ownership is about and classic enthusiasts have to accept that. 

If classics were so dangerous as some seem to make out the insurance premiums would be huge. However, due to the low mileages classics do and the care with which the loving owners drive them they are statistically very safe.

They don't need to be made more structurally stiff, so long as they are rust-free. 

Just restore them as necessary and enjoy the retro driving experience of how it was in the 1960's, which is what the classic Mini, and many other cars, represents. Why else would anyone buy one? They are slow, uncomfortable, lack modern reliability, they go rusty, they leak, but they are FUN, FUN, FUN  .

I'd rather crash a mini than a smart car.

[MacGyver]

I do hope you mean 'be in a mini in a crash rather than a smart' as opposed to crash a mini...

Sorry, it just made my heart stop for a second. 🙄

Edited by MacGyver, 18 September 2017 - 02:54 PM.

[pete l]

But in the sixties if you were hit by a car, it was the same soft weak type of car.

If a hooligan in a modern day car hits your little mini then I doubt there would be much left of the car. You can drive as carefully as you want, it won't stop an idiot hitting you. 

 

I was T-boned by a dick in a peugeot 308 that didn't stop at a stop sign, I was in a Rover 25 that was wrecked. I personally would just like a bit more protection.

[Cooperman]

If you are afraid of being injured whilst driving an old classic car, then the best advice is to buy a modern one and not drive a classic.

One of the reasons the Mini was taken out of production was because it was no longer able to meet crash test requirements.

So if one chooses to drive one, then the increased risks have to be accepted.

Drive classic cars more defensively and just accept that there might be additional risk in the event of a crash. Personally I never worry about it, but then I was driving what are now classic cars when they were new cars and I'm still here  .

[Cooperman]

just to add that there are some on here, and elsewhere in the world of classic Minis, who are so unconcerned about safety that they fit GRP flip-fronts, thus removing most of the structural integrity of the front end.

It takes all sorts!!