Date:         Thu, 18 Oct 2001 15:27:56 EDT
Reply-To:     WarmerWagen@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Robert Keezer <WarmerWagen@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Vanagon Crash Test Ratings Not So Good -- Re: Near Death
              Experience in th...
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;

If I may add a few thoughts here-
a solid concrete barrier or anything heavy, bigger and or unmovable is very
unforgiving to a Vanagon.

 However, hitting another vehicle such as the Volvo, or in my case, a 1992
Pontiac Grand Am, is another story.

You are familiar with the Volvo -Vanagon crash test. My own personal test was
really a five car pile-up in 1996 and I had no way out but to hit the
farthest vehicle from me--the Grand AM.

By the time I hit I may have been going 35, skidding 100 feet -knocking the
Pontiac 20 feet away from me. The rear of the car was crunched flush with the
bottom rear window.

My Vanagon was punched in around the right headlight .

No frame or suspension damage-I drove away-the Grand Am was totaled.
I have seen other cars-anything larger usually gets the upper hand. Hitting
the unmovable or that moving toward your front is the most unforgiving.
The Accord that rear ended the Grand Cherokee was totalled-the Cherokee
barely damaged.
All the sedans in the 5 car pile up were totalled-ecept the Jeep and the
Vanagon-from a personal perspective.( Sure, the insurance company would have
totaled my Westy, but since I didn't have the full coverage I though I had, I
paid out of pocket to have it fixed.)
My point is you are safer in a Vanagon from most other areas of the vehicle
from impact to sides and rear-and, not being very collapsible, the car
vehicle that hits these areas fares badly. I have seen many vanagons that
were wrecked-hitting a pole dead center is the worst I have seen.
The others all look like minor injuries or none.

 Vehicles like sedans don't want to be hit by the battering ram Vanagon. Even
your SUV's don't have the crash rail that a Vanagon has. Their higher center
of gravity makes them roll when hit by another vehicle-but they are
heavy-avoid hitting one.
And please don't try my test crash.
Double the minimum distance between yourself and the car ahead as much as
possible-and, if you can't help it, like in stop and go, then only behind a
smaller vehicle. (Sorry, sedans)

Robert
1982 Westfalia


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