Having thought about it for a while, I'm amazed how many of you believe in the car's ability to speed out of a danger situation <quote (taken a bit out of context)> that someone comes bearing down on you out of nowhere and the only way to avoid an accident is to be able to punch the gas and have the car respond immediately . . </quote> I sort of get the idea that you are all driving around in 400 bhp eggshells (okay, no eggshell weighs 2 tonnes), but still... Many accidents are unavoidable because either the driver don't realise he's in a danger situation or he simply isn't humanly able to react fast enough (given the speed many people drives with today). Could I freely choose my own car, I'd seriously consider the Renault Laguna (4 cylinder 2.0 enginge being the most powerful of the programme), simply because it's one of two cars to have ever achieved 5 of 5 points in the EuroNCAP crash test program. Don't you have a similar program in the states? I seem to recall something like USNCAP or something like that.
Med venlig hilsen / Yours sincerely M. Malmkvist / WWW.PowerCad.dk - A truth told with bad intent Beats all lies you can invent. William Blake, "Auguries of Innocence" -----Oprindelig meddelelse----- Fra: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]Pa vegne af Deborah Harrell Sendt: 18. juli 2002 02:56 Til: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Emne: Re: Muscle cars [was SV: (~) Please] --- Ronn Blankenship wrote: > At 03:41 AM 7/13/02, you wrote: > >--- Ronn Blankenship wrote: > ><snip> > > > Actually, the last time I had what could have > been > > > classed as a "muscle > > > car" (a '67 Chevy with the 327-c.i. engine and a > > > 4-bbl. carb, though it > > > could go 95 mph uphill with the A.C. running on > only > > > 2 barrels... <snip> >I wish I currently > > > had another "muscle car" like it: as Julia has > also > > > mentioned, the problem > > > is all too often that someone comes bearing down > on > > > you out of nowhere and > > > the only way to avoid an accident is to be able > to > > > punch the gas and have > > > the car respond immediately . . . > ><snip> > > > Yes, given the way other people drive, I > > > would much rather be in a > > > "main battle tank" or a "land yacht" with an > engine > > > that gives me the > > > ability to get out of the way of an accident or > with > > > some solid iron around > > > me (and my family--though I was alone in the car > all > > > these times) in case > > > there is no way out. > > > >When I lived in Dallas, I was driving home one > night > >from a friend's and noticed headlights coming up > fast > >behind me. I flared my brake lights, thinking that > >the driver didn't see me -- he _accelerated_ and > >rammed my car. Cursing furiously, I started to pull > >over into the far right lane (I'd been in the > center > >lane) when I realized that I was being paced on > either > >side by two _more_ cars. The tapeworm behind me > >rammed again. > > > >By now I knew that if I was run off the road on > that > >dark stretch of interstate, I probably wouldn't be > >found alive. I punched the old Thunderbird ("Go, > >Taran, go!") up to 90+mph, praying that a state > >trooper was in the vicinity. One wasn't, but that > V-8 > >left the bloody pricks far behind... > > > >Hoo-boy, hadn't thought about that incident in ten > >years - raised my heart rate just now, I must say. > By > >the time I got home that night I was incoherent > with > >fear - but I did get safely home. > > > >Ton-And-A-Half-Of-Pig-Iron Maru > > > > Debbi, I'm glad to hear that you got out of that > situation safely. > > I must admit that the sticky situations *I* was > thinking about where you > need extra power were more along the lines of > waiting at a stop sign until > everything looked clear, then starting across the > intersection, only to > have a truck appear from around a curve going so > fast there was no way for > him to stop, so the only way out would be to punch > the gas and get across > before the truck arrived to occupy the space I was > currently occupying. > > The best way to prepare for a situation like the one > Debbi described is > probably to have a 327 under the hood and a .357 > under the seat . . . > I wasn't armed at the time, but now I never take long trips without packing (a .38; and yes, I trained - with a former Army Ranger, and I target-shoot at least once a year to keep in practice). Not a pleasant thing to contemplate, yet I relish even less the prospect of being tortured or killed because I was unable to defend myself. But I think I'll pass on the Hum-Vee! Debbi "No one wants to make a terrible choice- On the price of being free- I don't want to face the killer instinct- Face it in you or me- So we keep it under lock and key..." (from 'Killer Instinct,' by Rush) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Autos - Get free new car price quotes http://autos.yahoo.com
