I knew I could count on you to calm my paranoid nerves!

Took Bruce in to see the one in the show room this morning....he liked it too. Am yet to drive it yet.....that might sway me to the Cooper s but we shall see.

Will you still talk to me if I get one? LOL I will have 1 suicide door still......

 

Well, I'm not being negative towards the car or anything, as I think the mini is a good bit of kit, but have you got any idea of the ownership costs?

 

I have insider to get a Mini S under the usual price of $47K driveaway. Option is optional you know.

 

I am coming into your Mazda 2 debate late Taka, but my 10 cents worth..

Yes the 2 is a great little car, but they are very light... I mean very light.

With young kids I would go for something a little more substantial for safety reasons...like a Marzda 3.

 

I agree, don't forget that there are second hand cars too.Most P platers have a crash at some point.I would get something more solid around mt kids.If they get hit by a ford sedan weighing nearly 2 tonnes they are gone.

 

The car will not house any kids (well may be one for school run if at all). It will be a car for me from home to work.

I do have a Kluger for the kids.

However, euroncap gave a 5 star rating for the Mazda 2 and 4 star rating for child support. It is one of the highest in compact car range. Have not checked Mazda 3 yet

 

didnt you trade in a MAZDA 3 for the Kluger.. -..-"

wouldnt it be a bit.. wtf if buying another 3 again...


buy a diesel !! maybe a hybird.. but i remember u said hybird is no good.

 

The crash rating on a Mazda 2 is better than a Mazda 3.

 

You're applying year 9 physics to a much more complex problem. In the event you are hit by a heavier car, in most circumstances you are better off in a small car ... due to the fact that it actually moves in the direction of travel with the larger object, rather than staying stationary.

Anyway, for ratings on individual vehicles, check www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au and find out for yourself.

It is a misconception with modern cars to think that bigger is safer.

 

That is complete rubbish I'm sorry. It is true that more mass is safer. Year nine physics are still relevant and do not change later on to other rules. I am not a fan of big cars myself but if I was going to be in a big crash,that is what I would like to be in rather than a smart car with a 5 star ncap. By the way there is always a star next to ncap ratings saying that whatever the star rating is that mass will play the biggest part in the accident and to consider this and not just the star rating alone when choosing a car..

 

Cough

Crash test is a standard test... crash into the same mass (concrete) in a set speed.

How else you can compare, dare I ask?

Safety is all about how to get the energy being absorbed so as not to enter into the cabin of the car; not judge merely by the amount of force the small car will receive.

Smart cars may be disadvantaged in terms of their weights, but the force travel during the crash is so "smart" that the cabin with the driver inside receives much less force owing to the design. Hence a 5 star rating.

Mind you in any car, big or small, if you slow from 100kmh-0; the deceleration force will tear the aorta or pulmonary vessels apart.

Bottom line, crash test is more complicated then year 9 physics. I got A+ in my Year 12 Physics and I am absolute struggling to understand the "physics" of crashes.

 

The only thing we can do is go with the information that's provided to us. If the car has a 5 star safety rating I guess that's what we're looking for especially if we're in the market for family cars.

On another note, I was looking through some stats at work the other day. 4WDs are 35-40% more likely to be involved in an accident on their own and 15-20% more likely to be involved in an insurance claim with another vehicle. Looking at figures of claims myself, they also have more meaty claims in comparison to your regular large cars.

I'm not sure about fatailities though, perhaps I should see if I can find some info from TAC.

 

That'd be an instantanious stop though right? I'm sure other stuff will break off, like heads and eyes will fly out of sockets and stuff too right?

 

Well a crash is one thing but crash avoidance capabilities are another issue again (ie. braking, swerving ability etc). I know that smaller cars are certainly able to avoid an incident better than a 4WD but once they are in the crash there is a difference between being in a small car with a 5 star rating and a large car with the same rating. The rating alone does not make a small Smart car as safe in a crash as a large Mercedes that also has 5 stars, mass will be the advantage in that situation..

 

hey dudes,
heading down to the royal national park just south of sydney this afternoon, to enjoy the sights and smells of the forrest, windows down, radio OFF lots of revs
if anyones keen, i`ll see you guys down there !

 

I'd love to Tim but I am stuck at work today.Have a good drive though..Careful with the double points.

 

hey matt, working on a sunday ! the dedication
i was quiet on the road down there,
have to admit, i was watching the limits, still, there`s much fun to be had on the 35 and 45 yellow sign corners they`re in 80 zones a lot of the time

on a non-related subject, was at the lights with a crossfire, now thats a bold choice, must have a really sweet interior

 

Well it's very "American" I suppose isn't it,I guess that's the nicest way I can put it. Good to hear the drive was good. I was just thinking.Last weekend I did a skid pan day at Oran park and it was awesome. Track days are one thing and can be quite hard on the car but this was really different and focussed more on the hard things in driving that we like to assume we can do but most of us can't(myself included). Was great fun sliding around in the wet with the dsc off and learnig new things at the same time.It was only $150 and was run by a group called Driver Dynamics I think and the guy is called Kevin.For $150 there isn't much else that will be that fun and easy on the car.(maybe one thing)

 

yeah, its not really the new stingray

how bad was the skid day on tyres matt ?
sounds great

petrol might soon be the expensive bit,... check this out peeps !
http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/04/4-a-gallon-gas.html

 

It was fine on the tyres.They wet the track down and it is local to sydney and not many km's in total on the skid pan so petrol and wear are minimal especially compared to a track day.I put my old street tyres on for it..Good value.

 

OMG, this looks awesome, new lambo countach ????
http://cars.uk.msn.com/News/car_news...mentid=8195375

 

There's a good reason why '70's fashion is considered ugly and this concept is a perfect illustration of that. In a word, 'yuck!'

 

This car is not pretty and how the hell are you sposed to see out the back without bumping into things?

No the original car was nice, I wanted one...don't want one of these....looks nasty....

 

BTW have gotten 520kms so far on one tank in the Mini.....it's strange not to be going to the servo often.. range puter tells me it will need more fuel at 680kms!!! Having a turbo is nice though!!

 

c`mon,.....its awesome,..
the wheels might do with some more work, not into the retro thing either, but wow, anything that can make a veyron look old is impressive,
cant think of anything cooler lookin,

rotorConvert, i was intent on getting a mini JCW cooperS for years, nice car, nice colour
i wanted the same light blue, white 17`s bonnet stripes and the pano roof
but went for the rx8, rear wheel drive