Safety?

[Stanley]

I might have asked to get a motorcycle first, then go for the Z when that gets rejected. But I think your parents are right to be concerned about safety. Some days it seems like all the crazies and drunks are out on the road.

 

I was T-boned by a red-light runner, years ago. Ever since then, I tend to look both ways going through an intersection, even though I have a green light. When you're stopped at a red light and it turns green, be careful. Frequently someone can't make it through on the yellow, and runs it. Sometimes it's impossible to see a red light runner due to a vehicle in the next lane. 

 

I've always tried to leave plenty of room between me and the car ahead, but after getting rear-ended twice last year I've changed my driving. Now I leave even more room ahead, so if I have to slow down I don't have to brake as hard, and the car behind me has more time to react. Also, if someone behind me is following too close, I speed up or change lanes to get away from them.

 

Playing games like "need for speed" is good training, in my opinion. You will learn how to handle a wild skid, for example, and if you crash it's just a video game.

[gnosez]

A roll bar with a harness bar so you can install a good seat and a 5-pt seat belt. Seat should have slots for the shoulder harnesses along with bolsters for your legs and upper body. Look at Cobra, Sparco, etc.

All of this is easy to install but adds to the price of the car. It might however make the difference in your folks agreeing to let you have this car.

I totaled my 240 back in 2002 and the above set up keep me from the steering wheel and I was very well protected (no side to side body movement).

The 280s had stronger intrusion door bars than the 240s but nothing will stop a pickup or SUV going over 40mph.

You could also tell your folks that a 2+2 is more stable. Just don't tell them that is at speed. (Goggle Andy Flagg)

[Comet02]

Thank you guys this is super helpful! I'll post an update if these arguments were a success.

[John Coffey]

Instead of a 5  point harness, get the Schroth Profi II ASM.  Its a DOT approved four point that has the ASM clip that prevents submarining.  Add the roll bar and a comfortable seat with built in should harness holes (the Cobra Daytona is a good one with a reclining mechanism) you've improved safety a bunch.

Edited November 20, 2015 by John Coffey

[Jetaway]

Airbags are vastly over-rated as safety devices.  The fact is that it is awfully difficult to be killed behind the wheel if you are wearing properly adjusted  / fitted 3-point seat belts.  So, make sure you always wear your belts. (Aside: I'm so maniacal about clicking up that friends used to give me *hit about putting them on to back out of the garage.  Which I would, albeit because it is so automatic.) Going to a full safety harness may or may not attract the type of person to whom you may wish to attract, but increases the safety margin further.

 

If you really want to go all-in, have a roll cage installed.  It's not like real people can fit in the +2 part of the Z anyway.

 

Use LEDs for the brake lights.  They hit peak brightness faster than incandescents and I've heard that at 60 mph they give the car behind you the equivalent of 15 -- 20 feet "extra" braking time.  Every little bit helps.

 

Replace / inspect the windshield.  The constant slow-sand scouring that occurs during driving eventually destroys the opacity of the glass, especially noticeable at night.

 

Finally, heed the many and wise posts about the dangers of distracted driving -- both of yourself and others.

 

Chris

[Comet02]

Thank you Chris.

From what everybody is telling me I'll be sure to put in a cage and update the seatbelts a soon as possible. I think my parents think that airbags are the "end all be all" for car crash safety when in fact it seems that many other factors contribute vastly more.

[wheee!]

My two cents:

Hi Comet! I bought my 17 yo daughter a 2007 Mustang V6 for a grad present (in 2010). 5spd standard and rear wheel drive open diff... She loved it and learned to respect it. Didnt stop her from getting hit at least twice. Modern cars are so much safer than these classics.

If I were you, look for a really nice 350Z for cheap that you can drive and maintain on a daily basis. If you can swing it, pick up the 280 as a project/toy for weekends.

You sound like a great kid and I wish you the best of luck!

[siteunseen]

I've read a lot about air bags causing severe harm to the face from the chemicals used for the explosion.  I think they are overrated too.  Good seatbelts! 

 

Ooh ooh, early 90's 300ZX twin turbo would be fun.

[Comet02]

I'd look into getting a different car, but the guy selling me this Z is pretty much giving me the deal of a lifetime because he's part of my boyfriend's family. He's had the car since the 80s, and it runs and drives. He's only asking the price he'd get from the buy-back program, and is giving me a year to pay him in full. Plus,if I don't get it he'll sell it to scrap. So not only do I love this car, but it's a killer deal, and I'm saving it from the recycle program. So it means a lot.

[wheee!]

Then buy it! Better a life a life of "oh well, it was nice while it lasted" versus a life of regret...

 

PS: it took me 30 years to get my Z's too.... I wish I would have bought the first one I saw in high school when I was 17! ..... too broke 

Edited November 20, 2015 by wheee!

[wheee!]

300ZX TT is toooooo much power and nightmare maintenance .... but  

[jonathanrussell]

My 2 cents….

 

Earlier you asked a person on the forum whether he would let his daughter drive a car like the one you are thinking of buying. I am going to assume that what you mean by this question is whether he would let his daughter have an S30 as her daily driver. If I were your parent I would work very hard to find the right balance for you. I think it is super cool that you are interested in these cars, are mechanically minded, and want to work on, enjoy, and drive a 40 year old car. I would want to do everything possible to inspire your interest in and participate in it with you. At the same time, however, the world is different than it was in the 1970s. First, it is hard to argue that these cars are safe compared to modern cars (hard for me to argue at least). Additionally, there are almost no cars on the road today that are as light as an S30. Mass matters. Real world accidents involve colliding with other vehicles at odd angles and a 2,500 pound car simply loses badly against the preponderance of 5,000 pound SUVs. The height of vehicles is very different today than 40 years ago. 40 years ago there was a good chance that an S30 would collide with a sedan that really wasn’t that much higher off of the ground. Today, the big vehicles on the road are high off of the ground and, in my opinion, more likely to run over you (not a good thing) than into you. Add to all of this the distracted driver problem and, well, you see where I am headed.

 

So, would I let my 17 year old daughter have an S30 as her only car? No way. I would want her to have a sizeable modern car to drive every day. If space and resources allowed, however, I would also find an S30 that would be hers and we would work on it together. I would absolutely let her drive it, more and more over time, but very limited for quite some time, and probably never as a daily driver (at least until she was on her own when it no longer would be my decision).

 

I actually think the safest place you can drive these cars is out on the open road at speed. Where I really worry is in traffic where distracted drivers can rear end me or cross over the yellow line and hit me head on in a 1/3 front collision or run a red light and cause a big side impact.

 

So this was probably not the answer you wanted but there really is nothing more important to you or your parents than your life and quality of life. I would love to daily drive one of my zcars. I have considered it. Every time I consider it though, I decide not to for two main reasons (and I am 49 and have never been in an accident). First, these cars just don’t hold up to recurring exposure to rain (something that is probably not an issue for you). Second, the safety risk is just not worth it…in my opinion.

 

If you decide to buy the car, be very careful and make sure all of the systems are working as they should (the cost of which can be easy to underestimate). Something as simple as stalling while pulling out into traffic (something pretty rare in a modern car) can end very badly.