markjs Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I fell asleep at the wheel and went into a ditch. The right side wheel hit a corner of the pavement and was pushed back about 6 inches bending the lower control arm and the short stabilizer bar that attatches to it. I had been told these cars are tough and I believe it about their engines, but if it had been an American car I'd never have had to replace the parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry DeMoss Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 How fast were you going?I know alot of american cars that get dinged up alot worse than Japanese cars like :chevy cavalier(crapalier). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TROGDOR! Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Be glad the car kept you alive. American cars are no tougher than a Subaru body-wise, many are actually WEAKER. Smacking a curb at speed is going to damage the suspension of ANY car. Yes, a 30 year old American tank is tougher than a Subaru. Anything made within the last 20 years, fahgheddaboutit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 How must rust on the suby? The rear control arms do tend to rust a bit on some older ones, which has to affect the structural strenth... I've never seen bad rust on the front, but could be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I've replaced alot of front-end parts on American iron, from the owners running off the road and smacking something with a front wheel. Metal bends, bolts break, things will get FUBARed in a short matter... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fj401968 Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Be glad the car kept you alive. American cars are no tougher than a Subaru body-wise, many are actually WEAKER. Smacking a curb at speed is going to damage the suspension of ANY car. Yes, a 30 year old American tank is tougher than a Subaru. Anything made within the last 20 years, fahgheddaboutit. Several years ago, I got rear-ended on a rainy day in my '68 Toyota Landcruiser by a late model, Chevy 1 ton dually truck, towing a stock trailer full of cattle. The impact flattened the loop-style bumperettes on the back of my Landcruiser then transferred the remaining energy straight through the solid chassis of my Landcruiser and shoved me ahead into the car in front of me, slightly bending the stock heavy gauge steel front bumper. The damage to my Cruiser was fixed for under $50 and less than an hour's work. I fixed the front bumper myself and replaced the rear bumperettes. The other two vehicles were very heavily damaged. The crumple zones in both cars did their job and absorbed the impact... sacrificing lots of sheet metal and uni-body chassis in the process. The insurance agent who gave me the payout check has a picture of my Landcruiser and the other two vehicles framed in his office. He was utterly amazed at the difference in damage and had never seen an accident with such a stark contrast in damage. That said, I had whiplash so crumple zones aren't such a bad idea but it sure makes cars easy to do expensive damage to in even minor collisions :-\ Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganM Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I fell asleep at the wheel and smacked a curb with my '81 Buick Regal (read: domestic) and spent $500 getting it repaired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Several years ago, I got rear-ended on a rainy day in my '68 Toyota Landcruiser by a late model, Chevy 1 ton dually truck, towing a stock trailer full of cattle. The impact flattened the loop-style bumperettes on the back of my Landcruiser then transferred the remaining energy straight through the solid chassis of my Landcruiser and shoved me ahead into the car in front of me, slightly bending the stock heavy gauge steel front bumper. The damage to my Cruiser was fixed for under $50 and less than an hour's work. I fixed the front bumper myself and replaced the rear bumperettes. The other two vehicles were very heavily damaged. The crumple zones in both cars did their job and absorbed the impact... sacrificing lots of sheet metal and uni-body chassis in the process. The insurance agent who gave me the payout check has a picture of my Landcruiser and the other two vehicles framed in his office. He was utterly amazed at the difference in damage and had never seen an accident with such a stark contrast in damage. That said, I had whiplash so crumple zones aren't such a bad idea but it sure makes cars easy to do expensive damage to in even minor collisions :-\ Tracy Yeah. Those old landcruisers were tough. A friend of mine dropped his over 18 foot embankment into a snowbank, and it just needed to be towed back onto the road. For higher speed collisions, crumple zones are way nicer on the people inside that the old cars used to be, but for little stuff, the old ones hold up alot better. Don't know how many trees I backed into when I was first learning to drive. Luckily a series II landrover and a rusted out '82 GL don't show it much... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markjs Posted October 25, 2005 Author Share Posted October 25, 2005 I did pretty good as it cost me $60 to repair mine.... Don't get me wrong I love Subys but I was referring to American classics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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