I was recently going to purchase a MR2, but than i was told that they are very poorly made. They said if i were to get into an accident, than the car would just crunch up like a soda can. I was wondering if somebody with experience can help me out. I am still in love with this car......but dont want to lose my life over it....haha.......thanks
Guest
G
Being around Spyderchat for a while, you get to see pictures of members cars that crashed (and videos of the actual wrecks)...
They are safe. I know two people who actually managed to roll their cars. Both came out without a scratch. Another member was hit head on by a truck at 35 mph closing speeds in Israel, totalling his beautiful Spyder (one of the most highly modified ones out there at the time), but he and his wife walked away without injury.
I, myself, spun my car into a deep ditch in April. The car did its job beautifully. I got out without a scratch. Sure...my neck was sore for a couple of days as the result of hitting the other side of the ditch head on, but I was safe.
I'm not aware of anyone on Spyderchat who has reported a wreck in which there was much more than a bruise.
I don't know who told you they were poorly made, but you might ask that person to elaborate on what they mean and provide evidence of their opinion. I would be interested to hear it.
As for cars "crunching up like soda cans". Ummm...no. Actually, cars are *designed* to crumple up and absorb the forces of a crash in order to protect the driver/passenger. Have you ever heard the term "crumple zone?" This is a good reason NOT to replace a stock hood with the carbon fiber sticker covered fiberglass hoods so many folks seem to like. That hood is not designed to collapse, at all.
Anyway, I can tell you from personal experience and from shared experiences that the car is plenty safe.
They are safe. I know two people who actually managed to roll their cars. Both came out without a scratch. Another member was hit head on by a truck at 35 mph closing speeds in Israel, totalling his beautiful Spyder (one of the most highly modified ones out there at the time), but he and his wife walked away without injury.
I, myself, spun my car into a deep ditch in April. The car did its job beautifully. I got out without a scratch. Sure...my neck was sore for a couple of days as the result of hitting the other side of the ditch head on, but I was safe.
I'm not aware of anyone on Spyderchat who has reported a wreck in which there was much more than a bruise.
I don't know who told you they were poorly made, but you might ask that person to elaborate on what they mean and provide evidence of their opinion. I would be interested to hear it.
As for cars "crunching up like soda cans". Ummm...no. Actually, cars are *designed* to crumple up and absorb the forces of a crash in order to protect the driver/passenger. Have you ever heard the term "crumple zone?" This is a good reason NOT to replace a stock hood with the carbon fiber sticker covered fiberglass hoods so many folks seem to like. That hood is not designed to collapse, at all.
Anyway, I can tell you from personal experience and from shared experiences that the car is plenty safe.
G
Like all mid or rear engine cars, there is little between the driver and the front bumper so there's not quite the same protection as front engine cars. That should not deter you however, the MR2 is a great car and the Turbo version which I have is one of the greatest of all time. If you buy the turbo version, you should be an experienced driver as the sheer power can catch you unawares. Never take foot off accelerator when driving into corners at speed otherwise the MR2 will turn round and bite you!
JR
JR
G
my friend backed his spyder into a car going 15 mph and crunched the taillight, bent in the rear fender and punched a hole in the rear bumper. All that at 15 mph. Imagine if you hit someone going 55. ouch!
PS. he doesn't know i'm posting this... lol(2500 bucks in damage...) I think aw's are a bit more durable.
PS. he doesn't know i'm posting this... lol(2500 bucks in damage...) I think aw's are a bit more durable.
the MKII is pretty safe
I'll tell you a story about crashes and MR2's. Sit down and gather round' children.
One of my best friends owned both an 1992 MR2 and a 1997 Nissan Altima. I remember when he bought the Altima, the dealership guy was hyping up everything in order to get my friend to buy the car. He even went so far as to point out that the Altima had "three liquid filled engine mounts". I remember thinking, "my God! Who cares? That's one of those details that won't make a damn bit of difference one way or another." My friend bought the car and the salesman went home happy.
A few months later, my friend is barreling down a 4 lane road waaaay too fast and decided to go into the on-coming traffic lane in order to avoid a Civic that was about to run into him. He avoided that accident, but at that exact moment, a truck in the inner most lane went to turn into a cul de sac and broadsided my friend. He was going at least 100 mph or faster. He ended up hopping a curb and SMASHING THROUGH A TREE. You know those trees that usually line the sides of residential roads? I think this one was a maple tree, probably a good 15-20 years old. I would never have believed it unless I saw the broken tree with my own eyes. I went to the scene of the accident. I could just barely tough my hands together when I wrapped my arms around the tree. That should give you an idea of it's diameter. The tree ended up breaking in two and the upper half landed on top of the Altima, crushing the roof in. The Altima continued to barrel forward, using the lower half of the tree as a ramp, and smashed into a chain-link fence. It acted as a goalie net, brining the car to a stop. Miraculously, one passenger was minorly injured and everyone walked away just fine, even the truck driver. Let's hear it for Nissan safety.
All right, now if you're still with me on this one, here's the MR2 part of the story. This same friend of mine goes and buys a 1992 NA MR2. His insurance covered the entirety of his last accident, although he did get his license suspended for it. He drove the MR2 for about a year until engine problems grounded it for a bit. After he got up the cash to fix the engine main seals, it ran stronger than ever (well, as strong as a 5S-FE can, heh). The day that he got his car up and running again, he took a friend for a spin through a residential neighborhood. His rear tires were so bad they were showing threads. We joked about them being "organic slicks". He ended up drifting around a long sweeping 90 bend at about 70 mph. About 20 ft past the apex of the turn, an SUV turned the corner going about 5-10 mph. My friend went to ease off the gas, but his throttle cable stuck. This confused him and he didn't have time to act and he ended up smashing into the SUV. The SUV came to a dead stop and then flew back an extra 10 feet. The driver of the SUV had slammed on the brakes, so a nice big fat skid mark illustrated just how far the car had flown back. It was like a cue ball striking another ball with backspin. The whole front end of the MR2 was just smashed like an accordian. The hood crumpled into the front windshield, shattering it, and the fenders stabbed into doors, locking them in place. The font bumper folded into a perfect v-shape so that each fog light faced the other perfectly, with about 2 feet in-between the two. The SUV's metal bumper sliced into the front wheel, popping it. All in all, everybody walked away from that accident with either minor or no injuries.
Yes, I'm convinced my buddy has what amounts to as a Delta Force squad of guardian angles looking after him.
Even though there's not an engine to protect you in an MR2, the whole entire front end acts like a crumple zone. We examined the deceased MR2 after Horrific Crash #2 and found that the frame rails were perfectly visible, but intact and relatively straight.
I went back and examined the Nissan Altima's carcass back at the junkyard when we went to take out the stereo equipment and the exhaust. The crash had broken 2 out of the 3 motor mounts. The insurance company said that had that 3rd mount gone, the engine may have sliced into the passenger compartment and killed my friend.
So, 3 motor mounts = ability to break a thick trunked tree in half at 100+ mph.
Rear-engine MR2 = big, fat crumple zone that cushions the blow of a 4000 lb. SUV
Does that help answer your question?
I'll tell you a story about crashes and MR2's. Sit down and gather round' children.
One of my best friends owned both an 1992 MR2 and a 1997 Nissan Altima. I remember when he bought the Altima, the dealership guy was hyping up everything in order to get my friend to buy the car. He even went so far as to point out that the Altima had "three liquid filled engine mounts". I remember thinking, "my God! Who cares? That's one of those details that won't make a damn bit of difference one way or another." My friend bought the car and the salesman went home happy.
A few months later, my friend is barreling down a 4 lane road waaaay too fast and decided to go into the on-coming traffic lane in order to avoid a Civic that was about to run into him. He avoided that accident, but at that exact moment, a truck in the inner most lane went to turn into a cul de sac and broadsided my friend. He was going at least 100 mph or faster. He ended up hopping a curb and SMASHING THROUGH A TREE. You know those trees that usually line the sides of residential roads? I think this one was a maple tree, probably a good 15-20 years old. I would never have believed it unless I saw the broken tree with my own eyes. I went to the scene of the accident. I could just barely tough my hands together when I wrapped my arms around the tree. That should give you an idea of it's diameter. The tree ended up breaking in two and the upper half landed on top of the Altima, crushing the roof in. The Altima continued to barrel forward, using the lower half of the tree as a ramp, and smashed into a chain-link fence. It acted as a goalie net, brining the car to a stop. Miraculously, one passenger was minorly injured and everyone walked away just fine, even the truck driver. Let's hear it for Nissan safety.
All right, now if you're still with me on this one, here's the MR2 part of the story. This same friend of mine goes and buys a 1992 NA MR2. His insurance covered the entirety of his last accident, although he did get his license suspended for it. He drove the MR2 for about a year until engine problems grounded it for a bit. After he got up the cash to fix the engine main seals, it ran stronger than ever (well, as strong as a 5S-FE can, heh). The day that he got his car up and running again, he took a friend for a spin through a residential neighborhood. His rear tires were so bad they were showing threads. We joked about them being "organic slicks". He ended up drifting around a long sweeping 90 bend at about 70 mph. About 20 ft past the apex of the turn, an SUV turned the corner going about 5-10 mph. My friend went to ease off the gas, but his throttle cable stuck. This confused him and he didn't have time to act and he ended up smashing into the SUV. The SUV came to a dead stop and then flew back an extra 10 feet. The driver of the SUV had slammed on the brakes, so a nice big fat skid mark illustrated just how far the car had flown back. It was like a cue ball striking another ball with backspin. The whole front end of the MR2 was just smashed like an accordian. The hood crumpled into the front windshield, shattering it, and the fenders stabbed into doors, locking them in place. The font bumper folded into a perfect v-shape so that each fog light faced the other perfectly, with about 2 feet in-between the two. The SUV's metal bumper sliced into the front wheel, popping it. All in all, everybody walked away from that accident with either minor or no injuries.
Yes, I'm convinced my buddy has what amounts to as a Delta Force squad of guardian angles looking after him.
Even though there's not an engine to protect you in an MR2, the whole entire front end acts like a crumple zone. We examined the deceased MR2 after Horrific Crash #2 and found that the frame rails were perfectly visible, but intact and relatively straight.
I went back and examined the Nissan Altima's carcass back at the junkyard when we went to take out the stereo equipment and the exhaust. The crash had broken 2 out of the 3 motor mounts. The insurance company said that had that 3rd mount gone, the engine may have sliced into the passenger compartment and killed my friend.
So, 3 motor mounts = ability to break a thick trunked tree in half at 100+ mph.
Rear-engine MR2 = big, fat crumple zone that cushions the blow of a 4000 lb. SUV
Does that help answer your question?
Heh. Nah, Ryan's suspension setup is too pimp to allow for something like this to ever happen, throttle cable be damned!
The car looks waaay better in this photo because we had broken down the front bumper a little when examining the frame, and the hook is barely visible in the left side of the photo really adds a "chaotic" look to it. That hood folded in to at least 4 pieces and was jagged like shark teeth.
To add insult to injury, while this busted heap was sitting in front of his house (it's in the backyard in the picture) the battery died, disabling what was left of the alarm, and some Bellevue Gangstas (attack of the 4 ft. G's. Don't make me make my dad embezzle your dad's 401k, homie G skillet!) broke out his driver's side window and stole a $700 Xtant amp.
To quote John Travolta's character Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, "what kind of $#%&less piece of $__@ %*^@$ with another man's automobile? I mean, you just don't do it. It's against the rules."
The car looks waaay better in this photo because we had broken down the front bumper a little when examining the frame, and the hook is barely visible in the left side of the photo really adds a "chaotic" look to it. That hood folded in to at least 4 pieces and was jagged like shark teeth.
To add insult to injury, while this busted heap was sitting in front of his house (it's in the backyard in the picture) the battery died, disabling what was left of the alarm, and some Bellevue Gangstas (attack of the 4 ft. G's. Don't make me make my dad embezzle your dad's 401k, homie G skillet!) broke out his driver's side window and stole a $700 Xtant amp.
To quote John Travolta's character Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, "what kind of $#%&less piece of $__@ %*^@$ with another man's automobile? I mean, you just don't do it. It's against the rules."
G
MR-S pretty safe
I have run into another car with 80km/h. Not even air bags opend.
I think that mr-S is safe.
I have pictures, if enyone intersted let me know.
I have run into another car with 80km/h. Not even air bags opend.
I think that mr-S is safe.
I have pictures, if enyone intersted let me know.
MR2s tend to be pretty damn safe. I know a few people that have rolled MKIIs and walked away and there was a guy here in CT that hit a tree in his MK1 and still managed to drive it home even though the front end was about a foot further back than it should have been. Just take a look at the weights of MR2s, a civic weighs like 2000, whereas the MK1 weighs in at 2300 minimum. Having cut apart an MR2, I can also say there is a damn lot of metal up front.
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