I'm tempted to replace the Prius with a 1981 VW Diesel

sounds like a plan, why torture yourself?

 

I've been trying to talk my spouse into giving up her daily driver, the '89 Integra I bought new for her, for safety reasons. It lacks all the modern safety features, our aging bodies get increasingly fragile and less able to survive crashes, and drivers today are behaving worse than they did 5-10-15 years ago.

An '81 is slightly farther behind on the safety curve.

 

The near-crash that prompted me to replace my '86 Accord with a '10 Prius, was in a 25-35 mph (depending on direction) zone. Entering the intersection at the arterial nearest home, on a fresh green light, I made it more than half way across before coming to a panic stop to avoid getting T-boned by a pickup coming from the right, running his red light at 35+ (from a 25-limit direction), and fishtailing through just barely in front of my nose.

That '86 was designed before the SUV era. Cars of that era typically had comparatively little side impact protection, and half of what they did have was in the floorpan, to be engaged by the bumpers of cars meeting that era's passenger car crash compatibility standards.

But the later '90s and early '00s SUVs and trucks were exempt from those crash standards. Being higher, they overrode the car's floorpans, instead punching through the window and upper half of the door. If I hadn't stopped, my wife would have been struck directly in the head and chest by the truck's bumper and grill, very likely fatally. I probably would have survived, but not without significant injury or disability.

Since then, this inherent car-truck side impact incompatibility has been very significantly addressed and improved, mostly by changing cars with added door beams and very substantial increases in side impact strength. Plus, cars themselves are now much taller too, so (non-lifted) trucks don't override as badly as they used to.

My friend Gilbert, who was killed by a DUI driver early last year, was also on a 25- or 35-mph street. He was driving his classic '60s two-seater, a long-time dream that he finally acquired and finished restoring a year or so earlier. The offender blew through an all-way stop at very high speed, stricking Gilbert's car just behind the driver door, spinning it around several times. Gilbert passed away at Harborview (our top trauma center) about 90 minutes later. Had he been driving his regular much-less-old vehicle, he would have had a much better chance of surviving.

That '81 car's safety is built almost entirely for square-on frontal impacts, not the side impacts that are so common on lower speed streets. Of course, today's cars are vastly better for frontal crashes too.

Yes, pedestrians are getting splattered at a much higher rate here too. And unfortunately, most seem to have become hit-and-runs.

A dedicated bicycle trail or separated bike lane would be best. My region is getting more of them. The first decade of this century, I was able commute most of the way to work on such trails, with just a few extra miles on low traffic residential backroads. The crash risk might not actually be any lower, but the exercise benefits, and reduced stress from getting out of the heavy motor vehicle traffic and congestion, are enormous.

 

Not everyone is interested in the latest and greatest safety features, and some are more cautious drivers than others

 

LoL, If you can buy Fred Fllintstone's car - that should fit the bill. Those heavy rock tires in the front and back should be able to stop any tin can that hits you! LoL

I love those old rabbit diesel. All you need is a turbo charger and block-off the PCV; so you don't get engine runaway above 80 mph. But you guy are right; You'll be dead - if anyone hits you... Diesel prices here in Ca., can't justify the math.....

 

There are many choices in between latest-and-greatest, vs 40+ years old. While good defensive drivers have a considerably lower risk than those who don't adhere to such practices, there is a still a significant portion of risk they can't control.

Though I also agree that a car sitting unserviceable for three years, is a problem that needs to be addressed somehow.

 

I wish I knew a way to have those cautious drivers be the ones around me.

 

Well; If your handy with a wrench - there are plenty of reliable beaters of the late 90's and early 2000's variety for sale, at reasonable prices. My friend just picked up a VW golf 2.0L, that had an antifreeze leak for $750. According to the OBDII scan, it didn't over heat and it test drove and ran fine - after topping up the coolant. The leak was caused by a bad o-ring. replaced all the o-rings in the cooling system, including the plastic cooling pipes and connectors, with aftermarket metal ones. That's where these things usually leak. The next step is replacing the timing belt and roller/guides, before gifting it to his niece. We usually drive these cars around, for a bit - to ensure a proper shake-down and reliability. After all, it's usually family members driving these cars around...

 

I'm tellin ya, learn the 2005-2010 Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe. Or the 2006-2010 Hyundai Accent.

Ridiculously good value in those cars, even though they are all nearing the end of their theoretical service lives. They are the barebones VWs of their generation. They'll work well out of the box and they are relatively easy to maintain and repair as long as you feel like it.

Hard to call either of them 'safe' by a modern standard, but I would literally bet my life on them vs. a 60s, 70s or 80s VW.

 

Don't forget the old 4-cylinder Camry or Rav4. Dream buy is an early to mid 90's model that doesn't run. Shredded timing belt; they're non-interference engines. Reset the timing, put on a $40 belt and your on your way. Those motors are tough to kill, with proper maintenance.
If I was keeping it, I'd replace anything that timing belt touched, for reliability sake because the parts/pieces are more than 20 years old with hundreds of thousands of miles on them.
I can usually "steal" a Pontiac Vibe; but most I come across are pretty well "ratted" out. Gotta put too much into it to make it presentable - but if it's your daily driver and you don't care, that can be had for the cheap.

 

Now I learn that some of them here, are intentional:

Seattle Police recover video of car purposely hitting pedestrians

Two intentional strikes the same morning, about a half mile apart.