Forbes: buy teens a new car, not a 1998 S70

Post by **dahammer** » 26 May 2015, 11:22

http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller ... new-car/2/

The author suggests teens should be driving cars more recent than 2012 with up to date safety features rather than a 1998 S70. I guessed that Forbes subscribers were rich folks, but damn! I read somewhere that teen drivers have a 50% chance of getting into an accident, the insurance on a new car must be crazy expensive for a teen.

Post by **precopster** » 26 May 2015, 13:40

Author was wrong on so many counts.

He didn't know how many airbags the Volvo actually had. He seemed to believe that it had only two front ones.

Also he was unaware of the seatbelt pre-tensioners fitted on front belts.

He also thought that the vehicle had no seat belt reminders.

He also claimed Volvo's front head restraints were not anti whiplash.

For a publication such as Forbes that was a pretty poorly researched piece of drivel.

He also didn't consider that most parents of teenagers can't possibly afford a new vehicle (and the insurance rate it will attract with a young driver)

Putting a teenager in a Volvo (or BMW or Merc from same era) circa ' 98 is probably the most responsible thing a parent can do for their child.

Post by **matthew1** » 26 May 2015, 14:06

^ agree

Post by **dahammer** » 26 May 2015, 15:49

precopster wrote: Putting a teenager in a Volvo (or BMW or Merc from same era) circa ' 98 is probably the most responsible thing a parent can do for their child.

Yep, I liked mine so much I bought a second one for my Daughter.

Post by **precopster** » 27 May 2015, 04:40

I probably should have included Saabs in that statement. Gotta respect the other Swede too

Post by **abscate** » 30 May 2015, 18:46

Most important safety factor for teens... Attitude

Post by **precopster** » 30 May 2015, 20:04

abscate wrote:Most important safety factor for teens... Attitude

Yes the ability to avoid almost any accident is intrinsically tied to this virtue

Post by **atucker1** » 04 Jun 2015, 21:57

I read an article somewhere that said that Volvo had designed the 850 as their first car to be safe in a small front overlap collision. As you probably know, almost any non-Volvo got a poor or marginal when the IIHS rolled out this new test--even cars that were otherwise very safe. The 850 has not been tested, but the XC 90, designed in the early 2000s, got a good score in the small front overlap. Quite impressive considering the fact that no other manufacturer even thought of this type of crash till the IIHS pointed it out, but Volvo has been designing safety features for it since the 90s. For this reason I think the 850 is, overall, safer than many newer cars.
I'm 16, and being on a budget, I decided on the 850 as the best bang for your buck. Mine has 4 airbags, ABS and traction control, and belt pretensioners all for under $500. No other used car offers that. Being fun to drive is a plus

thebull · Post by **thebull** » 04 Jun 2015, 23:59

atucker1,
It is not very known but IHSS created most of their safety standarts from Volvo. I will give you 2 safety fetures that IHSS took from Volvo back intime - safety belt and head restrains for the back seats along with belts. That is all standart now and came from Volvo.
Right now City Safety system is a standard for all 2015 Volvos and IHSS will make it mandatory very soon for everybody.
One think from the field - When you go to a junkyard next time and you see smashed Volvo go ahead and open the doors. You will. Try that with Honda or Toyota.

Post by **mecheng** » 19 Jun 2015, 12:37

Volvo invented the 3 point seat belt, and instead of patented they wanted to ensure all cars were safe and keep the design open to all mfgs.