350SDL vs. late model Saab - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

raMBow · #1 09-21-2006, 10:04 PM

My brother called me during both of our commutes, relating this story.

Brother's 17 year old daughter has taken over his 350SDL as she is starting to drive in St. Louis. She's stopped in traffic, hears something, figures out it is screeching tires, hears a distant thwump. Checks rearview mirror, finds a newer Saab with hysterical 17 year old girl. She swears she felt NOTHING, foot on brake car never moved.

Gets out... Saab's bumper went under her's, no suprise. Headlights - gone, grill - gone, fenders damaged, hood crumpled, radiator problems and towed from scene.

350SDL, one scratch on paint under bumper (probably license plate), minor scuffs on bumper. Brother will have it officially looked at etc... However he's put it up on jacks, no scraps, scratches, dust still in place, nothing misaligned, body panels mint. If I had more $$$ I would love to have a 123, 124 and a 126 too. Hopefully prices will go back to reality as my daughter get into high school.

Oh, his daughter is now silly with excitement and now thinks this is the finest crafted automobile in history.
350SDL - 1 Saab - 0

greasybenz · #2 09-21-2006, 11:33 PM

Nice! that shows MB quality compared to swedis.....oh i mean GM built saabs

sixto · #3 09-22-2006, 12:40 AM

I expect a W126 wouldn't fare as well against the rear bumper of a Saab. I had a Volvo nose dive into the rear bumper of my 82 Toyota and my Toyota came away with some scratches on the bumper vs the immobilized Volvo.

If the Saab driver is unscathed then I won't take too many points away from the Saab.

There's a thread in Open Discussion about a W126 simulating driving into stopped traffic. It plows right through those Euro econoboxes.

Sixto
93 300SD

dieseldiehard · #4 09-22-2006, 01:54 AM

We were standing around the MB Garage last Spring when a loud blam/screetch noise outside, I turned to see parts flying from a late model SAAB that had just rear ended a 240D parked at the curb. The 123 was sans axles, put out for the tow truck to take it to the scrapyard as it had a bad engine. The rear seat had been placed in the 240D loosely and the impact threw it up against the front seats. The 240D was about 10 feet from where it had been parked. Only the fender was crunched in, not really a lot of damage, it probably would have been driveable if it was a running car!
The SAAB was all a mess, plastic parts all over the street. I remember wondering how the air filter assy (all plastic as I recall) came loose? It was sitting in the street and some hoses were dangling down. Pieces of the SAAB headlights were all over the street and its plastic bumper dropped completely down on that side.

The driver of the SAAB was a nice elderly lady who was uninjured. She said her son suggested buying a SAAB because they were "a safe car"
We called the police for her, and a tow truck 'cause that SAAB was totalled! She never hit the brakes until it was all over with. She said some dust got in her eye and she couldn't see but I think it was the sun, she was driving into the sun at the right angle as to make it hard to see. Anyhow the owner of the 240D wound up collecting insurance as if it was a complete car, quite a lot more that the $150 they were expecting to receive for it. Larry had just parked it at the right place at the right time

I figure if the axles had been in place and the parking brake "on" the damage would have been a LOT worse to both cars.

#5 09-22-2006, 07:36 AM

The safety factor of a car has nothing whatsoever to do with how the CAR looks after an accident, but rather how the OCCUPANTS look.

That mangled Saab that deposited parts all over the street is a VERY safe car, especially so if you say the elderly lady driving it was not injured and walked away from the accident.

Most, perhaps all, cars made today are quite safe. You want a car to look a hot mess after an accident as that usually (note "usually," not "always") means that the car took the brunt of the impact, not the occupants.

I love these old MBs, and mine is my daily driver. But modern cars are pretty amazing in terms of safety. I was T-boned square in the passenger door of my 2005 Honda Accord about 4 months ago at 55 (!!!!) MPH by a brand new Audi TT. No one injured apart from many weeks of sore-ness. Both cars were steaming heaps of scrap metal afterwards.

raMBow · #6 09-22-2006, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrhills0146

The safety factor of a car has nothing whatsoever to do with how the CAR looks after an accident, but rather how the OCCUPANTS look.

That mangled Saab that deposited parts all over the street is a VERY safe car, especially so if you say the elderly lady driving it was not injured and walked away from the accident.

Most, perhaps all, cars made today are quite safe. You want a car to look a hot mess after an accident as that usually (note "usually," not "always") means that the car took the brunt of the impact, not the occupants.

I love these old MBs, and mine is my daily driver. But modern cars are pretty amazing in terms of safety. I was T-boned square in the passenger door of my 2005 Honda Accord about 4 months ago at 55 (!!!!) MPH by a brand new Audi TT. No one injured apart from many weeks of sore-ness. Both cars were steaming heaps of scrap metal afterwards.

I'm just amazed at the older MB Quality. Yes, you certainly are correct about the safety and dissipating energy over time and space, letting the parts take the impact and protecting the passenger compartment. My degrees are in Safety and I've got the W210, just because of the all the additional safety issues, airbags, improved crumple zones, knee bolsters etc. If my Bride/kids are injured/killed who cares if I have an extra $10,000 in the bank? I've spent mine on safety.

t walgamuth · #7 09-22-2006, 08:20 AM

my daughter was rear ended in my 82 240 by a new beetle. my duaghter was unhurt but he 240 sustained 5000 in damage. the beetle was apparently undamaged. i suspect it had some cells inside the rubber bumper that were collapsed though.

when the bumpers dont meet all bets are off on any car. under heavy braking the front dips down a lot and then slides under. with the engine in the front and radiator etc. a lot of damage can occurr very quickly.

i will still take an old benz to any other newer car for safety.

tom w

LaughingGravy · #8 09-22-2006, 09:06 AM

Saab was one of, if not the, earliest to design the car to crumple and take the impact. I haven't been keeping up with Saab's recent stuff. My last was a '72 99E, but what a great car in its time. The 72 had the crumple design as part of a redesign of their cars, starting with the 99 series and carried over to this day.
They were real innovators. Biggest problem was price and availability of parts, then.

Volvo Diesel · #9 09-22-2006, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

when the bumpers dont meet all bets are off on any car. under heavy braking the front dips down a lot and then slides under. with the engine in the front and radiator etc. a lot of damage can occurr very quickly.

I agree. A while back an older gentleman pulled in front of me in a '04 Ford Crown Vic (with the big plasitc bumper in the back) and then realized traffic was stopped in that lane, too. He stood on his brakes and I hit him going ~40-45 mph. I was in the '84 Volvo, and my bumper went under the rear of his car, and my grill/lights/etc. went right into his rear bumper. After the accident, I was not sore or injured at all, but the Volvo looked a mess. I had to replace the hood, right front fender, right headlight frame, grille, and the support piece that the hood latches to. My radiator survived, but was pushed back almost flush with the timing belt cover. I would imagine he only had to replace the plastic cover to his bumper. I was able to find used parts for mine, so the insurance fixed it at the shop of my choosing, and did not total it (strangely enough, they said they would not if the work came to $2000 or less--I would have thought a 20 year old diesel Volvo with ~400k would be valued at much less...). Anyway, if the girl in the Saab was stood on her brakes and hit the SDL, I'm not surprised the Saab looked like crap....

#10 09-22-2006, 03:33 PM

I had a guy back into my Truck in the Costco parking lot when i first bought it, all it did was scuff up my wheel, and I think it dented up his bumper. I know if it was a benz, it would have been more than a scuffed wheel, but it would have been much better than almost any other vehicle out there

rrgrassi · #11 09-22-2006, 03:43 PM

Remember what SAAB stands for....

Send Another Automobile Back...
Sorry Arsed Auto Builders...

Taken from a sarcastic auto acronym sheet...

Diesel Fan · #12 09-22-2006, 07:53 PM

I hope the impact didn't bend any connecting rods...

jwhughes3 · #13 09-24-2006, 10:17 PM

Back around 84 or so I was on US 59 in Houston with some buddies heading up to a football game on Friday afternoon - we hit the usual traffic after Chimney Rock where cars backed up waiting to get onto the 610 Loop - this particular day I had to stop just after the Chimney Rock overpass and a late model T-bird comes flying over the overpass hump just in time to slam his brakes on when he saw the sea of red lights - we heard him screech well before the impact and braced. He had nowhere to go but into my tail.

I got out of the car after to assess - I feared the worst as I could see the front of his car was totaled completely and undriveable. My chrome bumper didn't even have a scratch. One of my reverse lights in the under valence had a broken lens - I felt so bad for the guy and we were late - I said no worries and left him there to wait on a tow and we drove to the game. I never did figure out how we could have taken a hit like that with no damage. I later took the bumper and valence off looking for hidden damage and never found any. Guardian angel I guess

My point is the metal of the older cars could really hold up alot better than the plastic of the new ones, but I never could say I ever felt safe in the Mustang. The 300D is a different matter - I agree I feel safer in it even sans airbags and ABS than in many newer cars (not all, just some of the cheapies).

John