http://www.10news.com/slideshow/slideshows/10325798/detail.html

Do you know which model Mercedes that is?

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

it is a newer C-class, C240 or C280

Looking at the pics again, the Saturn's safety structure completely failed.

In fact, its frame / unibody structure buckled up in the middle. The occupants simply had no chance.

In the Mercedes, the front end accordianed up to the firewall, but the "safety cage" was intact. Amazing that the passengers in the Mercedes walked away with only minor injuries. Another great example of the kind of engineering that makes our cars safe.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

did i tell you guys about some local girl here in fl trying to kill herself by driving head on into oncoming traffic at 60 mph +

well if i didnt she did... in a late model mercedes, it looked like an E320.. head on into a hyundai elantra.. .killed the driver(a mother of three) and seriously injured the infant in the rear seat... while she walked away with a sprained ankle...

its a shame it is...

yikes!

double looser. failed attempt and killed an innocent.

too too bad.

suicide is not a good solution to life's problems.

a man here who was the husband of one of the teacher collegues of my wife killed himself over the weekend. despondent over job crisis. left two teenage children. a really great guy with a nice family.

damned depression.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Really sad fate for the Saturn passengers. There are so many people out there in unsafe cars that do not even know it.

The C240 has a super strong passenger cell, which is obvious here. Also, you can see in the IIHS test....
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=205
The 97-00 E320 not so good though...
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=74

The Saturn SL in the same test... not as good....
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=80

Its like comparing the Toyota Tundra (excellent), with the Ford F150 (very poor)
TUNDRA-
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=5

F150-
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=7

Actually, "not so good" is an over statement.

1997-2000 E class cars got an "A" for Acceptable.

What is interesting is that 2000-2002 E class cars tested differently, and got a "G" for good.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

After an accident with both the 1994 E320 wagon(head-on - $17K of damage) and the 1995 E320 (minor side impact - $2K of damage), I can avow to the safety of 124 body cars. I even thought damage would be minimal on the wagon based on my condition after the accident. These, however, motivated me to review the safety ratings of the 210 body cars. I too was surprised by an "A" rating, and I later found out that this was due to the driver door swinging open on a 1997 test vehicle. After this incident, Mercedes installed those locks which automatically lower after 10 mph, correcting the issue and leading to the "G" rating of later tests (not tested again until 2001).

I like how the F150 with the redesign scored off the charts for a domestic truck and was on par with Asian imported 'full size' trucks. I have driven a new F150 and was blown away by the rigidity of that new chassis. I also noticed that you drive a 1986 W126 as well. I have an '86 300SDL and have had high school 'people' (im 34, and STILL think I am a kid a times...lol) cut me of, and my usual thought process is this... "I am driving just under 4000 lbs of 20 year old german steel WITH an airbag and pretensioners... bring it on!" I also love how our (correct me if I am wrong) W126 cars were the first Mercedes products to be designed specifically for the off set crash! I have named mine Rudy, and that car is like an old friend. I have a 2000 BMW 3 series coupe (soon to be a same body M3 in early 2007) and while it has ALL the safety stuff, there is this feeling of 'fort knox on wheels' that I get in the old SDL! Being a safety nut I HAD to contribute to this thread.

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2000 BMW 323ci 96K
1986 300SDL Turbo 421K (head rebuild/gasket at 411K)
1967 250SE with really rare options needs some motor work
1977 240D automatic - gave to little brother, he now has the 'diesel love' is Turbo240 on this forum
1995 Lifted Ford Explorer XLT 4x4 173K (sold)

*** Next year would love a PO 2004-2005 M3 SMG and when a biz deal pays off, a nice used Porsche Cayenne S.

http://www.museum-mercedes-benz.com/?lang=en
http://www.mbusa.com/heritage/classic-center-california.do

Yeah, not only did the door fly open, but notice how the "A" pillar collapsed and buckled- meaning the passenger cage was starting to fold. Many cars, even by 1997 had this problem solved.... take this 1997 Toyota Camry for instance....
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=69 (very little rearward movement of the a-pillar.
Actually, even the 1992-96 Camry had very little collaspe of the "A" pillar....
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=38
By 2002 - there was NO collaspe on the Camry (and this is pretty much the trend today on most cars- at least by 2005, most cars/trucks had improved drastically)
2002 Camry....
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=153

I think that the 2000 E-Class Mercedes improved to a good rating not only because of the door latch improvement, but they also obviously made some structural improvements to the passenger cage.... if you notice, there was much less collaspe of the "A" pillar on the 2000.

Then, by 03' the E-Class performed excellently.
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=177

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2004 Toyota Sequoia Limited 4wd
1991 Lincoln Town Car Executive
1991 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1988 Mercedes 300SEL
1972 Chevrolet Caprice Kingswood Estate 9-passenger wagon
1973 Pontiac Grand Ville
(Prior MB's: 1974 240D, 1985 380SE, 1984 190D, 1993 400SEL)

I am a safety nut too. lol. I was glad to see how well the redesigned 04+ F150 performed, especially when compared to the dreadfully poor results of the 1997-03 model. I have a 2000 Toyota Tundra, so naturally I am pleased of the excellent IIHS score of the Tundra- which had no collaspe.

Actually, I have a 1985 W126 (380SE). The username was from before. I WISH I had a 86'/newer 560SEL/420SEL/300SDL. Also, my 85' does not have the airbag option, but I still feel very safe in it.... even more-so than I am say when I am driving my moms 97' Achieva w/DUAL airbags.
I know that even the older non-airbag equipped Mercedes of the 85 and older vintage have alot of safety features built into them. I have personally never seen a W126 in an off-set crash, but I imagine that it would perform very well. I have a 1984 Mercedes prestige sales brochure and there is a big section in there on Mercedes safety. Goes on to comment about all of the padded interior panels on the interior- no sharp objects, smooth edge controls, highly energy absorbing steering wheel/column (which you can really tell by how soft the steering wheel and hub is) and how even the steering wheel itself is deformable under heavy contact with the driver and how the steering column is collaspable from both ends. The steering box located BEHIND the front axle, fuel tank located in the middle of the car and ahead of the rear axle, etc- so yeah, I know what you mean about those kids in those little cars taking chances against a heavy MB.

I also have a 69' Caprice (4300 lbs.) and a 73' Grand Ville (4600 lbs.). While no airbags, I still feel very safe in those heavy sedans. They are late enough models to have energy absorbing steering columns/instrument panels, padded dash panels, head restraints, door beams, safety latches, 4-point safety belts. Actually, the sales brochures on both give a long list of safety features that were big deals back then. As you know, many cars before 1967 did not have energy absorbing interiors as standard. (General Motors did as early as 67', but Ford and Chrysler Corp. did not until 68', when several safety features became mandatory. Remember back in the 50s, when padded dash was optional (if it was even available- as some models did not even have it optional). Standard on the mid 50s and later Cadillacs.

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2004 Toyota Sequoia Limited 4wd
1991 Lincoln Town Car Executive
1991 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1988 Mercedes 300SEL
1972 Chevrolet Caprice Kingswood Estate 9-passenger wagon
1973 Pontiac Grand Ville
(Prior MB's: 1974 240D, 1985 380SE, 1984 190D, 1993 400SEL)

That was a 2001 + C240. It had manual seat adjusters.
Very safe car.

DR.D

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Dr.Diesel -
Shop Foreman
Master Guild Mercedes-Benz Technician.

Think the dealer is expensive? Do you know how much it costs to train a dealer tech? Or buy the required MB special tools to have on hand?

Actually it was a 2000 or newer S500. I think she sprained her ankle because she had taken off her seatbelt (guess she was unaware of the airbag) and not because of any intrusion into the floorboard

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Mercedes Fleet:
2004 CL600 Designo Espresso SPORT
2004 S600 Designo Espresso SPORT/Lorinser Pkg.
1999 S320
1988 300TE
1972 280SEL 4.5
Diesel Fleet:
2014 GL350 Blutec
1987 300SDL Blk/Blk 4 place seating #18 head
1987 300SDL Smk Slv/Burgangy #17 head
1986 300SDL Blk Pearl/Palomino #14 head w/ 280K
1984 Lincoln Mark VII Fact BMW Turbo Diesel

glad i have a 420 SEL

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL