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Vipers are the exclusion to the rule. That is a car that is intent on killing the driver. It's a freakin beast of a machine.
That being said, I still wouldn't mind driving one.
With regard to the current debate, I'm agreeing with both sides - an idiot behind the wheel of any car will do stupid things and get themselves and others hurt. Too much car in the hands of an inexperienced driver will also have the potential to cause problems.
I'll leave it at that, and it will be an exercise for each individual to decide what constitutes "too much car". A BMW, in my opinion, is a perfectly safe car for an inexperienced driver. They are very forgiving but will still make you think "Oh crap, I better not do that." when you start to make a mistake. Add to that a great safety record with crash tests and I think it's perfectly suitable for those who can afford it. Also keep in mind that BMW's don't only come in the 7 or 8 series with V12 engines in them. The 3 series is as meek as any grocery getter.
The post above talked about kids first cars, not adults last cars But yes, I'd agree the 80 year old can't handle that car (even if he can afford it). The car is the issue - it's too powerful for him.
Apperently to you the DRIVER being young is what matters. But wait, the 80 year old is VERY experienced???
Vipers are the exclusion to the rule. That is a car that is intent on killing the driver. It's a freakin beast of a machine.
That being said, I still wouldn't mind driving one.
With regard to the current debate, I'm agreeing with both sides - an idiot behind the wheel of any car will do stupid things and get themselves and others hurt. Too much car in the hands of an inexperienced driver will also have the potential to cause problems.
I'll leave it at that, and it will be an exercise for each individual to decide what constitutes "too much car". A BMW, in my opinion, is a perfectly safe car for an inexperienced driver. They are very forgiving but will still make you think "Oh crap, I better not do that." when you start to make a mistake. Add to that a great safety record with crash tests and I think it's perfectly suitable for those who can afford it. Also keep in mind that BMW's don't only come in the 7 or 8 series with V12 engines in them. The 3 series is as meek as any grocery getter.
Vipers are the exclusion to the rule. That is a car that is intent on killing the driver. It's a freakin beast of a machine.
That being said, I still wouldn't mind driving one.
With regard to the current debate, I'm agreeing with both sides - an idiot behind the wheel of any car will do stupid things and get themselves and others hurt. Too much car in the hands of an inexperienced driver will also have the potential to cause problems.
I'll leave it at that, and it will be an exercise for each individual to decide what constitutes "too much car". A BMW, in my opinion, is a perfectly safe car for an inexperienced driver. They are very forgiving but will still make you think "Oh crap, I better not do that." when you start to make a mistake. Add to that a great safety record with crash tests and I think it's perfectly suitable for those who can afford it. Also keep in mind that BMW's don't only come in the 7 or 8 series with V12 engines in them. The 3 series is as meek as any grocery getter.
We are in agreement.
Any idiot doing anything is a danger to himself and those around him.
The issue here is whether a car increases the chances of something going wrong or does the car not matter? I agree - what constitutes too much car is the grey area. However the slower and less acceleration a bad driver can have, the less likely they are to make a fatal mistake.
Egobog how can your Newport be lighter then my Sport fury? and my Magnum and Roadrunner which are all well over 3300, My dart isn't 3300
I am telling you what the weight is as stated on the registration. I have not weighed it yet but I plan on doing so right after I get it out of my friend's body shop which should be around August 1st. All of the body work is done; I am paying him in monthly increments and August 1st will be my last payment. I thought the car would be a lot heavier as well but after pushing it around before I had the motor done I did notice that it was no harder to push than my Cutlass was. The 85 Cutlass was 3,500 pounds. I know that since I took it to Gershow and the dump in Yaphank and weighed it on their scales. I will be doing that with the Newport as soon as I get it back. I find it hard to believe the Dart is that heavy. You also have to remember that the Newport is the lowest model in the C body line. The New Yorker and 300 were the more elaborate models and would have more weight since they had more trim and I am sure more of them came with a/c or power windows and locks. I know a number of the 300s came with buckets and consoles which adds weight as well. The 1965 Fairlane I had was under 3,000 and is about the same size as a Dart. The Fairlane was around 2,600 pounds. It had an inline six cylinder in it. The one thing I can tell you that I know cuts some weight on the Newport is that there is no air conditioning, no power locks and no console. I know not having this stuff cuts down on the weight. How much does your Sport Fury weigh? Does it have a/c, buckets and/or a console? That should be close to the Newports weight. If you would like I can send you a message once I actually weigh it to see if it is what the registration states. In past experiences, I have not had a car that was very far off from the weight on the registration at all.
If what you say you own is true; you must have quite a bit of money or acquired those cars some time ago. Are they done or do you have a lot of project cars that you are working on?
Egobog how can your Newport be lighter then my Sport fury? and my Magnum and Roadrunner which are all well over 3300, My dart isn't 3300
I have been looking at a number of different web sites and there are a few that have a 1969 GTS Dart with a 340 engine as weighing 3,067 pounds which is definitely lighter than my Newports weight as stated on the registration. The sites do not say where their information came from but this sounds right to me. I am sure that with the six cylinder engine the weight was a couple of hundred pounds lighter. I say this not just because of the reduced weight from the engine but also with the reduced weight of a smaller rear and the suspension which was different than that of the V-8 cars. Before I sold my Fairlane I was thinking of putting in a 351 Winsor which would have raised the weight and I would have had to add weight with a bigger rear and heavier suspension components as well. Many people make the mistake of dropping bigger v-8 engines into cars that originally had six cylinder engines without redoing the suspension. This keeps the weight down but makes the car suffer in the ride and handling departments. When I put a Pontiac 400 from a 1969 GTO into my Cutlass I made sure I redid the whole suspension with big block springs, polyeurethane bushings, boxed rear control arms, Edelbrock Performer IAS shocks, etc.
I have the engine and transmission (Torqueflite) done on the Newport but still have to do a disc brake conversion in the front and have to change the gears and add a posi to the 8/34 rear. I also have to decide if I want to do a coil over for the rear or add traction bars to help with wheel hop which I know will be a problem with the way it is now.
Proof positive that all kids should get high powered cars because they are safer!
I wasnt using this as EVIDENCE that all kids should get high power cars. I was providing an example that your blanket statement about young people and high power cars is not as acurate as you make it out to be. Are high power cars dangerous in the hands of the wrong individual? Yes can those idividuals be 18 or 80 HELL YES.
Egobog how can your Newport be lighter then my Sport fury? and my Magnum and Roadrunner which are all well over 3300, My dart isn't 3300
I was just looking up web sites listing weights of the 1968 Chrysler Newport and found four of them that list a 4 door 1968 Chrysler Newport having a weight of 3,800 pounds. They do not specify whether these vehicles had a/c or power windows. There is definitely a chance that the 3,300 pounds on my registration is correct. I can see the four door model raising the weight that much especially if the four door rating is for a model with a/c. The complete air conditioning system along will easily add over 100 pounds in these cars. Add the extra weight of the extra doors, windows, etc. and the pillars between the front and rear doors and I can see the 2 door hardtop which has no pillar between the doors and the quarters as well as no frames around the windows on the doors weighing that much less.
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But yes, I'd agree the 80 year old can't handle that car (even if he can afford it). The car is the issue - it's too powerful for him.
