Hey, I'm 17 years old and will be getting my license soon. I currently have a 2001 Monte Carlo, but with over 200k miles on it, I'll probably only be driving that for a few months. I was thinking about buying a 3rd Gen Camaro next...

I love the sharp, edgy look that the third gen Camaros have. But my uncle, who owns a 1968 Camaro, calls 3rd Gens "Flexible Fliers" and says that they are generally very dangerous cars, especially the ones with the T-Tops. Plus, most of them don't have air bags..

What I want to know is how safe/dangerous 3rd Gen Camaros really are when compared to other cars. I definately want to be driving something that looks as cool as the 3rd Gens, but not if it means as an inexperienced driver I might end up wrapped around a tree, you know?

Also, if you can recommend any other cars that have that "sharp, edgy" look that 3rd Gen Camaros have, that'd be really helpful too, in case I can't find a good 3rd Gen to buy online. Or if theres anything that looks similar but is safer? Thanks.

 

I think all cars are just as safe as you make them. Sort of like a chain saw. If you don't have the willpower to resist the urge to be stupid, you can die. It is a nice way of eliminating stupidity from the gene pool.

And, I think that your uncle is spot on with the T-top car being flexible. If you get a V-6 one you may be ok, if you get a V-8 though, and want to do anything performance wise to it, I would tie the subframes. If you get a V-8 one though, you may not be able to afford the insurance.

 

I would have to agree a car is only as safe as you make it. My dad use to own a 3rd gen Z28 and I always felt safe in it. It handled great and stopped on a dime. The 3rd gen has much better visabiliy then the 4th gens do. I cant see anything behind me and it has two giant blind spots on each side. So you could say 4th gens are really unsafe also and im sure we could find alot of unsafe things about your uncles 1st gen.

 

3rd gen cars are as safe as the driver. Give a inexperienced driver a high powered car and before he knows it, he will be looking in the direction where the backend of the car should be. All he will have are problems.

 

A car can be a 4,000 pound weapon if not handled correctly. How safe is a gun? It's fine as long as you are careful and keep it pointed in the right direction. And, I'd rather be in any Camaro in a crash instead of a small foreign (ferrin) car.

 

^^^^^ agree

 

I doubt a 1st gen like your uncle's is any safer than a 3rd gen. Yes the 3rd gen has a little thinner sheetmetal, but it's also got better bumpers, and crumple zones built into it that earlier Camaros don't have.
As the guys said, the driver is the key factor, but I wouldn't worry about a 3rd gen being less safe.

 

3rd gens are way safer the 1st gens. Heck the 2nd gens are safer then the 1st. I use to work at the dealer and I have seen 3rd gen hit trees at 80+ MPH and the driver walked away (yes it was a T-Top). I have also seen T-top roll overs and the cars protect the drivers pretty well. I wonder if you Uncle is mixing up the 3rd gens with the early 2nd gen T-tops. They had a probelm folding in half in a head on crash.

Saying safty is caused by how someone drives and not the car is a bad way to look at it. I have been in three wrecks in my life. Two of those I was sitting inline at a red lights. I was rear ended. The other one was someone completly blow a stop red light and t-boned me. Since the intersection was at the top of a hill I didn't even see them coming. Lucky for me I was in good strong cars. I do not currently own a 3rd gen but my daughter likes the way they look. We will most likely do a project together and if we do not get T-top it will be because of the leaking issue not the safty issue. I will most likely seek out one with a air bag (1990+).

 

I think what people are saying is that any car can unsafe with a bad driver but not all cars are safe with a good driver and sometimes you just have bad luck I guess

 

Well said!