wait, I am confused, side air bags where a make it or break it selling point?
Yes.
In a side impact crash there’s almost nothing protecting you. Add airbags and your chance of survival without serious injury/impairment goes up dramatically. Call me a lame newlywed if you want, but when there are so many cars available with side airbags I won’t buy one without them because I won’t take such a higher risk of leaving my wife with me dead or worse crippled and a burden to her just because we liked the Baja’s better than anything else. Same goes for not wanting her to die on me or get crippled and become a burden to me.
In my eyes the risk waaaay outweighs the sacrifice of not getting the exact car we want. There’s just no reason to buy a new daily driver in 2007 without side airbags.
For example:
Measures taken from the dummy indicate that serious skull fracture and/or brain injuries would be possible in a crash of this severity, as well as rib fractures and/or internal organ injuries. Loading to the shoulder was excessive. A fracture of the pelvis would also be possible.
Measures taken from the dummy indicate that rib fractures and/or internal organ injuries, as well as a fracture of the pelvis, would be possible in a crash of this severity.
The first one is a 2006 Ford 500 without airbags, the second is the same car with. In the first one I’d get fucked up and either die or possibly leave my wife caring for a invalid. In the second one I spend some time in the hospital but ultimately don’t become a burden to my wife.
Granted it varies quite a bit from car to car, but it just seems kind of silly to buy a new car that doesn’t have side air bags when there are so many available.
Here’s the crash test of the Subaru Legacy, which the Baja is based on:
The dummy’s head was protected from being hit by any hard structures, including the intruding barrier, by a side curtain airbag that deployed from the roof.
The intruding barrier is the sled that they throw at the side of the car, ala the hood of a ford explorer. In the Baja you’d crack your skull against it. Airbag please.
[quote=“66impalass,post:21,topic:33045"”]
wait, I am confused, side air bags where a make it or break it selling point?
[/quote]
SAFTY his wifey is going to be driving it and hes not trying to kill her off his first winter married to her.
cant blame him my girl wrecked my car before we where engaged and I liked that GTI (it had snows on it…) both bags deployed but she walked away without a scratch…
and I work in the south towns and will say now that I have drivin AWD I dont think I could go back.
but after seeing her walk away from a 65 MPH crash into a concrete barrior… I think i can deal with “crappy” poor designed electrcal issus… I would think about a “VAG product” but that just me…
Boo VAG, How aboot a Mini?
http://www.carseverything.com/257/2006-mini-cooper-crash-test-ratings.html
Those ratings look nice! And your wife would probably love it
Was going to suggest a Mini until I read further that space is an issue 
They have great crash test ratings
Yeah.
There’s no question about it. There shouldn’t even be new cars available without side airbags these days.
The Baja is a bad choice overall IMO. I feel they have less utility because the “bed” is incredibly short, and the interior space is compromised a lot because of this.
[quote=“badnewsmini,post:25,topic:33045"”]
and I work in the south towns and will say now that I have drivin AWD I dont think I could go back.
but after seeing her walk away from a 65 MPH crash into a concrete barrior… I think i can deal with “crappy” poor designed electrcal issus… I would think about a “VAG product” but that just me…
[/quote]
Maybe that’s where the compromise will have to be. God knows an Audi wagon fits all the other requirements. Kind of destroys the whole financial reason for doing this, but I suppose if I’m a bit more cautious about year/mileage/when to sell, etc, it could work out OK. I dunno.
[quote=“BikerFry,post:12,topic:33045"”]
Do all Subaru’s have loose/sloppy feeling shifters? Is it just a soft bushing or something? I guess their new outbacks aren’t so bad, but the last couple of Subaru’s they had all felt like you were rowing through the gears with a dildo.
[/quote]
it’s common for subarus, my legacy has about 2" of play to the left and right. I almost never miss a shift even with the extra play, its not worth $140 to fix for a daily driver.
have her drive a NEW legacy wagon, they are a total different car.
Her mom has an 07 and her step father has an 06. 
Well, Outbacks since they don’t make non-outback legacy wagon’s anymore.
I think I can get her to give on the whole “Even if it’s an SUV it has to be a stick” thing if I just stick her in front of something cool. Shit, she wanted me to buy a used 4 Runner even though it was automatic and 12,000 beyond our used car price range just because she “liked” it. Women and their emotions… :lol:
Just buy the damn FJ Cruiser already then.
Maybe. Same for an X3/X5.
Pros: Safe, AWD, useful, won’t depreciate fast.
Cons: Expensive, expensive repairs if something breaks, hard to find.
[quote=“Bigairskier1580,post:35,topic:33045"”]
Just buy the damn FJ Cruiser already then.
[/quote]
lol she whiny mocking voice “doesn’t like it”
I just got off the phone. Told her that I’m going to have to build a car from raw materials because the car she wants doesn’t exist. Maybe I’ll just pay lafengas to build one out of pocket lint and iron ore.
She wants:
-Useful like a wagon or SUV
-Economical
-AWD
-Manual Transmission
-5 star safety
-Reliable
-Not a Subaru wagon or a Hyundai Santa Fe
We’re at a stand still because the only part she’s willing to budge on is safety, which is the only part I’m not. The joys of marriage. 
Keep your pimp hand strong.
[quote=“BikerFry,post:37,topic:33045"”]
lol she whiny mocking voice “doesn’t like it”
I just got off the phone. Told her that I’m going to have to build a car from raw materials because the car she wants doesn’t exist. Maybe I’ll just pay lafengas to build one out of pocket lint and iron ore.
She wants:
-Useful like a wagon or SUV
-Economical
-AWD
-Manual Transmission
-5 star safety
-Reliable
-Not a Subaru wagon or a Hyundai Santa Fe
We’re at a stand still because the only part she’s willing to budge on is safety, which is the only part I’m not. The joys of marriage.
[/quote]
You have VERY few options available to you the second you eliminate a Subaru wagon.
see I don’t think the forester is really a wagon. it’s more of a “usefully large” SUV type thing.