I am the happy owner of two Magnas...a pristine TJ Solara with 36,660Km on the ODO and a V6 TS Exec. wagon (around 200,000Km) which is the doggy mobile. The TJ has ABS and airbags...etc... but the TS is stock-standard. No airbags, no ABS.

Talking a mate the other day he tells me I should ditch the wagon for something newer because he says the lack of ABS and airbags make it a death trap. The only good thing on my wagon,he reckons, are the wide 205 aspect tyres and mags I have on the car (I have to say that the wagon holds the road really well...fantastic grip and poise).

Now I have always believed that the TS wagons were built like a brick sh#thouse...tough as nails. I was told that Mitsubishi worked hard on the vehicle structure of the TR/TS range so that it was really safe, regardless of airbags...etc. They were built, I'm told, with the Mitsubishi "RISE" architecture, which made the cabins on the TR/TS series very safe and sound in an accident.

Opinions???

Have a look at another thread (somewhere) where someone drives around in circles and deliberately crashes into other cars. It's a sport of some sort, apparently. The TS stands up well.
Most of us grew up without ABS and airbags and have learnt to rely on alertness and intelligence to avoid a crash, rather than daydreaming and tailgating and relying on ABS/airbags to protect us from stupid driving mistakes.
I have owned a TS V6 wagon for some years, it sure feels safe to drive. On the other hand, my TL wagon worries me - one crash, and I would be smothered by the 4 airbags. lol
Best not to be complacent in an airbag equipped car, a runaway semi, not watching a railway crossing, etc won't leave much if you get in the way.

Look at the magna demo thread look at the damage taken. Personal I drive a car to avoide an crash and prefer to drive the car instead of the car drive for me lol

On the other hand second gen go a 1out of 5 with an airbag it raised it 2 out 5.

Comes down to personal choice in the end.

Opinion? They are death traps compared to a car made in the past couple of years.

Have a look at another thread (somewhere) where someone drives around in circles and deliberately crashes into other cars. It's a sport of some sort, apparently. The TS stands up well.
Most of us grew up without ABS and airbags and have learnt to rely on alertness and intelligence to avoid a crash, rather than daydreaming and tailgating and relying on ABS/airbags to protect us from stupid driving mistakes.
I have owned a TS V6 wagon for some years, it sure feels safe to drive. On the other hand, my TL wagon worries me - one crash, and I would be smothered by the 4 airbags. lol
Best not to be complacent in an airbag equipped car, a runaway semi, not watching a railway crossing, etc won't leave much if you get in the way.

Well I was told the TS would be very good in an accident because of the RISE chassis. Like you I am a careful driver and I try to avoid sticky situations before they happen however, no matter how safely you drive you can't protect yourself against some of the idiots who share the road with you. The tailgaters, the ones who think an amber light means speed-up, the ones who don't what the indicator stalk is for...etc... you know the type I mean.;)

Agreed. Accidents do happen.
But I don't believe that a brand new car that introduces some new safety feature suddenly makes older cars "death traps".

Agreed. Accidents do happen.
But I don't believe that a brand new car that introduces some new safety feature suddenly makes older cars "death traps".

Its advancements in technology like airbags, anti-submarining, high strength steels, better design in rear, side and frontal impacts that makes modern cars safer than older ones.

Yes, the 2nd gen was really well built but you are kidding yourselves if you think its a safe car in 2013

I think the comparatively safer would fit in this conversation well.

Death traps isn't a fair word either, but, i reckon of your number is up, is gonna happen no matter what car you are in, its just how much damage you sustain, like a broken foot broken legs, limp for life, vs a secure cabin with breakaway pedals.
Or a severely fractured jaw vs slight airbag abrasions.

Side airbags was a decisive factor in my magna choice.

But i had to replace my 2nd gen wagon.

i reckon of your number is up, is gonna happen no matter what car . i made similar comment to shoot,s in another thread and got flamed
if you believe it a death trap get Reid of it . i know where you can get a gen2 v6 wagon with air bag abs .
i drive gen1s because i like the ride and comfort .

ABS is probably the single best safety feature ever introduced ever. I have seen plenty of cars brake hard and go flying. If your brakes lock up, mate you are F***ed.

Considering the numerous times I've poked death with a stick and still managed to run away giggling, I'd like to throw my two cent in.

I've been in a car accident in a car without airbags. My money is now on airbags. Broken nose plead, I didn't quite like all that glass in my face thanks.

ABS? Yes please! Best invention ever... just not on motorbikes thanks.

The strength of the car could be your down fall to. You're still a rock rattling around in a tin can when it comes to the crunch. And, rattling around on tin cans is unpleasant.

Lastly, the most important aspect of crashing is exiting the vehicle... preferably voluntarily. Which means getting those damn doors open. You know, incase the cars is on fire or you have a gaping wound that's eager to bleed you to death. Those suet tough doors need to open.

As part of my college releases as a mechanic we had to do a report on crash tests and a lot if manufacturers failed on the ability to exit the vehicle after a head on. Kinda spooky.

i reckon of your number is up, is gonna happen no matter what car . i made similar comment to shoot,s in another thread and got flamed
if you believe it a death trap get Reid of it . i know where you can get a gen2 v6 wagon with air bag abs .
i drive gen1s because i like the ride and comfort .

But the chances of serious injury or death increases sharply with older vehicles

Airbags and ABS all have limitations so best not rely on them and drive stupidly!!
On a side note there are deaths caused by airbags as well that mostly you do not hear about in minor accidents.
My mate lost his mother inlaw due to airbag injuries in a minor accident!! Vee

I would disagree totally, ABS is for those who dont know how to brake. Issue these days is we have to introduce all of these so called safety systems because people are not taught how to drive. When I learnt to drive part of the training was proper and efficient braking. Simple, you hit the brakes, wheels lock so you back off a little and regain traction and control, this does not even take seconds to do if you know how to drive. Now I am not saying that ABS is not a good thing at all BUT is only really "the best thing ever" when used as it was designed to be used ie with people who are also paying attention to what is going on around them and know how to drive properly in the first place.

SRS, some places in USA have switches on the front seats to disable the SRS because airbags were killing people, that is right, people who drive too close the the steering wheel risk the bag deployment snapping their neck.

Yes safety systems are great if used correctly and used together with responsible and proper driving. We are human and make mistakes BUT the problem these days are a lot of drivers are much more complacent as they feel safe in their electronic capsule.

Now back to this topic, yes compared to most new cars on the road the risk of serious injury or death in a second gen is much higher. Does this make the car a death trap, no. Comparing ANY car to a car released even 5 years ago is very unfair as you will not find a cheap run around for the price of a good second gen. The TR/TS Magna at the time was hailed as the safest Australian Large car, this was against the aussie car makers. This in itself states a lot IMO. And yes, around town at lower speed accidents I think I would rather be in a TR or TS compared to some of these little buz boxes you see driving around these days. On the highway, larger newer car would come off better for the occupants BUT then again you need to look at the price, not everyone can afford to have 2 30k cars parked in the driveway

So while the TR will not be as safe in an accident as say a 380 or any of the newer cars for that matter it does not make it a death trap unless the car itself is very run down and has mechanical issues.

ABS? Yes please! Best invention ever... just not on motorbikes thanks.

Your kidding right!!
Best ever invention on a motorcycle. Have owned several BMW bikes with ABS and it has saved me on two occasions when i had people pull out unexpectedly at a T junction and panic braking is the worst thing on a bike. Only one front wheel and it tends to slide out from underneath you!!
Takes a really cool mind to brake effectively in situations like this even with many bike riding courses and refreshers courses done over the last 20plus years with Stay Upright Australia.
Some dirt bikes have an override switch for fun in the dirt!! Vee

ABS has its downsides. I used to test my non-ABS brakes by seeing if they locked up all four wheels evenly under high pressure braking on a dirt road. If I didn't like the results I'd go home and fix the problem, and test again. On a wet road and you really need the brakes, it's important all 4 corners work well.
I had a Sigma with non ABS brakes, seemed to work fine. Had to use them hard in the wet, one wheel locked up and I slid for ages. Turned out the rear brake proportioning valve was glued up with brake cup wear material and one of the front calipers was frozen. I had been stopping all that time on just one working braked wheel!
With ABS brakes you could have a frozen piston in one caliper that makes braking on one wheel ineffective and you wouldn't know about it until you are in a real emergency situation.
I bet there are a lot of inefficient brakes out there and people assume that because they have ABS they are working perfectly. Not so.

Its advancements in technology like airbags, anti-submarining, high strength steels, better design in rear, side and frontal impacts that makes modern cars safer than older ones.

Yes, the 2nd gen was really well built but you are kidding yourselves if you think its a safe car in 2013

agree 100%

I see the point to the argument from each side.

ABS is a great safety feature BECAUSE of people who can't drive for shit. It's great to be a good driver until someones brakes lock up in the wet and t bone you. No amount of good driving can avoid a situation where a car goes through a red light with locked brakes, especially when dark or wet.

Worry about your own driving, yes, but also be careful that other people are stupid.

I think the adittion of good crumple zones and air bags are the best safety features to come to modern cars, and the price of some of the cars with these features are so low second hand.

my new daily for uni is a 407 touring wagon, 5 star safety, side airbags, more comforts and features then you can poke a stick at and a fuel efficient 2.0td, im glad i can have access to such a car drivibg 2 hours a day.

Crumple zones are great in high speed collisions. Not so great when you bump someone at 10kph and your reo bar obliterates itself.

i think the tl/tw would rate as 2 stars by today's standards.

the 2nd gens would be like 1 star ancap.

they were probably pretty good back in the day. but compared to modern cars they are not so good.

Not so great when you bump someone at 10kph and your reo bar obliterates itself.
Thats because it is designed to do just that in slow low impact incidents!!
Especially in carparks when idiots speed in them and take out pedestrians and small children! Its to minimise damage to them!! Vee

Thats because it is designed to do just that in slow low impact incidents!!
Especially in carparks when idiots speed in them and take out pedestrians and small children! Its to minimise damage to them!! Vee

Is that why it's called a crumple zone? Because it crumples when you hit anything? lol

I think the upper speed for no damage is 5 KPH (?) Anything above that will cost you.

Id much rather live with a crumpled bumper then a guilty conscience.

Id much rather live with a crumpled bumper then a guilty conscience.

I'd rather be careful and avoid the crumple and guilt scenario. lol