Just look at peoples' crash photos. One guy (was it a Wet Westie?? or a
vanagon.com'er?) posted photos of his bus after hitting a large pine tree
head-on doing 60mph. The front windshield was intact, the drivers and
passangers door opened. Also, look at busses in junk yards. They may have had
a nasty accident, but the drivers and passagners area is usually OK.  Then,
for an eye-opener- look at import cars after a head-on. Yeouch. Raise your
hand if you have seen teeth in a dashboard or steering wheel and hair stuck
in the windshield.... never have i seen that in a vanagon....  I'll stick
with my vanagon.

-matthew
86 syncro westy tii

<in damn cold & windy moscow idaho>

Bill Kasper wrote:

> On Wednesday, January 16, 2002, at 12:30 , G. Matthew Bulley wrote:
> >
> > e.g.: crash your van at 45mph into the back of a stationary Chevy
> > Impala, and you will probably be okay, or just loose your lower legs.
>
> if that...and i can think if i drove an impala into an impala i might be
> impalaed onto the steering column or have the engine largely grafted to
> my body.
>
> > e.g #2: Crash your van into the back of a large delivery truck, and the
> > hardened part of the Vanagon will under-run the hardened part of the
> > truck, and you better have your life insurance paid up..
>
> but this is no different than if you were driving a volvo...  at least
> with the van crash your body would still be largely in one piece,
> whereas with a lower vehicle you get the jayne mansfield effect.
>
> >
> >> From historic, walkable Mount Olive, NC,
> >
>
> from laid-back, surfable santa cruz, ca *g*
>
> bill
> '87 syncro westfalia
> santa cruz, ca