Thinking of buying a 2nd hand car but with no air-bags and ABS

Well, it's an old car (built in 2005) and it's quite cheap and still in good condition. But is it even a good idea to buy it if it has no air-bags and ABS?

Reply 1

AlphaGeneration

Original post by kka25

Well, it's an old car (built in 2005) and it's quite cheap and still in good condition. But is it even a good idea to buy it if it has no air-bags and ABS?

No airbags or ABS = no safety

If it doesn't have either of those, imagine what else it doesn't have. Where are you buying from?

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 2

russellsteapot

16

I'm sure it'll be safe enough. After all, cars existed before ABS and air bags and drivers of such vehicles are mostly still alive. They're safety aids but cars without them can still be safe.

I'd wonder what kind of car didn't include ABS or airbags on a model built in 2005, though, all I can think of is one of the horribly ****ty models, even Peroduas and Hyundais had airbags back then.

Reply 3

kka25

OP

18

Original post by AlphaGeneration

No airbags or ABS = no safety

If it doesn't have either of those, imagine what else it doesn't have. Where are you buying from?

Posted from TSR Mobile

From a dealer/owner. Well, I'm just using it to buy groceries and going to the malls/buying stuff. But I do intend to use it to go to work though (originally).

Reply 4

kka25

OP

18

Original post by russellsteapot

I'm sure it'll be safe enough. After all, cars existed before ABS and air bags and drivers of such vehicles are mostly still alive. They're safety aids but cars without them can still be safe.

I'd wonder what kind of car didn't include ABS or airbags on a model built in 2005, though, all I can think of is one of the horribly ****ty models, even Peroduas and Hyundais had airbags back then.

Would you buy one?

Reply 5

russellsteapot

16

Original post by kka25

Would you buy one?

I've had several cars without ABS or airbags in the past, so yes, but I've been driving for 13 years so ABS and airbags were a luxury on 'first cars' when I started driving.

A car from 2005 without airbags and ABS (when both were pretty much standard by 2005) would make me wonder why they're cutting corners like that.

Reply 6

LJStudent

15

I would be more concerned about lack of airbags than lack of ABS, to be honest. However, ABS is of 2007 a requirement for all new vehicles.

I'd honestly look elsewhere.

Reply 7

kka25

OP

18

Original post by russellsteapot

I've had several cars without ABS or airbags in the past, so yes, but I've been driving for 13 years so ABS and airbags were a luxury on 'first cars' when I started driving.

A car from 2005 without airbags and ABS (when both were pretty much standard by 2005) would make me wonder why they're cutting corners like that.

Yeah; I drove a car that had no ABS and airbags and I'm sill alive.

I'm not too sure why I'm becoming somewhat obsessed with it at the moment. It seems cars are not 'safe' without them these days.

Reply 8

College_Dropout

21

I wouldnt risk it unless it was some amazing car, something like a Passat.

Reply 9

kka25

OP

18

Original post by LJStudent

However, ABS is of 2007 a requirement for all new vehicles.

Perhaps this got me worried : /

Reply 10

LJStudent

15

Original post by kka25

Perhaps this got me worried : /

This is for manufacturers. No new car can be made without ABS, but you can quite easily buy an older car without any problems (except you won't have ABS which isn't great but you can manage).

Reply 11

Sgt.Incontro

20

Original post by kka25

Perhaps this got me worried : /

So are you going to tell us what car it is or not?

Reply 12

elliot9150

Original post by kka25

Well, it's an old car (built in 2005) and it's quite cheap and still in good condition. But is it even a good idea to buy it if it has no air-bags and ABS?

The car will be cheap but the insurance for you is gonna be really harsh. Especailly if this is your first car and first time driver, so save up and get one that will actually keep you alive.

Reply 13

kka25

OP

18

Original post by Sgt.Incontro

So are you going to tell us what car it is or not?

Will find the links; there are several brands.

Original post by elliot9150

The car will be cheap but the insurance for you is gonna be really harsh. Especailly if this is your first car and first time driver, so save up and get one that will actually keep you alive.

Is it possible though to install airbags in a car that has none?

Reply 14

elliot9150

Original post by kka25

Will find the links; there are several brands.

Is it possible though to install airbags in a car that has none?

I'm not sure, I'll be honest, I don't have a car. but have several friends who do and picked up a couple of things. I think it depends on if the car was supposed to have airbags in them but are now removed (in which case ask yourself why?) or it was before airbags were mandatory in cars and cannot be installed due to the mechanism involved in their deployment (bumpers absorb certain level of force and this triggers the deployment of the airbags) without all of this extra stuff it can't be done and so I personally don't think it's safe to try. But i could be wrong. Do a lot of reading on the internet about cars, what this car is like, should be like, how much is is compared to its actual resell price. Would it pass M.O.T, what would insurance be like? etc. So read up so you don't get ripped off and/or injured

Reply 15

kka25

OP

18

Last few days I did meet one of the sellers and I'd told them that I'd be interested to buy the car if they clean it first (it was quite dirty and dusty); they have cleaned it but just recently I found another cheaper and cleaner car and want to cancel the previous seller; I'm feeling a bit guilty though (feel like a complete jerk for cancelling them out); am I being unreasonable here? : /

I've had some reservations for the prior car since I've heard the maintenance is quite high.

Reply 16

Alfissti

20

Original post by kka25

Is it possible though to install airbags in a car that has none?

Nope.

There are still vehicles that are sold without airbags, Land Rover Defender is one of them.

I personally don't allow any of my kids to ride in a car that doesn't have at bare minimum 2 front airbags and a side curtain airbag. I don't encourage them to ride in a car that is older than 5 years old unless it is on a have to basis.

ABS for the most part doesn't make stopping distance any shorter, it just prevents a wheel lockup and usually allows you to continue to steer the car. I'm thankful the cars I've had came with ABS as it definitely has saved me from tricky situations.

As for airbags, I drove 15 years without ever having one inflate on me despite being a real speed demon then one day on a day I wasn't actually speeding at all, clear sunny day where the road was dry and I was very thankful the car I was driving was properly engineered and had all the modern safety features cars of today come with.

You can never tell when such features would become necessary and sometimes when you least expect it that's where it could happen. Some years back I read one study that found 70% of all accidents actually happened within 5 miles of your home or work place. Thus just because you use the car for short distances only doesn't mean accidents can't happen.

Also with the amount of crazy and impatient drivers on the road these days I probably wouldn't want to be in an unsafe car.

Reply 17

kka25

OP

18

I've finally found a few 2nd hand cars that have ABS and airbags with them (and they are within my range!)

I just want to ask if anyone knows this; can I ask the guy who sells the car (he owns a small home-business selling used cars (5 - 6 cars)) to service and repair the car? It seems one of the cars that I'm targeting has some strange sound when it's reversing and the light bulb in the cabin is not working; he seems to imply I need to fix this myself.

Thinking of buying a 2nd hand car but with no air-bags and ABS

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