On my way back from shipping out the Gungnir, I almost got the opportunity to replace my car tonight at someone else's expense when a big Ford truck signaled to change lanes with me directly next to them and instantly started moving over from inside to outside lane. I mashed the brakes and moved as close to the curb as I thought I could and I have no idea how we didn't trade paint. If I hadn't noticed him changing lanes I would likely have ended up face first into some road hugging trees at 50mph. Arkansas plate.. always bad drivers. Guess companies putting in those blind spot warning systems will help those people. I was clearly visible (my roof was above his window line) and was almost matched with his front axle so I had to clear the entire length of my car to avoid impact.

That's another reason why I'm not particularly interested in 2,000lb toys. If I get T-boned in my A6 at an intersection, most likely nbd. Probably some bruises and a stiff neck. An MR-2 in the same situation? They'd be scraping you out of the car with a shovel.

That's another reason why I'm not particularly interested in 2,000lb toys. If I get T-boned in my A6 at an intersection, most likely nbd. Probably some bruises and a stiff neck. An MR-2 in the same situation? They'd be scraping you out of the car with a shovel.

There's a counter argument to that though that myself and UncleErik used to agree on.  The smaller sports car keeps you more focused and engaged (alert).  Plus it reacts much quicker to impending idiocy and can get you out of trouble.  In an MR-S or other MR, you don't hang out next to trucks, you just zip around them because the car makes you want to.  Seizing initiative on the road is a huge factor for safety.  Hanging out next to morons at the same speed in a clusterfuck while people are zoning out or texting is a recipe for disaster.


But yes, be dummer than the car or the road and you will pay the price.

OH!!  If you look at the '05 MR-S, find out if it has a LSD.  You could decipher it from the VIN code if need be.  My friend and I had to order ours from Toyota to get them made.  For some reason they figured California wouldn't need them.  We both waited 4 years till Toyota announced stop of production after 2005 to order ours.  I'll likely do the same w/ the last year of the present FRS and get the Hybrid/KERS version that weighs the same as the current model.

There's a counter argument to that though that myself and UncleErik used to agree on.  The smaller sports car keeps you more focused and engaged (alert).  Plus it reacts much quicker to impending idiocy and can get you out of trouble.  In an MR-S or other MR, you don't hang out next to trucks, you just zip around them because the car makes you want to.  Seizing initiative on the road is a huge factor for safety.  Hanging out next to morons at the same speed in a clusterfuck while people are zoning out or texting is a recipe for disaster.


But yes, be dummer than the car or the road and you will pay the price.

Definitely. I get the passive vs. active safety argument. Where I have trouble are those situations where active safety just doesn't apply. If you're on the highway and you see some kind of horrible accident happening, a nimble sports car will have a much easier time diving over to the shoulder to try to avoid it than say a Chevy Suburban.. provided that is that the car either has a good ESC system, or you're especially on the ball. Otherwise you may end up backwards.

Where that doesn't apply is in town situations, where you're just starting to pull through an intersection and some drunken asshole plows straight into your door, or attempts to make a left when you happen to be there, or plows straight into you when you're stopped at a red light. How awesome the car's grip and handling are in that situation matters not a single iota.

Watch this:

I don't need to watch, I had an unlicensed 'guest worker' turn right from the left turn lane while I had a green going straight.  I wouldn't have died due to not driving obscenely fast in the MR-S but the Subaru handled it much better than the MR-S would have.  The MR-S might have been able to brake before contact, maybe.  I'll never know.  The Legacy was just too heavy.  I do have a 5 star safety car w/ AWD and rally pedigree for a reason too.  It's all about personally accepted and managed risks.  You could argue increased life expectancy if you never sky dive or put on a wing suit, but then one day you could choke on a cow bone and die a boring life too.