I hate to be doing this but I suppose I might as well tell you all the bad news, i'm selling my 1200. My friends had a really bad accident (non-fault) and it made me start thinking about my car, I thought that I'd stick a roll cage in it (even though it's not a rally car) to make it safer. Rang my insurance company to enquire about putting in a roll cage and they said no-way, apparently it puts me in a far higher risk category (I'm still only 18). A risk that they weren't prepare to take.
I do long trips in my car (800km+) and I've decided it's not worth the risk anymore.
So after all that drama I've decided to sell my car, if you're interested in it, let me know through here or through email.
The blurb!
1974 Datsun 1200 4 door sedan
122,000 miles
4 owners
brand new testing station warrant of fitness
registered until 5/03
14" mags with near new tyres (185 60 14s)
Near new gas shock on the front
An assortment of workshop manuals etc.
NZ$1800 ono
If you're interested let me know
Cheers Will

your kidding arnt you????????????

i dont believe it, ive never heard such rubbish

what are you going to do buy another car that has magic powers and is invincible

why do you think the 1200 is a death trap?

what are you going to buy/be able to afford thats going to be any safer?

surely theres another company thatll insure you with a cage

im shocked it seems rediculous

what are you afraid of, lets face it if your doing long trips along the highway at 100 or 110 km/h any accident is going to be serious in any car

i remember when you were telling everyone about your plans/dreams of building a really nice 1200, i think you were going to build a gx replica too wernt you?

i really think you should reconsider

Since I'm on the other side of the world and can't buy the car, I'd say reconsider too.
Sure, the 1200 won't fare as well in a collision as a newer car, but you have the advantage of being in a smaller and lighter vehicle, (not to mention 18 year old reflexes) so avoidance is easier. So, your best bet when driving is to be alert, because what the world needs is more lerts.
Think long and hard before letting it go. You will regret it if you do.
On the other hand, you could end up as a grumpy old fart with 14 old dead Datsuns laying around because you can't let one go.

im just thinking, has any of you other yound blokes noticed that your mates who have modified cars and love there car and enjoy there cars havent had an accident, whereas your mates who only want a car that gets them from a to b and has an air-conditiorer have all had stacks. thats certainly the case in my group of friends, stacks while rallying exempted of course, i think driver awareness is the key to safety and guys with more modifications obviously love there car and enjoy driving and therefore are more alert and should pay less insurance (ok i know im dreaming a little) but anyway any one else notice that or not. oh and its those guys that stack when they do try to drive fast or slide there car because they have no-experience/are not used to doing this stuff (i could say everyone should speed and drift through corners so they are used to it but that could be pushing it a little too far)

jokes aside (yes they were jokes) i am alone in this situation or not?

You may be on to something there. It seems that most Americans look at driving as a burden. Those are the ones choking our freeways with these behemouth SUVs (Stupid, Useless Vehicles) saying, "Oh, but they are so much safer in a crash." Well I say, "Hey you freakin' idiots! Learn to freakin' drive, hang up the freakin' phone, freakin' pay attention, and avoid the freakin' crash in the first place!"

Quote:

werd


No offense, but i've always thought selling your car because you were afraid of how you would fare in a wreck is backwards thinking. I'd be more concerned with learning to increase your driving skills to where you can avoid a wreck. There have been at least 3-4 times in the last year alone where if I hadn't been paying full attention and been ready to react that I would have had my car totalled by some IDIOT. I never once thought about selling it just so I'd be able to walk away from the wreck.

So the lesson here is don't tell people why you're selling your car.

there is some truth in saying paying attention is important, reflexes have saved me out of plenty of jams however, i think 1200z are small, and i knew from the day i bought one if i got caught in an accident in this thing, id end up paste, a new paint for the metal surrounding me post accident. If i were driving 800+ k a week id be doing the same thing so i beleive ur making the right choice.

Will, Will, Will....man don't feel guilty about selling your ride but you gotta come up with the real reason, like it's a hassle to keep a car at Varsity, the Datto is showing wear and tear, chicks don't dig it etc... You only make the 800 k trip a few times a year right so your risk is spread out over time. I drive 880 k's a week to work and back in Sydney over a mix of 110 kph and 70 kph roads with a heap of trucks, dunnydores and 4WD's keen to flatten my A14 rocket. I have driven small cars over longer commutes in the US and am still accident-free. Most accidents are avoidable by driving defensively - if someone runs a light or a stop sign or changes lanes then you don't have to be a victim. The insurance company point re: rollcages is a joke. Man you're in the best driving place in the world -the SI of NZ - just chill and enjoy it in the ride of your choice. We just had a single vehicle accident this week in NSW. Brand new Nissan 4WD left the road killing all 6 of the young blokes on board. Driver error most likely cause at moment but it was a safe, big vehicle and it made no matter. The safest part of a car is the driver and that's also the most dangerous...

I think I know what Will is saying ... the new "small cars" weigh 1,000 lbs more than the 1200. I'm sure a lot is due to safety features (air bags, anti-lock brakes, door beams, etc). Not that heavier is better, but safety equipment is not a bad thing.

I often think when driving my convertible "what will happen if this thing flips over" if I have to swerve to avoid somebody else's accident or I go into a ditch. On the other hand, I drove my Datsun 1200 for 200,000 miles, it got hit in the rear once, and I drove it off the road three times. I never got hurt.

I'm fairly tall (6' 1") and drove that 1200 with the seat up close to the steering wheel. One day a friend pointed out: "Your knees are nearly touching the dash. If you are in an accident, your knees will be the crumple zone". I put the seat back a few inches after that.

If you are really serious about safety, read the crash reviews and buy accordingly. I feel sorry for the people who buy BIG vehicles thinking they are "safer". Facts show that many mid-size sedans are safer than SUVs or a full-size car.

Still, this is just a matter of small risk compared to even less risk. I prefer to drive a special car, one with character (and drive carefully) than go with the safest vehicle possible.

How about taking a "defensive driving" course from the racing companies? This might be a better investment than simply getting a different vehicle.

Here's some ideas for the new Tech section:

- Installing three-point seat belts (120Y bolt in?)
- How to swap ABS to the 1200
- Installing side-door guard beams
- Adding "hidden" safety bumpers
- Side-curtain air-bags for your 1200!

Wow I didn't think that this would instill such a huge response! I haven't made this decision lightly as I still absolutely love this car to bits, if it was possible I would store this car until I'm old/skilled/rich! enough to do it justice. The accident thing is my "main" reason for selling the car, If I'd told you every single factor that came into play it would have been a biography rather than just a quick advert! I think that tensandtwenties was right it's easier to just not say your reason!
And 1200rallycar I was going to make a SSS replica but under my insurance I'm not allowed to make any performance enhancements so that rules out my dellorto 40s!
I'd like to think that I drive my datsun very responsibly for someone my age and only 20,000 miles under my belt, I've done a defensive driving course which I think may have saved my skin in several circumstances.
Well the insurance gods have again had their say in what I'm going to drive, a 1985 BMW 316 Coupe came up for sale locally for $1800. I even test drove it, not quite as responsive as the datsun but not too bad.
Rang up the insurance company, only to be told that 'they didn't insure european cars for under 25s!'.
I've decided that the end result of this is that I'm sticking with my 1200 (unless someone wants to make an obscene offer on it) changing insurance companies, finding out about putting a roll cage in and some dellorto 40s (if I ever find any!)
Oh and teretonga, my datsun still pulls the chicks more than anything this side of a $20,000 Mercedes!