Should I replace my 2001 Honda CRV for safety reasons?

[MJL]

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Hi, I've got a 2001 Honda CRV, 103K miles, that still runs pretty well. I like the AWD part of it (a must for my steep driveway), and I love not having a car payment The only part I DON'T like is that the air conditioning is kind of marginal; I had it replaced once (mega expensive) and it really hasn't worked properly since. It fits my family well at this point (me, DH and two 4 yr olds).

Anyway, I have been thinking lately of replacing it for general safety reasons. I know some of the newer cars generally have better safety features. This car DOES have 2 front air bags, which is a plus. However, I know that as an SUV it is more prone to rollovers than lower profile cars.

What are your general thoughts on this? Does it matter that I am a super careful & conservative driver, in terms of rollover risk? Or is that just a luck-of-the-draw type of thing, where you hit a sandy patch of road, or get t-boned by somebody else on a windy day?

[Pixels]

Personally, I wouldn't. When it's time to replace for other reasons, you replace. At that time, you get the safest vehicle that works for your family (number of passengers, price, carseat-compatiblity, etc). Would I relegate it to "second place" in a two-car household, if the other car is safer and gets better fuel economy? You betcha.

Speed can be a factor in how likely a vehicle is to roll over. Say you're driving down the road and have to swerve suddenly to avoid something in the road. With any vehicle, the faster you are going, the more likely you are to roll or lose control of the vehicle. I think luck of the draw does come into it as well, if you're talking about getting T-boned your speed probably doesn't matter as much.

[lorinick]

I wouldn't either. No car payments are really nice. I wouldn't worry to much about roll overs. The CRV isn't very high or top heavy. It's built on a Civic platform and is a small SUV. As long as it's working for your family I say keep it.

[mom2juliarose]

I wouldn't. But that's coming from someone who owns a 2005 CR-V (41K miles on it) and a '97 CRV (I think we're at 260K miles on it).

I can tell you that a few months back we were hit very hard while driving on a highway (someone turned into our lane suddenly) when driving our '97. We spun 180 degrees into oncoming traffic (thankfully they was no one coming immediately) but never tipped, never rolled... and the car held up SO well (we needed doors replaced/repainted but the car was not totaled).

We love our CR-Vs. When the '97 finally kicks it, we'll be buying another one.

[crunchierthanthou]

I wouldn't replace it on safety ratings alone. They weren't stellar, but I think good enough for its time and what it is. I don't think it's very high on the list of SUVs in terms of relative rollover risk. Another important factor is making sure the the tires are in good condition and properly inflated.

[MJL]

Thank you for you input! I really do like this vehicle, and was hoping it wasn't too terribly unsafe on the rollover risk.

And thanks on the tire reminder -- I tend to be kind of lazy about that. I should put it on my calendar to check them regularly.

[codex57]

Originally Posted by crunchierthanthou

I wouldn't replace it on safety ratings alone. They weren't stellar, but I think good enough for its time and what it is. I don't think it's very high on the list of SUVs in terms of relative rollover risk. Another important factor is making sure the the tires are in good condition and properly inflated.

It's not exactly a deathtrap. I'm not worried about rollovers either.

It's actually considered quite safe for it's year so unless there's some kind of mechanical reason, I wouldn't replace it. Not just for safety. It's really not even that old so that the safety changes were huge. I mean, newer generally means better, but it's not that old.

[erikanohelani]

Unless it was a highly unsafe car, no I wouldn't replace it based on safety alone.

We did replace our older SUV for a new car because of AC problems. We had it worked on twice and it cost a lot, but it never did work the same.

We have super hot southern summers here, we couldn't take it! Most especially our son who would come outta the car sweating badly!

I would keep the car if the ac isn't a huge deal in your case. We miss not having any car payments! We plan to pay it off as quickly as we can.

Our ac went bad just as soon as we accomplished paying off both of our cars... perfect timing huh.

[crunchierthanthou]

Originally Posted by codex57

It's really not even that old so that the safety changes were huge. I mean, newer generally means better, but it's not that old.

Well, the 2002 saw the introduction of optional side curtain airbags and all 2005 and later CR-V's have ABS, Electronic brake force distribution, front seat-mounted side airbags, and side-curtain airbags with rollover sensors for all outboard occupants. 2010 brings new roof strength standards. I think all of those are significant safety improvements in an SUV, but again, I probably wouldn't replace it on safety ratings alone. Newer models being safer doesn't necessarily make the 2001 unsafe.