Would you buy a new vehicle just to have rear side curtain airbags?

DH currently drives a 2007 Subaru forester. He found it used at a very good price - so good that we will actually come out ahead if we sell it a year later. While the 2007 forester gets good crash test scores for the rear occupants, the 2010 foresters have side curtain airbags in the back and do slightly better. One of the testing agencies state that the dummy's head hits the pillar in the side-impact test for the 2007. Without the airbags, the 2007 does worse for the head injury measurements for the rear occupants in the side impact test. As I recall, the structure/safety cage scored a little better with the 2009/2010 as well.

So...
We have the 2007, and it is not the primary vehicle the kids ride in. I would love to have side curtain airbags in the back row, but I know that the 2007 did well for safety. Just not as well as the 2010. Where do you draw the line? We *could* sell the 2007 and get a loan for the price difference between that and the base model for a 2010. (We have looked for new or used 2009 models without much luck. DH insists on the manual transmission.)

As far as the head hitting the pillar, is this still as much of a concern if ds1 is in a high back booster and ds2 is in a harnessed seat? If we keep the 2007, dh is fully on board with getting a frontier for ds1 to use now and ds2 to use when ds1 no longer needs it. DS1 is not close to fitting backless in the forester, and the Monterey does not work in that vehicle. He currently uses an older (but not expired) turbo booster in that vehicle, but the frontier is much more comfortable for him.

We want our kids to be as safe as possible, but we also have to be reasonable. DH is also considering a Legacy or Mazda 6, since both of those get better roll-over scores. If we get a new vehicle now, we would keep it for at least 8-10 years.

Thanks for sharing any thoughts on this.

I would not go into debt for side curtain air bags personally. So I guess that is where I draw the line, if I can afford it cash then sure I would upgrade to the safer car.

If I had kids that were no longer in child restraints (i.e. adult seat belt only) and had to sit outboard then yes, I'd totally upgrade. If they were in 5 point restraints, no I would not, unless I was itching for a new vehicle anyway (the side air curtains would just be my excuse then ). I haven't thought about what I would do if my kids were outboard in high back booster.

No. My husband already thinks I am nuts because I want a new SUV because mine doesn't have a lap/shoulder belt and a head rest in the center. We already took care of the center TA issue, but you cannot install a head rest or lap/shoulder belt after market. So, we will use the 86-Y with his booster if we still have the Grand Cherokee then.

Nope. Secondary vehicle that's still quite good? Just doesn't make economic sense to me. If it were a death trap, then sure. However, the car being replaced is still pretty good so I just can't justify it.

No, I wouldn't go out to trade a vehicle unnecessarily just to get side curtain airbags.

While yes it is a requirement for any future vehicles we purchases but I wouldn't trade a vehicle just to get them. While my vehicle does have side airbags but dh truck doesn't. My vehicle is usually the day in and day out family vehicle but dh truck is our big long road trip vehicle. We have no plans on trading it in for something newer because it is paid for and I like to shop way to much. LOL!!!

WouldI buy a new vehicle just to have rear side curtain airbags?

Would I like to yes! But if current vehicle fits my needs and is safe no.

But now I am currently looking for a new car and this is a thought I have considered.

I wouldn't if the vehicle I had right now was still working and safe. That being said, when I got my impala a while ago because my old car was almost dead, it was a deciding factor (plus the three individual sets of latch, yay!) for the new car.