[Laarlf]

You can pick old cars which are easy to fix and barely have any software. Old Volvos come to mind. They are also very safe, not just for their age. If safety is a primary concern you might consider something ridiculously massive like an F350. Those vehicles also don't have a lot of Software and with the weight and the size most modern SUVs with sleeping drivers will simply be consumed.

[michaelmrose]

Modern cars crumple so that they absorb more of the energy of the collision sacrificing the car's body for your body. Massive vehicles of the antique era had a horrific safety record. People in fact used to believe that collisions at highway speed were unsurvivable by nature. People who imagine that having the heavier more rigid car renders them safer because their car will just go through the other car leaving them safe misunderstand physics and safety.

In the context of current cars classic volves are pretty garbage too. Here is a 90s volvo being absolutely smeared by a renault 10-20 years newer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7_H_aZtLl8

See also unsafe at any speed.

[Laarlf]

A few months ago i had an accident in a "90s Volvo". A Volvo 850 to be exact. A Toyota Aygo got into my lane on a country road. A car that is 15 years newer in design and is also considerably lighter than the Volvo. It was basically a head on impact at about 70-80 km/h(where 100 is allowed, i braked quite a bit). While i didn't walk away because of the shock, i could. I had no injuries apart from scuff marks and my right leg hurt slightly but the doctors didn't find anything and the pain went away hours after the incident. The Toyota driver was not that well off. Quite a few broken bones and he was totally trapped in the car. After that incident, i surely know what car to purchase. And i did.

I think that video is about the 940 vs the modus from fifth gear. I won't watch the 15 minute video to find a few seconds of crash test buried somewhere. If that is the crash test from Fifth gear: that Volvo 940 had the engine removed. Usually cars who have crashes have engines.

Unsafe at any speed. By Ralph Nader. A guy who wrote a book about the safety of cars while not having a drivers license. The discussion the book started was good, the book itself was not. You cannot really complain about safety features being an option instead of included by default if you don't pick them. And yes, rear wheel drive requires some driving skills to master. If you don't want to learn, get a chauffeur or a car more fit to your skills.