I guess now is where we all trot out our horror stories, and play right into the hands of folks like WDOT, etc. Apologies in advance for the mini-rant, but this is a pet peeve topic!
Do I get to name the people I know killed in Jeep CJ's? I personally know three KIA's, and more with very bad injuries, all separate incidents.
Want a scary photo, look at side collisions on Mazda Miata's. How bout the side collision of pre-tacoma Toyo pickups? Just as bad.
I've been in a trooper when it got on two wheels at speed swerving to avoid an accident, was almost at tipping point at 55 Mph. Late 80's vehicle.
Or the legion of vehicles on the road still with single master brake cylinders? I've completely lost brakes in both a '69 landcruiser and a similar vintage scout due to that. Never would happen in pinz.
Think ladder frames are safer? Not with what we know of now, in many vehicles it does protect from cab collapse, but increases shock/other effects, you are just as dead. And in some cases less survivable than having unibody collapse & crush legs, etc.
Point being: We do have vintage vehicles, with some pro's & con's on the road. Relative to contemporaries, pinz is about average to above average, with a head up on many. I'd sure rather be in the pinz in traffic than a midget. Or even MGB! But do we see calls that the other vintage vehicles are death traps?
Statistically, the pinz does not even register on insurance safety measures. Just not enough around. Yes we know of some bad accidents.
I don't want to jinx us, but overall, the pinz's have been pretty safe compared to other 4wd's.
And "Grey market" is mentioned with such horror!!!! Let's see, many, many gray market vehicles are in the US & on the road entirely legally.
That includes properly imported pinzgauers. There was no restriction or requirement to federalize. It's immaterial unless your state requires it. Yep, it's tightened up, but no justification to condemn legal vehicles.
It's the Big name dealers that made grey-market a dirty word, along with Kubota, as they wanted to close non-mfg approved imports. But for decades that's exactly how most common brands made it to the US. Many Euro imports and even the first Japaneese imports started as non-mfg approved/sanctioned imports. *The* big names all started that way, VW, Toyopet, Datsun, etc. Hundreds of thousands of grey market vehicles on the road entirely legally. and in later years, most were federalized.
It was not until the Marine Hummer release that the insurance companies waded in. They were not federalized, and were new enough that was an issue. Regarding older grey market vehicles their only legit point is that it's hard to establish valuation on repair/replacement. Which is why it's far easier to get liability than collision on pinz's.
Regarding emissions, if you want to be green, go EFI. I'll put properly tuned EFI on a pinz up against any carb vehicle, and most pre-obd EFI.
Rant over, I feel much better!
But I really thing it's a bad idea to give the people like WDOT ammo to ban vehicles like pinzgauers with well intentioned, but misleading statements about safety.
OK, time for a topic change, something less contentious: Can I put a cummins & dana 60's in a pinz? Sure would be cool!
Have fun,
Alan
