Crash Test Your Car!

Ever wanted to see what your car would look like if a dummy drove it into a wall (a dummy other than the cousin who borrowed your car for a joyride)? Admit it, you think about it when you get a lousy trade-in price. Thankfully, there’s the Consumer Reports Crash Test videos, where you can see how your car will hold up against things like short concrete walls and other typical objects found along a highway.

The Consumer Reports blog announced crash results today on several new convertibles. It’s always nice to see cars you can’t afford damaged so badly that no one else can have them either.

The sturdiest of the newbies turned out to be the Volvo C70 and the Saab 9-3. You can check out the Institute for Highway Safety’s results and watch the always-enjoyable horrific crash videos for 150-plus cars on the Consumer Reports website.

Since I don’t own a car, I randomly selected the Honda Civic, model year 2001-2005, just as an example. The video ends with a young guy superimposed over the image of the wreckage. “Hi,” he says with a barely concealed smile, “I’m Jeff from Consumer Reports. Now, let’s look at that again in slow motion.” Thank you, Jeff, thank you.

By the way, if you own a 1997 Nissan Pathfinder, you might want to skip this. Ouch. —BRIAN FAIRBANKS

Read more on the Consumer Reports blog.

(Photo: Getty)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.