Car crash simulation

I want to ask you How can I make simulation of car crash ?

On the internet I found http://www.gamedev.net/reference/articles/article1459.asp . I think about using finite-element-method, but now I think it is too difficult for 开发者_运维技巧me :/ Do you know any good, not too accurate and not very hard-to-learn methods to simulate collision of two bodies ( two cubic cars ) with deforming?

My first idea was to made these cars with some number of rigid bodies, and connect them, but I don't know if it is good idea :/

Try reading this paper for starters. This and the references therein should point you in the right direction, more or less.