In addition to the above, I also look at two other things:
1) The shape and size of the button - if the shape is wrong, I won't reach for the pipe.
2) Balance (assuming your in a B&M) - I tend to clench, so I'll hold the button pinched between my thumb and forefinger, gives me a pretty good idea how it will hang.
However, while many people hate the Durangos with 4.7 V8 Hemis, it's mainly because they fail if you don't take care of them. They have a tendency to burn up if you're not anal retentive about maintenance and making sure to get the car serviced whenever something "feels wrong." It's the same with the '97 Dodge Ram vans. I own all three and while I can beat the shit out of my daily driver, the other ones need love and care. All of them you could roll down a hill, yank out the dead bodies, and drive it off.
Hey, thanks for reminding me, I need to pick up gear oil for my Dakota before I take off this weekend.
Consider basket pipes the equivalent of Chevy Cavaliers, Hyundais, and Kias. You'll get about 50k miles out of it where it's fine, but after that it's going to be more expensive to fix than it's worth. They're disposable cars and God forbid you have an accident in one.
My wifes first car was a Chevy Cavalier, she retired it to a third owner with 750,000km on it (the third owner is still driving it, odo reads in the 900's now). My brother-in-law races a Hyundai Pony (dirt rally). Kia builds military vehicles for many of the worlds armed forces, and although the first cars to hit N.A. were crap (I had a Rio, I know all about 'em), maintenance wasn't the issue, but rather a huge lack of power...something I find with most vehicles that don't sport a large V6, at a minimum. In the 250,000km I put on the Rio over three years, I never had to do anything above and beyond the usual preventative maintencence. Guess what I am saying is that even the "low end of the spectrum" doesn't always mean crap...and just like the aforementioned cars, low end and basket pipes can serve you well, they just require love. Of course, I also wouldn't buy a basket-pipe, nor a Hyundai, over the internet based on pictures - I would go over it with a fine-toothed comb, ensuring I am getting something workable.
As for the accidents, the cars that scare me the most are the Smart Car, if you were rear-ended by a rig, your head would become a permanent fixture of the grill.
Well, that and idiot kids in overpowered race-cars, when they don't have the skill to handle a Geo Metro...