Suby is dead, what next?

Yesterday, I was the front of a 3-car crash train on a local 4-lane. Can you imagine, we were stopped due to congestion on the last day of shopping before Xmas? Can you hear the sarcasm?

Anyway, some butthole in a Monte Carlo circa 2005 barrels into a new Grand Cherokee who punched me. The Cherokee and I were stopped, unknown how fast the cue-ball was going. I heard the screach, dropped my hands from the wheel, put my head on the headrest, and tried to relax. It worked, I feel ok, just a slight stiff neck yesterday, feel ok today. Drove the Suby home, destroyed the rear of the car, just about zero damage to the bumper, but the rear hatch/lights/glass are toast.

So what next? new car is OUT, no collision on mine, and I am 100% sure it will be totaled as it is a 1998.

I like a 4wd wagon, no SUV, and love Suby and VW/Audi products. Looking for a low-medium mileage A4, Passat, or another Suby. MUST be less than 10K, NO new cars for me. BMW, Volvo, and Mercedes no thanks either.

If anybody knows of a good candidate, send it my way, thanks.

damn, Danny. At least it doesn't sound as hard on you as the go cart
crash at Carlisle! I Hope you aren't too sore during the Christmas holidays.

Here you go:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2000-Jaguar-S-Type-Drag-Road-Race-Show-Gumball-3000-/250746624246?pt=Race_Cars_Not_Street_Legal_&hash=item3a61a9d8f6

Time to put that "Dr. Evil" thing to work for you . . .

My son's '96 Suby was hit while parked in front of house couple years ago - sound like similiar damage. I found several on craigslist around the same year with bad motors for around $200. Wife nixed idea since already had one unfinished "kit" car project. The Penske rental moving truck's insurance paid off $4500 plus let me keep the hulk and a clean title (which I thought strange).

Might be worth getting your neck looked at - on the other insurance companies dime - as a precaution.

Danny....

First, glad you are ok and secondly even though you donlt have collision coverage, who ever ran in the back of you is responsible for the collision damages on your vehicle, if totaled never accept the insurance company's first offer as in most cases, they'll low ball the first offer in hopes that you'll accept it. Rememeber anything like a recent set of new tires of major repairs is stacked above the total offer. In most cases the insurance companie takes ownership of a totaled vehicle but you might get lucky and just might end up with the totaled car and be able to part it out for add'l cash. ~Alan

Danny - glad to hear you're OK! Hopefully it won't exacerbate your previous neck injury (Carlisle). That's F'd-up about that idiot causing that crash, but we all know there will NEVER be a shortage of idiot drivers on the road.

That would be cool if you could find an Audi A3 Quatro wagon. That would be more suitable to your driving preferences (as in handling like the Spyder). Stay well, Be safe!

That about blows...glad you're ok! We have a 98 too. Over 200k so far. RIP white Suby.

~WB

sorry for your loss. Def check the cueball's insurance--he's a pay.

Merry F'n Christmas, huh? Sorry to hear that but am glad you're ok. I'll miss seeing the white tow vehicle at Carlisle.

Sorry for your loss, beware of sore neck and soft tissue damage that may show up in a few days.

but - - - Daniel now owns a donor car. The opportunities are many. Plan the project and work the plan.

Danny, that sucks big time. I hope you are OK and have good hunting finding a replacement for your tow vehicle. For sure get your injury checked out. Neck injuries are nothing to fool with. Be well my friend.
Hoss

Well, if you are OK, think of the possibilities.....Suby drive train, engine, HMMMMM .....Add a turbo, some other options .....Hmmmm !!!! Glad you and yours are not injured....

Danny, I'm glad you're okay.
If you're looking at VWs and Audis, you shouldn't rule out the Golf. It's bigger than it looks, and you can have your pick of the 2006 and prior bodystyle (like mine) for about half of your budget. Provided the gearbox is an automatic, there's nothing for the PO to have dorked up, and it ought to be uber-reliable for a long, long time. Other than brakes and a water pump, mine is going strong at 70K+ miles.
I agree on the sift-tissue neck checkup, too. Good thinking on the leaning back into the headrest and dropping your arms off the wheel -- must have been that track experience at the go-kart joint taught you that, eh?

Thanks for all the replies, I feel pretty good today.

Thanks Alan about the lowball offer, accident causer's insurance WILL pay. I did put a bunch of parts on her recently. Good condition on Kelly Blue Book is about 3K. Trade-in is much less but I will hold out for as much as possible.

Thanks Cory, but the only Golf I want is an R32! I absolutely LOVE AWD and after all the cars I have owned will always have it for where I live. A blown-motor Suby is a good idea, but it must be same year and trans. I have seen lots of trouble from mismatches of engine/harness/trans/computer.

I am borrowing my sister's Passat 4Motion for the next week or so to get me to the new year. Nice car, 1.8 turbo, 95K on it and feels showroom new. She has had very little trouble with it, only a fouled plug/misfiring coil once, which I fixed. Cleaned the plugs, coil connections, reset the computer, never a problem again!

I may have to go back to German, way more solid feel than the Suby.

Tell the insurance company that's responsible for the collision damage to your car that they owe you a rental car, at their expense.

You could probably find an R32 pretty easily, too. And VW is bringing the R back to the US for 2011. Limited numbers, and way more than what you wanted to spend, but if you have to have a car payment ... :)

Thanks Larry, will do, MONDAY! The timing with the holiday kinda sucks don't it? Insurance companies were all contacted late Thursday afternoon, basically closed down until the 27th.

Tough luck, Danny. Glad you're okay. Nothing pisses you off more than getting whacked by some idiot that isn't paying attention. I was hit something similar a couple of years ago - stopped in the center lane in Norma's car to make a left turn and a young girl drove right into the back of me. It took a long time to get our car fixed and her insurance company paid alot for the rental car.

Good luck finding a replacement. Maybe Gordon will be interested in your Suby engine for his Speedster build.

Good thought, Bruce, although I think Gordon and Chris want a turbo.

Man, Danny, what is it with people wanting to whack you all the time? I'd say what's next is start looking for connections to the ex. Drive in reverse so you can see them coming. And go see the neck doctor like everyone says for sure.

http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab294/hooptypilot/37637c19.jpg

I don't know how Troy and Gordon create the direct Photobucket links that look like their photos are part of their posts.
I had the same problem Danny and Lane have described. It took forever to attempt an upload, and ultimately stopped responding.
There has got to be a smarter way to do this.

Nonetheless, that's a link to Danny's wrecked Subaru.

Does it say "HIT ME" on the back of my head? Can't see back there at all......somebody tell me please!

It's that "Magnetic" personality of yours Danny...... Just my .02 8>)

It's sad that what looks like a busted rear hatch is enough to total an otherwise sound car. Are you sure you couldn't repair it?

Usually with a rear hit, you are dealing with additional damages to include quarters jambs, hinge placement, latches, "floor" variations and possible roof damages. A 10 y/o vehicle can easily wind up being totaled based on labor costs alone. ~Alan

Hey Danny, Glad to hear your ok. If they do total it save that engine. Assumingit

Now the cats out of the bag!

Very nice. I shall attempt this at some random point in the future. :)

attempt THIS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF9Koljd0RA&feature=related

Cory.
Obviously, you will also need to enter your SOC name (paininthebug) where it has mine.

Yup, youse got crunched, even tho you were second in line. Sorry to her about this, tough luck. Better the Suby than the Spyder, I dare say. Good luck finding a new ride, as that can be a real pissa. If you still have the neck brace from Carlisle, make an appointment w/ the at-fault insurance adjuster, wear the brace, and make him a deal he can't refuse. I'm just sayin' . . .

Hate to be a hater, Danny, but an under 10K Audi can be pretty dicey for reliability. Look up reviews on them, you'll probably want to stay away. I love Audi's myself, but my opinion of them is permanently skewed after I had to push a friend's Audi 5000 when it was only two years old. I had to push it when it was more than 100 degrees outside and I was wearing high heels. I was REALLY pis$ed and I've never gotten over that.

As Larry advised, you are owed a rental car. Now. Next they are going to try and screw you for the value of the subie. As you did not have full coverage, you have zero choice but to fight with the other guy's insurance. Do not let them tow your car away until a satisfactory settlement offer is reached. If the car was towed and is in the wrecker's lot - that's actually not really a bad thing. The other insurance company is liable for the storage costs which helps you somewhat to negotiate as each day it sits there, it costs them money. They will try to move it to a location where they do not pay storage (their own lot or an auction lot). If they succeed, then you are in for a very long negotiation. They'll move it, then take away your rental car after about ten days to two weeks, and wait for you to fold like a cheap suit.

The insurance company will tow the car twice for free. Once from the scene of the accident and a second time to another location (repair, salvage yard, auction, etc). If to keep the negotiation in your court you must move the car, then pay the tow yourself. If you have a friend in the auto business who won't charge you storage but is willing to charge THEM storage - have at it. This keeps you in the power position.

Have immediate proof of the value of your car. Use all sources for local cars equipped exactly like yours to prove the value. The insurance company will low-ball and use lesser equipped cars as "comparables" if they can. They must provide apples to apples comparisons, not apples to prunes. This is particularly true in the NE during the winter when AWD subies are at a premium. Look for the value NOW when they are seasonally highest, NOT in the summer when two-wheel drive convertibles are at their value peek.

Understand clearly, Danny, that the insurance company is banking on you needing to settle immediately. It's winter, and you're a dad. They might have you but the scruff of the neck if you can't come up with a daily driver in a hurry. If you are able to dig your heels in and make do with something else as a driver, you will be in a much stronger negotiating position. People in a hurry get bottom dollar and they know it...

angela

I can see Danny driving the Spyder when wind is whipping snow drifts and its nada degrees out! When son's was wrecked it sat in my drive - I did a spread sheet of recently installed parts - battery, new tires, brakes, timing belt, etc. I left it on the whindshield. I was not home when inspector came but was very pleased with their total evaluation (near 3x what I had paid for it 3 months earlier and like I said I got to keep it!) I see same year as your in DC from $1.8-5k.

I do have a rental car on the "accident causer", insured by Nationwide. They admitted fault as of Wednesday, appraiser looked at my car Thursday, and I got a rental car on them immediately. It would have happened quicker without the holidays and the snowstorm we got. Nationwide people are in Long Island, they got hammered with the snow. I am supposed to get an offer on Tuesday, and I do know of some comparables in my area. I found two same color /trans/ mileage range so it should be easy. Famous last words. I have listened to Alan's advice and am ready to negotiate, upwards for my compensation that is! I think I can get 5K out of them or close to it. Not a lot of car available for that amount, so I will probably have to borrow a bit. And on to the next.....

Angela, I had a 5000 CS Quattro. It left me on the side of the road only once, fuel pump, at about 130,000 miles. That thing was a tank. I changed the pump on the side of the road, then drove home! Access panel in trunk, excellent design IMHO.

Suby is locked in my garage, they can't have it yet! And the Ford Focus rental is not a bad car, except for the slushbox. Good power, road feel, seats, radio. Not bad at all, just a commentary on how American cars have improved.

When my Mercedes E320 was rear ended and totalled at the end of 2009, my insurance company used a service that provided a 3rd party report of the value of my car. It was several pages long and contained comparables of recent sales received from the DMV and other sources. It was very well done and fair. The only thing I was able to get them to do was add a few hundred more for some options I had. I ended up with more than I ever thought I was going to get for it.
Troy

You had a much better experience than I did Troy. It sounds like yours was done fairly and professionally. Here's what happened to me with the last car that was totalled...

WE had a 93 Mazda MX6. I was driving down a city street with right of way. To my right, a gal in a Honda stopped at her stop sign, then pulled straight across both lanes of traffic. I piled on the brakes but there was no way to stop in time. My choices where hit her in the driver's door, hit the passenger door when I could see a child's head just above the sill or pull hard left and hit the driver's fender. Driver's fender got plowed - no regrets, all three of us walked away, most importantly the child.

The airbag deployed on the mazda. Front bumper skin, bumper support, both headlamps, both fog lamps, minor damage to the core support, and a hood. Some quick mental arithmetic of the parts cost added up to totalled. Crap. I let them tow it (bit mistake - the car was driveable).

A few days went by, the insurance company contacted me and said the car was totalled but they did not have a $$ figure for settlement yet. The next morning, I went to the tow-yard to clear my belongings from the car. The good news is that the belongings were waiting for me in a plastic bag. The bad news is that the car had been sent to an auction yard in Eugene (three hours away). Withoyut my knowledge, my permission or a settlement offer. I called the insurance company and they gave me a huge low ball figure of $700 for the car. They said they had it towed to the yard so that they would not have to pay storage. I reminded them they wouldn't have paid storage at my house either... Then they provided their "justification" of comparible vehicles. I demanded the list for research. It turned out NONE of the vehicles on the list were the V6 LS model, all were the four cylinder base models. Further, the list did not include all the cars currently listed for sale, it only included the lower value ones. Additionally, when I ran carfax on each of them, I found 3 of the 11 were salvage title vehicles. I got the appraisal for my car. They described the body as "rough" when it was perfectly straight. They said the windshield was "severely pitted" when it had been replaced by MY insurance company just two weeks before the accident.

It took seven months and a series of very hostile conversations with the company and the state insurance board to arrive at a settlement. They towed my car three hours back to me at their cost, and gave me $1,700 for the car (which was fair - needed paint). I spent $500 to one, by one, pick up the parts to repair the car. We fixed it, repainted the whole thing, drove it another year and then sold it for $3,500 which was fair value for the car with good paint.

You may ask yourself why the hell would anyone fight for seven months for $1,000? Sometimes, my friends, it is the principle of the matter. This was an unethical and borderline illegal transaction. I will not stand for such behavior.

angela

My congratulations to you Angella. We all need more folks to just stand up for whats right. The insurance company badly underestimated your vehicular knowledge and your tenacity.

I had a similar experience in the 80s and stood my ground for six months before settling on a "totaled" vehicle - which I drove to my house after the acident! I also finally got my car fixed for only the insurance money, and then continued to drive it for ten more years.

You go girl!!

Years ago I t-boned another car in my 86 MR-2. The other car pulled out from a side street without looking and I couldn't avoid hitting her. She was cited for "Invading the right of way" by the police. Estimates of repair came to around $1500. The "other" insurance company's rep agreed with my estimates but wanted to deduct 25% for my "partial blame" for the accident. When I refused to sign the release stating that their client was cited by the police, her response was "Sorry but the police aren't legal experts". I replied "Then I'll get a legal expert". I was given the name of an attorney in Boca Raton (In the ritzy part of town) who in turn refereed me to doctor. To make a long story short, I received a $8,000 check, a Paid Invoice from the doctor for $20,000 worth of treatment and physical therapy, and a totally repaired MR-2. I have no idea what the lawyer got but I got a very nice Christmas card from him. Oh I just remembered, my own insurance company returned my deductible since they initially paid to have the MR-2 repaired.

It's late in this thread, and I can't compete w/ any of these hair raising bad-news stories about accidents, T-bones and unethical insurance companies, as I have not had any of those experiences -- not yet at any rate, and not ever, I hope. But I have owned a couple of Audi coupes, the mid 80's 5000 and another, earlier version. When running, these were each pretty nice sedans: comfy, quiet, nice looking, good paint, peppy in reasonable proportion. But what pieces of shit they were, in fact. The first just left me in the middle of a South Capital street intersection when the tranmission just refused to go. Best I could do there was find a new/old tranny at a junk yard, get it put in, and trade the sucker. Best trade deal I found was at an Audi dealer on another one. I should have learned, and I guess they guy saw me coming. Just inherited another set of headaches: rotted out heater core and anti freeze in the rugs, and the need for a new rack and pinion. Also inoperable power door switches, and a few other things I do not recall. Certified repairs were beyond budget by a wide margin. Replacement parts likelwise may have been made from gold. So I used stop leak on the cooling system and ignored the power steering problem (kept pouring in fluid) and sold it. Learned two things from this: will never, ever have another Audi of any kind no matter what, and I started that day not buying used cars.