Message text written by "David Moag"
>sorry to hear about that --- at least you know a good place to get it fixed.<
Thanks for the condolences.
Yeah, It is quite fixable, but how long? Well, I have it insured pretty
well. Can replace it with effort for that cost. In retrospect I should have
insured it for more so that replacement cost is less of an issue. I based
the insurance on my actual costs involved.... (seemed only reasonable
at the time) I'd hate to have one lost to posterity by being too expensive to
fix.
Everybody check your agreed value and make SURE it represents ALL
the costs involved in buying another one out of Hemmings. I think mine is
in the ballpark.
As it is, my accident ought to be covered by the other persons insurance,
but who knows what shenanigans they will try to pull. I hope my agent
will go to bat for me.
I have Parish, and I will let the list know how it works out. Their
premium is a little higher than others, and they are really nice on the
phone. So I hope that it translates into better service now.
Now we will see: "where's the BEEF"!
re car: We will see too. Frame is probably tweaked. Right front fender is
trash. The
hood is in bad shape there as well. The inner fender is bent but straightenable
I think, The radiator leaked quickly so it is trash.
I was REALLY happy the PO had installed a master power cut-off switch. All the
white smoke (steam) shooting out made me think something electrical had shorted.
So, I flipped that off instantly.
My front end has the impression of a Camry fender on it.
I will get some REALLY sticky autocross tires when the car is back on the road
so I can stop 10 feet quicker. Thats all I needed
Needless to say, I am very disappointed about the incident.
However, I had my 2 kids (age 4 & 7) in the car (yes, a rear set of seatbelts
added by yours truely), and they all worked and everybody is FINE. It was
a good day afterall!
My 7 year old said immediately after the crash: "Daddy we had an ACCIDENT!"
As I sat there trying to wake up from a bad dream, I said "no kidding".
Its funny the way the body-on-frame crumples differently from unibody.
It seemed that my car transmitted less force to the occupants. Probably
by the sheetmetal bending farther. The sheetmetal looks pretty bad,
but the impact is pretty soft. I might have bent the steering wheel bracing
with my arms. Front end is definetely the way to go in these cars for the
occupants:
lots of stuff up front to absorb energy. I hate the thought of getting
hit on the side.
In unibody cars there is less cosmetic damage, but huge sections are tweaked
and are impossible to make perfect again. With a frame straightening and
some finesse, my car will be perfectly(?) straight again. ...........Right?
-Tony
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