Well...I believe my FD is now, or soon will be, in rotary heaven. I purchased my stock 93 Touring with 12500 miles on it last November. Beautiful car in pristine condition and paid a pretty penny for it. I was just getting use to all of its handling characteristics, speed and just the pleasure of driving it despite the maintennce costs when an accident occured this morning.

First, I should be happy that my 83 year old father and I are alive...and except from some facial cuts and bruises when my airbag deployed - we are both fine. I live in the Chicagoland area and had promised my dad that I would take him to Peoria to visit his older brother. We're on the Dan Ryan Expressway(I 90/94) leaving the local lanes to enter the express. I'm doing about 60 and all is well when suddenly a black Mustang cuts across 3 lanes of local traffic to enter the express ahead of me. His car is almost perpendicular to mine when he does this and it looks like I am going to broadside him on his drivers side. I move to the next lane to my left and he moves into that lane also. I move slightly on to the shoulder and hit some gravel. The left back end gets loose and I tap a concrete barrier to my left. This puts the car into a spin and now I am spinning into the express lanes. I'm not sure how many times I spun or what I did, if anything. Eventually I spun into another concrete retainer on my right bounced, hit it again and the car stopped on the right shoulder with its nose still in one of the express lanes. During all of this I was just waiting for someone else to hit us. Fortunately it didn't happen. I unbuckled my dad got out and ran to the otherside to get him out of the car. Some cars swerved to miss mine and someone called the State Police because by the time I got my cell phone out and called they said it was already reported.

I'll be fine, but a preliminary report from my insurance adjuster suggests that they will probably total the car. They haven't seen it yet, but the body damage is pretty extensive. I'll have to wait to early next week to learn my fate. I'll probably take a hefty financial hit on this given what the "book value" of the car is. I'm a few years from retirement and the FD was a present to myself while I still had a good income. Oh well - the best laid plans.......

 

A lot of rx7's wrecking lately, brings a tear to my eye.

Sorry to hear about the crash man. But look at the bright side, your father and you still have your health and are safe. Cars are material items and can be replaced, as the love and life of a father cannot. I hope you get back on the road soon, best of luck.

 

If you just bought it, can't you be refunded per the bill of sale?

Don't settle for book value here. Low mileage Rx-7s are much more expensive than blue book in most parts of the country. Insurance usually reimburses for 'fair market value', and I would fight very hard to get exactly that. If you search this forum on the topic you'll find some very good past advice on doing so.

Did anyone get information about the Mustang? I sure hope that kind of idiot will face reckless endangerment or something equally just.

Dave

 

im glad u are both ok. i had the same situation yesterday. the difference ius that im only 18 and thast is bad ...im gonna be discrimunated against

 

You can always get another one. Good to hear you and the father are ok.

 

just be aware that you DO NOT have to accept the insurance company's figure. in new york, there are guidelines that insurance companies will tell you that they have to adhear to, but that is crap. the guidelines are set up by the state to be the MINIMUM that the insurance company must pay. there is no set formula, and you can supply all types of proof of value to get what the car is worth. i have been through this twice recently, for myself and a family member, so if pa. is the same, let me know and i can direct you to some of the resources i used. at least you're both alive and well.
andy

 

Sorry to hear about your accident. It's always a shame to lose another FD. It's good to hear that you and your father are okay. Do you think you will buy another one?

 

I don't know. It hasn't been 24 hours yet and besides being depressed about the accident, physically I'm still a bit shaken up. Nothing serious, but my eye socket aches and my neck and shoulder are sore.

First though, I am not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination so what made my car so appealing was that the miles were so low and it was in such good shape...hence the price I paid for it. I read this forum daily and can appreciate those of you who have the skills and knowledge to work on your cars and keep them going. At this point in my life, having spent almost 30 years in academia, I don't think getting another FD which would probably require some work that I don't have the expertise for would be a good idea. True, I took auto shop in high school some decades ago and mastered the rebuilding of a carberator - somehow I don't think that would help me now.

Then there is the probable financial hurdle. I finaciaced my FD and have a number of payments to go. If the insurance does not come close to a "fair market value" for it I will be without a car and still paying for it. This was the risk I took when I purchased the car knowing that if it were totaled I would take a loss. Before this morning after 35 years of driving I had had only one accident. That was in my first car a 67 Corvair and it was a fender bender. I had a Merkur XR4ti and a Talon AWD that only had door dings on them. Today my luck changed. I'm also part of that sandwich generation where you are helping your kids on one end and your parents on the other.

Life just throws you some curves - or silly Mustangs sometimes and you get hit with the pitch. Instead of a homerun you get to walk to first base. Much better than striking out completely. I want to thank all of you for your expressions of concern and wishing me luck.

 

Sorry to hear about that. I am glad you guys are okay though.

As far as the insurance bit I was well compensated when my 86 jag was totalled a couple of years ago on the Kennedy.

So all the best

 

Sorry to hear about it. I hate idiot drivers like the totally oblivious Mustang. I hope you can get some compensation to cover the car, and the medical bills. Good luck, and good health.

 

Don't blame it on the ride, 911GT2. It's the loose nut behind the wheel, not the operating machinery. Don't blame the gun, blame the person pulling the trigger.

Sorry to hear Cecil,

 

find the guy who drives the Mustang, break his legs, then pour some keresone on his car, drag him outside duct tape his *** to a chair, light the car one fire, and watch him suffer, ....errr , got carried away. Sorry to hear that dude, its good you and your dad are ok. Hope all works out

 

It's good you both got away unharmed. Dirty shame about the FD. Grrr! And you wonder why we have a grudge against some mustang drivers.