Another Fender Bender

[Dangermouse]

Thought it was texsix's car at first, but looks to be another one in Cali

23392

anyone on here?

[WelmoedJ]

My friend Tom's car.
A truck driver passed him at the right hand side, looking at the car.

While looking he steered to the left and pushed Tom's car right in front of an oncoming Toyota.
The result is in the photo.
His happy Thanksgiving :(

[Dangermouse]

Hope Tom was OK

[DrJeff]

My friend Tom's car.
A truck driver passed him at the right hand side, looking at the car.

While looking he steered to the left and pushed Tom's car right in front of an oncoming Toyota.
The result is in the photo.
His happy Thanksgiving :(

I had something similar last Saturday... Without the crash. Truck beside me, speeds up, slows down, hangs behind me for several minutes and then comes up beside me for a moment... While beside me he starts drifting into my lane until he's 50% in and I'm steering onto the hard shoulder to avoid him. I honk and then he straightens up and speeds off. Thankfully it was a large wide road.

The Delorean takes defensive driving to the next level.

[Notifier]

The Delorean takes defensive driving to the next level.

Exactly. I am so much more aware of the people besides me when I'm driving the DeLorean. If someone is passing me or I'm passing them, I keep an eye on them. And watch that distance in case they start drifting my way. If they hang out next to me or in my blind spot too long I slow down considerably or speed up to get them out of there. Never let anyone pace besides you!

[Michael]

Exactly. I am so much more aware of the people besides me when I'm driving the DeLorean. If someone is passing me or I'm passing them, I keep an eye on them. And watch that distance in case they start drifting my way. If they hang out next to me or in my blind spot too long I slow down considerably or speed up to get them out of there. Never let anyone pace besides you!

If I see someone speeding, bunny hopping lanes, and basically being an ass to catch up to me, I pick up the pace and right about the time they get to my 7 o'clock I hit the brakes. One guy actually tried to out brake me, but he had someone behind him and almost caused an accident. I have even went as far as just pulling over and letting the rubberneckers go on. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be an ass, I have no problem with people wanting to look, but when you risk an accident just for a damn Facebook picture "look what I saw today..like it!", then I do whatever I can to discourage it. I can guarantee if these types run you off the road or cause an accident, they will run, so I just remove the temptation by slowing down or pulling over.

I guess the question here is, did the trucker stop?

[MML]

I had something similar last Saturday... Without the crash. Truck beside me, speeds up, slows down, hangs behind me for several minutes and then comes up beside me for a moment... While beside me he starts drifting into my lane until he's 50% in and I'm steering onto the hard shoulder to avoid him. I honk and then he straightens up and speeds off. Thankfully it was a large wide road.

The Delorean takes defensive driving to the next level.

That's exactly the kind of crap I hate. I had someone drive alongside me once, in the wrong lane, just to take pictures. Then they decided to swerve in front of me without warning. A passenger once commented on how paranoid I was driving the D, well it's no fecking wonder!!!

[DL4567]

23392


A truck driver passed him at the right hand side, looking at the car. While looking he steered to the left and pushed Tom's car right in front of an oncoming Toyota.

Wow, AWESOME. So the truck driver was like, "hey I'm gonna check out your cool car, AND PUSH IT INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC!"

I'd go apeshit.... probably push that truck driver into some oncoming death. :evil3:

....but no seriously, I hope Tom's ok.

[TEXSIX]

Let's hope it's not a trend. It sure is a crappy way to end a year. Hope that one can be fixed and back on the road. Good luck to everyone else.

[Kane]

I hope insurance will cover that LFF. That wouldn't be fun to pay out of pocket.

[WelmoedJ]

Tom was able to get out of the car in one piece.
The picture shows him behind his car.

No info on the truck driver's furtehr actions (stopping, exchange insurance info etc).

From the stories it seems the other drivers over at your end behave less well than over here?
Anyway I haven't yet been in a situation where other drivers endanger my car's space while on the road.

I have seen others needing a full emergency stop being to much fixated to the D and forget about other traffic.

[JohnZ]

Watching that picture makes me feel sad, I'm sorry for Tom, I hope that when I will be able to ride in my car everybody will be more careful on the roads...

:( :(

[TTait]

My wife and I are 99% fine - a little neck stiffness - but that's to be expected.

As Welmoed stated, a guy came over into us and sent us into a 100k Nissan GRT - I was able to miss hitting it head on but went into his door pretty hard, then back into the douche in the truck.

The police report came the other day - 100% his fault - despite his antics at the scene and claims that he has no idea why I hit him - the guy never took physics I guess. He had been drinking, but the police chose not to get a BAL? They let him drive off - his truck was mostly fine.

The car went down to Danny today on a flatbed - Damages should not exceed the value of the car, but Danny tells me some companies don't want the risk of escalating repair costs and a different carrier totaled one with just $14k in damages a few months back. I have to fight the value battle now. Hoping to convince them not to total it. I'm guessing $21-$25k in damages. Every time I looked at it I found more wrong. Turns out my drivers wheel now has Nissan GTR colored accents and slices in the sidewall. It also needs a full right side, front end, fiberglass repair, LFF, maybe drivers door, hood, windshield, front wheel, tire, frame and suspension repairs - a lot. Fortunately the seatbelts were good. Actually - the car was pretty close to "done". It still had the original steering wheel which was not perfect, but every other part of the car had been replaced or upgraded. 8 years of work. It sucks.

Anyone here want to offer an opinion as to how much more a D might be worth if it was owned for 12 years by Universal Studios Hollywood? I'm trying to get the insurance company to consider that when valuing the car - not because I want a bigger check, but because I don't want it totaled.

[rdarlington]

Anyone here want to offer an opinion as to how much more a D might be worth if it was owned for 12 years by Universal Studios Hollywood? I'm trying to get the insurance company to consider that when valuing the car - not because I want a bigger check, but because I don't want it totaled.

Unless you paid for insuring the car as a collectible with an agreed upon value from outfits like Hagerty, your car is worth whatever a comparable vehicle in your area would be worth.

The going rate for a DeLorean in good shape tends to be around $25k, however my insurance company (State Farm) thinks "average retail" was $28k. Hagerty decided my estimate of $35k for my ride was acceptable so I opted to switch to Hagerty.

Typically if the cost of repair exceeds 50% of the value of the car, the insurance company will decide it's a total loss and cut you a check for what the car is worth. Some give you the option to buy the remains back so you can fix it on your own, part it out, or do whatever else you might like to do with it. This was pretty much what happened to a couple thousand cars a few years ago where I live after a hail storm came through. Turns out it's expensive to bang out dents properly. They had trailers and RVs setup for a couple weeks with people in them writing checks.

In my case, I wanted to make sure I could get a car in as good a shape as the one I have now should something go horribly wrong.

-Bob

[Patrick C]

Glad to hear you are okay, Tom. Sorry to hear about the car, but keep the faith that she'll be better than new once you get her back.

[TTait]

Unless you paid for insuring the car as a collectible with an agreed upon value from outfits like Hagerty, your car is worth whatever a comparable vehicle in your area would be worth.

The going rate for a DeLorean in good shape tends to be around $25k, however my insurance company (State Farm) thinks "average retail" was $28k. Hagerty decided my estimate of $35k for my ride was acceptable so I opted to switch to Hagerty.

Typically if the cost of repair exceeds 50% of the value of the car, the insurance company will decide it's a total loss and cut you a check for what the car is worth. Some give you the option to buy the remains back so you can fix it on your own, part it out, or do whatever else you might like to do with it. This was pretty much what happened to a couple thousand cars a few years ago where I live after a hail storm came through. Turns out it's expensive to bang out dents properly. They had trailers and RVs setup for a couple weeks with people in them writing checks.

In my case, I wanted to make sure I could get a car in as good a shape as the one I have now should something go horribly wrong.

-Bob

Even if its totaled - this is a car I'll keep. I already know what Danny would pay for the hulk, and he does not intend to bid against me for it. It will be back on the road, and the salvage title won't mean that much as I intend to keep the car.

It was technically totaled when I got it, and I have a lot more invested in it now. It has virtually every upgrade imaginable, and every mechanical component on the car has been replaced, including the engine (I have the original on a stand) which is now Stage II, except the brake booster, carbon canister, and wiper motor. I rescued the car once - not going to give up on it now. I have some of the replacement parts already - if it was totaled I could put cash in my pocket and still have it repaired - but I'd like to keep the title clear if I can.

[rdarlington]

It was technically totaled when I got it, and I have a lot more invested in it now.

Oh boy, say it ain't so. Was this on a salvage title? They won't pay you anything for that, because presumably, an insurance company already did -unless you've got an agreed upon value. That would be unusual with a salvage title car.

[TheSmokingMan]

A DeLorean and a GT-R in an accident. I wonder what the odds of that happening is...

[kings1527]

The Delorean takes defensive driving to the next level.

Boy, is that the understatement of the year. I've thought the exact same thing countless times driving my car.


My wife and I are 99% fine - a little neck stiffness - but that's to be expected.

As Welmoed stated, a guy came over into us and sent us into a 100k Nissan GRT - I was able to miss hitting it head on but went into his door pretty hard, then back into the douche in the truck.

The police report came the other day - 100% his fault - despite his antics at the scene and claims that he has no idea why I hit him - the guy never took physics I guess. He had been drinking, but the police chose not to get a BAL? They let him drive off - his truck was mostly fine.

The car went down to Danny today on a flatbed - Damages should not exceed the value of the car, but Danny tells me some companies don't want the risk of escalating repair costs and a different carrier totaled one with just $14k in damages a few months back. I have to fight the value battle now. Hoping to convince them not to total it. I'm guessing $21-$25k in damages. Every time I looked at it I found more wrong. Turns out my drivers wheel now has Nissan GTR colored accents and slices in the sidewall. It also needs a full right side, front end, fiberglass repair, LFF, maybe drivers door, hood, windshield, front wheel, tire, frame and suspension repairs - a lot. Fortunately the seatbelts were good. Actually - the car was pretty close to "done". It still had the original steering wheel which was not perfect, but every other part of the car had been replaced or upgraded. 8 years of work. It sucks.

Anyone here want to offer an opinion as to how much more a D might be worth if it was owned for 12 years by Universal Studios Hollywood? I'm trying to get the insurance company to consider that when valuing the car - not because I want a bigger check, but because I don't want it totaled.

I'm so sorry to hear about this, Tom. I used to work at Universal when your car was sitting at the tram garage outside under a tree for years. Without a doubt, you did a ton of work to it.

[Kenny_Z]

Oh boy, say it ain't so. Was this on a salvage title? They won't pay you anything for that, because presumably, an insurance company already did -unless you've got an agreed upon value. That would be unusual with a salvage title car.

I don't think he means it had a salvage title. I think he means it might as well have since he put so much work into it. Good luck, Tom. I hope you get your car back without the salvage title.

[TTait]

Oh boy, say it ain't so. Was this on a salvage title? They won't pay you anything for that, because presumably, an insurance company already did -unless you've got an agreed upon value. That would be unusual with a salvage title car.

It was totaled in a practical sense - no one but a moron would have restored the car - but I did - the title is clean.

[TTait]

I'm so sorry to hear about this, Tom. I used to work at Universal when your car was sitting at the tram garage outside under a tree for years. Without a doubt, you did a ton of work to it.

I didn't know that, cool - hopefully you never saw it at its worst - in the end the glass was broken out and critters had moved in. There was a jetski sitting on top of it at times.

In the end I filled a 3 gallon shopvac with rat droppings from the engine compartment (the VOD was packed solid). While it sounds gross it wasn't that bad - I borrowed the shopvac from a neighbor...

Tom

[David T]

I don't think he means it had a salvage title. I think he means it might as well have since he put so much work into it. Good luck, Tom. I hope you get your car back without the salvage title.

If the insurance company totals the car and sells it back to you with a salvage title, depending on the State you live in, you may not be able to register the car. Some States allow you to repair it and if it passes an intense inspection you may be able to have a regular title issued but with the salvage title in the history. I would check into the rules before you decide to buy the car back if totaled. Without an "Agreed Value" all you may be entitled to is around $25K and that would be generous. All the adjuster has to do look at some ads and see the asking prices. You can argue that they are not similar condition but it won't change the amount all that much. Typically if the cost to repair is within 10% of the value of the car it gets totaled. They figure there will be additional charges for "hidden" damage and it can easily wipe out the 10%. If you are going to keep the car and you don't care if you do not get enough insurance do NOT let them total it. Work out a deal where you pay the bill and get the insurance company to give you whatever you can without totaling it. In all actuality though monetarily it may make more sense to let them take it and then go buy another. For $25K you should be able to get a nice one. Do not minimize the length of time it will take to resurrect this one. With all of the work required it could be quite some time before it is done. Your car will not be the only one in the shop so they will not be working exclusively on your car. Maybe another way is to go after the truck driver's insurance company for damages too. The accident was all his fault! With his company you might be able to negotiate a better deal. Don't forget, your insurance company will cut you a $25K check LESS THE DEDUCTIBLE! Depending on your policy it can be as much as $2,500. File a "Claim of Record" with your company and get in touch with the truck driver's company and file a claim.

[eagle-co94]

Wow Tom, that really sucks, but most importantly you and your wife walked away with only minor aches. I think that's awesome that you plan to keep it and put it back together again! Let me know if you need anything as far as parts go. I'm far away, but if you need sheet metal, I've got it all.

As for those concerned about "rebuilt" titles, I have a Hurricane Sandy car (non-D) and 2 weeks after getting it someone hit it. The insurance paid me about 50% of what I paid for the car to repair it, knowing it was a rebuilt car. I was told that a rebuilt title is worth 50-70% of a clean titled car. Based on the payout my damages were between 30 and 40% of the book as a rebuilt car and there was no hesitation for them to pay. I took their first offer and ran with it as I had access to a parts car and did all the work myself. I didn't care about the branded title because it's a car we plan to keep for a while and there's no way I'd have owned that model car without the steep discount.

If you're attached to the car you should keep it, especially with a cool history like that. I wonder how many thousands (or millions) of people have pictures of it in their family vacation photo albums.

[DeLorean03]

With all respect to Tom and his wife (glad you're both allright!!), if this is a fender bender......... x_x ....

Such a shame to see two horrible wrecks due to other drivers in about a month's time. Sickening to be honest.

[TTait]

If you're attached to the car you should keep it, especially with a cool history like that. I wonder how many thousands (or millions) of people have pictures of it in their family vacation photo albums.

I don't think the car was ever on display, except perhaps the day of the raffle - but I don't recall it being out even then. It was parked on the back lot for virtually all of its dozen year stay at Universal - and very neglected...

Some good news here and there from the insurance company - but I don't want to jinx anything just yet.

Waiting on the estimate from Danny.

Tom

[David T]

I don't think the car was ever on display, except perhaps the day of the raffle - but I don't recall it being out even then. It was parked on the back lot for virtually all of its dozen year stay at Universal - and very neglected...

Some good news here and there from the insurance company - but I don't want to jinx anything just yet.

Waiting on the estimate from Danny.

Tom

As you can see from this recent thread "Hoping to sell in the spring...VIN 6272, 1981 5spd, 18k miles" you can get a nice one for $25K or less. Granted it may need some work but any car in that price range will need something. This is exactly why you must insure for "Agreed Value" if possible.

[TTait]

I won't be getting a different car, but thanks. I won't have the money to buy a new D, because totaled or not the check is going into fixing this one. How can I explain this?

Anybody here up for putting down their 9 year old dog "Max"to make way for a cute new puppy? Trading their kid for the orphan on the evening news? Dumping their wife for Scarlett Johansson?

Okay, bad example there. Let me put it this way;

This one is mine, and you can have it when you pluck my dried and withered remains from 90 year old shell. Actually, even then - the kids have dibs...

T

PS - Now if anyone wants to make an offer on my wife's D when its done - we can talk.

PPS - Hoping the insurance company is not reading this thread.

[David T]

I won't be getting a different car, but thanks. I won't have the money to buy a new D, because totaled or not the check is going into fixing this one. How can I explain this?

Anybody here up for putting down their 9 year old dog "Max"to make way for a cute new puppy? Trading their kid for the orphan on the evening news? Dumping their wife for Scarlett Johansson?

Okay, bad example there. Let me put it this way;

This one is mine, and you can have it when you pluck my dried and withered remains from 90 year old shell. Actually, even then - the kids have dibs...

T

PS - Now if anyone wants to make an offer on my wife's D when its done - we can talk.

PPS - Hoping the insurance company is not reading this thread.

I can appreciate your wanting to keep this particular car alive. Just as long as you are fully aware of all of the ramifications. You may wind up spending more on the repairs then you will get from the insurance company and more then the car is worth. The car may also be out of service a lot longer than you figure. If you are OK with that then it is up to you what you want to do. Just try to keep the insurance company from totaling it and issuing a Salvage Title. That can cause you a lot of trouble, more than you need. Hopefully,when it is all fixed up, it is in at least the same condition before the accident (or better) after all of this. It does not always turn out that way though.

[TTait]

I'm pretty sure its totalled - Dannys Estimate came back nearly twice what the insurance company thought. It can be re-titled in CA after an inspection - have been through that process before on a chrysler many years ago. Have to look at the $$$ to see what happens next. No way its good news though.

[TTait]

So... Another chapter in this story, but not the end.

In the future if anyone has to battle an insurance company as to value - you have two choices IMO - get the money fast, or get the money you want.

As many suggested - the first offer for my car was typical - it was about what I could have gotten on eBay. It was no where neatr what it would cost to replace the car however.

Yes, the odometer has high mileage (about 90k) - but the original/untouched mechanical components on the car included hard brake lines, the brake booster, and the windshield wiper motor an linkages. Pretty much everything else had been replaced, upgraded and refurbished. Paint, interior and panels were perfect. That's not typical of an eBay car - that's typical of many of the cars here though I'd suspect - where owners have worked to get everything they can in good shape. On top of that it had the upgrades of a Stage II (minus port and polish) and nice upgrades to the suspension.

To get a car where I could toss my wife the keys and let her head to Boston if she wanted to - I'd have to buy the car here, from someone who had put as much work and love in as I did. I don't think many of you would part with your cars for eBay money.

I argued that i wanted the replacement cost of the car - not what they think i could sell it for. I sent in the worklists, receipts, etc, even photos and video of the car being used at a (celebrity) wedding a few weeks before the accident. I got an added value appraisal from Stephen Clark based on its Universal Studios history and sent that along. They agreed there were a lot of upgrades, and offered me a couple grand more. I then challenged them to find a similar car in similar condition. Suffice to say they could not. The comps they found in Auto trader and the internet did not have the full service histories this car had.

I also played both insurance companies simultaneously - in the end it was my insurance co. that came around. I think they were confident that they were going to get back whatever they paid out from the other guys policy - while simultaneously the other guys company was well aware that I had no contract limiting my compensation with them so they were also willing to negotiate in hopes that I'd take their offer quickly rather than having my insurance company bid even higher and leave them with the bill. This is all conjecture of course - neither company admitted as much.

Several owners here helped with comps from when they bought their cars in private sales (thank you guys!), and James and Steven found one perfect comp in their system - a Stage II with 100k miles that had been thoroughly gone over. I documented the additional items that car was missing and stuck to my guns. Eventually they got tired of dealing with me and sent me a check for my full asking price, plus tax and tags etc. I bought the title back from them for about a grand but still ended up $10k over what was first offered, and what others here suggested I should settle for.

If you have 5 months to argue with your insurance company - I suggest you do so. If you want the quick easy money - you can do that too.

I have opted to sell the car and its on its way to a new life. I was warned by the insurance company and a lawyer friend that if it was to be hit again, that the value would then be decreased by 70% due to the salvage title. This accident was not my fault - the next one might be unavoidable as well. It has moved on to a good home and will be on the road again some day I am told. That will be the new owners story to tell though.

I appreciate that the advice to cut bait and settle was sincere - but in this case I did a lot better channeling Ed Bernstein than listening to wiser minds. (There - I said something nice about Ed B!)

YMMD - and I hope you never have to find out - but I did want to share a "success" story. Persistence, documentation, and comps can pay off. I got paid what i felt the car was worth, and I believe others can too.

Thanks to all for your help and support guys - now I still have the other car to try to make perfect - lots to do...

Tom