Bad news on my Miata

I know it's been awhile since I have frequented this board. I have been having too much fun on my new motorcycle for the last few months.

Last Wednesday morning during the ice that we had, I was driving the 1 mile to my work. At the train tracks that go across K Ave in Plano just south of 15th street, I hit a patch of ice, and my Miata slid out and went backwards into a telephone pole :( I was going straight backwards at the time and it impacted square on my bumper on the driver's side. I am ok, however.

The hit I still believe was around 25mph, but it really did a number to my left rear quarter panel. The repair shop said it impacted in just the right place to put maximum leverage on the quarter panel. The frame was bent on that side about 12mm, all 5 rods of the multilink were bent, and the left rear quarter is ruined. I came very close to having the car totaled. However, it has been authorized, and the repair shop (Caliber Collision) is going to fix it. They say they are going to bend the frame back, weld in a new quarter panel including the strut tower, and put back together the suspension. They swear they are going to have it stronger than it came out of factory. I will believe that it will be strong enough for street use, but I don't think I will ever get to track it.

The twisted thing (well, not so twisted when you think of it) is, I may still sell off the Miata after all this. I am pretty sure my insurance rates will be increased from this, and it may be more affordable for me at this point to just get rid of it. There is a certain logic to that. If I am not sufficiently careful, then I should not be driving a sports car. Or at the very least be charged more for the priveledge. Unfortunately for the insurance companies, I realise that it's not exactly something I need and I can just go without it and not pay them for it.

Edit: And somehow through all this damage, I didn't even crack the taillight.

Just my 2 Cents = I'd push to get it totaled it will never be the same, plus who wants to buy a once wrecked but expertly fixed Miata.

Glad you are OK!

I don't think I can get away with that. I was told that the difference between repair cost and total cost is $7k. I might be tempted if it were closer.

I think I could manage to sell it by providing documentation of the repair and selling it for around $13k to $14k. The average price of a 2006 NC seems to be around $15k to $16k. In any case, I may just be borrowing trouble here. I will have to talk to my insurance company and see what happens. Insurance companies can be strict but weird. One guy I know totaled his NB but his rates didn't go up. Go figure.

Sell it on fleaBay before that hit makes it to CarFax! ::Banana::

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Originally Posted by trickyrix

Sell it on fleaBay before that hit makes it to CarFax! ::Banana::

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If the buyer find out later, you may be in trouble for not telling. I am sure there is very little fleabay and the buyer can do to you. However, you have no idea at what length the buyer will try to "get even" with you, especially if he/she is local.

Sell it as is or part it out.

Why get rid of it because of possible ins. hike?

Wouldn't a hike apply to any car you drive?

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Originally Posted by Nails

Sell it as is or part it out.

Why get rid of it because of possible ins. hike?

Wouldn't a hike apply to any car you drive?

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Because I don't really need any car. We have my wife's Honda Fit, and I have the motorcycle. For the rest, I can walk, bicycle, or take the bus. I think we can live as a one car family for awhile.

I doubt they would increase your ins rate, unless you have other recent claims. You can work with the ins saying it is the ice and not your driving. They should cut you some slack. Last year I had a 4+K hail damage claim and they even get angry. Actually, my bill for this year is a few $s less than last year!

I'm sure MX-5EE would not do this, and I hope the suggestion of selling it without disclosing the accident damage to the buyer was just tongue in cheek humor. To me that is an issue of personal ethics.

Be sure to look into a claim of diminished value with your insurance. I don't know if this is different since this was a one car accident that wasn't another driver's fault, but you may be able to recover some of the value the car will lose on resale.

The car will be fine. Make sure the doors shut and seams line up, then drive it forever and no one will know. Some repairs are good, some are bad. If insurance is paying for it, then take the car to a place which deals with really, really high end cars.

The car will be fine, and fine on the track. People worry about this crap too much.

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Originally Posted by mr brg

The car will be fine. Make sure the doors shut and seams line up, then drive it forever and no one will know. Some repairs are good, some are bad. If insurance is paying for it, then take the car to a place which deals with really, really high end cars.

The car will be fine, and fine on the track. People worry about this crap too much.

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I don't believe for one second that you would have your miata repaired if a similar situation occurred. You would take your car on the track after it has been repaired?

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Originally Posted by johnwag

I don't believe for one second that you would have your miata repaired if a similar situation occurred. You would take your car on the track after it has been repaired?

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Why not? If it is repaired properly, it shouldn't be a problem. I bet there are many SPEC Miatas out there have had pretty similar accidents in there lifetime both before and after becoming a SPEC. The problem I see is that even a properly repaired car will have a lower re-sale value, and tend to have paint issues years after the repair.

I worked at the car rental counter in a body shop for about a year, actually serving many shops at the same time, and learned a few things from listening to the techs and sharing beverages that may be applicable here.

It isn't the shop, it is the tech doing the repair. Big shops have lots of people doing the work, some great, some not so much, but have minimum quality standards to stay employed. Small shops with good techs get their business by word of mouth if it is quality work, or by smooth talking if their work is crap. If the work at a quality shop (including the big chain shops) is sub-par, the work is redone, probably by the same tech, who doesn't get any extra pay. I don't know what happens at the small shops with lousy work, since they didn't get insurance business.

Texas insurance companies require a lifetime warranty on repairs, so everyone who does a lot of insurance work will advertise the lifetime warranty. This usually separates the decent shops from the not-so-decent shops. Also, insurance companies prefer to send their customers to shops that get repairs right the first time and quickly, thus reducing rental car costs.

If I were looking at a repaired vehicle, I would take it to a trusted friend who does collision apprasials and get an estimate to get it repaired right. Hopefully, the cost would be the case of beer to get him to look at it, and nothing more. If there was going to be additional cost, I would factor that into the decision on whether to buy it or not, and expect to buy another case of beer or three for the everybody-in-the-shop-critiqute-the-work party for the acceptance inspection.

Hope this helps

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Originally Posted by TR6

I'm sure MX-5EE would not do this, and I hope the suggestion of selling it without disclosing the accident damage to the buyer was just tongue in cheek humor. To me that is an issue of personal ethics.

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...hence the dancing banana. Get used to sarcasm around here and you'll learn to enjoy it. ;)

Anyhow, if they fix it right I wouldn't have any problem taking the thing out on the track, and I certainly wouldn't have a problem driving it on the street. As long as everything is put back into alignment, I think you'd be good to go.

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Originally Posted by Titus

Why not? If it is repaired properly, it shouldn't be a problem. I bet there are many SPEC Miatas out there have had pretty similar accidents in there lifetime both before and after becoming a SPEC. The problem I see is that even a properly repaired car will have a lower re-sale value, and tend to have paint issues years after the repair.

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I resemble that remark! I will have to dig up the old pictures of Speedie's first BIG crash in 1998, and post them. I never had any doubt she would go back on the track......and win! :drive:

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Originally Posted by MX-5EE

........ If I am not sufficiently careful, then I should not be driving a sports car.....

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And you think that having only a motorcycle as your daily transport is a good idea after making this statement about yourself?

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Originally Posted by trickyrix

...hence the dancing banana. Get used to sarcasm around here and you'll learn to enjoy it. ;)

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No doubt! :D

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Originally Posted by johnwag

I don't believe for one second that you would have your miata repaired if a similar situation occurred. You would take your car on the track after it has been repaired?

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Absolutely. As several others have said, a large number of spec miatas have been banged up pretty good and are repaired and racing. As long as it aligns correctly and the structural integrity is solid, who cares if a track car has been wrecked.

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Originally Posted by boisking

And you think that having only a motorcycle as your daily transport is a good idea after making this statement about yourself?

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Strictly speaking, my daily transport would be a bicycle or my shoes. I work one mile from home, so I never take my bike to work. In terms of door-to-door time from home to work, when I am done putting on my overpants, jacket, boots, helmet, gloves, get the bike unlocked, get the bike started (a carbied bike can be a real pain to start sometimes), get the bike to work, get in the door, remove overpants, jacket, boots, helmet, and gloves (I bring normal shoes in a backpack), it actually takes me longer to ride my motorcycle to work than it does to walk. Yes, I am an all-gear-all-the-time. The way I see it, my gear is for all intents and purposes my seat belt.

But you do have a good point to which I have no real answer. I find it odd that I can insure my motorcycle for a mere fraction of my car when the motorcycle is far more risky. But as I already said, insurance is an odd beast.

Finally, thanks for all the replies. I will just have to see how the chips fall before I make a firm decision.

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Originally Posted by MX-5EE

But you do have a good point to which I have no real answer. I find it odd that I can insure my motorcycle for a mere fraction of my car when the motorcycle is far more risky. But as I already said, insurance is an odd beast.

Finally, thanks for all the replies. I will just have to see how the chips fall before I make a firm decision.

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A miata with as much value a bike will insure cheaper than you current model.

There are less than $5K miatas to be had.

Chris

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Originally Posted by Miatamaniac92

A miata with as much value a bike will insure cheaper than you current model.

There are less than $5K miatas to be had.

Chris

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Bike is $80 per year. Of course, the bike is worth about $1800 or so, I would guess. A Miata worth $1800 would have half it's leg in a junkyard.

Mind you, the bike is just a Ninja 250R. A weird blend of standard bike, scooter, and sport bike.

Insurance is cheap on bikes because they don't cover driver medical. They figure you'll,

A: Cause little damage to another's property due to light mass, or

B: You won't live when you do.

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Originally Posted by johnwag

I don't believe for one second that you would have your miata repaired if a similar situation occurred. You would take your car on the track after it has been repaired?

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My Spec Miata started out as my daily driver being totaled. The car runs great, especially considering the shoddy suspension and set up! (still a bit of work in progress...new engine/tranny coming within the next month!) Unless the car was proper fucked, then any decent repair shop can fix it just great and as mentioned probably stronger due to extra welds, etc.

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Originally Posted by MX-5EE

Bike is $80 per year. Of course, the bike is worth about $1800 or so, I would guess. A Miata worth $1800 would have half it's leg in a junkyard.

Mind you, the bike is just a Ninja 250R. A weird blend of standard bike, scooter, and sport bike.

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::Bum::

LoL

Except for the extra's, mine's got one leg in the junkyard then.

<--TCB

Chris

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Originally Posted by trickyrix

Sell it on fleaBay before that hit makes it to CarFax! ::Banana::

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CarFax is not that accurate. It didn't show any accidents on my car, but I've now been told by two different autobody shops that my miata has been in two different wrecks -one affecting the rearend and one affecting the front end...go figure.

My daughter had a choice to total or repair her Maxima - the body shop convinced her to repair it - but sell it to somebody they recommended. The car was involved in a t-bone with her front being demolishd - no record of it showed up on carfax since we last checked her VIN.

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Originally Posted by cArAzzIE

CarFax is not that accurate. It didn't show any accidents on my car, but I've now been told by two different autobody shops that my miata has been in two different wrecks -one affecting the rearend and one affecting the front end...go figure.

My daughter had a choice to total or repair her Maxima - the body shop convinced her to repair it - but sell it to somebody they recommended. The car was involved in a t-bone with her front being demolishd - no record of it showed up on carfax since we last checked her VIN.

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Same thing happened with my suburban. Was in a crash and repaired. Two years later I was selling it so I pulled a carfax to provide to the prospective buyers. It had no history of the $7K+ in body repairs. I told the prospective buyer about it anyway and even gave him the body shop receipt and he still bought the car. Moral is don't take Carfax as gospel.

would yoube interested in $1000 cash ;)

Unfortunately, yesterday I got word that it has been totalled. The repairman at Caliber Collision said that he got to a point during cutting the frame to straighten it back up that he found that he couldn't weld it back together and guarantee it's safety.

So the end result is I have a $4000 payout (after paying the loan), and about $1000 in a tax return, and no car. I was thinking of heading to the car dealers this weekend to look for a Mazda 3, or a Cobalt, or a Civic, or something inexpensive. However, I had another idea. The payout and tax return would be enough to tip my bank account into where I can afford a down payment on a home. So long as I don't mind being a 1 car family for awhile of course. Say hello to a bicycle and a bus pass. And the motorcycle of course.

I am still going to look at cars this weekend. Given the current environment, I may find a deal I can't pass up. The attitude, "I don't really need a car" does give me alot of room to just say no and walk away.

That's too bad. So are you selling the car or is insurance buying it from you as a total?

Does this mean that after paying it off you pocketed 4k from insurance?

From the way it was damage, you should be able to pull a lot good stuff off the salvage!

Last time I "desperately needed a car and had no money" I scored a $1400 miata with a torsen which sees redline 100x per day and dead-nuts reliable. If you're in a pinch do not buy a new car.

This is a good time to buy a house as prices are down...IF your credit is really really good and you can qualify for a loan. Who knows...Obama may make it even easier for you to get into a house.

Just remember tho - you may not be so close to work OR a bus line OR the rail...all things to consider...but a house would be a good investment...buy low sell high!

MX-5EE. Sent you a PM. Don't know if you are interested or not.