Wednesday Worsts....Car accident or repair

[CDGator]

We’ve been fortunate that our car accidents have been minor.
Worst car repair was a transmission.
Painful.

 

[Gatorbait25]

I have an 08 Chevy Avalance and a 2012 cruze. I usually only drive the truck when I need
to pickup pine straw or haul something that cant fit in the car. In Early October the transmission
on the Cruze went kaput. Cost me just under 4K. I got it back on Monday, and spent the last couple
weeks driving the truck. Right at $70 to fill that sucker up. The Cruze is definitely my last GM buy.
Pains me to say that, but they just don't hold up the way they used to. This is the second tranny
I've replaced in 8 years. Though the first was under warranty. I'm convinced the guys at the GM
plant are drunk when they build the tranny

When it comes to work trips I usually fly unless the destination is within 5-6 hours. Orlando is basically
the farthest I will drive, and when I do I usually take my wife's grand cherokee.

 

[soflagator]

Worst repair that came out of pocket was a transmission in both Jeeps(Cherokee and Grand Cherokee). Roughly 4k in both cases.

No major accidents. Couple of small things. Funniest was driving back to my home in Tequesta from West Palm while my wife and I were first dating. Can't remember why, but she was in her own car(another Jeep) behind me. I stopped at a red light on Alt-A1A and she apparently misjudged things and rear ended me. I just remember looing back and thinking, "wow, she's coming in a little hot", looking down, then hearing a loud pop. Wasn't a big deal but it was my new 5-series so I wasn't thrilled. Anyway I always found it funny that I was actually hit by my future wife.

 

[Detroitgator]

I have an 08 Chevy Avalance and a 2012 cruze. I usually only drive the truck when I need
to pickup pine straw or haul something that cant fit in the car. In Early October the transmission
on the Cruze went kaput. Cost me just under 4K. I got it back on Monday, and spent the last couple
weeks driving the truck. Right at $70 to fill that sucker up. The Cruze is definitely my last GM buy.
Pains me to say that, but they just don't hold up the way they used to. This is the second tranny
I've replaced in 8 years. Though the first was under warranty. I'm convinced the guys at the GM
plant are drunk when they build the tranny

When it comes to work trips I usually fly unless the destination is within 5-6 hours. Orlando is basically
the farthest I will drive, and when I do I usually take my wife's grand cherokee.

 

[Thought Criminal]

Lincoln MKS headlight... it comes as a full assembly, but unlike others which are usually a couple hundred dollars, this one is $1700 new... for a headlight. I don't remember the reason we ended up at the dealership for this, but were quoted $3100. I laughed and ended up getting a $60 ballast off Ebay and that worked for a year.

A couple months ago had to bite the bullet and buy a used assembly online for $900... for a headlight.

 

[Thought Criminal]

I always found it funny that I was actually hit by my future wife.

similar... years ago my wife backed my Durango into her z3... hard enough that we had two insurance claims and never left the driveway!

 

[soflagator]

GB25 has high standards. If he/she/it isn't living up to them, it's bye bye birdy.

I guess it's also possible they keep leaving on him. But I'm going with the fist theory.

 

[Alumni Guy]

Not the worst, but the best. Had a client sell me his Lexus at a discounted rate for a case. Came to realize it was “an Old Lady Car” and hated it. About a month before I was going to sell it, a Yukon ran a red light and totaled it.

insurance paid me at least $5k more than I would have gotten. Best part was there were tons of witnesses who gave a statement, so there was no deductible and my rates stayed the same. USAA Insurance is THE BEST!

not even a hint of an injury either, and I got a much higher price for my car than I would have gotten on open market.

 

[Nalt]

I have an 08 Chevy Avalance and a 2012 cruze. I usually only drive the truck when I need
to pickup pine straw or haul something that cant fit in the car. In Early October the transmission
on the Cruze went kaput. Cost me just under 4K. I got it back on Monday, and spent the last couple
weeks driving the truck. Right at $70 to fill that sucker up. The Cruze is definitely my last GM buy.
Pains me to say that, but they just don't hold up the way they used to. This is the second tranny
I've replaced in 8 years. Though the first was under warranty. I'm convinced the guys at the GM
plant are drunk when they build the tranny

When it comes to work trips I usually fly unless the destination is within 5-6 hours. Orlando is basically
the farthest I will drive, and when I do I usually take my wife's grand cherokee.

Sounds like you are hanging out at the wrong bars...

 

[Nalt]

I've got a 2006 Dodge Durango that has a problem that I can not get diagnosed. I have had every sensor replaced except for one, catalytic converter replaced, ECM reprogrammed twice, and the Dodge dealer in Huntsville run a scan on it. And it still has an intermittent problem of just dying. It could die at a stop sign, red light, or as actually happened one time, it died as I was in the left lane passing an 18-wheeler at 70 mph. Every time it has started right back though.

I'd be happy to unload it to someone if you will make me an offer that you won't back out on...;)

 

[TLB]

Repairs....not a lot. Accidents, a couple, but not major other than totalling a car I was ready to get rid of. I will say, I've killed every vehicle I've owned.

'79 Toyota Celica -Drove it until the fuel pump went out. Dad paid $600 for the car, I sold it to a mechanic for about $200 several years later.

80's Toyota something, brown. Paid less than a grand. Driving on 13th thru campus area, got distracted with girls sunning themselves and rear ended a truck. Low speed, nobody hurt, no damage to their truck. Crunched my front enough to cash out, besides I was starting my first salary job and ready for a new vehicle.

'90 Nissan Pathfinder - first DAY that I owned it, went to a friends party in the woods, I let him take a few girls out spinning around in it and he found a tree. I had to drive from G'ville to South Carolina the next day so we all pitched in to pull the bumper far enough off the wheel to make it drivable. Eventually killed that one a few years later by never, ever getting service work done. I killed the engine through neglect, but I wasn't done.

Late 90's Pathfinder - I still didn't grasp the oil change thing, eventually blew the head while going to a rave 4h from home. That was a long night, and morning. But yeah, death by neglect again.

'13 Honda Civic - rear ended someone, totally my fault (checking phone), but I saw at the last second and braked + swerved. Ended up sending my front left corner under the bumper of a pickup = no harm to him, crunched the front quarter of my car to about 40% it's original size. I wanted it scrapped, so I could take the value towards a new vehicle, and explained that to the shop. They quoted fixing it and insurance was going to that until I ran screaming back to the repair shop for SCRAP!!! They overvalued everything on it and I got a lot more than it was worth to me at the time. Good deal, nobody hurt but I got a new car.

So, 3 dead by ignorance, 2 dead by collision. No major injuries and all reasonably well timed. The lesson to take here is that I suck at taking care of things. That, or if I'm ready for a new car, don't drive in front of me.

 

[CDGator]

We always tent camped but found an amazing deal on a pop-up camper for $1000. Seedy did a little work on it and I put a few hundred into it to make it nicer. We took it to Edisto Beach in July during a heat wave. It was 100 degrees inside at night with the AC kicking. We were miserable and ready to ditch it when we got rear-ended in Charleston. It wasn’t much damage but more than the value of the camper. Insurance gave us $1400, let us keep it and had a clear title. Seedy did a little work to it so we sold it for $1500 on top of the insurance money and bought a small travel trailer.

 

[Gator By Marriage]

I've got a 2006 Dodge Durango that has a problem that I can not get diagnosed. I have had every sensor replaced except for one, catalytic converter replaced, ECM reprogrammed twice, and the Dodge dealer in Huntsville run a scan on it. And it still has an intermittent problem of just dying. It could die at a stop sign, red light, or as actually happened one time, it died as I was in the left lane passing an 18-wheeler at 70 mph. Every time it has started right back though.

I'd be happy to unload it to someone if you will make me an offer that you won't back out on...;)

150 Oxbucks. And that's firm.

 

[Gatorbait25]

You mean to tell me the guy from Dearborn doesn’t have a snarky GM retort ? come on now buddy , you know damn well you love your found on road dead

 

[Detroitgator]

You mean to tell me the guy from Dearborn doesn’t have a snarky GM retort ? come on now buddy , you know damn well you love your found on road dead

My dad was an Ironworker, so we were "brand agnostic." But yes, I drive a Raptor, and I think that 6.2L might be the best engine ever made. ;)

 

[GatorBart]

My 97 Civic got stolen recently. Cops found it 2 days later half painted flat black (front fender, hood, top and trunk). Still runs great, just looks weird.
Insurance company totaled it out as the paint estimate to restore it was more than the value of the car. So I got a check for $2,500 and I keep the car! Sure as heck won’t be spending that on a new paint job!

 

[Blonde Gator]

Blew the entire engine in my vintage 450SL. I ended up donating it to one of those charities. I still miss that car...it was a hot little beauty. Candy apple red with a red leather interior. Only prob was it was a sports car, not a luxury vehicle. AND the convertible top leaked like a sieve. But it was cute as Hell! And it was fast.

 

[Ironhead]

Not really me although I owned the car.
Has anyone received that 1am phone call that your daughter or son was in a bad car crash and were being airlifted to the hospital?

I have
Youngest Daughter was living in Jacksonville NC with my oldest daughter at Camp Lajeune, while husbands were deployed a d just returned home.

1am call from my oldest.
“She’s ok but, they’re airlifting her to The nearest trauma center at East Carolina University”

That’s almost 450 miles and I made it in just over 5 hours before she went into surgery.

I guess cops don’t pAtrol traffic in the middle of the night!

Broken femur and pelvis, broken jaw, and teeth knocked out, but alive.

She survived by the grace of God!

Nissan Altima? Totaled!

Best thing?
She was the designated driver a d was completely sober and…,,,
No one was killed.

He husband had a TBI and was kicked out of the Marines.

 

[CDGator]

Not really me although I owned the car.
Has anyone received that 1am phone call that your daughter or son was in a bad car crash and were being airlifted to the hospital?

I have
Youngest Daughter was living in Jacksonville NC with my oldest daughter at Camp Lajeune, while husbands were deployed a d just returned home.

1am call from my oldest.
“She’s ok but, they’re airlifting her to The nearest trauma center at East Carolina University”

That’s almost 450 miles and I made it in just over 5 hours before she went into surgery.

I guess cops don’t pAtrol traffic in the middle of the night!

Broken femur and pelvis, broken jaw, and teeth knocked out, but alive.

She survived by the grace of God!

Nissan Altima? Totaled!

Best thing?
She was the designated driver a d was completely sober and…,,,
No one was killed.

He husband had a TBI and was kicked out of the Marines.

Wow, that's scary! I had to read that three times because I thought you were talking about the "Grandparent Scam" where the child calls saying they were in a terrible car accident. I know several people in FL who have gotten this call and it was a scam.

Last week, I got a call from a frightened woman who thought her grandson was involved in a horrible crash and that he was in the hospital. I’ve warned you about the grandparent scam before, but the crooks really know how to play on your emotions and your sense of urgency.

“I got a phone call and I answered and I couldn’t quite understand him,” said Charlene. “His voice was muffled and he said he was in the hospital and he had just gotten in a car accident.”

“He broke his nose, dislocated his shoulder, broke his knee,” said Charlene. “As soon as he got out of the hospital, they’re probably going to take him to jail because he hit a lady who was pregnant. If she loses the baby, they’re going to charge him with manslaughter. They said he needs $2,500 to keep him out of jail.”

The broken nose would explain why her grandson didn’t sound right. Charlene was terrified and wanted to help him out. The scammer told her a lawyer would be calling her with more details. Sure enough, her phone rang again.

“He needs $2,500 to stay out of jail,” she said. “I said, ‘I don’t have that kind of money. I’ll have to call my daughter and brother to see if they can come up with that kind of money.’”

Charlene called her other grandson.

“I called my grandson and said, ‘Did you know your brother is in jail or in the hospital?’” asked Charlene. “He said, ‘No let me call my dad.’”

“He called me right back and said, ‘Grandma, he is at work. He didn’t have an accident. He’s at work with my dad,’” said Charlene.

 

[Ironhead]

Wow, that's scary! I had to read that three times because I thought you were talking about the "Grandparent Scam" where the child calls saying they were in a terrible car accident. I know several people in FL who have gotten this call and it was a scam.

Good lord,
This world has gone mad!!
What the hell is wrong with people???