Forum Moderators: open
I bought two cars, a Toyota and a Mercury. After determining that the Toyota was easily fixable, but the Mercury would *probably* sell for more $$ and sell more quickly, The plan was to sell the Mercury. Only thing left was to change out the oil, plugs and plug wires on it, and generally get it running a little smoother, before scrubbing the bejeezus out of it, and turning it around for a quick profit.
So last night, on my way home, driving the Mercury, I somehow managed (stone sober, mind you) to put two wheels in the gravel on the right-side shoulder of the road... I gave the steering wheel a quick pull so as to get out of the way of the oncoming mailbox, and next thing I know the car is skidding around in a circle, into the left hand shoulder, down the incline, and flips over into the trees.
*sigh*
Interesting: As soon as I felt my head start banging into things, I just wondered if it would all "stop" in a moment. No life flashing before my eyes, no panic, no regrets looming up suddenly... just kinda casually wondered if I would still be there when the car stopped moving.
Then, when I realized it had stopped, and I was still there, the first words out of my mouth were, "Jeremy, are you OK?" We both were, thank god. After righting the car and pulling it home, we got a good look at the roof... Jeremy's side of the car was almost perfectly fine. My side of the roof is caved in a bit further than the driver's seat back. So I guess I really am lucky to just have sore shoulders and a couple bumps on the head...
Now I'm just fighting off the "What if" and "If only" and "Why didn't I" monsters that won't leave me alone.
Not the way I wanted to spend my Wednesday evening. Anyone want to buy a 92 Mercury for $3k? The engine and interior uphoulstery are in grand shape. Two of the doors, three of the wheels, and both bumpers look re-usable too...
(And the new spark plugs, wires and oil filter were sitting in the back seat with the sales receipt, so I can return them today... if you'd like those too, I'll throw them in free. ;) )
Never have tried a car auction before, but then - I don't know much about cars, so I wouldn't know a lemon from a lime. :)
But yeah, if you can't do the basic tune up at home, or replace a body panel, etc., it's probably not the best way to buy a car.
But hey, I've got a great little red Mercury sedan available, if you're interested! ;)
Thankfully you both are ok. Next time watch more carefully for those oncoming mailboxes, they tend not to stay in their lane, causing all kinds of havoc for motorists. I believe they learned this nasty habit from trees.
The other option is to pull all the good bits off the Mercury and part it out to minimize the debt...
Right now, as I am planning on being out of the country for a few months this fall, I am thinking I might keep the Toyota through the summer, fix it up a bit more as I go along, and sell it when I leave.
Damn my shoulders hurt.
WEAR YOUR SEATBELTS PEOPLE! I wouldn't be typing this if I hadn't been.
Why not just claim on the Insurance?
I don't think the car would be worth enough money to risk having my insurance premiums go up for the next 3-5 years for the claim... nor to risk just having my insurance cancelled on me. US insurance companies can be vicious about these things.
I've never flipped a car, was it kinda exciting or was it just scary?
(keep the car as a collectors item, many a man would die for it :)
Shak
I've never flipped a car, was it kinda exciting or was it just scary?
All in all, I don't recommend it as a recreational activity. If you like adrenaline, go skydiving instead. ;)
(keep the car as a collectors item, many a man would die for it)
I suggest that everyone try a drivers skill class [pnwr.pca.org]. The class I took covered how to get back on the road safely when one wheel goes off. That's probably the most common way that anyone loses control of a car. Also covers braking, steering around objects, etc.
Autocross [scca.org] is another way of learning about driving. That's a timed run through a course set out in cones. You will learn more about your car and driving than anywhere else. You don't need a fancy car to do it, since you are timed against yourself and other similar cars. It's almost totally safe.
[edited by: mivox at 10:26 pm (utc) on June 12, 2003]
I think I'll post photos on my website tonight. I really did a good number on it.
But that driving course looks great. One of my "if only" nagging thoughts on this one was, "if only I hadn't over-corrected my steering after swerving to avoid the mailbox, and then slammed on the brakes." I think that's what sent me into a spin.
Didn't help that I only had the car for 4 days, and wasn't really familiar with the handling at all. Compared to my boyfriend's car, the steering was much tighter, and the brakes were much weaker...
