My 35th got tagged... Need some advice... And some other things...

[commonmanthemes]

So, I definitely got hit by a bus yesterday while driving my 35th home from a friends house. Guy didn't yield on his left turn and we collided at around 10mph. I'm pretty sure my car is totalled.

To you SC-ers out there, I need some help. My 35th is a manual, and has only 58,000 miles and was in fairly pristine condition before it got hit. I bought it from Robert Biggs up in Michigan back in October with 50,000 on the clock for $5,000. You guys all probably know that the bus company's insurance is going to try and lowball me on the value of my car and give me KBB or NADA. You all know the value of the Anny car with low miles and original paint on them. In addition I have put numerous enhancements on the car including full headers and exhaust, Spec clutch, B&M short shifter, and $2,500 worth of audio gear.

Basically what I'm asking is for all your help on making sure I don't get screwed on this. What to do, how to prove the cars worth officially, etc. All input is welcome and appreciated.

One last thing. Hopefully, my car-cass (haha!) will remain in my possession after the claim. In this case, I want to see if anyone is interested in any parts OR if someone with some wrenching/repair/collision skill would be interested in acquiring a low mile 35th as a project car. The latter would be preferable, as these cars should NEVER be put down.

Thanks guys,
Ryan

[Merlon]

best you could do is show purchases done with similar cars and miles. see what they go for in auctions in your area.

man people drive like ~~~~, i know its been close a few times, when out of the corner of my eye somones switching 3 lanes and didnt bother to look, or didnt care.

somepeople man. good luck finding another decent 35th for $5k seriously, good luck man.

glad you arent injured, hit by a bus...damn.

actually yesterday i was driving my fierogt and this bus made a turn and came right into my lane, had to back it up before we collided...

[FredSC]

Sorry to hear that Ryan. I lost my 90 with someone hitting it while it was parked. Made it jump 13 ft. so I figure they were going 50-70 mph.

An auto dealer I know told me to get all the good statistics. "only 1 of xxx made that year", rare, classic, extremely low mileage, etc. Then get a range of what it would cost to "replace" it. They are going to try to give you NADA.

Then give them a couple of cycle of "Is there anyway you can do any better, i mean it (repeat above as necessary) and rare and did i mention low-mileage, classic.

Once you have exhausted the bump up, then you "kindly" threaten to take it before "INSURANCE ARBITRATION". This is like going to court for an insurance company according to my friend, they will avoid it like the plague.

Good luck (and definitely keep the car if you have the space)

[CaifanSC]

REAL D@MN shame bro....if you can keep the car, definatelly do so. Do you have any pix of the damage? Im sure if its fixable somebody might get it for the right price and restore. I know I would if you werent that far away.

[darkstar_one]

Get A Lawyer!

[68COUGAR]

You got any pics of the damage? 10 mph don't sound like it coulda done a lot of damage.

The way the insurance works here (Mich.), if you want to keep the car, the ins. co. Deducts the scrap value of the car, from the amount that they pay you. I did that with a '68 Torino GT (my first car). It was hit in the pass. front corner by a drunk driver. I ended up making money on it, because I sold the car to a guy with an identical car, that had been rear ended.

68COUGAR

[darkstar_one]

Momentum! A Bus Hit Him!

[commonmanthemes]

Thanks for your input guys. By the way, I just got out of the hospital with normal whiplash.

For anyone interested, here's what she looks like now. Everything else is good except for this damage up front. Seems like the frame is a little torqued.

Also, here's something to said about our cars. The bus that hit me was a flat front 30,000 lb. mass transit bus, not a school bus. I was able to drive the car home 4 blocks afterwards. I'd imagine that anything but a T-Bird would not have driven away. HA!

[midgetchaser]

thats sucks im restoring my 35th now. the damage isnt to bad. ive seen worse. if u like the car and have the space or money id fix it. the frame twisting is a little hard to fix but it could be done.

[quick35th]

That breaks my heart seeing those pics bro. I think that if I were you I would have beat the crap out of the bus driver. Deffinately keep it and do one of two things, either transplant the stuff onto another 35th or sell it and buy another 35th. Either way you end up with another 35th. I know just the one too :rolleyes:. Its in the for sale forums right now matter of fact. Check it out sometime.

Shane

[thirdbird]

Two in one day!
a 95 manual and now this!:(
If that was city I'd sue them for 5 million...

[CaifanSC]

Please correct me if IM wrong bud, but from the pix I dont even see any (huge) damage to the rad support....so i'd say, bumper, hood and fender....and ur good to go. Wanna sell it?:p

[Tony8470]

ALL SC's arent really worth more than peanuts anymore. I went through the same thing on my 35th with 62,000 miles when it was totalled. I got 5,500 for it. The best you can do is hope they let you buy it back and part it out. I lucked out and they let me have it free.

[txsc]

Thanks for your input guys. By the way, I just got out of the hospital with normal whiplash.

For anyone interested, here's what she looks like now. Everything else is good except for this damage up front. Seems like the frame is a little torqued.

Also, here's something to said about our cars. The bus that hit me was a flat front 30,000 lb. mass transit bus, not a school bus. I was able to drive the car home 4 blocks afterwards. I'd imagine that anything but a T-Bird would not have driven away. HA!

I'd DEFINATELY take this one to a reputable body shop in your area, and have it checked on a frame machine. It may not be that bad, and a good shop can pull out a lot of impact damage. My buddy (in SPGFLD, IL incidentally) stuffed his 40K-mile '67 Shelby GT 500 backwards into a tree a couple of years ago, and it looked like junk. But after some time on a frame machine with a good technician, it looked a whole lot better, and this was before ANY bodywork. It still needed two quarters and an outer wheel house, but all the inner structure came back. And, it started out MUCH worse than your 35th.

After the unibody structure is pulled out, the rest is just cosmetics. A good shop can replace and shoot the effected panels and perform the refinishing. Any needed parts can be located easily and cheaply right here on SCCoA. Luckily, it's black, not a silver SC, so paint match shouldn't be too much of an issue.

My advise is to negotiate your best deal with the insurance company (your neck still hurts, right?), buy it back, and get it straightened out. I really think you'll be surprised at how well it'll come out. If the doors still close good, and the windshield and backlight aren't broken, then it's not twisted TOO bad. Normally, it wouldn't be worth it, but a low-mileage 35th. is a different story. They're not making them anymore.

I have shop manuals, and other factory literature if you decide to keep and fix it. I'll be happy to copy and mail needed pages. Heck, I'll even beat the bushes down here for rust-free sheetmetal if you have problems with fenders, hood, etc.

Good Luck,

JD

[xThunderbirdSCx]

Get A Lawyer!

+1







........................

[commonmanthemes]

I talked to the lawyer today. Man, ~~~~ the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District. I mean, I always hated mass-trans. Buses that get in the way. Trains that smell like piss. But now I really have a reason...

An interesting statistic for you guys, 2 students from the University of Illinois down here have been killed by MTD buses in the last 2 years. One undergrad and one grad.

[7birdslater]

As far as insurance goes, a car that old with that damage is totaled for sure. But just looking at the pictures thats an easy fix for a competent collision repair shop. I would get it back for sure, see how far off the alignment is, straighten that out, then some front end cosmetics and you have your car back. The sucky part is if they re-issue you a salvaged title to go with it:(

[seawalkersee]

I know there is a way to appeal that and attempt to have them fix your ride, I just dont know what the process is. I would contact your insurance company and make them (try to make them) fix that bioch...

Chris

[twista6ontop]

how much would it take to buy it from you?