Okay, I'm still a little in shock so I don't want to mess with much of the details just yet, but I thought I'd let you guys know:
"Murphy" (my '93 Deep Jewel Green Mark VIII) was involved in a car accident the other day. I was cited for failure to yield while making a left turn, and the other driver received no citation. The police and insurance company are both saying it's 100% my fault, although I personally believe the other driver's speed was at the very least a contributing factor. (I figure he was doing at least 10 over the speed limit, on a wet road, by the time I saw him. Of course, the people of this area being as wonderful as they are, there were zero witnesses who stuck around to offer third-party testimony.)
In any case, there's damage to the right-front fender and lights, and also damage to the bumper, grille, and hood, due to energy transfer from the fender. Mechanically speaking, the car is still functional and could be driveable. However, the fender and bumper are damaged in such a way that they are up against the right front tire and will rub, especially if the wheel is turned.
Since I am at fault, and insurance coverage is liability-only, I won't be getting any help from the insurance company to cover damages. Also, the ticket for my "failure to yield" is running about $115 plus points on license unless I can take a driving improvement course.
Physically speaking, I'm fine and so is the other driver. As far as the stuff that goes on in my head right now, that's a totally different story. I might post pictures of the damage later on. I haven't popped the hood yet to see if anything underneath took a beating, since I'm not sure if the hood will close after it's opened. I'll probably mess with that sometime this weekend.
I still haven't decided what to do with the car just yet. A part of me feels like there's too much already invested in it to let it go, and another part feels like this is the last straw. Either way, the question still remains how I will pay to get a car (this one or another) that is functional and reliable enough to allow me to move on with life again?
If I do have to get rid of the car, I will really be hoping to find another Mark to replace this one. Not just because I absolutely love the car, but also because I've still got a good bunch of parts that were waiting to go in after the transmission issues got cleared up. If I end up getting rid of this car and not getting another Mark though, I think I know where to sell those parts as well.
After a bit more consideration, I am starting to lean more towards repairing Murphy at least enough to be driveable for awhile. Right now, my priorities are affordability and turnaround time, and I can't see myself finding another decent and reliable car as quickly and affordably as I could just repair this one. Then again, I don't have a repair cost estimate just yet so I may be wrong.
"Murphy" (my '93 Deep Jewel Green Mark VIII) was involved in a car accident the other day. I was cited for failure to yield while making a left turn, and the other driver received no citation. The police and insurance company are both saying it's 100% my fault, although I personally believe the other driver's speed was at the very least a contributing factor. (I figure he was doing at least 10 over the speed limit, on a wet road, by the time I saw him. Of course, the people of this area being as wonderful as they are, there were zero witnesses who stuck around to offer third-party testimony.)
In any case, there's damage to the right-front fender and lights, and also damage to the bumper, grille, and hood, due to energy transfer from the fender. Mechanically speaking, the car is still functional and could be driveable. However, the fender and bumper are damaged in such a way that they are up against the right front tire and will rub, especially if the wheel is turned.
Since I am at fault, and insurance coverage is liability-only, I won't be getting any help from the insurance company to cover damages. Also, the ticket for my "failure to yield" is running about $115 plus points on license unless I can take a driving improvement course.
Physically speaking, I'm fine and so is the other driver. As far as the stuff that goes on in my head right now, that's a totally different story. I might post pictures of the damage later on. I haven't popped the hood yet to see if anything underneath took a beating, since I'm not sure if the hood will close after it's opened. I'll probably mess with that sometime this weekend.
I still haven't decided what to do with the car just yet. A part of me feels like there's too much already invested in it to let it go, and another part feels like this is the last straw. Either way, the question still remains how I will pay to get a car (this one or another) that is functional and reliable enough to allow me to move on with life again?
If I do have to get rid of the car, I will really be hoping to find another Mark to replace this one. Not just because I absolutely love the car, but also because I've still got a good bunch of parts that were waiting to go in after the transmission issues got cleared up. If I end up getting rid of this car and not getting another Mark though, I think I know where to sell those parts as well.
After a bit more consideration, I am starting to lean more towards repairing Murphy at least enough to be driveable for awhile. Right now, my priorities are affordability and turnaround time, and I can't see myself finding another decent and reliable car as quickly and affordably as I could just repair this one. Then again, I don't have a repair cost estimate just yet so I may be wrong.