hopefully, rumors of its demise are premature...

[autotransgression]

monday night, i sat at a red light, facing downhill. the right lane, in front of me, was clear. the left lane was backed up from the bottom of the hill, where a left-turn only puts you on a street from which you can enter interstate 5. the light turned green and i went. unfortunately, the imbecile in the left lane, who had been sitting next to me at the light, tried to stuff his camry into a smart fortwo-sized space, and spun me 90 degrees, smacking into the railing on the overpass over i-5. because of thanksgiving, i won't be able to get a quote on my mangled steering or bodywork until next week. i fear that his insurance company will total the car. my agent said that if they do, i should definitely supply receipts for all the upgrades i have made.

i really, really like this spider, and do not want to lose it.

notice how my front wheels do not point the same direction:

[djape1977]

wheels pointing different ways might be something as simple as bent central tie rod.
it's usually the weakest point when you hit the kerb for example

[autotransgression]

man, I hope it is that simple.

[RRoller123]

If they total it, buy it from them and fix it?

[GeorgeT]

Another reason to carry Hagarty or similar collector car insurance with a declared value.

[spidernut]

I don't see any body damage. Anything suspension related can be fixed quite inexpensively for a do it yourselfer.

[autotransgression]

If they total it, buy it from them and fix it?

well, sounds like the center steering link is bent, as expected. a cheap fix. i guess what remains is to see how much the bodywork will cost. but yes, if they actually total it, i would have no reservations about buying it back and driving on a salvage title; i never bought this car for its resale value.

[autotransgression]

Another reason to carry Hagarty or similar collector car insurance with a declared value.

you know, i looked into that back when i had my 911sc, and regretted not following through, the morning it got stolen. definitely a good idea. thanks.

[autotransgression]

I don't see any body damage. Anything suspension related can be fixed quite inexpensively for a do it yourselfer.

unfortunately, the left front quarter is actually pretty mangled. i have played around with bodywork before, but am definitely not up to the level this will need.

[autotransgression]

my god. the guy's insurance company rented me a black camaro. so ridiculous.

[zachmac]

my god. the guy's insurance company rented me a black camaro. so ridiculous.

Could be worse, could be red or yellow. Hate the "sitting in a coffin" feel to the newer Camaros.

[DieselSpider]

my god. the guy's insurance company rented me a black camaro. so ridiculous.

They don't seem that bad with the top down:


http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2016-c ... -info-news

[autotransgression]

my god. the guy's insurance company rented me a black camaro. so ridiculous.

Could be worse, could be red or yellow. Hate the "sitting in a coffin" feel to the newer Camaros.

ok. this is a little embarrassing, but i really, really came to like that camaro. unfortunately, it was too long to fit in my tiny fiat-sized garage, so i traded it for a jetta. at ten inches shorter, the jetta leaves about 3/4 inch for the garage doors to close.

the camaro actually had WAY better fit and finish than the jetta; it was simply a very nice and comfortable car, which surprised me. but yes, the coffin aspect was weird. visibility was garbage. it had a v-6, but the thing apparently makes 343hp, so it really was a blast.

and getting into the jetta with its front-wheel-drive really makes me miss my spider even more. the steering is repaired, so now i have to get it to a body shop. the funny (but not) thing about the steering is that the shop that installed my a-arms last summer used washers instead of shims to align it. so, the shop it is at had to bill out an additional five hours to correct that. i am kind of surprised that they are not totaling the car.

[DieselSpider]

5 hours seems a bit excessive to loosen 4 nuts enough to slide the washers out and go back to shims however if the other guys insurance company is paying for it then at least its not coming out of your pocket or going against your policy.

As long as you have say as to the quality of the repairs and such its great that your getting to keep the car.

[SunnySideUp]

i am kind of surprised that they are not totaling the car

Maybe the insurance companies are beginning to see the declining number of remaining classic Spiders as valuable collectible rather than a disposable member of the masses like some of its modern contemporaries.

OR - maybe it's just that particular insurance company rebuilding it where another would have totaled it. Either way, it seems that you get to keep your Spider. I sincerely hope you find a body shop that believes in pounding out and welding sheet metal rather than buttering it full of bondo.