Miata Mailing List: June 1994, Message #39
sponsored by



     


   From: a.mccombs3@genie.geis.com
Subject: RE: Smashed Miata
   Date: Fri, 3 Jun 1994 13:11:12 -0400

To Stephen Lasky:  First of all, my sympathies on your poor hurt car.  We
were there a few months ago - got rear ended while parked at a red traffic
light.  I'd guesstimate the impact at about 5 to 10 mph.  The rear bumper
and valance were destroyed, the right rear tail light was broken, and the
impact was hard enough to put a wrinkle in the right rear fender and also
wrinkle the trunk floor just inboard of the battery.  The bottom line ended
up at something like $2200 or thereabouts, as I recall, and I've recently
noticed when waxing the car that there are a couple scratch marks which
still show through the fresh paint; they didn't work long enough with the
finer grit stuff before they got in a hurry to paint.
 
Sounds like your car is hurt a whole lot worse than ours was; ours was still
driveable with no problem at all, so long as you didn't need to get into the
trunk.  I'd guesstimate that your work would be at least twice what ours
was, at a wild guess from just reading your description, and probably more.
The insurance co. may be right in wanting to total the car.  From their
point of view, they really don't want to pay to have the car fixed, and have
you come back a little later complaining that it wasn't done right (which
may very well be the case; stamped sheet metal structure can be straightened
pretty well, but it's tough to do perfectly.  And we're all perfectionists
when it comes to our Miatas.)  For little or no more money, they may be able
to pay you off for the car and wash their hands of it completely, with no
further liability concerns.
 
Unless you have a real sentimental attachment to that specific car (and I
understand; we're that way with our early Datsun Z car, and approaching it
with our Miata) - I'd let them total it if they wish and get another one.
Although I must say that apparently most Miateers have their cars fixed when
they're hit, at whatever the cost and hassle.  I've shopped wrecking yards
for various odds & ends, and even when they've gone on the net from southern
PA through northern VA and MD, none of the yards reported having any Miatas
at all in them.  This would make it appear even more likely that the
insurance co. might consider the car totaled - they can probably get a
little more for it from a wrecking yard.  Wrecked Miatas seem to be a rare
beast.
 
Best of luck with whatever happens - you deserve some better luck at this
point.  And as the current expression goes - we all feel your pain.
 
                                                  --Jack M. ('90 blue A)--