Another 3000gt record!

[Jag1718]

Well, November 10, 2004 is the day I wrecked my 98 vr4. The record was that i actually got my car airborne for a good 15 to 20 feet. I didn't think these things were supposed to leave gravel but mine sure did. Anyways, no one was hurt and very minor damage to a building. However, I was charged with Dragracing and Reckless Driving. I had full coverage so i get the car paid off and everything, i'll just have a lot higher insurance. I've decided not to buy another 3000gt. Don't get me wrong, I love the car and it's probably the reason why I'm alive after hitting the building doing 115 mph. However, it's just too tempting sometimes when people are showing off and provoking u with their own cars. I think i'll settle with something slower and more fuel efficient. However, I still say this is the best car ever produced and me being able to walk away from the accident with ease can prove that the vr4 is actually a safe car if ur going to crash. If that would have been a lighter car, that thing would have rolled so easy....but the vr4 took the donuts like a champ and kept me alive. Anyways, thought I'd share my experience.

[talskinyguy]

Know you limits, or learn them where there is nothing around.

Good to hear your ok.

[Igovert500]

DAMMNNNN...glad to hear your alive and well...too bad the car can't say the same...we've all been there and done stupid stuff, just be happy you are ok. And it sounds like you came out of it with the right attitude.

On a side note, any chance we get to hear the whole story?

[Jag1718]

LONG POST>>>

Well, it started with me getting out of best buy and going to my car. I've just purchased Halo 2 for xbox and was opening it up for a buddy of mine. He wanted to look at the new stuff in the manual on the way home. So, we're sitting in my car and out of nowhere comes a cart towards the front of my car. It hits my car going pretty quick and i'm like, shit. I check the front and there is a nice dent now about the size of a quarter by my headlights. It wasn't very deep so I wasn't very mad. As I'm looking at it and ignoring my own business, a mustang gt comes out of nowhere right beside my car with me outside of it looking at my dent and does a huge rear wheel burnout with smoke and everything a couple feet from my car. Well, i jump in my car and catch up with the guy just as we turn on the main highway. We go from a stop and I killed him straight off the start. However, due to traffic, he got around me and was ahead of me on the 2 lane road back to home. The whole time he's revving his shit and doing rear wheel burnouts and getting his car moving sideways because he's pissed he lost and probably knows now that I can't do burnouts since I have all wheel drive.

Anyways, we get back to 2 lanes and we get stuck in traffic at the light. He's a couple cars ahead of me and the light turns green and he manages to pull free from traffic and I FOLLOW him doing the same. At this point, I wasn't interested in a race because I had already won. Now we were just in a hurry to get home to play halo 2 before my friend had to go to work. I'm in the SAME lane as him and I'm gaining on him fast. I'm doing about 55 in a 45 and by the time i'm gonna catch him and have to switch lanes I was up to 80. Now there was a curve coming and I was just switching lanes and still going hard. He took the curve fine but the angle I took on the curve from the lane switch left me going too fast to make it....I check the speedometer and its around the 100s probably close to 115 at the time and as I go to straighten my car out for a curve the opposite way, I feel the rear tires over rotate and squeel and the next thing I know my front wheels lock up with my rear wheels and I just loose control spinning and doing countless donuts making unbelievable skid marks for 200 ft across the highway till I finally ran out of highway and went across someones front yard, slam through a wooden pole holding a sign, which is completely destroyed now....The side mirror on my passenger side went right through that lady's front window shattering the glass. We're still spinning through her grass into the parking lot next to her house and I hit 3 concrete parking things that I completely knock loose from the ground and that's when I went airborne for about 15 to 20 feet. I land still spinning (never done so much spinning in my life) and slam into a building. All that me and my friend had was the wind knocked out of us and just sore backs and minor headaches.

Of course, the people that we left in the dust from traffic pull up and see if we are ok and one lady calls the cops and they are there in about 15 seconds after. I get charged with Reckless Driving and DragRacing. I GET CHARGED WITH DRAGRACING BECAUSE THE LADY SAYS THATS WHAT WE WERE DOING. I'm sorry but I still do not agree with this because I had no intention of racing the mustang gt at that time and because she saw two cars pull away from traffic, she considered it dragracing. HOW CAN U DRAGRACE IN THE SAME FUCKING LANE? I'll take the reckless driving charge and u can throw in a charge for no turn signal if u want for not signaling a lane switch. I'm wondering if maybe I can get out of the dragracing violation in court. However, I doubt it and it's probably better for me to just plead guilty and take the sentence they give me. The cop told me it would probably just be supervision because I HAD a clean record and there were no injuries and damage was minor to the buildings. Post ur thoughts about the dragracing charge. No one knows about the real race we had because it was about 6 miles or so back.

[Thourun]

You should find out what the definition of drag racing is in your state, In mine you have to be reving the engine and the wheels have to make noise (which is funny since if you've got AWD and good tires that won't likely happen), its more a desplay of power than racing in my opinion but the state sees them as one and the same. I say fight it, you should on;y get the reckless charge and lane if they feel like it.

[Igovert500]

Go to court...typically when you do they will reduce your fines.
Before you admit to anything...make sure your friend is a good enough friend that he wont sue you...I know it sounds dumb, but just make sure you trust him.

That aside take it to court. When you meet with a cop, ada, or da(district attorney)...whoever cuts the plea bargains essentially. Explain that you know you were completely guilty of reckless driving, you are very sorry, but you weren't drag racing at all. Chances are they will drop a charge, possibly even reduce the other. Everytime I have ever gone to court or had a friend go to court(we are talking 20+ times in both NY and PA) they have always got a reduced sentence.
If for whatever reason, the da doesn't do it. Go to court, and explain it to the judge...leaving out the Mustang entirely. Say you were being an idiot, you had a fast car and were driving past your ability...everything they want to hear. Say you were not racing, (if no witnesses come, say there wasn't even another car)...I'm sure your charges will get reduced...

[GreekPower]

anything salvagable from the wreck?

[Jag1718]

I saw the damage on Thursday...Only reason the car is totalled is because the rear wheels and frame in the rear were bent up. I have a lot of dents from where the doors end, and the back begins. Otherwise the other half the car is still in great shape other than where my driver side front hit the building, which is just a dent about the size of a soccer ball. Engine bay is fine and as u know, I had a new engine put in with 0 miles about 1800 miles ago. Lots of the interior i'm sure is salvageable, but i won't be taking any of it. The insurance company will just pay the price for everything with it so they can sell the stuff off. If i take anything out that was in there stock then they will deduct it off how much they were gonna pay. I don't want anything from the wreck, except the twin turbos because I could sell those easily.

[youngvr4]

and i'm first in line, i'm not gonna care much for anything else exept that your alive, and thats whats important. ask yogs, there were a couple of times i was gonna sell the vr4 because i thought i might mess around and die in that thing, i was looking at chevy malibu's and all. i personally just calmed myself down, but do as you need to for your life and safety. i hope everything goes your way from this point on.

[xXxRocker5150]

I'm glad to hear ur okay man, thats one hell of a story, and that's bull about the drag racing thing, but just think, if you were in say a dodge Neon SRT-4 would you be here to tell us the story? I suggest maybe getting a 1997 3000GT base model if your looking for somewhat efficent mileage, good looks, awesome safety, and not alot of power.

[Jag1718]

True. I did consider switching back to a SL or a base model. I'm not looking to spend more than 13,000$ so I only have to be paying in 200s a month for a payment or so. 3000gts are more pricey than say a Firebird or a Camaro which is what i was just looking at. However, the rarity, options installed, and looks edge out both the firebird/camaro anyday. We'll see what I can find around the St. Louis area.

[xXxRocker5150]

If your willing to come over to chicago you can find some pretty decent deals on 91-96 base models. There's a 98' VR-4 in my area that has 26K original miles for 13,000, so there's some pretty good deals around my neck of the woods.

[NitroguN]

Wow what a story. I'm really glad you're ok man. Yea that feeling is really tempting and almost unstoppable. Surely you've learned from this experience and well that's what life is about, learning And through your experiences u can teach others. Like for example ... i'm thinking maybe it was a good thing i didn't get a vr4 as my first car.

[3KGT98]

glad your ok man

[Musashi3000GT]

A couple of things that piss me off:
1. you where racing on an engine that had just been installed 1800 miles ago? why the hell do you race on a motor thats not broken in yet? you where just begging for trouble.

2. you stomp the hell outta the mustang and still keep going.....jeeze bro why werent you satisfied. somoke him then chill, if he starts showing off like he did throw on the blinkers to affirm you won or give him the finger, something just let him know you won, thats it, go home.

3. you say you where not really racing, just in a hurry to play Halo2, well $hit if thats how you drive every time you get in a hurry then hell your lucky no to have killed yourselve earlier.

4. Mustangs have the worst handling, they plain suck, and you lost control on a AWD while the Stang held his line at practically the same speed?

Well I am glad you are alive but shit man look at the cost! I totalled my SRT-4 about a year ago and I still kick myself in the ass every time some 16 year old in a fast ass neon blows my doors off. I know how you feel bro and really, just glad you aint crippled or nothing.