The Mouse has been in a fight/ Seat Info!!

[Metro Mighty Mouse]

Hi guys,

been awhile since I posted anything but I had some news and some information. Last Wednesday I was leaving work and heading to look at a pair of seats from a Suzuki Esteem that I found on Craigslist for free. I figured they [i]might[i] be a direct bolt in and if not I could probably fit them to my stock rails. When coming up to a light at an intersection it changed yellow and on a split second decision I decided I would be able to stop in time. Full breaking and a wet road and I only slid the tires when I hit the painted line and I got the Mouse stopped before the intersection.

UNFORTUNATELY

The lady behind me apparently wasn't paying attention because I had time to think about whether I wanted to back up a little and look up in the rear view before she hit me. Fortunately no one was injured and both vehicles were able to drive from the scene. The Mouse performed admirably in absorbing the hit and unless you know what the tail should look like you probably wouldn't even notice. The rear license plate was folded at the middle and pretty scraped up. The bumper has a big crack in the middle that you don't see unless you get up close or push on it. The muffler is very bent and points about 45 degrees downward now. The worst damage was the back half of the spare tire well was crushed up nearly to the level of the hatch floor, and lastly the drivers seat bent back about four inches.

Her 93 Dodge Spectrum fared much worse. The entire plastic nose was destroyed. The hood was accordioned about half way up, and she bent her radiator. Her car was low enough that she went under the mouse and did most of the damage to her own car.

We exchanged info and she couldn't "find" her proof of insurance. I called the cops and they refused to dispatch an officer, even after I explained she didn't have proof of insurance and I would really like a police report. They just advised to fill out an accident report that I could download off of the internet and mail it in and that I would be covered because the state has uninsured motorist coverage required. Not exactly an answer I was pleased with. The driver said she would call me with the information once she filled out the report. When I filled out my copy of the report I discovered that her drivers license number is listed as an ID and not a drivers license with the DMV and she also has not called me with her insurance info so my insurance is having to pursue the information for me. I am covered up to 10,000 medical and property from my insurance company so I will get the money for my car. The biggest problem is I need the repair to be less than $2000 as that is what the Mouse Blue Books at and I REALLY don't want them to total my car out and have to go through that headache. Way too many custom touches to want to start over again and I don't want a branded title if I can avoid it.

Now that I NEEDED a seat I went and picked them up and at first glance they appeared to be sized correctly but the mounting looked different. I brought the drivers side in the house to clean it up and start figuring how I was going to make it fit in the car. When I turned the seat on it's side, it dawned on me that the brackets did look the same as mine. An hour or so later, both seats were in my car and secure. Direct bolt in. So now I have separate head rests that can be raised and lowered and slightly softer seats. So I can attest that some, and maybe all, Suzuki Esteem seats will fit 95 and newer hatchbacks and might fit older cars as well.

[leonbentz]

Holy SH*T!! I wouldn't take your day, for all the tea in China. They wouldn't dispatch an officer to the scene of the wreck?? There's a lawsuit on the city's behalf. The fact that the other driver was not leagal to drive, will just add a little sugar and spice to your case. This looks like a riddle of neglegence on everyone's part, but yours. I hope everything works out okay.

Good Luck

[DOCTORBILL]

Try driving the freeway in Kahleefornia......



This goes on there all the time. They drive at 65 mph in the fog! Heavy fog...

I had to stop behind some guy on a 55 mph country road here in Eastern Washington,
and looked in the rearview mirror.....a 3/4 ton pickup was approaching and it was obvious
that he wasn't slowing down!

I started to drive over to the left (oncoming traffic?) and he "woke up" just in
time to go into the ditch on my right....

Scared the living crap out of me - thought I had bought the farm...couldn't do anything to stop it.

I had to watch it while it was happening to me - like some nightmare where you are stuck
in molasses and can't move...

Do people just go into a coma while driving?

I have people get right up on my bumper and "follow my tail lights"...I could drive off
a cliff and they would follow me right over the edge!

The Geo Metro is scary in that it is like being inside a coffee can in a demolition derby...

Driving a car can get you dead...but no worries - there is insurance.

DoctorBill

[leonbentz]

Excellent pic, Doctor Bill but in CA, I would not be surprised. Same here in Oregon, for that matter. Holy crap. I have seen some good ones.

Some people need to watch what they drink and smoke, before they hit the road.

[idmetro]

My first admonishion it so quit think of the car in terms of an investment that will have much monetary value when it comes time to part with it. It probably won't. Think of it as an investment that will pay you back in the present and thats about it (sort of like buying a subway token - you get a ride but there is no value to the token once you've used it).

Unfortunately you are probably out of luck on the branded title issue as $2000 will just about cover replacing the air freshener these days. I'd be willing to make a wager that the insurance company will just want to total the Mouse and move on.

Fortunately this gives you the opportunity to pressure the adjuster to give the Mouse a higher value as you have done a ton of work to it (do you have receipts?). Adjusters don't care much about "normal" maintenance items but I would still include them just to show your car is way above average. Gather info on what "comparable" Metros have sold for in the last 6 months in your region (this gives you an opportunity to snag ads when the gas prices were higher and Metro's sold for a bit more). This may get you a bit higher valuation which may or may not help in covering the repair.

If the car is still a "total" then you have the option of buying it back from the insurance company for the salvage value (typically 3-500 dollars). You can find this out by calling a couple of local wrecking yards and asking what they would pay for a wrecked Metro - just tell them you are evaluating your options.

Assuming the car is still a total then the insurance company will give it a valuation (often based partially on KBB prices, but typically somewhat lower). Lets say they value it at $2500 with a salvage value of $500. This means you can either take the check for $2500 and they take the car or you can take a check for $2000 ($2500 value - $500 salvage value of the car) and keep the car. The car will get a "salvage" title and some states may make you get it "safety" inspected to maintain its license but if you are doing the work and feel the car is worth saving then in my opinion this is the way to go. After all you have the car because you like it, it gets great fuel mileage, its relatively easy to work on and you've made it yours. The resale value and or the potential stigma of a "branded" title is a minor consideration by comparison.

In my case I had an 86 chevy Sprint which got hit in the rear demolishing the hatchback. The insurance company declared it a total, I went to the wrecking yard and bought a replacement hatch (for about 1/4 the price the insurance company claimed it would cost), found a body shop that would do the work for less than the insurance companies estimate had it repaired and got a check from the insurance company for $500 to compensate me for the "inconvenience". I had the car fixed and drove it for the next 16 years before the state got around to giving it a salvage title. I saved thousands and thousands of dollars of fuel costs in those 16 years and have a salvage title made no difference whatsoever in the way the car performed.

When it was time to move on (to another Metro) the car was worth a few hundred dollars on the open market. I was fortunate enough to not have to have the money from the car so rather than sell it I ended up giving the car to a responsible local teen who would would not otherwise be able have had a vehicle. I worked with the boy and his Dad so that they both understood its flaws, what might be required to keep it going, introduced them to this forum, set conditions with the boy that his Dad controlled access to the car based upon his grades and performance, and added a final condition that if they got to the point where they were going to replace the car and it was still driveable then it was their responsibility to find some worthy individual to "donate" the car to. At that point I signed a bill of sale and the title over. Two and 1/2 years later the car is still running, the boy is growing into a young man who has a job, has greatly increased his self confidence and his self sufficiency. All in all a pretty good deal for a "wrecked" car.....

[leonbentz]

Yea, I have been in this situation before. I take the runnin' gear and transfere it to another body. I have a lot of work and money in my Metro, and would likely do the same thing, if it should get crunched. If need be, I'll buy a complete one and keep my old one for parts.