| Author | Message | ||
     Pwnzor |
For this, they wanted to total my baby... I convinced the body shop to lower the estimate just under the total loss threshold which was something like $5000 on a $15,000 car.  She surely doesn't look totaled to me... and I just paid her off this morning.  | ||
| Rick_a |
The rear of the car is twisted up pretty good. The air bag deployed. The rear axle is severely bent and sits crooked in the wheel wells. I'm pretty sure the rear subframe is bent up. Literally everything attached that front control arm is broken. The bodywork up front isn't too bad...but the rear is crumpled up good. It hit hard. My car is worth only $5K with easily over 5K in damage. If they don't pay for it, I just want the aftermarket parts back...probably not the rear sway bar, though. Doubt that's any good. | ||
| Rick_a |
That's a nice ride. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Given that information, I'd say your car is definitely totaled. As for getting your parts back, communicate with the repair shop where it's sitting. I think technically the insurance company doesn't want you doing that, but as long as you bring the old parts and put them on the car or at least leave them with the car then the repair shop shouldn't have a problem letting you do it. Depends how far they have their heads up the asses of the insurance companies. If it's in a municipal impound yard, you're probably not getting your parts back | ||
| Rick_a |
Yeah. I'm probably not going with another Fit, anyway. There was too much unused space in that thing  I just found out that the insurance doesn't cover the rental, either (Progressive). Pretty convenient seeing it took them five days to even look at the car. If the insurance isn't too crazy I'm hoping to have an R56 Mini Cooper S by the end of the week. | ||
| Rick_a |
So I found a clean local Mini Cooper R56 S locally...priced reasonably...and made an appointment for a test drive...and they sold it without telling me. 20 minutes away there was another...but this one had minor cosmetic damage, bald tires, and was priced $1000 higher. It drove like new...but they were unwilling to negotiate. Literally across the lot was another...and this one was a disaster. I checked the fluids before I took off...and by the end of a fifteen minute test drive the coolant reservoir was emptied. The engine smelled of imminent death...it was a bit rattly sounding...and a peek under the oil filler cap showed some discoloration and the blue hue and scoring consistent with heavy water contamination of the oil...as well as the very distinct smell. It also had a strong vibration up front from 30mph on. I don't think they balanced the front tires they said they had replaced. Anyway, I love the car. It feels and drives a bit like a classic sports car...a bit unrefined, but planted and firm. The controls were a bit awkward, but it's fine. The boost which comes on quickly makes the 1.6 liter feel like a 2.6L...but I'm not sure it's all that necessary. I may look at some NA examples in a couple days. I don't mind working the shifter a little harder...they're priced a few thou less...they also weigh 130lbs less. | ||
| Pwnzor |
I dig the mini's but the one aesthetic thing I can't stand is that giant gauge in the middle of the dash. Not sure how you feel about it, but I'm wondering if anybody makes a retrofit dash to change that. I think I saw a nice Mini for sale down the street from where I live, I'll drive by there on the way home and send you a picture if it's still there. | ||
| Zac4mac |
My next door neighbor has several Minis, including a Moke. When I went to Texas for little brother’s funeral he let me drive one, a 2013 Paceman S. Turbo, 6-speed paddle shift and a decent stereo, I loved the steering... reminded me of my Lotus Europa. I may get one in the future... Z | ||
| Pwnzor |
That's a hell of a friend to let you drive a car all the way to Texas, especially a sport job like that one. So... what's your opinion of that GIANT speedometer? I mean, you can never lie to a cop and say you didn't know how fast you were going. | ||
| Rick_a |
I have no problem with the pie plate speedometer. There's a digital one in the tach. The big one can be ignored. The experts say it's there to scare passengers. | ||
| Chauly |
The reason for the large central speedo is for the export market; the LHD versions only required a pedal/steering wheel swap. No dash Changes needed... | ||
| Pwnzor |
Ahhh... that makes sense. Of course it could be HALF the size. Rick, the Mini I saw before was gone already. They do have a very nice MX5 touring package sitting there. | ||
| Marksm |
After owning both I would definitely take the MX5 over the Mini any day.  | ||
| Rick_a |
Yeah. I need to haul children and stuff regularly. The Minis are a no go. The Mini S guy couldn't get the deal done. We were good yesterday when he was asking for more money. After they dropped the price and I insisted they sell it to me for the current advertised price they claimed I needed more down and very short loan terms. The normally aspirated Minis in the area were junk. Literally. One was just ragged out. Interior worn out, dirty, and literally everything was broken. Every plastic body panel was loose/broken. Flat and bald tires. Oil smelled of engine death. Engine rattled and spat out soot. The next was cosmetically gorgeous...interior perfect...paint and body immaculate...but was a mess mechanically and electrically. The coolant was murky and had a layer of oil on top. The engine sounded rough and the cam lobes and rollers were scored. It smelled of coolant as it heated up. A new radiator hose was hanging down (improperly installed) that leads me to believe that that's what overheated it at some point. The front end squeaked...I think one of the suspension arm bushings were ate up...and the turn signals, door sensors, hazards, windows, and power locks didn't work. It either needs the battery registered at the dealer, a control module, or both. Unfortunate. Such a pretty car. It was a little heart breaking...that it was such a pretty car...and that I had wasted so much time to go out and see it. My day was done at that point. To make a long story short, I drove around all day for nothing. I'm going to go look at a Fit tomorrow. With about 1K invested in suspension stuff the Fit at least handles impressively. | ||
| 86129squids |
I've decided that when the day comes that I say "Motorcycles no more", I'll have a decent convertible coupe. Hoping for someone's grandma's/grampa's Lexus SC430. Ideally a Pebble Beach edition. https://www.mecum.com/lots/AU1215-228547/2006-lexu s-sc430-pebble-beach-edition/ | ||
| Pwnzor |
I'll just put this out there... Carmax has a bunch of Mini's listed for what I consider to be reasonable prices. I bought my Spyder at Carmax and I resolved myself to buy my next car from them if at all possible. The experience was excellent. I put zero down and drove out with the car I wanted in less than one hour. I possibly paid a little more than I would have if I had gone private party, but there was zero hassle. A few benefits - 24 hour take it home test drive. Yes, you read that right. 30 days to change your mind for ANY reason. FREE 90 day major system warranty up to 4,000 miles from the time of purchase. Any time during that, you can add their extended warranty which is really quite good. Even if the car you are looking at is in another state, many of their locations will ship it to your local store for free, or a small fee. If you pay a fee and don't buy that particular car, but you do buy a different car, they'll take that amount off the purchase price. Mine was shipped from Durham NC to Norcross GA for free, with no obligation so I could test drive it. Sure, Carvana claims a lot of these things also... but two of my coworkers have bought from Carvana and both had bad experiences. One of my other coworkers sent his 19 year old son to Carmax by himself... he got financed on his own and drove out in a low mileage Ford Fusion Platinum with payments he can afford on his own... in about an hour! In summation, Carmax good. | ||
| Chauly |
Back in '04, the Cooper S had just come out. We test drove it and came away very impressed (especially the shifting: like buttah!), We also drove the '04 Prius. Not as sporty, but lots of room, great mileage, etc. It was within $200 of the Mini: what to do, what to do... Let's see: The Mini was designed in Germany, built in the UK with a Brazilian engine. We had had an Audi A4, we both had had British cars, and the Brazilian thing was an unknown. The Prius was, well, a Toyota built in Japan. It lasted us 300K miles with ZERO problems. Can't say that about friends' Mini's... | ||
| Pwnzor |
It's not fair to compare, well... ANY other car to a Japanese-built Toyota. Germany, Korea, America, UK - not even in the same league. My neighbor's Tundra - made in the USA with 73% USA-made parts - let's just say it's not what I'd call great. | ||
| Tootal |
Although I agree that Japanese built quality is usually higher, my 2005 Honda Element was built in Lincoln Ohio. I would still have it if a friend didn't offer me a deal I couldn't refuse! At 162,000 miles the engine only used a 1/2 quart of oil in 10,000 miles. The only maintenance I had to do was change air/oil/filter. Change transmission/differential fluid. Brakes rotors and pads. And before I let it go I put new front axles in it. The front left CV joint was going out. That's it. When your Dodge dealer tells you that a quart of oil every 1000 miles is normal he means normal for a Dodge! There's no reason for lousy built cars. We have the technology, it's just cheaper not to use it. | ||
| Rick_a |
I'm buying 2nd Gen Fit #2 right now. It's much cleaner than the last one. Body is straighter, but with paint scratches. Better clutch. Brakes are soft. Minimal rust and corrosion. No front bumper droop. Tires are cheap. They're so soft it's like driving on putty. No big deal. It can all be fixed. I'm not particularly looking forward to doing all the mods again. Took me two years last time. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Took me two years last time. You've already had your trial and error period. | ||
| Rick_a |
I got the car. I got raped by the finance company. I didn't have time to shop around for my own. I got a decent offer elsewhere. These jerks about doubled that interest rate. So, I got a really good price on the car, but am paying the same as a typical price on the car. I'm pretty pissed...but I need a car. But, yeah. I know what to do with the car this time around. | ||
| Rick_a |
I thought I had the previous car for two years. It was actually just one. I put 30K on it  At least it's an inexpensive car to maintain. The new one has a better clutch, the stick requires less effort, cruise control, keyless entry, a factory alarm, a USB port, and a couple extra speakers. It has an annoying creak and squeak in the left front at low speeds that I have to track down. The exhaust is also a bit raspy, though it is stock. It sounds like there's a broken baffle in there. It's more stable on the highway than the last example...though hard winds will be the true test. The previous car was almost unbearable in stock form. This one is good so far. Fits are known to get flighty in hard crosswinds on the highway. This one still has solid engine mounts. The other one...they were floppy as hell. The most annoying thing is the interior smell. My girlfriend didn't notice anything, but it smells strong of other person...and I don't like it. It's always interesting how no two vehicles, no matter how well made, are ever alike...especially with some miles on them. This car has traction control...though it's not working. A 100hp car hardly needs it. Also the ABS light is on. Typically it's due to mismatched tires or a broken speed sensor wire. It's likely the latter. More fun. I'm going to try to put together enough cash to recreate the previous car...just minus the muffler...and maybe skip the poly engine mounts. This one is black vs silver. Drivers seem more conscientious with the black car. Weird. | ||
| Pwnzor |
I got a great deal on a C5 Z06 Corvette some years ago, and it smelled so badly of cigarettes that I sold it a year later purely because of the smell. I got the exact amount I paid for it, so that was OK... but now I know why it was so cheap. | ||
| Rick_a |
Cigarette smell is an instant headache for me. I hate it so. My previous Fit had a smoker passenger. The car didn't smell, however. I'm guessing that passenger window was open a lot. The passenger seat had butts in the seat rail, a burn on the headliner, and some burns in the seat bolster. It was sold as a non smoker car.  I used cruise control for the first time in some twenty plus years yesterday. It's nice to relax that foot occasionally. The speakers in this car are much better than the last one as well. They produce a richer sound. The other one sounded a bit tinny. Thus far the USB port has proven incapable of properly charging a phone. Disappointing. I think if I hold on to this one I'll K swap it at some point. Even with junkyard parts it's an expensive proposition. I may need to acquire welding skills | ||
| Rick_a |
I'm on to making Fit 2.0 like Fit 1.0. Everything will be the same except for lighter wheels (Konig Helium vs Drag DR-31), better tires (Michelin vs Cooper), and no muffler. I tried to get Progress springs over Swift as the higher rear spring rate would balance the car better, but they've been discontinued. Oh well. The Swifts are a nice ride.  So far I've replaced a bent chassis brace, replaced a missing intake air duct, replaced a beat up window trim piece, replaced a wheel bearing, installed a missing wheel bearing retaining ring, replaced a front hub, repacked and rebooted a CV axle, replaced a brake caliper, replaced the brake lines with braided lines, replaced a broken wheel speed sensor, replaced a bent up clutch inspection cover, and I'm sure something else I've forgotten. I've purchased the center underbody piece from a CR-Z to increase my aero. There's mounting points for it in the stock stuff. It's said to increase the mileage by 1mph. Worth it. There's probably too much toe-in up front and whoever aligned it (if at all) did a terrible job. The steering wheel doesn't point straight and the cheap tires have been wasted up front in only 5,000 miles. They push bad in the dry, but actually do pretty well in wet conditions. There was a bent chassis brace rubbing against the catalytic converter heat shield making a raspy exhaust sound and causing a grinding when changing directions. It's nice to not have to deal with any of that. The engine mounts increase in cabin noise enough that I'm skipping the muffler on this one. I'll have TPMS sensors installed this time around so no light mocking me every day. | ||
| Rick_a |
And also my A/C stopped working as I had big dogs in my car on a trip fogging up the windows and the defogging was not working. Hopefully it's just a relay. | ||
| 86129squids |
. IGAF Rick. Bye Badweb. | ||
| Rick_a |
Okay. Byee. | ||
| Glitch |
I don't know how much it'll help. My youngest is a Honda Tech at Curry Honda. If you need to know something or are having a hard time finding something, I may be able to help. PM me if you think I'll be of some help. |
