Until I moved to Miami I thought I could be accident free... then... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
My point was simply this, you can attempt to “properly” maintain distance but other motorist drive like A holes. In many urban areas in America it’s simply not possible in a normal vehicle let alone any kind of exotic because people drive 10x worse for varying reasons. I once was trapped on the freeway in a Ferrari California while surrounding motorist boxes me in and were getting as close as possible to snap photos. Caused me to miss my exit and the next possible exit was several miles later in the next state. This is only one example I’ve personally experienced.
1 cars length for every 10 mph is the general rule. But try doing that driving down I95 through SC and Georgia. Id you leave 1 1/2 someone will take the opportunity to cut in front of you.
Yes, happens to me all the time on freeways. It's always annoying to have to "drop back" every time it happens. I will happily drive along at 80mph (already 10mph over the limit) to keep up with the pack. There are many drivers who treat I4 like a NASCAR track who on a drive from Orlando to Tampa (say 70 miles) will beat me by probably two minutes at the end of "the race". So what, let them win, I've had my fun on proper race tracks.
I've seen many a vehicle in lane three ONE cars length behind the car in front. What's even worse is that the vehicle in front is a "tall vehicle" with blacked out windows or some such, so they can't even look through the car in front for advance information. Lemmings I tell ya. And just for information most Brits are no better in the UK.
I was involved in another incident this morning on my way to work. I changed lanes in my G Wagon, apparently I pissed off the lady in back of me so bad that she decided to ride my ass while blaring the horn the entire time. When she realized that I could care less, she sped up next to me to stare me down while still blaring her and ran straight into the back of another car. People are so angry these days. Blows my mind.
Karma served up a dish for her this morning. But yes, people are becoming increasingly angry and indignant without any regards for fellow humans. It's sad....
Yeah this was the point I was making basically. So while legally it may be the op’s fault it may in reality be a simple result of poor motorists in general. And if you continue to slow down especially in large metropolitan areas you can then be cited for interrupting the flow of traffic. I have many freinds in law enforcement, and the way people drive has been the subject of numerous conversations. In my work trucks we now have dash cams, and those dash cams have saved me and my employees on more then one occasion. One instance that sticks out is when I had some guys in a neighboring town to service an account and they seen a lady getting ready to back out of a parking spot. They stopped and the lady, without looking, tears out of the parking spot while texting and backs into the front of my company truck. Then calls 911 to report my company truck rear ended her. The footage saved my guys a lot of hassle. It’s like others have said it sure seems like everyone is in a hurry, believes the road belongs to them and everyone else should yield to them and gets angry when you don’t. Defensive driving takes on a whole new meaning nowadays. I feel like I’m in a demo derby trying to avoid being hit some days. I’m sure glad I live in a more rural area where fewer people drive like maniacs.
I don't get how it could be that much. My insurance guy said they are going to look if over and decide what to do. What to do?
Without delving too deep, $43k seems a tad high but by only $5-7k. If you don't mind me asking, was there structural damage or just body part damage?
I'm not sure what all damage there was. I know that it was pulling to the right after the accident. It also has Scud mirrors on it that were swiped. Also, passenger door was hitting fender slightly and passenger window was scratched by the mirror that banged up against it. These were things that the bodyshop pointed out that I didn't notice. This is the bodyshop that handles all of the exotics in St.Louis, so they aren't some mom and pop outfit.
With all of that taken into consideration, it seems about right. You have some structural damage which is causing the suspension and door issues, plus Ferrari parts are anything but cheap. Can't recall Eric, is your car a 6 speed or F1?
seriously, with that kind of estimate and the car is already 37k miles F1, it's prob better to total it. A market price for this car is prob 70-80k. Now add accident history to it it's probably worth 50 even after it's done. The body shop is helping you out by providing a realistic estimate. I dont think u want to be stuck with this car, unless u buy it as a dedicated track/race car
I wasn't insinuating as much but I reread your initial post and didn't even consider the alignment issues. The suspension parts (if any are needed) are quite pricey as well as that carbon mirror; so I recant my previous statement. With that initial estimate you posted, that actually seems low. Sorry to hear about your misfortune, hope it all turns out positively.
Considering high mileage (25k and up) Spider's are going for $100-$110k, with a clean "record", it would be quite interesting to see what someone would be willing to pay for it.
Sorry if I came off snooty. That was not my intention. I've made the mistake of taking my older cars to smaller shops because of a better deal, but I always paid the price for it.