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Thu. May 06, 2004

Crushed Metal, Part Two

It’s been a few days since I totalled my wife’s car. Well, I guess it was technically the other guy that totalled it. And since we’re still “sans adjustment” (yes, it turns out the guy did have valid insurance), we don’t know for sure that it’s totalled, but I’d say the likelihood is strong. The body shop manager wasn’t very optimistic about repairing it, in that non-specific way they have as they walk around looking at it; “Oh, my. Hmmm. Uh-huh. Oh, that ain’t good.” Susan said he spent a good bit of time looking at the undamaged driver’s side … seeking signs of a bent frame? The impact was so hard that there’s sure to be damage that isn’t visible. For example, the 6 CD player in the dash would not eject the CD’s … it had been jarred out of functional alignment. So, what else has?

Therefore, regardless of the insurance company’s assessment of whether the Focus can be repaired, we don’t think it’s a vehicle we are ever going to have confidence in again. New, they are great cars, a wonderful value for the cost, but after such a wreck, any car becomes suspect. Start with the most minor worry, the fact the car that got its frame torqued has a sunroof that will likely now develop leaks, and then work your way up to the car’s computer system that got jarred with the same force as the now non-functional CD player.

Me, I’m stilling working just fine. A little torqued, sputtering at times … but many will tell you that was true before the accident.

My wife? Boy, is she pissed, as you can tell from this picture, which ought to have the caption, “look what you made me do!”

Yep, 72 hours after I wrecked her car, she was driving a new pretty blue Mustang. I don’t know how she’ll ever forgive me for doing that to her.

Later: In a case of “omen of some type,” remember the Christmas gift Susan gave me? The remote control car I drove into the sewer? It was a blue Mustang.