A crazy saturday night with my NSX

[Hasdrubal]

Man, that sounds like it could lead to a fight, and if it's a bad enough neighborhood, a fight could be a gunfight. If there's any legal grounds to get the money out of him, walking up to his door and demanding satisfaction might not be the best choice.

I'm sure you weren't suggesting shooting anyone. The problem is, the guy who hit and ran might not be so reasonable.

Ask police/lawyers if the guy really is liable before you do anything, and then work with some sort of authority figures to do whatever you have cause to do. Police, lawyers, judge, whatever.

Nick

 

[nastinupe1]

its not your problem he is dirt poor. he didn't work hard in school or dropped out or choose horse off when he should have been doing HW.

he trashed your car, left after the accident and how your going to be a push over and eat 1000$ ... which you could have used to pay rent ... etc.

man up and get your money, this is ridiculous.

next time he crash another car, he will want to wiggle his way out of it again. your just encouraging bad behavior.

if he is "dirt" poor, he should be walking and not driving.

go man up and get your money.

I totally disagree. Charge it to the game and just pay the $1000. Trust me, if this man drives a Kia and lives in the ghetto, it will be easier getting blood from a rock.

I'm not saying that the guy is right for doing what he is did, but you have look at who you're dealing with. What do you think, that you're going to knock on his door and ask for $1000 and he's just going to hand it over? Better yet, tell you that it's in his bank account and he just needs to go to an ATM?

The dude is broke, and maybe some of the folks on here don't know what broke REALLY means because they have had so much disposable income for so long. But when you're broke, you can't even pay your own bills, let alone another an unexpected expense. I remember when I was so broke that I just went more into the negatives every month and my goal was just to break even and not have to use a credit card. I remember being so broke that I couldn't afford a gallon of gas. I had to fill up a 1/2 gallon just to make it home. I remember being so broke that I had to ride my bike to Wal-Mart to go shopping on $5 and I spent 30 cents on stale bread from the bread store.

And going to small claims court is just a waste of time. Even if you can find the dude and serve the warrant to show up in court and he loses, good luck trying to get your money. He probably doesn't even have a "real" W2 job that the government can deduct money from.

If I were you, I'd just try and find a repair shop that can do it for $1000 cheaper or just suck up the $1000 and move on and lick your wounds.

 

[nastinupe1]

what i have learned from all of this, besides the details of how these types of insurance claims work and the ins and outs of the auto insurance industry and state legislation (its been quite educational and ive learned a lot from this accident), is that this was basically a big wake up call in my life ... that i need to chill the fuck out. im 32, im not 17 anymore. even though i felt i was perfectly ok to drive, fact is i was technically intoxicated to some degree, and to be speeding around is plain stupid. my girlfriend and i have made a pact that we are going to completely quit drinking during the week, and only drink on the weekends, and will only use a cab or a friend to drive us when we go out - even if we feel sober enough.

Good to hear. But there's nothing wrong with drinking, just drinking and driving is what you should stay away from. I'm glad that you or anyone else wasn't hurt.

I was hit head on by a drink driver driving on the wrong side of the road with his lights off at 2:00 am. I was in an S2000 and my car was smashed to bits. I'm suprised that I didn't get hurt. Anyway, drinking and driving is always a bad idea. I never drive if I have had over two drinks.

 

[stevetwors]

Wow. Where to begin with all the replies. I have the state minimum $10k liability just as everyone else i know, family and friends. Your monthly payment goes up quite a bit when you increase the liability amount. I chose that amount because i've never been at fault in any accident with another vehicle in my 16 years of daily driving, also because i doubt skidding from a rain puddle into the back of a minivan will cost 20x $10k like someone said. then again what ive been hearing about the problems with the insurance industry - most people in the business from their experience will tell you the $10k min required by law is not enough to fix most of these expensive newer cars on the road these days, its the tip of the iceberg of a huge problem with insurance laws and economy. but to talk about me only have $10k liability would be going off topic and anyone bringing that up would just make them look like they're searching for something to criticize me about.

about the towing my car. i admit i did not even think about that. but, if someone gave me that advice that night i still probably would've declined, because i have had many nice cars in my time and have had to leave them on the side of the road for many reasons such as running out of gas or mechanical problems and the car was always there when i got back - sometimes even leaving them much longer than 6 hours like in this story. the car really was way off the road, even parked next to a speed limit sign. which really just baffles me how he hit me, or why, he needed to really turn off the road to hit me, this is right after the guard rail of the end of a bridge - if my car wasn't there he would've hit the speed limit sign.

no the cop would not hang out with me until they felt i was ok to drive, thats silly, they are busy they have a lot better things to do than sit with me for an hour or so. he gave me a time limit of 15 min for my friend to come get me.

as far as the other guy not legally owing me anything and me being fully responsible for paying $1k deductable, let me remind you that the only reason im paying $1k deduct is because the other guy's insurance is not enough to cover the cost of repairs. imagine if i only had liability coverage and no comprehensive? i would have to pay $6k!!! to have someone come along in your life and smack into you causing you to have to fork up $6k ... yea that is definite grounds for taking someone to court over. but luckily for him i have comprehensive so i only pay $1k deduct, so luckily for him he only owes me $1k not $6k. so legally of course its a no brainer - he was at fault, he owes me in damages his insurance was not able to cover.

well i looked up his address, its actually not that bad of an area. its still a cheap apartment complex, but its in a semi ok suburb area. either way it doesn't matter, im approaching him in person because i dont have his phone number, the whole point in me contacting him is to give him a chance in avoiding a legal judgement against him. im not expecting him to have $1k lying around to fork over, not many people do. the idea is to at least get SOMETHING out of him. ill work with him, arrange a payment plan maybe 4 installments, it depends how important it is for him to avoid a legal judgement which goes on his record and affects applying for jobs and credit. i would simply show him the body shop quote and the insurance claim papers and the amount i am being given to prove i am not scamming him.

the other option is to work with the body shop to find $1k somewhere in those repairs. i have a feeling that might be difficult. they already ARE using reman parts or recon existing parts. here is the list, if anyone has suggestions where to save money in this list im all ears:

recon existing oem rear bumper cover - $867 (new oem is $1300)
reman/rebuilt oem wheel - $179

the rest is oem, items with INC means labor included to R/I:

rear bumper - $585.12 (INC)
crossmember, engine mount left - $1,259.75
crossmember, engine mount right - $1,604.93
deflector, rocker panel left - $903.05 (INC)
quarter panel left - $1,875.92
shield, quarter panel left - $126.93 (INC)
taillamp assembly left - $453.65
reinforcement, rear bumper left - $151.97 (INC)
bearing, rear wheel left - $245.75
knuckle, rear suspension left - $587.48
arm, upper control - $1,055.37
arm, lower control - $1,055.37
absorber, strut - $232.08
end, tie rod outer - $166.18
end, tie rod inner - $162.17 (INC)
brake cable - $157.48

DUNLOP DIREZZA DZ101 TIRE (AFTERMARKET) - $107.20

theres a bunch of little things under $100 i didn't list. someone mentioned $200 for a rear quarter panel? where do i even begin to find stuff like that? im used to finding used parts such as headlights, mufflers, etc - things that people upgrade.

 

[nastinupe1]

Again I believe that you're wasting your time, but if you are going to contact him you should do the following:

1) You should follow up with the police station concerning the incident and get a report. The report must name the individual who was driving the car that night as the owner of the car. This may not be their car, i.e., it may a father and the driver was the son. Or it may be in the husband's name and the driver may have been his wife. So first and foremost, you have to know who to blame, which may not be as cut and dry as you think.

2) You shouldn't communicate in person. You should do it via certified mail (USPS). This will document the communication. Also, the letter should be drafted by an attourney. This will possibly scare the individual to try and settle with you out of court as well as inclue iron clad language which can be used in court if need be.

3) If the guy does not respond, send a second letter and in the second letter threaten him with legal action that will include lawer fees, court costs, etc.

4) If all else fails, go to court, fill out the necessary paper work and order a summons to appear in court for the charges. You will be assigned to small claims court since it's such a small amount.

But like I said before, all the work that you'll have to go through to get the money probably isn't worth it. And even if you take the guy to court, he probably couldn't pay you anyway. I say just give up and charge it to the game.

 

[4AU4LIFE]

someone mentioned $200 for a rear quarter panel? where do i even begin to find stuff like that? im used to finding used parts such as headlights, mufflers, etc - things that people upgrade.

do a search on Prime and I'm sure you'll find a lot of OEM parts you need. I just don't know how you would go about getting paid back by the insurance company if you do all the work and buy the parts yourself.
I seem to remember someone selling the 1/4 panels pretty recently due to them upgrading to a wide body.
Good luck.

 

[tom4416]

Wow. Where to begin with all the replies. I have the state minimum $10k liability just as everyone else i know, family and friends. Your monthly payment goes up quite a bit when you increase the liability amount. I chose that amount because i've never been at fault in any accident with another vehicle in my 16 years of daily driving, also because i doubt skidding from a rain puddle into the back of a minivan will cost 20x $10k like someone said. then again what ive been hearing about the problems with the insurance industry - most people in the business from their experience will tell you the $10k min required by law is not enough to fix most of these expensive newer cars on the road these days, its the tip of the iceberg of a huge problem with insurance laws and economy. but to talk about me only have $10k liability would be going off topic and anyone bringing that up would just make them look like they're searching for something to criticize me about.

You really don't understand insurance. You seem to think your only liability is for the damage to the other vehicle. The big issue is personal injury, almost a given in any accident given the legal environment we live in. You can do $10,000 worth of damage to the other car but end up with $100K in liability for injury to the other person - where is that money coming from? And, BTW, it something to criticize you about because the rest of us end up paying for injuries you cause to another party while under-insured.

If you have any assets at all, you really should have a bare minimum of 100k, 500k is more like it PLUS a minimum 1MM umbrella policy.

 

[fourringpilot]

Meet with the claims adjuster at the Acura bodyshop. Get a quote for all the parts and labor. The total cost will be outrageous since an Acura dealership is involved. Tell the adjuster you will settle for 10% less and find a lower cost bodyshop.
For example, Acura estimates total cost to be $20,000. You tell the adjuster you will take a check for $18000 and go somewhere else to get the work done.
This is what I did when my wheels got scratched. Met my adjuster at the bodyshop. The quote was $2400 for new wheels. I left with a check for $2000 and went to a professional wheel restorer. Got the job done for $400 and spent the rest at Science of Speed. :smile:

 

[Mark S]

If you have any assets at all, you really should have a bare minimum of 100k, 500k is more like it PLUS a minimum 1MM umbrella policy.

You are 110% correct tom.

 

[Dynamic-uzed-auto]

#1-get full coverage next time, if you cant afford it that means you cant afford an NSX.
#2-Dont be a bully let the law handle the ghetto kid, stay away from his side of town, he probably was drunk as well.
#3-NEVER,NEVER,NEVER,NEVER,NEVER leave a NSX on the side of the road again, towtowtowtow.
#4-a taxi is always the best thing on the weekends.

 

[bjmills]

What state are we talking about here? $10,000 minimum? Wow. Here in Ontario it's $200,000 but I think the "standard" amount is $1M. The latter is more of an assumption however. I'd be scared to get behind the wheel with only a $10K liability policy. I've never hit anyone, either. But it might happen someday, somehow...

 

[cparsons]

...500k is more like it PLUS a minimum 1MM umbrella policy.

Yep, that's what I have. Too dangerous today, legally, to not be covered. And it really isn't THAT much more expensive each month. And if something really unfortunate happens I don't have to spend the rest of my life working to pay someone else's hospital bills.

 

[Tony Montoya]

I have 5 million in 3rd party liability. It costs around 30 bucks a year. That's because it's hard to do 5 million in property damage and I would have to drive outside of my no-fault State in order to need the 5 million for an injury claim.

 

[peiserg]

Wow. Where to begin with all the replies. I have the state minimum $10k liability just as everyone else i know, family and friends. Your monthly payment goes up quite a bit when you increase the liability amount. I chose that amount because i've never been at fault in any accident with another vehicle in my 16 years of daily driving, also because i doubt skidding from a rain puddle into the back of a minivan will cost 20x $10k like someone said. then again what ive been hearing about the problems with the insurance industry - most people in the business from their experience will tell you the $10k min required by law is not enough to fix most of these expensive newer cars on the road these days, its the tip of the iceberg of a huge problem with insurance laws and economy. but to talk about me only have $10k liability would be going off topic and anyone bringing that up would just make them look like they're searching for something to criticize me about.

.

Professor..

If you are found at fault...even if "life ain't fair" and it was the other person's fault, that $10k will MAYBE cover damages...on a kia...

one trip to the ER will eat up $1000 if they do almost nothing... if they get a broken arm, and require surgery.. and that I guarantee is more than $10k... if you seriously injure someone...well, $3-500k in medical bills would be realistic.

I find it hard to credit that you are 100% accident and ticket free, have a good job, can afford an NSX, and can't afford to increase the limits on your vehicle's insurance! I have 300/500 and 2m umbrella... i thin my umbrella runs $40/year.... and the nsx insurance is $1200/yr... with a $200 deductible.

 

[RON98]

I totally disagree. Charge it to the game and just pay the $1000. Trust me, if this man drives a Kia and lives in the ghetto, it will be easier getting blood from a rock.

I'm not saying that the guy is right for doing what he is did, but you have look at who you're dealing with. What do you think, that you're going to knock on his door and ask for $1000 and he's just going to hand it over? Better yet, tell you that it's in his bank account and he just needs to go to an ATM?

The dude is broke, and maybe some of the folks on here don't know what broke REALLY means because they have had so much disposable income for so long. But when you're broke, you can't even pay your own bills, let alone another an unexpected expense. I remember when I was so broke that I just went more into the negatives every month and my goal was just to break even and not have to use a credit card. I remember being so broke that I couldn't afford a gallon of gas. I had to fill up a 1/2 gallon just to make it home. I remember being so broke that I had to ride my bike to Wal-Mart to go shopping on $5 and I spent 30 cents on stale bread from the bread store.

And going to small claims court is just a waste of time. Even if you can find the dude and serve the warrant to show up in court and he loses, good luck trying to get your money. He probably doesn't even have a "real" W2 job that the government can deduct money from.

If I were you, I'd just try and find a repair shop that can do it for $1000 cheaper or just suck up the $1000 and move on and lick your wounds.

i know what having ZERO $ means.

i lived out of a friends garage for 8 month because i had ZERO dollars.

thats why 1000$ means a lot to me.

regardless if you have a million dollars, its the principle. he wrecked your car, ran away, now you want to give him a break?

it only encourages bad behavior from this person the next time around.

if he lives in the ghetto and going there might result in getting hurt, i can see someone letting it go.

 

[enkrypt3d]

Get AAA.... for about $120 per year you could have gotten a flat bed truck and have them tow it to your house. Done deal. I'm sure the cops would have even waited there with you for the tow truck. :wink:

 

[HTN]

I'm with Ron.
This guy needs to pay the grand. If he is so poor, he should be staying home drinking moon shine. Gas to get in his kia costs $$ and the drinks also costs $$. I have no sympathy for poor people that smoke and drink.