I guess I am not meant to have a nice car!
 

<rant>
Dam* B!tch cracked up my mini cooperS this morning. While driving on a busy 4 lane road, she was waved on to do a U-turn by a large Boar's head meat truck to collide with me. The same truck that obscured her vision of my lane, which was *streaming* with traffic.

I was able to scrub speed, slid 5' to a good brake job, but she hit *me* with the front of her POS Saab, whose bumper blew off. Cop notes her at fault, gives her a fr*gging warning for an unsafe turn? I guess if I was spitting my teeth like chiclets, she would have gotten an actual ticket? :mad: She then had the nerve to point to a fog light cover that had just broken a few weeks ago, and had the cop confirm with me that it was already broken!

Anyhow, just last week, I noticed someone had backed into the cooper, and made another 4" scar on the pristine bumper. My wife's 2004 Nissan quest moon-buggy is covered with bumps from a**hole parkers. What is going on? Is it a conspiracy? Can't I have a nice car? I wash them, wax them, talk to them, etc. I pay my car payments, park away from others, etc.

What really makes me think is that had I been driving my Beck 550, it would have exploded (all fiberglass, no bumpers, big oil cooler in the nose) and I probably would have made contact with the windscreen with the top of my head and been topped like a turnip. So, I guess 5mph bumpers have some purpose in the US.

Sorry to *****, thought someone here might b*tch along with me.
</rant>

Too many cars on the road and it isn't going to get any better.

Solution? Buy a one year old car that has depreciated 25% and drive it until the wheels fall off.

Way back in '69, my 2 week old 912 was in a body shop after being backed into while parked, the body shop owner told me: 'You young guys never learn, and I'm costing myself business to say this. NEVER try to have a nice car like this for daily transportation. Buy a cheap 10 year old luxury car...a Buick or Caddy something. They depreciate like crazy, but because only old folks buy them, used ones have low mileage, have been serviced properly, and haven't been abused. Somebody backs into it? They'll probably lose. Even if they don't, you should care? It's just the $500 junker you use to get to work and back or go shopping with.' Guys, I was in my 20's when I got this advice. Now I'm 60. I still consider the advice to be sound. (edit)
I mean, I should care what strangers think of the car I'm driving as I go about the normal driving "grind"? Fock! I'm 60, been married nearly 30 years, not hunting for chickies. Our daily driver is a '99 Ford Ranger..."loaded" under the hood and inside, but outside a great anonymous mode of transport. I also have a '77 Dodge Powerwagon for hunting, fishing, hauling firewood & trash. I spent around 10K having it's engine rebuilt with a few mods, and body & paint work. Lemme tell you, those who enjoy hitting other cars? They stay away from this one, with it's bumpers made of 3" dia. steel pipe. I hate to say this, but the advice I got years ago is true. Today, anybody spending $30K or above for a daily rounds driver is either insane or so filthy rich the naturally occuring damage doesn't matter.

Sorry about the damage but schtuff happens and sometimes their is nothing you can really do about it. Try not to let it get to you too much. I had just finished paying off my SAAB and I wrecked it the following weekend. I was upset for a week and couldn't sleep thinking about it. You have to let it go.

Is the frame damaged? You may have to buy another car. Think of it as an opportunity to try something new maybe a Mini S with the John Cooper Works package or get yourself a used Porsche that you can use it as a daily driver. It might not feel the same if and when you get it back from the body shop unless you really trust the shop doing the work. Anyways, good luck.

Yep nothing better for a DD than my Buick . You can speed and the cops dont look twice, My Ac will freeze your nuts off, I get 25+ mpg,Parts are Cheap and insurance too.
I had a gal who was drunk hit my IH head on while it was parked the cops said she was doing 45 mph, Her Toyota was totaled My bumper was scratched up but that was it. I have had 5 IH trucks you could build a honda out of the steel in one hub cap.

Steve? You jump in your IH, I'll jump in this, and we can go out looking for SAAB owners who want to play bumper tag! :)http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1093112272.jpg

Thanks for the concern guys... It's really just a gouged bumper cover, and probably the crush area underneath.

PWD72s, I like the two hooks... they look like velociraptor claws, the ones they used to tear their prey up ;)

Actually, they're good for hooking a chain to...then you shove the transfer case selector in "low loc", put the main gearbox into reverse, and with all four wheels turning, you can pull lots of stuff...stumps, stuck cars, whatever...I'm sure every Cayenne sports the same, right? ;)