But my car is NICER!

[Bliss]

Ivanna (Ivanna Humpalot) is a 1991 Lada Niva. She's scratched, crashed, bumped and has dints everywhere. I'm saving and someday I'll have her small spots of rust taken care of (very small spots), and have a whole body work done on her and fresh paint.

Me and my BF have crashed her three times, once we jumped over a sidewalk and crashed headfirst into a stone wall at about 45 Kph (We had her aligned not long before and the morons from the shop tightened the terminals incorrectly and while we were driving one of the terminals got loose and we lost all control of our right wheel). That time I got off the car (still shaken from the crash) and under it. I tied the terminal with wire and the vise grip. And drove about 12 blocks into dad's home where I latter changed her terminals myself.

I've crawled under and over that car a hundred times and done all my mechanics on her myself except for when I broke the tension skid in the time chain and bent all eight valves (thankfully not leaving marks on the pistons).

Anyhow it's an old, boxy car that seems to have come straight from WWII, and still she's sturdy, loyal, has easy mechanics and I wouldn't change her for anything else.

[Crazyredhead]

I have a '94 Mercury Villager in retirement alongside of my house with 175,000 miles. She is no longer safe to drive.

1. Antifreeze releak.
2. R headlight out.
3. R brake light out
4. Two other tail lights out.
5. No heat
6. No A/C
7. Weather stripping on drivers door and sliding door, which has caused a wickedly foul smell inside.
8. Bad clicking in front axle when turning.
9. Passenger mirror broken.
10. Passenger window won't go up or down.
11. Drivers shoulder belt off track and no longer moves.
12. Drivers shoulder belt alarm disconnected.
13. Drivers door automatic locks no longer lock.
14. Rear window windshield wiper arm missing.
15. Almost all of the paint on the hood gone (is down to the primer)
16. Spots of paint all over van is worn off.
17. Roof dented in.
18. Various scratches and dents all over van.
19. The appolstry is wearing off of the drivers seat.

There may be more wrong but that is all I can think of off of the top of my head. I figured that I have thoroughly ran her into the ground. It isn't worth the money for repairs when she will break down again. I am using it now to teach my daughter how to drive, but only when I go over the back roads where there is no traffic and a lot of gravel and ruts. I am trying to get her used to driving first. I took her out for the first time yesterday and I think I was holding my breath the entire time. She didn't understand about turning the wheel and we nearly ended up off the road.in the ditch. It is kinda like driving on the farm. I'd rather the old van be in the ditch, up to the floorboards in mud than my new van. When she is comfortable I'll put her in my new van and take her out on the road . Once she gets her permit. (pray for me <whisper> pleeeeaaase)

[queenbb]

i really hate people like that. in a way its lucky for us that we have a drive through bay shop, (ie one way in and out. not with multiple bay doors)

(yes i work for the same shop mentioned in the op)

we do first come first serve, we go by times on the tickets and since most of the cars are in the lot i get alot of complaints that some ones car was there way ahead of the other cars in the shop when they came in (ok yah cause they were out in the parking lot at the time you drove in, and there for not in the shop being worked on)

the other day i had this guy in a brand new infitnity come in with a flat tire, we start the inspection on the tire (determine that it is not repairable) and that it would take a while before we could get to it (we were short handed that day as usual, and had a few a head of him.

then he says, well is there any amount of money i can pay you to make this go faster.

i look at him directly and say, im sorry our shop does not work that way. all of these people were a head of you, you will have to wait your turn.

i go about my buisness, i get a call that i had to take, and some one else finishes the inspection on the car. i hadnt gotten that far on it.

determination, we couldnt even get his tire anyway, its a special order tire and would take a while to get.

i dont know how the guy managed to talk the assistant manager in to putting on his spare for him ahead of all the others, i suppose it was just to get him out of there cause he was getting that holier than thou additude i susspect that goes along with him trying to bribe us, to impress his girlfriend.

to the ams defence he did take a long time to do it, and waited a while before he got to it.

[Becks]

I wonder what the woman in the OP would've said about my Mommy's last Geo Metro.

[retaildrone]

I wonder how she would react to my car. '87, the mileage thinggie has turned over twice and is close to its third time, banged all to heck, the engine is held together by duct tape..... My mechanic was amazed that the thing still ran... and well when I took it in for maintenance (which cost more than the value of the car) My car, according to the bluebook, is worth less than $200. HAH. It IS a case of the value going up and down depending on how much gas is in the tank.

However, it runs well, gets me back and forth so I save for a new car and will drive this one to its ultimate death.

[Reyneth]

That was only the beginning. He was from a different state and told his insurance company that the police were in cahoots with me and that it really wasn't his fault even though he received a ticket for failure to yield right of way. His insurance company then told me that I would have to sue them to get the money. It was only $1200 so i eventually gave up.

Your insurance company should have pursued his for that money. Most reputable insurance companies don't buy that "police out to get me" or "they were favoring him" story, especially when liability was clear - which it sounds like it was in your case!

[LewisLegion]

Next year (February?) all broadcast signals are mandated to go HD, and you perfectly good old TV will no longer work. You will need to either break down and get a new TV, or get a converter box. :-(

They're actually going to digital as opposed to analog, not HD. I've already got a cable box (free, I work for the cable company) so my tv will not so much as burp when that happens. Sets as old as mine that aren't on cable and rely on rabbit ears for their signal will, however, turn into giant paperweights.

But I appreciate the warning

[Andara Bledin]

They won't turn into paperweights. But you will need a converter.

And, you can get a coupon for the converter from HERE. Up to 2 per household.

^-.-^

[STEELMAN]

Your insurance company should have pursued his for that money. Most reputable insurance companies don't buy that "police out to get me" or "they were favoring him" story, especially when liability was clear - which it sounds like it was in your case!

Since my car was old and paid off, I only had liability insurance on it, so my insurance company wouldn't help.

[Geek King]

Since my car was old and paid off, I only had liability insurance on it, so my insurance company wouldn't help.

Should have talked to a decent lawyer about it, though. An easy case like this, they could sue for your money, plus court and lawyer fees. Possibly additional penalties if the insurance company was silly enough to admit to believing their client over a police report without proof on paper, as they might as well say they were trying to screw you out of money. Most lawyers would kill for a slamdunk case like this. Water under the bridge now, though.

[queenbb]

Should have talked to a decent lawyer about it, though. An easy case like this, they could sue for your money, plus court and lawyer fees. Possibly additional penalties if the insurance company was silly enough to admit to believing their client over a police report without proof on paper, as they might as well say they were trying to screw you out of money. Most lawyers would kill for a slamdunk case like this. Water under the bridge now, though.

i have been in several accidents, i have only not been paid once, i fought it, they said that the damage done to my car didnt amount to the amount of bodily injury i had, i have been in at that time i think 12 rear end collisions, including that one, and i ended up getting whiplash anyway, the only reason i presued it was because the woman left the scene and then refused to give me her info. i was more mad than anything about that but when i was stuck under a car cause i couldnt move that was another story.

i never did get anything for that accident. yah there was barley a scractch on my bumper but that lady decided that coffee was more important than an accident no matter how important.

in your case you should have beenable to fight it, it does not matter that you only had liability on your insurance, or how crappy your car is. or even for that matter what you would do with that money. the point is that the guy hit you, and you were owed the damages.

[Beckpatton]

Classic!

Me (finally chiming in): At least I can afford some manners, lady.

Wish I could have been there to see her smarmy face! Classic! Kudos for how you handled her, I probably couldn't have contained myself and used a few expletives! Kudos to the manager too, it's great to hear that not all managers will bow and snivel at the feet of self righteous poncy arsed "customers"... great story!