Accident damage!

[JR4 Motorsports]

Good morning FEP, well not so good.

Woke up at 5am this morning to an unpleasant surprise. Drunk neighbor took out the taillights and hatch on my 86 GT.

He was trying to turn his pickup around in the parking lot and misjudged the distance.

Both taillight assemblies are shot, bumper cover is scuffed, and might have a hole, the lower edge of the hatch is curled up about 4 inches for at least 1/2 of the length across the rear. (looks like his bumper went under the hatch and lifted the car a little, as I don't remember parking up against the curb.

Only good thing is he was too drunk to even leave, Local Sherriff charged him with DWI

So......

Any idea for a damage est? Only looking to use Ford replacement parts! Paint is not really an issue, as the car is multiple shades of black, but it does need to be at least black. I'll be calling my agent later this morning!

Thanks!!

[roush235]

Sorry to hear about that. A rotten way to start your week. Please post more pics when you get a chance.

[tjgtstang]

Well you can't have anything nice without someone else missing it up for you!

[eeprete]

Sorry to hear about this. At least no one was hurt though.

I'd probably say under $400 in parts. I'd suggest listing a WTB and you might locate a hatch, lights and bumper fairly quickly.

Where is carmel, NY?

[JR4 Motorsports]

I am about 1.5-2 hours north of NYC, Labor rates ARE high.

Parts for about $400 sounds nice, but labor to prep, repaint, remove and install should push it to ~$1,200 or so (labor) She is not a 'pretty' car, but there was nothing wrong with the hatch, bumper, or taillights. Hatch was in primer (working towards a restoration), so all I would ask is the new hatch would be replaced 'like in kind'. I have to go through the other guys insurance, I don't have collision, but that should not matter, the guy was DWI, and my car was parked! I'll update the photos tonight. my wife took some "CSI" type photos in the daylight, I took that pic at 5am this morning. What a way to wake up!!

I am going to wait till the Insurance company settles, then I will look to have it repaired.

[escogt]

Sorry to hear about this mishap. I'm glad he got charged. He should pay for your damage. I'd be soooooo pissed.

[86capriASC]

That really sucks.

[86GT2r]

Man that stinks, at least it wasn't worse.
Since he is a neighbor, he may try to get you to cut him some slack with the repairs / cost. Don't fall for any hard luck story he may try to tell you. Insist that the repairs be made right & he or his insurance pay 100%. I have been burned in the past by being the "nice guy". Don't let this guy off the hook

[mustangman65_79]

At least he couldn't get away. I had a drunk Illegal Mexican hit my old 89 bronco. he hit it so hard, it jumped the curb sideways, and bent the frame and front end.

I got the license, but since he was illegal, he got away with a slap on the hand, while I had a totaled truck.

And thats why I hate ANY Illegal Immigrant.

[neald]

This sucks dude! But you may want to get the bumper support brackets as well as the bumper cover, taillights and hatch. $400 is a good estimate for good used parts from classified ads, but if you get an estimate on good parts from a salvage yard it could be much more. Then add labor to this. Just make sure the insurance company gets you the money you deserve, and need to compensate you . Good luck brother, let us know.

[JR4 Motorsports]

First off, thanks to everyone for the parts offers. Once I get the report from the sheriff I can get on the guys insurance company!

Ok bad news, I took a closer look this evening and while there does not appear to be any exterior body damage, the taillight panel was kinked and bent in. In addition to that, the bumper cover now feels loose, like the bumper was pushed in, and did not come all the way back out. The car was moved about 6-8 inches forward and to the right. This pushed the right front tire up the curb, then back down. I don't think the kink is too bad,but I can't get a better look until I remove the damaged taillights, and I need to wait for the adjuster, when ever he shows up. I did talk to my agent a little, and he feels they may total it, being 25 years old. BS! I didn't pay much for the car, but what does a 86 GT in fair to poor shape go for? And how do I keep it from being totaled? Arrgh!

[JTurbo]

Sorry for the accident. From the pics, that doesn't look too bad.

No damage to the hatch? What about where the hatch meets the roof? Does the hatch open and close OK?

[JR4 Motorsports]

Man that stinks, at least it wasn't worse.
Since he is a neighbor, he may try to get you to cut him some slack with the repairs / cost. Don't fall for any hard luck story he may try to tell you. Insist that the repairs be made right & he or his insurance pay 100%. I have been burned in the past by being the "nice guy". Don't let this guy off the hook

He may be a neighbor, but no friend! Sort of the condo asshole. I will get my own estimates after his company looks at it, and we will see how they match up. I am still fearing the "we totaled it" statement from his company. That is not an acceptable answer.

[JR4 Motorsports]

Sorry for the accident. From the pics, that doesn't look too bad.

No damage to the hatch? What about where the hatch meets the roof? Does the hatch open and close OK?

Hatch is toast. The rear edge is all pulled out,and the whole thing looks tweaked. Lock doesn't work from the key, but the electronic release works. The hatch to body gap is almost zero on the driver's side, and about 3/4" on the passenger side. The body where the hatch hinges mount looks good, glass looks OK, but it was dark.

[banzaibullitt]

I think if they try to total it, you should talk to a lawyer and have him/her contact the insurance agent. Insurance companies are businesses, and they are only interested in giving out as little money as they can get away with.

[mustangman65_79]

Sad to say it, but they will total it. In their eyes, that is only worth about 1500, and I see well over 1500 in damage. You will most likely be forced to sue your neighbor for the remaining amount to fix it.

[dburdyshaw]

Sorry to hear about this happening.

[neald]

How handy are you with the welder? i have 2 hatches with good glass that have some rust. you can have them if ya like. i may even have a set of ok condition lx taillights you can have cheap until you find a set of 86 tails. i live about 35 mins from you.

[85GT-79FJ40]

it sucks but it's probably going to be a total by the insurance company. It seems unless these cars are mint they are considered to be $1000 cars. So although many of us here could fix it acceptably in an afternoon with $500 worth of parts most body shops will write it up as a $1500-2000 job making it a total. But that doesn't mean you can't settle for their amount, buy the car back from them, and fix it yourself. But that's likely going to mean it will have a salvage title afterwards. As long as that doesn't bother you it might wind up being a decent deal.

[JR4 Motorsports]

How handy are you with the welder? i have 2 hatches with good glass that have some rust. you can have them if ya like. i may even have a set of ok condition lx taillights you can have cheap until you find a set of 86 tails. i live about 35 mins from you.

Not too bad with either MIG or TIG, how much rust? where? Thanks.

Refresh my memory, what's different between the LX an GT tails?

[JR4 Motorsports]

it sucks but it's probably going to be a total by the insurance company. It seems unless these cars are mint they are considered to be $1000 cars. So although many of us here could fix it acceptably in an afternoon with $500 worth of parts most body shops will write it up as a $1500-2000 job making it a total. But that doesn't mean you can't settle for their amount, buy the car back from them, and fix it yourself. But that's likely going to mean it will have a salvage title afterwards. As long as that doesn't bother you it might wind up being a decent deal.

It is a shame, as was the cash for clunkers program. There is no reason a car like this should be totaled, like some have said, it is all about the $$ . We will see how the other company handles it. I have to fax the police report in to them. Driver was charged with aggravated DWI,so there should be no doubt who is at fault Talking with my agent, if the est. is more them 80% of book value they will total, and that is my fear. The salvage title is a complete BS move. There are NO structural issues on the car, and the recent damage is mostly cosmetic, or easily replaceable. But we will see.

[neald]

GT lens looks like cheese graters and lx tails are mostly red with clear reverse section like the 87-93 saleens use.

[neald]

Oh and the hatches have have rust on the underside corner where there is a large hole like where a body plug fits.

[86 50CPRI]

GT lens looks like cheese graters and lx tails are mostly red with clear reverse section like the 87-93 saleens use.

I thought these were from '87 on,the cheese graters vs. the 'LX' style. On the earlier cars, the lenses were split horizontally whereas the 'LX' style were not.

[arj]

If the insurance wants to total the car, is there a way to stop them from turning a clear title into a salvage title?