In my 2011 Focus. I bought this car new and this is the third time it's been rear ended. This is the worst damage (first just scuffed the bumper cover when it was 2 weeks old, second tore a hole in the bumper cover when it was 3 months old).
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa33/thunderjet302/2011%20Focus/focus_zpsmlnbrywz.jpg) (http://s198.photobucket.com/user/thunderjet302/media/2011%20Focus/focus_zpsmlnbrywz.jpg.html)
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa33/thunderjet302/2011%20Focus/focus2_zpscypld5ly.jpg) (http://s198.photobucket.com/user/thunderjet302/media/2011%20Focus/focus2_zpscypld5ly.jpg.html)
Doesn't look bad right? Well I was slowing down for a car making a right hand turn (I was going between 10-15mph at the time of impact) when I washiznit by a 2005 Ford Ranger. He hit me because the lady behind him didn't stop and plowed into his truck at 35mph in her 2000 Saturn. I wasn't injured but the Focus took a hit. You probably can't tell in the picture but the bumper cover is torn in multiple places, the metal bumper is smashed in pretty badly, the bumper support it mangled, both taillights are popped out slightly with the passenger side one being cracked, the trunk while appearing to have no damage is pushed up 1/8-1/4" and the latch is bent rendering it unopenable. Quarter panels are fine which is good news. All in all the lady's insurance is going to be paying around $2000 to fix my Focus and giving me a rental. It goes in Monday to get fixed. Hopefully the last time it has to visit the body shop......
Rear-ended 3 times in the same car? That's nuts. Remind me not to drive through your town ;)
Better yet, remind me not to tailgate you...
It's a small town with 3 million people, and close to 8 million in the metro area. Easy to avoid :hick:
I wish everyone else would stop. Heck I'm at doing at least the speed limit most of the time ;)
Back before The Corral got sold and I used to love reading the Lounge, there was a guy who put, as his location, "****cago"
I can never think "Chicago" without muttering to myself through gritted teeth, "shiznitcago" :rollin:
My 95 SHO Taurus which i purchased new in Nov. 96 was rear ended 3 times in a year all 3 times i was dead stopped at red lights. People cannot drive......
Lol Aw man that's funny
Either way that sucks though. My car has taken some very minor door dings from idiot ppl (one actually being today while I was in the car) but it would kill me if somebody caused some real damage to my car.
Kinda the way my old astro van collected shopping carts. I don't know how many times that van had a cart up against it or cart marks when I came out of the store. The kicker was a Home Depot lumber cart. That left a big orange dent in the door.
When I read the title to this thread I was thinking "Noooo not the T-bird". Still sucks about the Focus but I'd rather see it hit than your primo 'bird.
My T-bird has been in several accidents. 1.) when my aunt owned it from new down in Louisiana someone ran a red light and hit front drivers side fender 2.) Dad had someone back into it and take out both tail lights 3.) I got rear ended and pushed in the bumper back in '01 or so 4.) I crashed it into a ditch drag racing my buddy in '00 (I was winning!), so the car got to go spend time on a frame rack and got junkyard front fenders/bumper/lights installed. So yeah my car's lucky to still be on the road...it has taken some lumps over the years.
Hate to say this but odds are if you keep the Focus long enough, some other jackass will run into it sooner or later!
People from Da Burbs sometimes say that. Because they are jealous we have all the water and sell it to them at double the price we pay in the city ;)
Well at least my Focus went four year between number 2 and number 3 :hick:. I'm guessing that people still don't understand what brake lights mean.....
Geesh your Thunderbird has been through quite a bit. It's lucky you guys really like it or it could have ended up a Chinese refrigerator years ago. Kudos to you for keeping it going.
But yeah it's incidents like this that keep me from daily driving my Thunderbird. I don't usually take it out during rush hour or peak travel times because that's when most of the idiots are out, especially the ones who can't see brake lights.
My white tbird (the one i call thundercat) got hit about 4 times, plus when i had surprise butt shag with a caddilac and put the cougar front end on it.
Twice i was sitting stopped at a light and someone ran into me, and both times i hit the flashers to see what the damage was and the guy drove away. I was gonna chase them, but it tripped my inertia switch both times. Second time it broke the trunk latch, and i ended up replacing the trunk lid since the lock was busted out anyways.
Third time, i was driving home from work and got pulled over for no tail lights. When i got out to check, someone backed into me at my work parkinglot and apparently busted out both tailights and somehow i didn't notice backing over them when i left.
Fourth time i went out to start the car and it wouldn't crank. Went to pop the trunk and i couldn't get the trunk lid open, then i noticed my bumper was pushed into my tail lights. It again broke my trunk latch. I had to beat on the trunk lid with a hammer to get it open, then i had to bend the rear tail light area back out 3 inches so the trunk would shut again. This all happened in thru first three months i owned the car.
The last time i wrecked it was 100% my fault. I was slowing down to a red light and my kid dropped his bottle (he was 1 at Tue time). I bent over to pick it up as the light turned green and started accelerating as i tried to hand it to him. A car pulled out right infront of me and somehow i didn't notice, didn't even tap the brakes.
My last thunderbird i was parked at my work in front of an industrial building and a semi truck backed into me while i was sitting in the car waiting for starting time. He only sped the bumper, and i let him go without reporting it.
No, that would require them looking up from their smartphones...
When I had my first T-Bird, the light sage green 85 V6, I was in three accidents in three days. Day one: Driving home in a snow storm, a pizza delivery driver coming the other way decided to do a u-turn right in front of me. I T-boned his Sidekick. He tried to say it was my fault because all four of his wheels were on the ground. I don't know where that logic came from, but when we went back to his pizza joint the owner of the place gave me $200 for my headlight bucket and fender, and a pizza for my trouble (he didn't want it to go through insurance, and my T-Bird was a beater, so I agreed).
Day Two: When pulling into the employee parking lot at work, I noticed one of the salesmen backing out of his spot. I stopped to let him out (and to steal his spot). He started backing right toward me, so I honked the horn. He looked, waved, and kept on coming until he hit my car. He only hit the same headlight bucket and fender, so I wasn't worried about it. He broke the tail light and rear bumper on his Saturn.
Day three (this one was the best one): While waiting in a line to pay a bridge toll a woman in a Corolla ahead of me started coasting back toward me. I honked the horn, she flipped me the bird without even looking, and continued coasting back until she hit me. She then drove ahead and paid her toll, and I did the same, then followed her into the bridge toll building parking lot.
I got out and walked up to her car and said "You just coasted in to me."
She said "No I didn't, you rear-ended me."
I said "Lady, there's cameras on those toll booths, let's go inside and take a look!"
She said "FINE", put her car in reverse, revved to redline, dumped the clutch, and flew backward across that parking lot as fast as she could.
WHAM! She hit one of those yellow painted parking lot barriers, and her rear wheels went up and over it. She then put it in first, floored it again, and drove off the barrier. Unfortunately she did this so quickly and violently that when her rear wheels came down off that curb the suspension bottomed, the curb went up between the wheels and rear bumper cover, and as her momentum carried her forward it ripped the bumper cover off. She finally came to a stop, and I walked up to her door with her bumper cover under my arm, shaking my head. She was bawling her eyes out behind the wheel.
I said "I guess it doesn't really matter who hit who now, does it?"
She sobbed "I thought you were honking to get me to hurry up!"
I said "No, I was honking because you were coasting toward me!" I then opened her back door, slid her bumper cover into the back seat, closed the door, and told her to have a nice day...
That is a hell of a three day adventure....
So I got my rental car today. 2014 Nissan Versa. My brother and sister in-law have an up level SL version. They like it. I have the Enterprise rental special SV. I do not like it. It has A/C, PW, PL, and a radio. That's it. Hell it doesn't even have a USB port (the Thunderbird and Mark VII each have 2!). 1.6L I4 with 109hp. It. Is. So. Slow. I mean I think the Focus is slow but the 2.0 in it will zing to 6500rpm no problem, which makes it feel faster than it really is. I won't get it back for 4-5 days. I can't wait. I was hoping to get the Mazda 3 they had on the lot but someone had already reserved it :mad:.
Well almost 10 days later it's back to normal. I'm just going to have to figure out how to straighten out my license plate and it should be good as before. Jokingly the body shop guy said "see you in another six months to a year". I hope he's wrong :hick:.
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa33/thunderjet302/2011%20Focus/20150717_135051_zpsivsmkx4v.jpg) (http://s198.photobucket.com/user/thunderjet302/media/2011%20Focus/20150717_135051_zpsivsmkx4v.jpg.html)
Your Carfax should bring a good return when time to sell. :deal: I had someone rear-end me while sitting on side of the road. Pushed through a barb wire fence and he backed up and drove off. Never checked to see if he killed me or not.
Same car, 74 GT Celica... I was outside the driver's door off the freeway shoulder, bent down changing a burnt fuse to my headlights when going early to work and a lady came off the exit and ripped the driver's door off my car while I was holding on to it. Edge of my door left a dent almost dead center on her hood, so I figure she missed me by a millimeter and a half, maybe.
Fortunately for me I plan on being this cars only owner. It's going to the junk yard after I'm through with it. I've had it for 4 years and it only has 41K miles on it. By the time it's worn out (150K+) it'll be 15 years old and a rusty POS :hick:
And the Focus got rear ended again today and then later in the day hit in the rear bumper while parked :hick:.
My wife was driving the Focus to work this morning. She was slowing as traffic in front was slowing down. A gentleman in a work van did not slow down and hit her. Damage was minimal, just some paint chips and a minor scuff (about $470 worth of damage).
After my wife came home I took the car to the body shop we use to get the estimate (I've been in there so much they know my name and the Focus :hick:). My wife and I then went to lunch. As we were eating we noticed one of those old ladies who can barely drive pull in next to the Focus. She came in (barely could walk in), got a sandwich, and left. As she backed out I noticed she was close to the Focus. After we finished eating we went outside and the lady had scuffed the rear bumper on Focus backing out. Nice old lady. Just hit a car and run.
The scuff doesn't add any cost to the repair as the bumper was getting painted anyways (body shop guy was surprised yet not surprised to see me twice in the same day). I'm just pissed that the old lady hit the car and ran.
It's a good thing I plan on keeping this Focus till it dies. The carfax has to look like a horrible rash.....
Could be worse, and I know what you mean about seniors: When I bought my Mustang it gave my father new car fever. He bought one of those ugly 2015 Cherokee Trailhawks. When it had 3900km on it he backed into a tree while trying to back up to the dumpster at a campground (this despite the rearview camera). Had to replace the rear bumper and tail light and have the rear quarter straightened out. Then about three months later my mother pulled a senior (mashed the wrong pedal) and hit a pole at the local grocery store. She hit it hard enough that the bumper support behind the plastic cover was V-shaped and pushed the radiator into the engine. $8000 later they got the Jeep back. Then about a week ago my mother comes to my place to borrow my truck. She missed the driveway coming in and went right into the ditch. No damage but I had to pull her out with the truck. The Jeep doesn't even have 9000 km on it. Worse, ever since Dad bought it he's been bragging that the red tow hooks on his Trailhawk are for pulling Chevys out of the mud, and I've been bugging him that he bought a Dart with a lift kit. I can't even tell him how handy those tow hooks were for pulling his Jeep out of the ditch, because I promised Mom I wouldn't tell him.
So yeah, old people....
Or stop, apparently....:shakeass:
I rear ended a chick (no, not like
that) once back in '99 when she stopped to keep from hitting a little old lady who spilled coffee on her leg and figured that the middle of main street was as good a place as any to clean the mess up. (I knew the little old lady had gotten a coffee as I was behind her at mcdonalds when she got it).
Scuffed her bumper (again, not like that) and managed to talk my way out of a ticket.
Happy New year y'all.
I know it could have been worse (so could any of the incidents the car has been in) but thankfully it wasn't. I'm tired of the car getting hit. It drives me nuts that I bought the thing brand new with no damage and every bit of damage to the car has been caused by some other idiot.
I really wish that older people who don't have all their marbles would stop driving. If you can't move well or heck even TURN AROUND when you back your car up you probably shouldn't be operating a motor vehicle.
Had a thought years ago that some vehicles were possibly more pr0ne to rear ends. An older coworker in 1970 had just bought a new Olds Cutlass. Sharp looking car with slit like brake lights (If I remember right?). He was rear ended just a week into ownership. I saw it--trunk was mashed nearly to the rear window. Wow was he ever pissed off. I just wondered if glare interfered with others seeing his brake lights.
Recently, a coworker driving a company bus was rear ended in the Chicago Suburbs. The driver was a woman who managed to total the steel bumper on the bus and got into the body as well. Her SUV was totaled (I saw those pics). It takes a lot of energy to do that to a bus. She claimed she did not SEE the bus. I guess she was right because she must have never hit her brakes. How do you not see the rear of a BUS?
Redd
Kinda hard to see a bus with a phone in your face
I'm going with the "phone in your face" reason as to why it has happened to me so many times. The Focus has
THREE bright red brake lights at eye level.
Yep --phone in face. This video is pretty sobering as to being rear ended and beyond, especially if you are pushed into further harms way. After watching it, I certainly want my belt on. The other thought: So, you want to walk along the side of a highway? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaHKjjsocm0
I watched a ton of those videos in the past and that one is definitely no joke
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l110/fordtruckfreeek/1800402_844680608882150_372976972_n_zpsytowqxhp.jpg) (http://s94.photobucket.com/user/fordtruckfreeek/media/1800402_844680608882150_372976972_n_zpsytowqxhp.jpg.html)
A good friend was driving the blue car, which once was a nice '89 Stang LX 5.0, another guy built the engine, and it was fast. My friend was driving too ed fast, lost control, and slid sideways into the van. 6 people died of the 8 combined, the two survivors are paralyzed.
Slow down, buckle up, and may you never know the sickening feeling of having only memories of friends and loved ones.
This happened May 10 2003. It still feels like yesterday...and yesterdays are all we have of some people...
See the thing is I don't (well usually :hick:) drive like a jack ass and I never use the phone when driving. The problem is most other people aren't like me, as proven by my car repeatedly getting hit.
I usually get pissed off when I see another driver being erratic, or whatever....usually there's a phone involved, or food, or makeup.
My last truck washiznit 4 times in the same parking lot (at work) in less than a year. The first 3 times were minor to no damage to my already damaged rear bumper. But the last and worse one was a hit and run that I didn't find out about until the next day when I saw that my rear quarter was now concave instead of convex. Yes, I was pissed. And now I've also learned to park my new truck in between parking spaces in the corner of the lot lol.
Driving in to work today I saw an Econoline-based school bus..pretty new, summer steer tires, worn-down winter drive tires, FedEx van had summer tires all the way around...counted cars for a bit with summer tires. Then you have the all-season BS.
I may drive on GARBAGE tires. But I know exactly what my limitations are and I drive accordingly :rollin:
All seasons produce better doughnuts in the snow :mullet:
The question is...do all seasons cause more damage to be done to your vehicle when the car wearing them decides to try to commit...fusion with your car? :P
I had to brave the brutal cold last winter to put my summer tires back on. Studded just wouldn't let anything happen! And then I was of course screwed the next time I had to venture up the hills to my buddy's place :hick:
What are these hills you speak of?