Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Branches New England Ah, the good old days. Share your story!!!!!

I don't have any major stories about cars breaking down, but I can share the one about my one major accident.

In 1988 I started working in Exeter and was commuting on Rte 101 from Manchester (like I do now) except once you got past Epping it was one lane both ways. One sunny morning in September I was driving my new Cavalier Z24 (3,000 miles) to work and there was a car coming the other way stopped to turn across my lane. No biggie, right? Well a pickup truck coming up behind that car was going way too fast and did not realize the car was stopped until the last minute. The guy jerks the wheel to the right and swerves around the stopped car, cuts the wheel too hard to get back, puts the darned thing up on two wheels skidding sideways for a bit.

Finally the truck gets back on 4 wheels swerving all around. Well, he sideswipes the car in front of me taking out the entire left side and that collision straightens him out so he's headed straight for me. Keep in mind, this all happened in an instant and I'm tooling along about 50 mph. Well, I see the f&cker at the last minute and jam on the brakes. Too late. Bam - head on at about 40 mph.

Thank goodness I had my seatbelt on. I could not breathe. It knocked the wind out me and sent me into shock. I remember getting out of the car to walk and I couldn't, so I had to sit back down in the car. The fire dept. said the seatbelt saved major injury. I was out of work for a week with major muscle pain and such, a bruised knee, and a big black and blue from the seatbelt. Ouch.

I remember when I left the emergency room they were still picking glass out of the face of the pick-up driver.

I got a new Z24 the following week since I had not realized in 3,000 miles that it was a piece of crap.

Ouch!
Man oh man...there are some bad things happening around here!
Stupid drivers! Some people shouldn't be allowed to get their licenses!

ok where should i start....or better yet with what vehicle?

El Camino:
First accident within 6 months of being on the road, some guy decided to try and take off my front end.
then a series of small accidents followed ( ithink i had bullseyes painted on my car)
then i sold it while in college...bought it back 8 months later
the day after i bought it back i blew a head gasket on rt 140 headed back to school
changed teh cam and head gaskets in the college parking lot

wagon:
blew a brake line at 80 mph trying to avoid some ass that cut me off...spent 8 hours on the side of the highway inthe middle of december waiting for rides.

Van:
nothing major really.

Contour: well you all know those stories!

I have a great story that happened about 4 years ago. It's a little lenghty.

I was driving home from Syracuse University in my 1981 Chevy Malibu. I had the car at school for about 2 months, and was noticing an occasional oil light flicker. I had been burning oil in the car for about a year now, but the level was definately full.

So Freshman Year comes to an end, and I pack up my car with ALL of my belongings. I begin the drive somewhat late at night, and am heading to UMASS Amherst to visit a high school friend.

I get about an hour outside of SU, and the car dies while doing 80mph. I quickly pop it in Neutral, and try to restart it. I coast down to about 65mph, and then the car kicks over.

I continue for about another 15 minutes, and it happens again. This time it takes a little longer for it to kick over, but again, it does.

About 20 minutes after that it happens again, but this time its not restarting. I pull over and keep trying to get it going. Then two cars pull over in front of me. They seemed to have some car knowledge, and began looking into my car for me. They couldn't figure anything out, and told me to sit tight. They said State Troopers are around about once every 2 hours or so.

Eventually a NY Statie pulles up and calls me a tow truck. While I'm waiting for the Tow Truck, I decide to try starting it a few more times. As the Tow Truck pulls up, I manage to start the car. Now I should have just left right then and there, but decide to say thanks for the Tow, but I think I'm all set now. The guy then tells me it'll be $20 for the service call, even though I didn't get a tow. Oh well, live and learn.

So I pay the $20 with a credit card, and am on my way. I go about 5 minutes down the road, and it quits again. I think, [censored], now I really need the tow. I coast in Neutral and somehow manage to roll into the Mohawk Rest Area. From there I call my house to let them know whats going on. I told them I'll just spend the night in my car, and in the morning I'll get it towed to a shop.

Then I call my buddy at UMASS Amherst and explain that I'll be spending the night at a rest area, and I won't be able to make it. Now he's about 2 hours from where I'm stopped, and decides to come out and pick me up.

He makes it out to meet me, and I told him it seems like I can get the car running for a while, but then it needs a break. We start the car up, and begin leaving the Rest Area. It is at this time that we discover there is a service station located at the rest area. It was on the other side of the building and I didn't even see it! DUH!

So I drive the car over and have the guys look at it. I know damn well that I'll be taken advantage of, but I'm just looking to make it home.

They tell me it's my fuel filter, and replace it. I really don't think these guys were sober at 11PM on a Thursday, but oh well.

So with my buddy behind me, we limp the car to UMASS Amherst for the night. This 3 hour trip took me nearly 8.

The next morning, my buddy starts following me home. We are on some back country road in the middle of nowhere. The car continues to burn oil like crazy, but it seems like this smoke is a little heavier than normal. I pull the car over and pop the hood. A bellow of smoke rises from under the hood. I'm looking all over the place, and eventually see some flames underneath the hood.

HOLY [censored], MY CAR IS ON FIRE!!!

Now keep in mind, my car has EVERYTHING I brought to college. Panic sets in. I know that even if a fire truck got here, it wouldn't be for a LONG time. I remember I've got a waterbottle in my car, and grab it fast. I climb under the car and begin splashing water on the flames. Somehow I managed to put the fire out. It appears as if there was some kind of oil buildup on the heatshield, and it ignited.

So with the fire out, I continue on the way. After the fire, the car ran for a solid hour and 30 minutes. I make it to my home town, and 2 miles from my house, the car dies again, and won't restart. I have my parents come pick me up, and get it towed to the local garage.

Turned out I was LONG overdue for a tuneup. That was by far, my most memorable experience in a car.

Well, I refuse to tell any stories that make me look like a moron. So I'll toss this one out. I finally got my contour. I was very excited, cause I didn't have to ask my girlfirend to drive hers anymore. Its Saturday, I get it registered. I drive about 100 miles that day to sort it out, it seems good...well actually it seems like a porche compared to my '85 buick regal which it replaced. Saturday night comes, I go out with a couple of my friends. We get to Ihop (on the Berlin Turnpike), I go to pull into a space, and it stalls. It won't start again. I see some steam coming from under the hood. Look at temp gauge...it PEGGED!!! I say holy &*$^, my car overheated! My friend in the passenger seat says..."oh yea, I saw the gauge creeping up a little over there". So I was like "WTF!!! You didn't think that was important!?!?!?!?" So, there is nothing we can do and we go into Ihop to eat. We had no problem getting a ride home. As it turns out, my waterpump went (17.5 hours after I got it registered) this was before I knew about the contour waterpump problems. Needless to say, I was a bit displeased, but aside from the waterpump, it has been a great car otherwise...come to think of it, thats why I'm here.

-FD

Originally posted by Forbidden Doughnut:

---

My friend in the passenger seat says..."oh yea, I saw the gauge creeping up a little over there".

---

Actually, your story makes your friend look like a moron!

In reply to:

---

Well, I refuse to tell any stories that make me look like a moron.

---

but you do have at least one story in which you look like one? feel free to share it, i know everyone looks like a moron sometimes, its just the degree of moron that changes lol.

I think if I started sharing the stories from when I first got my license, nobody here would take me seriously when I said anything remotely intelligent. Lets just say that I'm lucky to be alive (this applies to a number of occasions) and leave it at that.

-FD

This one isn't me, it's my dad... heheh.

He's a great guy. A man of simple pleasures. He grew up in TN. He's equal parts Tim Allen (more power...), Jeff Foxworthy (backed up his truck fast, and hit the brakes to clean out the bed), and part Clint Eastwood.

Now, he spent a few years in the Navy. He was stationed in Pensacola, FL, was stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, New Brunswick, ME, and parts of Iceland.

Now, on one of his nights out in Florida, he and some of his sailor buds were drinking at a bar. One of his buds' girl had to leave, so, my dad gave her a lift home on his motorcycle. They decided to take a "pit stop" at the beach where they proceeded to fool around. Well, in the middle of this, said bud who was with the girl in the first place rode by, saw the "frolicking" and stole their clothes.

So, my dad is driving her back to her apartment....

Naked.

He drops her off. And all is well. Until...

He's heading back to base, when he came to what he forgot was a T intersection. Realizing he was going to hit a wall, he decided to dump the bike. This would have worked just fine and dandy except for one thing- the curb. The bike was tilted down, and both tires hit the curb, launching him, catapault-style, off the top of the wall, and over onto the rocks below!! He was pretty roughed up, but, nothing life threatening. To this day, he's has moments where he asks himself "did that REALLY happen?" and then he sees the scars on his leg, and says "yeah, it did."

"Ahhhh... the good ol' days."


Yes, this is a true story.


J

I used to drive an 87 Nova (repainted black-pimp!) and drove it to & from college in Philly for the holidays. Her 4cyl took it like a champ and doing 400mi on one take of gas was sweet. One time when driving through Conneticut I was passing a truck and around 70mph she started to buck. I didn't know what was going on so I let off the gas, no sooner do I do that and she drops into 1st (automatic), the car lurches forward as I hear the engine whine.

Thinking quickly that nothing good was going to come of this I threw on the hazards & headed for the breakdown lane. No sooner does the passenger side wheel touch the breakdown lane does the tranny seize. Wheels lock up doing about 30 and the car skids sideways. I kept her off the guardrail and stopped.

After hiking 1/4mi to the next exit I called AAA but didn't have enought coverage for a tow (or the money to pay) since I was 4hrs away from home. My poor dad had to rent a hitch, ride down & pick me up. $800 later, new tranny & For Sale sign in the yard.