Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives
Posted By: 2G Sport_dup1 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/16/03 01:40 AM
I think my car is totaled. My wife and I were in an accident at 1:15PM today. We were rear ended while waiting for a woman to turn left by a man driving a Ford van doing at least 40-50MPH++(maybe more) who wasn't paying attention...I had a disposable camera in the glovebox(for just such an occasion) so pictures are coming soon. At this point I think we are going to be OK, but who knows...my wife is 16 weeks pregnant but the hospital says the baby is fine. We were both wearing seat belts(my wife said hers "popped off". Here is what happened:

Cooke Road between Indianola and High St. has a series of hills that are very steep(there is even a sign with a truck on on incline, not sure of the actual angle and all). You can pick up a lot of speed going down those hills! I was at the bottom waiting for a woman in a 99 Taurus to turn left onto a side street. All the sudden I hear the car being hit, my glasses flew off my face. Next thing I know I'm looking at the roof. We never jerked forward at all, our seats went all the way back and broke!. Even though we were plowed into the Taurus the airbags didn't go off. I put the car in park and my wife and I jumped out. The car was smoking in the front, there was fluid near the back of the car so I got some on my finger and smelled it...it was coolant. We had been pushed about 10-15 feet forward. I looked into the car to check the damage...both front seats broke, my Pioneer faceplate had came off and landed in the console under the armrest !!!!! The faceplate case that was sitting next to the e-brake was now laying on the dash against the windshield! The brackets on the 60/40 split were bent(prolly because of my box, which was pushed forward and wedged between the child belt metal in the trunk. I pulled all the audio stuff out except for the box. As for the exterior...front plate bent, front bumper messed up a little, headlights and hood are fine, car was drivable enough to pull it off of main road but the coolant light was on . Trunk lid came up and will not shut(arms and lid bent), spoiler came detached on one side and is laying in the middle of the backglass, rear reflector broken, taillights broken, rear bumper is dented in and scratched(I can now see my muffler). I am still in shock!!!

The guy vomited on himself after being hit with the airbag in his van. There isn't a lot of damage to his vehicle though(steel bumper). He works for a dry cleaning company and it was the company van. The cleaners insurance said they faxed the info to an adjuster and they will contact me withing 24-48 hours, or even Monday... I am not paying out of pocket for a rental(chasing reimbursement) so I am driving my Mom's car until I speak to the adjuster. The damamge is bad IMO, but I have seen them fix a lot worse. I'll keep you guys posted.

If the car is totaled, I'm sorry to say it will be my first and last Contour(has nothing to do with the accident). I hope it is totaIed because it just wouldn't be the same. I do plan on sticking around here though. I may get a small SUV(like the Escape) because I have wanted one for a while. Not sure if I'll part the Contour out or not, depends on what they say. Anyways I wanted to let you guys know, like I said pics will be coming soon.
Posted By: MotorCity Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/16/03 01:48 AM
Damn! Hope it all works out for you.

Glad you and your wife (and child) seem to be okay health wise.
Posted By: 18psi2300 Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/16/03 01:49 AM
Holy [censored] dude...It's good to hear everybody is ok (especially the baby)! This makes me really sad, knowing how much love you put into keeping the car so nice. If you need anything, definately lemme know!
Posted By: Renee_dup1 Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/16/03 02:05 AM
OHHHH MAN, I will be praying for you & your family. I hope everything will be okay with the baby. I know one thing I always worry about is getting hit with the baby in the car. I know with my Tour though everything should pretty much be ok, but you never know.
Posted By: GTO Pete Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/16/03 02:27 AM
Glad to hear you and the wife are ok. Hope everything works out for you.
Sorry about the quality, I took a picture of the original 35mm photos with my digital.





Notice the faceplate in the console!















Like I said...I have seen them fix worse, so...
Posted By: MotorCity Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/16/03 12:36 PM
Are you the first owner of your car? Just wondering if the airbags may have been deployed before and never replaced.


I would be expressing my concerns to Ford about the airbags and seats.
Posted By: Kyo_dup1 Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/16/03 12:57 PM
Originally posted by MotorCity:
Damn! Hope it all works out for you.

Glad you and your wife (and child) seem to be okay health wise.


Sorry to hear about this. I hope everyone is going to be OK (you guys will probably be sore today ). Columbus drivers really suck! No matter what happens, though, you should still keep coming to the meets!
Oh man that sucks bad! Mabee you get that scratch fixed on the front fender I know that's gotta kill you cuz you took serious care of that thing keeping it clean and everything. I know the Cincy boys will miss ya if it is totaled.
Posted By: Renee_dup1 Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/16/03 03:15 PM
Originally posted by MotorCity:
Are you the first owner of your car? Just wondering if the airbags may have been deployed before and never replaced.


I would be expressing my concerns to Ford about the airbags and seats.




OR was the airbag sensor recall never fixed? These are definately some concerns to be addressed. Especially if they can fix your car.

Good Luck
Yep, first owner, first accident. My wife and I are very sore today, went to emergency room this morning to get checked out...we had some x-rays and they said we were fine. Still haven't heard from the adjuster yet. Called lawyer for guidance, still waiting for them to call me back. I am going today to pull out the Pioneers in the front doors and maybe the sideskirts. I'm taking my digital camera for better pics. Couple of questions:

How do they figure out how much the car is worth? Obviously I have a million pictures that are dated by the digital camera, no mechanical problems at the time either. Are they going to try and low ball me? Can I tell them where I want it to be fixed(if it is fixable)?

Should I complain to Ford about the seats and my wife's seat belt? Is it even worth it?

The $500 alarm/remote start is still on the car. I have the receipt and all. What can I do about that?

Is tint claimable? I have the receipt for it as well.
How about year old tires?

Thanks for the support and advice. It all happened so fast! Everyone is still surprised I didn't:

1. Cry
2. Ring the drivers neck

I still plan on attending meets, even if I get a tricked out yellow Paseo...LOL




Posted By: 18psi2300 Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/16/03 05:15 PM
Nick, you should get a Ford Aspire...that way you can give the tours some serious competition at Carlisle next year!

In all seriousness, it looks fixable, you can get it fixed anywhere you want...don't let their insurance tell you where to go!!! Take the highest estimate that doesn't total it!

KBB.com says the average retail of your car is like $9,995, so I'd bet they're not gonna total it.
Originally posted by 2G Sport:
I still plan on attending meets, even if I get a tricked out yellow Paseo...LOL









September 6th..."Hey, isn't that Nick?"




OMG Nick!! Are you guys ok?? It could have been a lot worse and you 2 could have suffered from a severe whiplash. What a [censored] weekend man. First no power in some places and now this how much worse can this [censored] get man. I hope you can get your car fixed man. The car probably only worth about $6500-$7000 so the damage will probably be about $3000-$4000 or maybe a little less. If it is not totaled and it starts giving you problems trade it in for the Escape becuase you might be having problems left to right man. My Dad bought a a brand new 94 Ranger 4x4 and about a year and a half after he had it he got into a bad accident in November 1995.

Here's the story. He stopped at a 4 way intersection and it wasn't a 4 way and east of the intersection there is a hill so he looks both ways and he proceeds and he kinda took his time going through it and all of a sudden BAM!! A car came outta no where and hit him on the right side at about 40-45 mph and it spun him around about 3-4 times and by the way the rear right tire also flew off. of course he got a ticket for failure to yield. The rear right side of the bed was pushed in so for that it was almost close to bending the frame and it was close to being totalled but it got fixed. About a week and a half after he got it back he traded it in on February 1996 on a brand new 97 F-150 extended cab/long bed and it was fully loaded. His truck was not the same after that. So like I said if you do have a lot of problems with it trade it in when you get the chance after you get it back and I hope this advice helps you

Hey man by the way if the car turns out to be totaled which I hope it isn't can I please have your sideskirts??
Posted By: Y2KGreenSE Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/17/03 09:58 PM
I think your car is totaled since year 2000 Contour's value has dropped a lot.

I had to get mine fixed since in Oct the car was supposed Blue Book worth 10,500. I had $4400 damage. Now cars only $7-7500. I sure wish mine was totaled out.

The seats and belts are NOT supposed to break in that kind of crash! I'd get a lawyer and look up seat belt safety standards and laws.
Posted By: sosaudio1 Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/18/03 08:11 AM
Did you call the police? Were they on the scene? Did you get the traffic report yet? These are deffinite questions you are gonna need answered. If you didn't get the reports, it is "his word against your word" and this is not too good.

Try to get that info and see what they say was the cause. Even though everyone can clearly see it, they will want documentation and all that mess. Screw the "oh we faxed the info to our claim adjusters" crap! Get names and numbers and see who they do business with...as far as insurance. I would wanna know everything. You involve me in an accident where it is not my fault, and I will be in every little thing you do because it involves me now. I would also get your insurance company involved. Let them handle it. Most of the time, if you can get them to do the dirty work, they can get it resolved becuz you are their money too. And if an insurance company decides to sue, it is a big deal.

Get that info, get the insurance info, and stay in their side till something comes of it.

L8R
Rich
Update:

Haven't heard from adjuster yet. I now have his name and number and have left a message. No rental car yet either.

It was clearly the van driver's fault. When he got out he apologized, said he wasn't paying attention, and he was the only one cited by the officer. Columbus has accident reports online, mine hasn't showed up yet. I am curious what it says because the officer never asked me what happened. Maybe it was obvious?

My neck is still stiff, my wife is complaining that her neck, lower back, and abdomen are sore. She went to work today as usual, I stayed home to try and sort this mess out.

Called lawyer for guidance. He is only worried about the PI part of it. Right now I am more concerned about getting the car fixed or totaled, and having all medical bills that were the result of this accident paid for(and any future bills related to this accident). I wish this had never happened, but I am glad we are OK. Again, than you for all the kind words and advice.

I have ruled out the Escape at this time because of all the plastic trim. Yuk!
Posted By: 2&1/2 Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/18/03 01:53 PM
Man that sucks, but it's good to hear all of you (including the baby).
Airbags might not have deployed because of the placement of the sensors....but those seats, someone at Ford needs to be made aware of, and if you are up to it make a complaint with NHTSA or something to that extent.......because if it has happened to you it's happened to someone else, and is bound to happen again.

Good Luck!! Glad to see you guys are in one piece still.
Posted By: KyleH Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/18/03 03:18 PM
Originally posted by MotorCity:
Are you the first owner of your car? Just wondering if the airbags may have been deployed before and never replaced.


I would be expressing my concerns to Ford about the airbags and seats.





Looking at the pics the reason the airbags didn't go off was because there wasn't enough damage to the front end. In order for the bags to deploy more than one sensor must be tripped, there isn't enough damage to even trip one sensor. You were obviouly stopped back far enough from the Taurus avoid sever damage from that direction anyhow.

Now the seat/seatbelt should not have broken.
Originally posted by mmarfan:
Oh man that sucks bad! Mabee you get that scratch fixed on the front fender I know that's gotta kill you cuz you took serious care of that thing keeping it clean and everything. I know the Cincy boys will miss ya if it is totaled.




He can still show up at the meets in his new Honda & cheer on the Contiques!
Originally posted by 2G Sport:
I still plan on attending meets, even if I get a tricked out yellow Paseo...LOL




THAT hurts.

The insurance company will DEFINATELY try to lowball you. They will likely try to fix the car & get it done on the cheap. It is a fairly new car. Keep in contact with your attorney and ask him about your options - especially concerning where the car gets fixed.

If they do try to fix it, ask your favorite Ford dealer where they send their collision damaged cars for repair. Get the insurance company to obtain a quote there. You'll be more likely to get somebody with Contique experience working on your car. That'll be especially critical considering the rear suspension is way outa whack (note right rear tire toe'd in at the rear - Yikes!).
Update:

Rental car is to be picked up at 4. Still haven't spoke to adjuster, but their(Dry Clean company) insurance company gave me the go ahead to get a rental car. I have my choice of a Malibu, Grand Am, or Stratus...

As for the body shop, I chose to go with 3C Bodyshop here in Columbus. I have heard a lot of good things about them.

3C Bodyshop

They told me to ask the adjuster when he wants to look at the car. If it is not within a few days tell him that you will have it towed to their(3C) shop so that they can prepare to do a teardown + estimate to determine if car is worth fixing(he said adjuster makes the final call though). He said the shop gives the adjuster 24 hours to come look at it before they charge the insurance company for storage. He said that usually gets them motivated. The guy I spoke with was real cool and said to call him with any questions about the process. I'm actually starting to feel better about it.
Posted By: 18psi2300 Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/18/03 07:42 PM
Dude, 3C is great. If the car is repairable, they will do it right (even if it costs the insurance company more ).

On the rental...don't get a 2 door GrandAM, they have a 1-star side impact rating!

It's good to hear everything is getting straightened out. If the car is totaled, we should have a "shop for Nick's next car" meet!
Grrrr!!!! Can't I get a little service? Adjuster unreachable all day long, I was left sitting at the rental car counter at 4PM because he could not be reached! There is no way I am paying for rental myself and getting reimbursed who knows when...how long should I give the adjuster before I complain? I need a car to drive!

I am going to file a complaint with the NHTSA by phone tomorrow about the front seats. Not sure if it is normal for the seats to recline and break like they did...what if I had passengers or even *gulp* my child in the back seat? As for my wife's seat belt...I am going to wait until the shop takes a look at it.



Dude, I'm driving a 2004 Malibu Classic rental right now. They're making a brand new Malibu for sale to the public, but they're still making the old one for rental companies and calling it the Classic. Cheesy, huh? But it really is a good car, suprising amount of torque from the 2.2 Ecotec. NO horsepower, though. Driving up and down the hills on I-40 between K-town and N-town trying to do 90 it wanted to stay in third and not overdrive. Driving back to K-town today to get my baby back... good luck with the 'tour, dude

Later

Jed
That sucks Jed! When I wrecked my car the first time, we got a brand new Focus sedan for a rental. IIRC, it had 300 miles on it. I wasn't old enough to drive it, so my dad took it to and from work; which is in Mississippi. He put 3,500 miles on it in 4 weeks. He brought it back unwashed, but with the correct amount of fuel. Insurance covered the $1200 bill. Muwwhahahaha!
Finally! I have a blue-gray Dodge Stratus...yuk! It stinks inside but does have power windows and door locks(no remote though) Where did these people learn how to clean a car?

Jeez, I think I actually put a key in the driver door lock a total of 4 times in the 4 years I owned the tour.

Adjuster still hasn't come out to look at the car. After describing the damage over the phone he says it sounds like a total loss...so what to buy now?

What can I do to make sure that I am getting a fair deal on the car if it is a total loss? I'm not sure how he determines the value. I have read that you should get retail plus tax. Is that correct? I have a ton of pics to show how I cared for this car, and people who will attest to my obsession. HELP!

Posted By: 18psi2300 Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/20/03 06:20 AM
How many miles were on your car? Check out KBB.com and NADA.com for retail values, and print out several similar high priced 2G Tours off of autotrader.com to prove value...
2000 Ford Contour SE Sport ATX
64,200 miles
Clean/Good condition(IMO Excellent for 64K inside and out)

KBB: $9280
Edmunds.com: $6458 outstanding, $6106 clean
NADA.com: $7450


Posted By: SVTCuervo Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/20/03 12:13 PM
Man thats horrible....... but if you do decide to get a Escape, MSDS makes some hearders
Posted By: bkent_dup1 Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/20/03 02:53 PM
Hey Nick, I saw a red E0 SVT at Ricart when I drove by the used car lot the other day...
Posted By: 18psi2300 Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/20/03 03:06 PM
Originally posted by bkent:
Hey Nick, I saw a red E0 SVT at Ricart when I drove by the used car lot the other day...


I think Derek test drove that one the other day and said it was a POS...
Posted By: Loco4G63 Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/20/03 05:04 PM
Originally posted by MotorCity:
Damn! Hope it all works out for you.

Glad you and your wife (and child) seem to be okay health wise.


Posted By: Pigeon Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/20/03 06:20 PM
Originally posted by 18psi2300:
How many miles were on your car? Check out KBB.com and NADA.com for retail values, and print out several similar high priced 2G Tours off of autotrader.com to prove value...




Local sales are the way to go since that's what most companies look at. Autotrader is useful for this. Find as many classified ads for similar cars as you can in, say 100 miles. Try to slip in a few SVTs to see if they notice Let them tell you a number first, you may be surprized (I was with both cars I totalled when I got more than Edmunds or KBB said they were worth in Excelent condition).

Good luck,

Scott
Hmmm...like this one(very close):

Germain Ford Columbus

2000 Ford Contour SE V6 Automatic
Sale Price: $9390.00
Color: Silver
Mileage: 60,638

Spoke with used car guy at Germain. He printed and faxed KBB and NADA numbers to me. He said adjusters call him all the time for retail prices.

KBB: $9355.00
NADA: $7125.00

Average: $8240.00

Used car guy says: between $8500-9000 + tax (6.75 currently). I'm not holding my breath just yet...
Posted By: 18psi2300 Re: 2G Sport is probably no more...(long) - 08/20/03 08:21 PM
Just curious, how much do you still owe on it?
Originally posted by 2G Sport:
Next thing I know I'm looking at the roof. We never jerked forward at all, our seats went all the way back and broke!.




This is a problem with ALL CONTOUR, MYSTIQUE, and MONDEO.

Make sure you post a complaint with NHTSA.
The more complaints, then NHTSA will force FORD to recall the seats !
I've had my drivers seat fixed TWICE !!
$4800(payment due at end of month would take it down to $4500) If the car is indeed a total loss I still have to remove:

K&N drop in
EL gauge faces
Pioneer 6.5" door speakers
custom trunk panels(I don't know if it is possible given the damage to the rear)
SE sideskirts

One other thing is the alarm/remote start. The place I bought it from will come to the lot where my car is, remove the unit, and reinstall it when I get a new car for $220. I'm sure the adjuster would rather pay that then the $500 I paid initially.

I will be selling the above items(K&N + recharge kit, gauge faces, trunk panels, and SE sideskirts) once the adjuster decides on the car.
If the car is totaled can I buy your side skirts?? I hope oyu can give me a good offer for them. plus on top of that I need to get them painted back to silver frost. How much did Chris charge you for paiting them??
Man, looking at those pics, it just doesn't look bad enough to be totalled. Of course, I am no expert.

Good Luck.
Originally posted by cpurser:
Man, looking at those pics, it just doesn't look bad enough to be totalled. Of course, I am no expert.




I agree...
Place your bets...


Do you think the car will be a total loss?
Yes
No
I don't know



I guess it depends on how the insurance company determines what a "total loss" is. Some companies consider 50% of the cost to repair a total loss, some consider 80%. IMO I would rather it to be a total loss because it would never be the same even if it is fixed right... my baby was molested!
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