Losing an NSX the Hard Way

[simsgw]

Withdrawal symptoms have begun.

Looks like we're never getting back into our 1999 NSX-T the dealer crashed. They kept asserting it was barely a fender bender for the first week. Right up until they decided it never really happened. (Actually, what they said was "Could have happened to anybody. So we're not liable. Get it out of our garage. And we need that loaner back." What they really meant was "we're going to pretend it never happened.")

Our insurance company, USAA, had it flat-bedded to San Pedro Auto Body, who can fix an NSX rolled up in an aluminum foil ball if someone meets the bill. Once they started taking off panels, it turned out that "little fender-bender" was a pretty hard slam into a mountain rock wall at the back, followed by a very sudden stop against something in front. The service writer driving it said he slid into a guardrail. Maybe, but the force of the stop came against the tow hook, not the cosmetic panels. And that hook is bolted to the front frame rail. And that... well, that bent the frame. I would post a picture, but people might be reading this before breakfast.

Nothing that can't be repaired, bad as it looks. Only 5mm of sway, and we handle worse in the aircraft business all the time, with attention to magnaflux tests afterward of course. But our insurance company is looking at a current estimate of $36,000. That includes a full re-paint, which I could waive and pay for myself to avoid a salvage situation, but they are pressing me to salvage it. Their feeling, not expressed as a formal statement yet, is that they wouldn't feel comfortable putting the car back on the road without replacing that frame rail, rather than pulling it back to spec. That adds at least seven thousand to the estimate and we're into the range of full market value for a '99. At least in this depressed economy.

Yesterday, I spent the day working out the legal claims against the dealer and assessing our options. Basically, we should get enough in court to repay our repairs to the car, including refreshing the interior and repainting completely to take care of the measles [rock chips] caused by a spin on a mountain road. So we end up even on cash outlay, but with lost value of at least $15k. A paper loss deferred until we sell. Conversely, we could buy another which would entail that same $15k, but in cash right now for things like California sales tax, license on the new car and the difference in value moving into a car with low mileage. (Owning a car for 150k miles is fine. At least it is with an NSX. Buying a used one with that many miles is like buying a shelf of mystery books I'm afraid.) So it's a choice of future cash lost or cash paid out now.

My first inclination was to repair RAINBBY and let the lawyers try to get back our money if they can. Insurance company's advice be damned. (They can be difficult, but it's not really their decision if you can pony up the money yourself to get the repairs done and just file a claim afterward.)

But by nightfall my wife was having serious symptoms of stress -- including arrhythmia. Cindy had invited me to sell the car and buy a sports car of my own as soon as she saw the remains at the dealer. Now I may have to do that willy nilly. I've pretty much decided she can't handle the stress of pursuing this. Probably not a good idea for me at my age either.

So I figured I'd settle for a check in the neighborhood of $40k from my insurance, let them subrogate their cost to that dealer, and then throw in the extra ten thousand or so to buy another NSX of low mileage. But last night I realized that even a different colored NSX (and I do love our silver one, damn it) would keep prodding what is now a very sore spot for her. You see, it was her car. I bought it as an anniversary/retirement present ten years ago. Every time she looks in the garage she will feel that rancor again. So I better buy something she can think of as "Gary's car" instead of another NSX.

I think our years as NSX owners have come to a close. At least it was with a bang.<SIGH>

Still in the first stages of withdrawal here, but do you suppose a 911 Carrera would act as Methadone does? Would it stop the tremors maybe? I considered a Ford Festiva, but...

Gary

 

[Dtrigg]

Sad story indeed. What actually happened?

 

[Steven Allen]

WOW! We feel for you buddy.

 

[ediddynsx]

Sorry to hear about your whole ordeal....I think once you get another NSX in whatever she likes I am sure she will forget about the other one....


Get a black one....:biggrin:....course I may be a little biased to that...

Good luck with everything though and what dealership was this?

 

[jas303]

Am I reading this right? The dealership crashed the car and denied compensation?

A M3 convertible is really nice and widely accepted by female drivers, so statics say.

 

[e.pie]

USAA totaled my car as well after a minor run in with a wall, it was only off 2mm and all of the damage was in front of the firewall (what would be the firewall in a front engined car anyways) and they wanted to cut the entire front rails off and reweld new ones on

even after the accident it still tracked straight and was perfectly drivable, it ended up working out and I bought it back, fixed it, and actually managed to come out ahead money wise


sorry it didn't work out as well in your favor, hopefully you can get something good out of the whole ordeal

 

[shawn110975]

to many stories of the dealers not backing up something they did,, they destroy your car and say thanks and come again!! oh and if your looking for a great deal on a car Im sure we can knock off a fe hundred and throw in some new floor mats!! If I ever take my car to the dealer I will wait standing right behind the car till the work is done!!

 

[vf2ss]

Gary, others will address the insurance side of this, the negligence factors, dealer horror stories and so on but I wanted to submit one thing as food for thought in consideration for not leaving your days as NSX owners together behind...

My wife had bought me an extremely unique wedding ring made by a German jeweler that has actual moving parts. It's comprised of white and yellow gold and slides on rigid palladium rails held together with I believe platinum rivets, but that is not the point. My point is that one day after about 10 years or so I looked at the ring and had noticed one of the pieces was missing! The jeweler she purchased it from graciously asked for the ring, shipped it to Germany and although it was discontinued, they made a new one and shipped it back and it was given to us at no charge whatsoever. So kudos for impeccable customer service, however, I must admit, at first I was pretty bothered by the fact that it was not the same one she picked out and slipped on my finger almost 14 years ago. But to be frank, that went away within about a week or two and I was back to normal and had forgotten about it. It helped that it looked exactly the same and every time it moved I was reminded that I have it on, just like before. I do recall resolving in my mind that the ring itself is only a symbol of the vows made and a sign (a stop sign) that I'm off the market and this new shiny one was accomplishing just that.

I could be wrong in what I'm about to assume, but my guess is that if you secretly got Cindy another NSX of the same trim and color, that she too would get over this as it is also an expression of a gift that you gave her that is a symbol of your relationship. So imagine it playing out like this...you sort of let her know in one way or another that you've been thinking about taking her up on her offer of getting yourself something and that you've pretty much just given up on the NSX. You look at some ads, you mention words like Porsche and BMW every now and then and finally one day out of the blue, she comes home and looks in the garage and BOOM!...there she is, a perfect and pretty NSX just sitting there with a bow on it! She starts to wonder if you got the old one fixed, how is this here, where did it come from...then you tell her you found it for her, same color, same trim, lower miles (ideally) and voila...she's in love with it again because a) it was a surprise and b) you had to work to find it. You throw her the keys and invite her take it for a spin...she's already halfway there.

I'm not sure if you're up for that but you'll have a classy car again that is very reliable that she is extremely familiar with that has pretty low maintenance, good gas mileage and probably fits her perfectly!

If she doesn't think it's the greatest car she's ever owned and is ready to move past all the admiration and attention she's received from teenagers, then maybe, just maybe you and Cindy are looking for a good reason to get into another car and this seems as good as any to move on to a car that will perhaps be not as overall reliable, nor as relatively inexpensive to maintain depending upon what you get, but probably get better gas mileage because hey...they do make festivas in silver

 

[pgilliam1]

I had a nice Subaru once - untill the dealer forgot to refill the engine oil and took it for a test drive. Toasted the engine and claimed it was that way when they got it. Dealers SUCK!

 

[dlynes]

I cannot believe the dealer lied and tried to cover the mess up or claim they did not do it.

sorry to hear, but happy to hear you got a settlement. I have usaa and I also have a 98'nsx-t. I asked usaa how much they would give me in the event of it being totaled or stolen and they only told me 24k....

amazing to hear you bought your nsx for your wife. That is awesome!

I am very happy you enjoyed your ownership, maybe one day you'll return.

best of luck to ya

 

[oscar_driver]

.... sad story .... my best wishes!

 

[simsgw]

Am I reading this right? The dealership crashed the car and denied compensation?

Yes. I won't name names, but if you're ever traveling through Valencia California, don't let anyone in a dealership borrow your NSX.

We're a little bitter right now, but they have been a good service department until this reckless problem. To answer Dtrigg, what happened was a flat in the left rear. I called USAA to send someone to put on the spare, and I supervised of course because Cindy trusts no one else to touch her car except me and the dealer. (Pity about that last...) I even set up the jack so it couldn't be done wrong, opened all the panels, got out the tools and so forth. Damn, we loved that car.<sigh>

After the spare was on and inflated, I called the dealer and asked whether they felt comfortable driving an NSX on the folding spare. Otherwise I'd have limped down to the nearest tire company of course. But we were due for a 30k service within a couple of thousand miles and they always picked up and delivered for us since we're both disabled. Driving over the mountains may be a pleasure in an NSX, but you have to come back in a TSX or TL loaner. And these days the day away from home is tiring.

They said "Oh sure. The folding spare is no problem," and that evening the senior service writer arrived to get our car. In one of those never-live-it-down moments, Cindy said she didn't want them to take it but I persuaded her. [I'd like to say she's fey, her being Welsh-Irish, but the truth is she's had a stroke that makes her anxious sometimes. This was unfortunately one of those times. And no, she isn't forgetting. Damn.]

Next morning, I get an early call: "I've sort of crashed the NSX, Gary." This is only hearsay of course, but what he said was he started up Godde Road intending to use Bouquet Canyon Road to reach the dealership. You can look those up on Google Earth these days. The first is a local sports car trial run used by hotshots running around in... well, cars like ours. But not with a folding spare mounted, for all love. "I got to the first corner, and the car just spun. I can't believe how fast it spun around." The other, the one that comes next is even worse. Heavily driven by commuters who mistakenly believe they're descendants of Fangio, and out of the question for a car limping in on a spare and a prayer. Why he didn't use the freeway, which is a trivial albeit longer drive, is beyond me. A folding spare, damn it!

Everything beyond that is aftermath. We met with the dealership officers, the owner, the general manager and the service manager. They hugged Cindy, told her how important that sale had been to them (right after they took over the store) and promised it would look and handle just like new when they finished repairing it. We discussed "inherent diminished value" and after a nominal struggle we reached a settlement agreement. The car would be repaired to the highest standards, and to mitigate the lost value the Service Manager would re-upholster the seats, refresh the instruments, some of which were looking dim, and a couple of other things. In exchange for their taking over the management of the repairs subject to my final inspection I agreed to pay half the cost at their cost of those improvements in other areas to mitigate the lost value. [I'm dealing with some serious health problems. Even with the loss of control over repairs, this was worth. Sometimes you gotta delegate.] All very friendly, because I really do believe a reliable source of maintenance is an important part of the value of an exotic like ours. We shook hands and Cindy and I went home in a loaner.

Next Monday, the owner calls and says she doesn't agree that she's liable. No theory, no explanation, just: "Could have happened to anybody." Then, as I said, she asked us to get the car out of her garage. "We need that service bay. And that loaner is only for people having their cars serviced. Bring it back."

Can you picture that? USAA could not. Nor could our lawyer.

But we're not litigious people. Life's too short to spend it in court. If I can get anything close to a fair price from USAA, I'll just leave the lawsuit to them. They might use arbitration since it's effectively between them and the dealer's insurance company.

So we're basically forced to sell our car at a time when exotic car prices are in the toilet. I really would like another NSX, but besides Cindy feeling bitter everytime she looks at it, we have another problem now. Where the hell do we get our hypothetical new NSX serviced? I sure would not go back to Valencia, and after they see the amount of the claim from USAA they won't be especialy friendly. The next closest dealer with good reports from other NSX owners is 80 miles from here. The speciality houses in Southern California are even farther I believe, but certainly not closer. We're screwed for even routine maintenance needs.

So for both reasons, I think I'm going to have to buy some other run-of-the-mill supercar. Like a Ferrari or Porsche or Lamborghini. Ho hum. Seriously, the only one I can consider at our age is a Porsche and it will need to be one with the factory warranty still available. I'm sorely tempted to choose something with a dealer in town, but the only possibles in that sense are a Ford GT or a Corvette Z06. Sorta. I'm not sure it's fair to call just any dealer a good source of maintenance for either of those. Like the NSX, you can in theory get service at any of the mothership dealers, but what matters most is getting a senior mechanic with the correct supplemental training. Maybe I'm just over-tired with this Swine Flu, but investigating the mechanics' credentials at local Ford and Chevy dealers just sounds way too much like work. And I'm retired.

On top of all that, I'm afraid I consider the only supercars suitable for daily driver use, especially when you're old and hurt in places, are the NSX and the Porsche 911. Something from BMW might be interesting, but they are not really sports cars. And back before the NSX, when we were still in business and looking for a sedan (clients, you know), we visited BMW dealers. This was right after the wall fell -- which is relevant. Every damn one we drove had some piece already broken or missing or it fell off during the drive. A friend of ours was the president of the local BMW club and tried to talk me into a nice used M series instead because he was mortified. Later, he speculated privately that BMW was having trouble absorbing their quota of erstwhile 'East' Germans when they reunited. That was a very humane decision of West Germany, to welcome back their siblings, but it was a tough one to carry out.

Quite possibly that was the reason, but however it happened, that couple of weeks has soured Cindy on BMW forever. She won't even discuss one.

Sigh. This was not the way I planned to spend the Fall. Recuperating and playing golf were on my agenda, not hassling with used car dealers.

 

[simsgw]

[...] I wanted to submit one thing as food for thought in consideration for not leaving your days as NSX owners together behind...
[...] hey...they do make festivas in silver

Oh, you bastard!

Otherwise, a very thoughtful approach and I'll bet you'll still be married after 47 years like Cindy and me. I would in fact do something like that except that Cindy had a terrible stroke a few years ago. She has regained the power of speech, which most do not in such cases. (It's called global aphasia for those with the background.) She can't drive any more though. She just rides in the NSX and it is... was a comfort to her even at her worst right after the stroke. But the only time I persuaded her to take it up the driveway in anticipation of her regaining the ability to drive it in non-challenging conditions, she burst into tears when she turned the engine off. She never agreed again, and I quit pestering her.

I think she's been trying to complete the mourning for lost abilities -- and lost treasures -- and that's why she was so ready to tell me to sell it and get a car of my own when they told her they'd crashed her pretty RAINBBY.

Sometimes you have to catch the emotional undertones in a conversation and I suspect Cindy will be happier seeing me doing the driving for us in something she can think of as "Gary's car" without remorse for not having it herself anymore. It has taken me a few weeks to realize that's what is probably behind her skepticism that they will ever repair her car properly. She really doesn't want it back. Probably not even a spiritual successor. So getting another that would be just like hers might be doing a disservice to her happiness.

It's like in college. I left her subjects that could be hers alone so we were not competing. So she could feel like she 'owned' Anthropology and so forth. She didn't have to share them with me. In a long successful marriage, you share so much, and willingly, that you really need to be sure each party has a place of their own, a combination of pride and privacy.

This feels like one of those cases. If I brought home that lovely black on black being offered in Philadelphia by one of our members, it might feel like I was one-upping her. And at a time when all she has is memories, since she can't even drive a... Festiva these days.

She remembers that in the sixties, I always drooled over Corvettes and in the seventies (and eighties and nineties) I would take any chance to test drive a 911. Then when we retired I bought her the NSX, because that was the one that had her hugging the velvet rope in dealerships. So it's plausible to think of a Corvette or Porsche as my natural car from the beginning, so to speak. Done right, she can feel like this is her gift of a long admired sports car to me, just as I gave her the NSX back in 2000. "Alright, I had a beautiful NSX for ten years but when I couldn't drive it anymore I used it to buy Gary the car he always wanted." Something like that I hope. Something that will make her happier, not even a little bit remorseful when she sees it.

For those of you who don't have a wandering eye, you might find it interesting that I can buy a very nice Porsche that is half the age of her NSX and with a third the miles on it for the salvage price USAA is offering. That reminds us of something we tend to forget. This is a rare and very desirable car, even in bad times.

Take care of yours. And wish me luck looking for a recent Porsche with warranty still left.

Gary

 

[jas303]

Unbelievable...and once again proven the dealerships are evil. Just unbelievable.

Good luck on the Porsche hunt. Right now is probably the best time to look for an used Porsche ever. There are many great deals around.

 

[ChopsJazz]

Yes. I won't name names...

Why not??? You would be doing this community a big favor if you did.

 

[ChopsJazz]

Gary, others will address the insurance side of this, the negligence factors, dealer horror stories and so on but I wanted to submit one thing as food for thought in consideration for not leaving your days as NSX owners together behind...

My wife had bought me an extremely unique wedding ring made by a German jeweler that has actual moving parts. It's comprised of white and yellow gold and slides on rigid palladium rails held together with I believe platinum rivets, but that is not the point. My point is that one day after about 10 years or so I looked at the ring and had noticed one of the pieces was missing! The jeweler she purchased it from graciously asked for the ring, shipped it to Germany and although it was discontinued, they made a new one and shipped it back and it was given to us at no charge whatsoever. So kudos for impeccable customer service, however, I must admit, at first I was pretty bothered by the fact that it was not the same one she picked out and slipped on my finger almost 14 years ago. But to be frank, that went away within about a week or two and I was back to normal and had forgotten about it. It helped that it looked exactly the same and every time it moved I was reminded that I have it on, just like before. I do recall resolving in my mind that the ring itself is only a symbol of the vows made and a sign (a stop sign) that I'm off the market and this new shiny one was accomplishing just that.

I could be wrong in what I'm about to assume, but my guess is that if you secretly got Cindy another NSX of the same trim and color, that she too would get over this as it is also an expression of a gift that you gave her that is a symbol of your relationship. So imagine it playing out like this...you sort of let her know in one way or another that you've been thinking about taking her up on her offer of getting yourself something and that you've pretty much just given up on the NSX. You look at some ads, you mention words like Porsche and BMW every now and then and finally one day out of the blue, she comes home and looks in the garage and BOOM!...there she is, a perfect and pretty NSX just sitting there with a bow on it! She starts to wonder if you got the old one fixed, how is this here, where did it come from...then you tell her you found it for her, same color, same trim, lower miles (ideally) and voila...she's in love with it again because a) it was a surprise and b) you had to work to find it. You throw her the keys and invite her take it for a spin...she's already halfway there.

I'm not sure if you're up for that but you'll have a classy car again that is very reliable that she is extremely familiar with that has pretty low maintenance, good gas mileage and probably fits her perfectly!

If she doesn't think it's the greatest car she's ever owned and is ready to move past all the admiration and attention she's received from teenagers, then maybe, just maybe you and Cindy are looking for a good reason to get into another car and this seems as good as any to move on to a car that will perhaps be not as overall reliable, nor as relatively inexpensive to maintain depending upon what you get, but probably get better gas mileage because hey...they do make festivas in silver

Nice story, and very well said. Maybe Gary will take this into consideration.

 

[simsgw]

Why not??? You would be doing this community a big favor if you did.

Read the rest of that opening sentence more closely.<g>

Just remember not to let anyone drive your NSX at a dealership in Valencia, California. Hint: it's not a big town.

 

[jas303]

Read the rest of that opening sentence more closely.<g>

Just remember not to let anyone drive your NSX at a dealership in Valencia, California. Hint: it's not a big town.

Hm....you meant "remember not to let anyone drive your NSX at any dealership, anywhere", right?

 

[Jetpilot3]

My wife had bought me an extremely unique wedding ring made by a German jeweler that has actual moving parts. It's comprised of white and yellow gold and slides on rigid palladium rails held together with I believe platinum rivets, but that is not the point. My point is that one day after about 10 years or so I looked at the ring and had noticed one of the pieces was missing! The jeweler she purchased it from graciously asked for the ring, shipped it to Germany and although it was discontinued, they made a new one and shipped it back and it was given to us at no charge whatsoever. So kudos for impeccable customer service, however, I must admit, at first I was pretty bothered by the fact that it was not the same one she picked out and slipped on my finger almost 14 years ago. But to be frank, that went away within about a week or two and I was back to normal and had forgotten about it. It helped that it looked exactly the same and every time it moved I was reminded that I have it on, just like before. I do recall resolving in my mind that the ring itself is only a symbol of the vows made and a sign (a stop sign) that I'm off the market and this new shiny one was accomplishing just that.

I could be wrong in what I'm about to assume, but my guess is that if you secretly got Cindy another NSX of the same trim and color, that she too would get over this as it is also an expression of a gift that you gave her that is a symbol of your relationship. So imagine it playing out like this...you sort of let her know in one way or another that you've been thinking about taking her up on her offer of getting yourself something and that you've pretty much just given up on the NSX. You look at some ads, you mention words like Porsche and BMW every now and then and finally one day out of the blue, she comes home and looks in the garage and BOOM!...there she is, a perfect and pretty NSX just sitting there with a bow on it! She starts to wonder if you got the old one fixed, how is this here, where did it come from...then you tell her you found it for her, same color, same trim, lower miles (ideally) and voila...she's in love with it again because a) it was a surprise and b) you had to work to find it. You throw her the keys and invite her take it for a spin...she's already halfway there.

I'm not sure if you're up for that but you'll have a classy car again that is very reliable that she is extremely familiar with that has pretty low maintenance, good gas mileage and probably fits her perfectly!

If she doesn't think it's the greatest car she's ever owned and is ready to move past all the admiration and attention she's received from teenagers, then maybe, just maybe you and Cindy are looking for a good reason to get into another car and this seems as good as any to move on to a car that will perhaps be not as overall reliable, nor as relatively inexpensive to maintain depending upon what you get, but probably get better gas mileage because hey...they do make festivas in silver

I aspire to be this man! Such a thoughtful post and definately describes being the right person to the right woman.

simsgw - sorry to hear of your unfortunate situation. To be honest I wonder if when you did buy another sportscar (Porsche, et. al) if you both would always consider the car as "the replacement" for the NSX. I understand the sensitive nature of the past NSX however, if you did find another one and she didn't like it; you could always sell it for little to no loss.

To me that's worth the shot.:wink:

Heck - I'll even commit to helping you find another suitable replacement. I'm sure a few of us Primers would also keep the search going for you.:smile:

 

[simsgw]

simsgw - sorry to hear of your unfortunate situation. To be honest I wonder if when you did buy another sportscar (Porsche, et. al) if you both would always consider the car as "the replacement" for the NSX. I understand the sensitive nature of the past NSX however, if you did find another one and she didn't like it; you could always sell it for little to no loss.

To me that's worth the shot.:wink:

Heck - I'll even commit to helping you find another suitable replacement. I'm sure a few of us Primers would also keep the search going for you.:smile:

I may just take you up on that, jetpilot. I admit I'm having trouble reconciling myself to another type of car. Other supercars are too damn finicky to just enjoy living with them. Even the Porsche, with its reputation for long life, has an appalling list of "common failures." Since I wrote that last note I picked up a couple of books to help me choose the right model 911 and I am astonished at the jury-rigged engineering that must be tolerated by their owners. One year, if you came in complaining of finicky handling, they had 24 lb steel weights they would put in the front bumper. One on either side, and call it a suspension adjustment. That forward weight -- not centered mind you, but necessarily split to either corner -- became a factory "reinforced bumper" in the next model year to tame the handling.

Being an engineer, my first resort was naturally to books on the engineering of alternatives. The 911 in this case, and I tell you with no hyperbole that I wouldn't consider a 911 from the years when I was an underpaid fan and drooling over them in showrooms occasionally. I wouldn't buy anything older than 2005 when the entire structure and drive train were re-engineered and then I wouldn't consider one that wasn't a "certified used car." I feel like I would need a ground crew to operate a 911, so it better come with the ground crew pre-paid for a few years if I absolutely must. But... must I really? I keep wondering.

I am gradually feeling Cindy out on my having "an NSX of my own" to replace hers, to see if it wakens grief or if she might just enjoy riding in a type of car she has trusted for years.

Always understanding that I may have to back out and buy a less acceptable alternative if this idea upsets Cindy too much, can I take you up on that offer to help find a new NSX? If we find one, I'll put it to her as a serious proposition and gauge her reaction.

I would want an NA2, like our first one, and with pretty low miles. Nothing more than 30,000 roughly and even less is preferable. I remember seeing a few with twenty or less advertised in our pages in the past but can't find them tonight. To help Cindy think of it as "Gary's car" instead of an attempt to replace her own, the visible headlights might be a good idea, so... what is that? A 2002 and later?

As for color... well, a very old saying is that "No good horse is a bad color" and it's true of sports cars as well. I don't say Imola Orange would be my personal first choice, but I won't even rule that out if its the right car. If I had my druthers, as my Kentucky grandma used to say, well, I suppose red on black would make my heart thump a little faster. But as I say, the color isn't as important as the car.

Uh... Help?

Gary

 

[NSXclear]

Reading this thread makes me said in many ways.

You easily can tell by the language and the undertone of the that simgw is a nice guy. It's terrible that he is getting screwed by the dealership and his insurance. Can't these companies have a heart and do the right thing for once.

He has been very reasonable and very accommodating.

If that would have been my car, I would not be offering to pay for anything. I would make sure that I hand it to them and let them no that this is total BS. The dealership saying that "it could've happen to anyone" is a complete joke.

Your insurance company has an obligation to make you whole. Your a policyholder and that is what your paying for. Let them know if they don't take care of you, you'll be contacting CA Insurance Commissioner to file a complaint.
I hope the best for you and your wife. Good Luck.

 

[lightguy]

In my mind there is no other car that combines all the proper elements that I admire like the NSX. Period.
And this aint my first Rodeo.

The only other cars close to this price range that interest me are;
996GT2 and to a lesser extent GT3. 2's sell for 80k with 3's at 60k.
Both are more razor edge than an NSX. Your wife may not like them.

Aston Martin V-8 vantage. Perhaps the most beautiful car on the road.
Used 06's start at 60k.

NSX has certain features, even older NA1's, that I find more desirable than even these cars costing 20k + more. I would rather own an NSX reguardless of price.

IMO Get another. DIFFERENT color

 

[simsgw]

In my mind there is no other car that combines all the proper elements that I admire like the NSX. Period.
And this aint my first Rodeo.

Yes, I've been stomped a few times myself, but stayed atop enough rides to enjoy the chance of another. And I agree completely.

The only other cars close to this price range that interest me are;
996GT2 and to a lesser extent GT3. 2's sell for 80k with 3's at 60k.
Both are more razor edge than an NSX. Your wife may not like them.

Aston Martin V-8 vantage. Perhaps the most beautiful car on the road.
Used 06's start at 60k.

NSX has certain features, even older NA1's, that I find more desirable than even these cars costing 20k + more. I would rather own an NSX reguardless of price.

IMO Get another. DIFFERENT color

You're right about the GT2 and GT3, and when we were younger and could tolerate wearing earplugs in a car as we did in our airplane, either would have been a car for us. Well, maybe just the GT2. Wasn't the GT3 the "ready for club races" version? We joke about it, but race cars are not really much fun when you leave the track.

Right now the only alternatives are in the spirit you name: Porsche 911 Carrera or Carrera S and the Aston DB-7. I haven't seen a V-8 Vantage available right now, but nothing wrong with that one either, except... it's not an NSX. I would add that I'm a little concerned about what the dealer network might be like, but that's a bit of a sore point with Acura right now as well, so it's a boil best left unscratched.

Aside from my concern for making Cindy feel that this new one is "Gary's car" I am mildly concerned about warranty coverage in a car whose history we don't know. All those others are available in the right price range with a "certified used car" warranty from the manufacturer. Come to think of it, I suppose an NSX from the last year or two with low enough mileage might be as well, but I haven't seen any. Although I did see one offered as "New!" from a dealer somewhere in the Midwest. I suppose that one comes with a full warranty, but it also comes with the original MSRP and I don't feel comfortable putting nearly a hundred K into a car now that we're retired and not bringing in more money. Even fifty to sixty makes me cringe a little, but what the hell, "Life is short, and we won't eat dog food," as a friend said after splurging in a similar way.

Still waffling, as you can tell. It will probably take a test drive in a Carrera to cure me of this and maybe Cindy as well. Next week we should be over this flu. That will give me leverage to persuade her an NSX could be "Gary's car" as long as it's not silver on black like hers.

 

[simsgw]

Your insurance company has an obligation to make you whole. Your a policyholder and that is what your paying for. Let them know if they don't take care of you, you'll be contacting CA Insurance Commissioner to file a complaint.
I hope the best for you and your wife. Good Luck.

Thank you, and to be honest, our insurance company is being as fair as their obligation to negotiate hard will permit. Bottom line is the market for exotics and muscle cars has pretty much tanked, so the 'ACV' of our car would not be a pleasing number until the economy recovers. And of course, we're forced to sell now by circumstances beyond our control.

My counter argument is that cars available in such low numbers as the NSX are not statistically valid for the usual methods of estimating market value. You either have a buyer for your car or you don't, and the price is less volatile than is the number of buyers -- if you see what I mean. Therefore -- I am arguing -- the price should be the same as it was before the crunch, as long as we chose to sell and have found a buyer. And we have to sell they tell us, so conversely that means we have a buyer, right? So pony up.

That's all sophistry and slick talk of course, just to offer them a way to increase the offer since they found out "our lawyer was insisting on calling Terry Fisher or Rocco... Rocco somebody to get an independent estimate to take the dealer to court."

Well, we won't be taking the dealer to court if USAA buys the car. They will. But it's worth mentioning those names. A little later in the conversation, that senior manager said "Rocco... was that Rocco Avellini your lawyer wants to call?" I said "Yes! That was the name," and left it at that. Avellini is an independent who specializes in taking on insurance companies. So is Fisher, but I just threw him in since I believe he only operates in the Midwest. From what inside comments I've heard, dealing with Avellini is a nightmare here on the coast for insurance companies, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to motivate them to find an appraisal amount Cindy and I will accept without "letting our lawyer have his way." I have a number in my head that we'll accept if they offer it.

On claims like this, you don't want to deal with a first-level claims officer or appraiser, because their hands are tied with policy guidelines, but if you can engage the attention of a manager, they can do more and at USAA the managers will do their best for a member as their duty permits.

This same manager is dealing with a claim that hopefully puts ours in perspective. A member rear-ended a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti and the entire rear end needs to be rebuilt. Talk about parts cost, and it's going to be tough to argue the car should be salvaged, even in a down market.

 

[lightguy]

You're right about the GT2 and GT3, and when we were younger and could tolerate wearing earplugs in a car as we did in our airplane, either would have been a car for us. Well, maybe just the GT2. Wasn't the GT3 the "ready for club races" version? We joke about it, but race cars are not really much fun when you leave the track.

There is a 993TT for sale in town. A cult car and worthy.
The only 996's I would consider to be on par with an NSX would be a TT or GT2/3.
TT's are more touring with the GT's being streetable track cars. Not really that loud.
997's are getting cheaper and a good car from what I hear.

I would kill for a GT2.
Sinister.