Car minus minus

[carlsson]

This morning, I blessed the current weather situation. A few degrees below freezing, but dry roads after some serious rain and wind on Sunday. Let it stay like this for a while, I thought.

During the afternoon, the cold rain came. On the way home, the radio broadcasts warned for extra icy and slippery surface. The cars on the motorway ran in 45 km/h rather than the regular 70-90 km/h.

On the exit road, there is a sharp right followed by a long left turn. Despite keeping a slow speed, I came a little too far to the right at the end of the first curve. Bang! I hit the rail, and possibly panicked with the brake although one shouldn't. The car skidded across the road to the other side, onto the traffic island and hit the lamppost. Bang!

Fortunately, I didn't injure myself, only lost my glasses which another guy helped me to find inside the car. Then I called my parents who live nearby and my dad helped me to tow my car home. A couple of other cars stopped by and asked if I need help, so at least that's something.

My ex-car, a 1988 Ford Escort, is probably beyond salvage, so now I'll have to find the best way to get rid of it (do I get any money - does it cost any money?), cancel the newly extended insurance and go looking for another car, something I've been doing since August but yet haven't found any really good deal.

Anyway, it was not quite the way I had planned to finish this car, but on the good side, if I'm going to hit the lamppost once in my life (hopefully!), I rather do it with a $600 car than a $3500 car or even worse.

 

[Rick Ethridge]

If it makes you feel better we had considerable icing here yesterday in the American Great Plains. Driving was treacherous and walking worse. I help my son and daughter deliver newspapers. I'm glad I don't have an automobile currently!

RLE

 

[carlsson]

Later last night, the temperature raised above freezing, some raining and it became much less slippery again. This morning, it is significantly better than yesterday, but that's the irony of fate.

Or as a LISP programmer would have it; after the crash, the automobile isn't worth cdr anymore.

 

[vic user]

glad you were not hurt!

we have had incredibly icy conditions here too.

on new year's eve day, i had to walk my bike through all the suburban streets, until i could link up with a main road. there was no way i was going to try and bike it, as i could barely even walk. walking was more or less just sliding feet, and no lifting them

the roads were so bad, that anyone could have literally skated for several kilometres, without ever touching bare pavement.

chris

 

[Terry Yager]

Whew! I survived! We got some freezing rain last night which soon turned to snow. I had to drive a 100-mile round trip to the VA hospital to get my meds this morning. There was about a half-inch of sheet ice covered with 3 inches of snow at 8:00 this A.M. By the time I got out of there, the roads were salted & dry, so the return trip was not nearly as hairy as the white-knuckle experience this morning. I didn't dare wait till tomorrow tho, cause we're s'pozed to get another 5-8 inches tonite.

--T

 

[vic user]

i don't know about you terry, but i can't wait for more snow. where i live, we have not had enough snow to do much of anything, other than shovel it

 

[carlsson]

Today I had my car removed, and was rewarded a total of 400 SEK + remaining tax (expected total amount around US$85-90). An old, smashed car doesn't pay well, but at least this company picked it up from where it stood, not asking me to tow it to them.

We tried to pump or suck some petrol from the tank, but it was virtually impossible using a small hand-driven pump. To inhale the petrol fumes is out of the question, so the remaining 15-20 liter of fuel had to stay there.

Now I'm putting more efforts in finding another car, putting an advertisment in the paper tomorrow. But I'm picky and greedy, not willing to pay the amounts most people ask. If I lived closer to the German border and was willing to take the risks of importing a car, I'd probably have a go as I've heard used cars are much cheaper there, even after adding customs and taxes.

 

[Terry Yager]

Today I had my car removed, and was rewarded a total of 400 SEK + remaining tax (expected total amount around US$85-90). An old, smashed car doesn't pay well, but at least this company picked it up from where it stood, not asking me to tow it to them.

Ha! You're lucky. Around here, you might get 10.00 - 25.00, if you can manage to drive it in to the boneyard. Picking cars up is a whole 'nother story. My son junked his '91 Pontiac LeMans (one of the little Korean ones) a few months ago. They offered to haul it off and only charge him ten bucks for the towing bill. He had to talk them into taking it for free. Older sub-compacts just have too little value here. We have, at last count, 27 junkyards in Flint, serving a local population of about 250,000, so we have an abundance of spare parts which are usually very reasonable due to the competition. I guess there is an up-side to the situation too.

--T

 

[carlsson]

The main reason I was paid is that the state awards between 700 and 1700 SEK ($250) for a car that is removed from traffic, depending on its age. As my Ford was 17 years old, it was rewarded the highest amount. This money normally goes to the boneyard people, as they also are required to safely empty the liquids, take care of the tires, sort plastic, glass and metal etc.

On a newer car, there may be parts worth disassembling and selling as spares, but an old model in overall poor condition probably is not valuable as parts and thus only worth the state money.

 

[carlsson]

Car plus plus

Car plus plus

So, today I bought myself another car. It is a 1999 Škoda Felicia 1.3, i.e. a rather weak engine, small car but I don't need so much space - my Escort was not much larger either. It is black, 129000 km (80000 miles) and have a few minor fixes like a partly cracked windshield and a little spot of rust but should otherwise be fine. I paid approx US$3300.