Member
I was driving home with my ZSCCA group yesterday after three glorious days in the West Virginia mountains. I was sweeping our five car column. We had just turned onto a lesser used state road and I hit a patch of gravel on a right hand sweeper and my rear end broke loose and the car spun towards the right. I hit the right side embankment with the drivers side front end and then the rear came around and took out a sign post, and then the front came around one last time and I ended up in a shallow ditch. No airbags deployed.
I was completely unhurt. My club drivemates hung out on a guardrail with me for two hours until the flatbed arrived and I'm eternally grateful for their friendship and support through an unfamiliar and emotional experience. I will lift up the car this week and assess condition but my gut is that the car is likely not worth repairing as I suspect the frame is bent given the oblique force of the initial hit with the embankment. She had only 35k miles and was a multiple concours podium finisher, but at the end of the day she is 22 years old and just a car.
I am writing this as a cathartic exercise as she was my gateway to cars as a passion. I joined this forum in 2007 after stumbling upon it by accident and the Z introduced me to the world of BMW Homecomings, ZFEST, ZSCCA, and all the wonderful addictions of modding. I spent endless hours reading about suspension improvements, manifold swaps, forced induction, roll hoop retrofits, and there were impromptu overnight drives to pick up hardtops and M seats and quick runs to meet CL sellers with unusual items. Meeting new people and talking cars and driving became an endless source of entertainment and new friends. I still have the LSB coupe, but I feel more like a caretaker for that car. The Z was really mine, having spent so many hours all around and under her, taking things apart, upgrading components, performing maintenance or just poking around after having read some thread on this forum. I knew every sound she made and felt connected to every bit of road feedback through the the seat, the steering wheel, and my eyes and ears. I actually preferred driving her over the coupe.
If the car cannot be saved, I will slowly remove the parts and list them for sale here. I'm really not an eBay selling person and I want them to go to enthusiasts who will appreciate them.
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Kelvin
Member
Really glad to hear everyone is OK. I applaud your viewpoint--and hope you'll find more catharsis in the process of saving her, or connecting with additional like-minded enthusiasts if you need to sell off component parts.
Enjoy that Coupe, as the (climatological) need for an enclosed car approaches, and be safe.
Best regards,
Brad
Last edited by Watch Carefully; 10-01-2019 at 09:46 AM.
Member
That’s sad 😞. I had an accident last winter in my E34 and thought I killed such a clean 70k mike car. Luckily in my case the frame was okay so I bought a parts car and am rebuilding her with a rebuilt title. Insurance only wanted 100 to buy baco
Member
Glad you walked away. Unfortunately that is totaled. If you do end up parting out, please contact me. My son just picked up a 96 and we could use parts.
Member
What exactly are you looking for? Perhaps post a WTB in the classifieds.Originally Posted by 66 6
Ralph
Any landing you can walk away from...
Member
Sad story, but glad you’re okay. Makes me appreciate mine even more. Good luck with where it takes you from here.
You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?
Member
I’m glad you made it through ok. The cars are a handful when the rear breaks loose. I was very lucky when I hydroplaned on the way to Branson. It could have been worse if the guardrail hadn’t caught me. D00A0D9A-1DA7-4493-B498-42D345C2E87D.jpg Once you start to spin all bets are off. I’m sure you’ll find a suitable replacement and hopefully can swap any special bits over.
Member
Yeah anytime the back end comes loose its a sobering experience in the Z haha. My DSC saved me a few times the first year with the car
Member
Glad you are ok. The car is totalled for sure.
E36/8 2000 M Coupe Cosmos Black/Black
Shark, Conforti CAI, B&B Exhaust, H&R, Bilstein, AKG Subframe/Diff, UUC TME Red/Caps, Swapped Front Hats, Ice>Link.
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Member
sorry for your loss! - and only 35k on her, wonder if DSC/ASC would have helped?
“Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious.” 无为
Member
Sorry about the car. Glad you were not hurt.
Member
Sorry about the car Kelvin. At the end of the day your personal health/safety is paramount to an inanimate, material object. Hope it can be revived and brought back to be better than ever mayn!
-2023 Honda Odyssey Elite
-2019 F31 Individual (M-Sport, Prem, Exec, Track)
-2004 Honda CRV
-2002 S54 M Coupé
Member
Damn Kelvin! That really sucks. I'm glad you're not hurt- that could have been a lot worse. Also glad you didn't wreck in the M Coupe.
The later cars with DSC really help with variable road conditions like that- prevents you from totally losing it a lot faster than most people can react.
U of D.I.Y.
If you can weld, it can be saved. We've had two hard front ends this year. first time, we replaced about half the horns, second time one full horn, one half. Time consuming, but honestly not that bad. Step 1, buy a crappy parts car. Step 2, buy several HF spot weld bits. Step 3, go drive.
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Last edited by bionicbelly; 10-02-2019 at 02:15 PM.
Member
Major bummer! Glad you are OK!
Member
Thank you all for the kind words. While we were waiting for the tow truck to arrive, we had a discussion about the potential role of DSC. My 97 had ASC which just cuts throttle and was of no use here. I was running on 140 treadwear tires which is about as sticky as you can get for street use. Given how narrow the road was, even if I had DSC, sliding on gravel just did not afford enough time or traction for any safety system to engage enough to get me straightened enough to save the car.
I got a look at the engine bay supports and indeed they are bent pretty far to the right. Way beyond what I would be able to potentially cut out and repair.
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Last edited by KBH22102; 10-02-2019 at 09:50 PM.
Kelvin
Member
The good thing is you are safe. You can always build another Z but we can't build another you. There will be another Z for you, especially if you keep up with the group. I wouldn't doubt that people are already searching for you for another one. You seem very poised. Albeit this is a sad experience to lose such a clean specimen... I foresee you bouncing back like a superball!
Z3///M Roadster | GC Sleeves | TCKline 450lb (F) & 700lb (R) | Koni S/A | Porsche 996 4-Pots | CSL 345mm (F) | e38 328mm (R)
Member
Nice looking 2001 M plus goodies on BAT right now.
You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?
:facepalm
Sorry to hear Kelvin!
Member
I'm glad you made it out safely and it sounds like you have a good group around you.
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