To those of you that had to sit in traffic on 217 south yesterday at 5pm, I apologize.  I hit the brakes too late and ass-ended a Nissan Xterra.  My 97 Chevy Lumina is done for I think.  The front end it mashed up pretty bad, radiator done, and probably more, I didn't look at it too much, it just pissed me off.  Not to mention I got a $300 ticket for following too close, I wouldn't have been nearly as upset if it weren't for the ticket.  I was probably going to sell the car in the next year anyway.  The dang brakes locked up and wouldn't unlock as I skidded on wet pavement into the back of the Nissan, oh well.  

So the question is, I will probably only get $2500-3000 out of the Chevy and would like to buy something that gets good mileage for under 3k.  Any suggestions?  Or better yet do I have a snowball's chance in hell of fighting the ticket and if so how?

I guess overall I can thank God I'm safe and nobody was hurt, it could be worse.

Ouch! Glad your ok.
IM inbound

My neck hurts fucker!

I'm glad everyone is OK.. I'll do some thinking on good vehicles for you tonight and post back.

Get a motorcycle ;)

Quoted: My neck hurts fucker! I'm glad everyone is OK.. I'll do some thinking on good vehicles for you tonight and post back.

I am thinking he needs a 99 ranger xlt xtra cab with canopy. Complete with ar bolt face sticker of course!

Wow, that ticket just adds insult to injury.  I got a ticket after an accident once too, and your are right it just makes a bad situation even worse.  Sound like no one got hurt, so good there.  Its going to be tough to argue against the ticket, you tagged the guy, brakes locking up or not you hit him.  Your best bet is to go to court on the date listed on your ticket and plead guilty.  You should get a reduction in fine.  This is not legal advise just what I have done in the past.  Good luck.

You could proablby get into an early 90's toyota pickup for about $3000

Quoted: Quoted: My neck hurts fucker! I'm glad everyone is OK.. I'll do some thinking on good vehicles for you tonight and post back. I am thinking he needs a 99 ranger xlt xtra cab with canopy. Complete with ar bolt face sticker of course!

Good rigs!

Well, at least you have the right attitude about this -- the important thing is that everyone walked away intact.

The ticket sucks -- I don't know why the police have to always try to find a reason to ticket at least one of the parties ... unless there was really gross negligence or dangerous behavior.

Anyway -- you and the people you hit are all ok. Thats the important thing.

It is not required of the police to write a ticket, but if one person was at fault and the other did something wrong it is a good idea for them to write a ticket.  That way when the battle reaches the insurance companies, someone who was on the scene and able to figure out who was at fault is there to do so.  Someone the insurance company ought to be able to trust.

Had the cop said, "wow, you were following to close" but not written you a ticket, then you could argue all day long with the other driver's insurance company that it was not your fault.  It could end up screwing over the person you hit.

I am not saying you would do so, but I have seen it happen many times.  If the cop can determine who was at fault, a ticket being written solves the problem for the insurance companies.

By the way, I don't like ti either.  But last time I got into an accident, I didn't get a ticket but it was clearly my fault.  My insurance company tried to weasel out of paying the young lady I had the accident with.  It was messed up.  I put them straight though and they paid up.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: My neck hurts fucker! I'm glad everyone is OK.. I'll do some thinking on good vehicles for you tonight and post back. I am thinking he needs a 99 ranger xlt xtra cab with canopy. Complete with ar bolt face sticker of course! Good rigs!

I didn't notice in the rules is it OK to post that here? How much a year do you pay for that privilege?
NoHair

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: My neck hurts fucker! I'm glad everyone is OK.. I'll do some thinking on good vehicles for you tonight and post back. I am thinking he needs a 99 ranger xlt xtra cab with canopy. Complete with ar bolt face sticker of course! Good rigs! I didn't notice in the rules is it OK to post that here? How much a year do you pay for that privilege? NoHair

Edit to play nice.

JAFCO I have to start a Friendy disagreement here.  Its a $300 ticket.  Fault is already determined, the nissan didn't back into him..  Id almost say just pay the ticket, and be done with it.  Why waste the time off work to go to court and surly not waste any money on a lawyer (unless you are being sued by the other driver).  The insurance compnay doesn't need a guilty plea on a ticket to raise its rates, they will just because he smacked into the nissan.

Quoted: JAFCO I have to start a Friendy disagreement here.  Its a $300 ticket.  Fault is already determined, the nissan didn't back into him..  Id almost say just pay the ticket, and be done with it.  Why waste the time off work to go to court and surly not waste any money on a lawyer (unless you are being sued by the other driver).  The insurance compnay doesn't need a guilty plea on a ticket to raise its rates, they will just because he smacked into the nissan.

The ticket wasn't for 'fault.' It wasn't for 'failure to control.' It was for following too close. It's up to the OP if he seeks legal advice or not. I surely wouldn't trust me or you for it though.

I mean absolutely no offense by that but I don't think either of us are qualified to give legal advice.

Insurance companies find all kinds of ways to raise rates. They are a very profitable business. I see absolutely no reason to have an infraction on your record though when it would likely cost less than the cost of the ticket to have it disappear and you would likely not even have to go to court.

I guess I'm not one to "just pay it." Lawyers get paid to make sure your accuser has followed all of the procedures of the law. Either way you pay. I like having a clean driving record though.

Ive had the poor foresight to work in the auto industry for the last decade,I would suggest a Honda or Toyota.Look carefully and find one from a private seller that loved his vehicle but just decided its time to get something new.Those kind of folk usualy keep meticulus records of all services and take really good care of thier cars.If it has high mileage ask how they commuted.Fifty miles back and forth on I5 is better than 15 miles up and down 99.I'm sorry that I can't recomend a good American car but Detroit just don't make em like they used to.

Quoted: Ive had the poor foresight to work in the auto industry for the last decade,I would suggest a Honda or Toyota.Look carefully and find one from a private seller that loved his vehicle but just decided its time to get something new.Those kind of folk usualy keep meticulus records of all services and take really good care of thier cars.If it has high mileage ask how they commuted.Fifty miles back and forth on I5 is better than 15 miles up and down 99.I'm sorry that I can't recomend a good American car but Detroit just don't make em like they used to.

I'm thinking that Honda or Toyota were kind of how I was leaning, maybe a Subaru.  My wife's Forester has been good so far.  It's hard to find a Honda that hasn't been totally f'd with and run into the ground, the ones that aren't seem to command pretty high dollars.  I commute about 50 miles a day, so I need reliability but I'm going to end up putting a lot of miles on it.  We'll probably be getting a bigger SUV in the next three years anyway and I'll inherit the Forester, so I just need something that will get great mileage and last for a few years.  Thanks for all the suggestions.

Thanks for the legal advice as well.  I think I'll probably show up plead guilty.  I don't need the extra stress or frustration.  

Hate to say it, but get a ford escort 92 vintage.

You can buy them cheap, put about 300 into them (new timing belt, water pump, serpentine, thermostat, plugs and wires and brakes).  It'll last you for ever

If you can find one, mid 80's dielsel Rabbit. Better real milegae than a Prius claims. Last forever. Otherwise an early 90's Honda Civic or Toyota economy model. The early 90's models get nearly 40mpg. Sadly, we have gone backwards in fuel economy the last 15 years. Required safety equipment and consumer desired luxury items have increased weight drastically. Not only are the people obese (looks in mirror), but our cars are too.

You have full coverage on a '97? I don't normally carrry full coverage on anything more than 7-8 years old, if that long.

I worked on an 87 civic today with 193000 miles on it.The struts were worn out,the axle boots were torn, the springs sagged a little, and leaked a bit of oil.But damn the little thing ran like a top.

On the flip side my Girlfriend drives a 99 Chrysler Cirrus.Today on my lunch she called saying that it had lost a belt.No big deal belts wear out over time.After inspecting it I found that the belt was fine,with a little help from a friend we found that the AC condensor had froze up. The car is still drivable with no AC or defrost and its about 700$ to fix.The engine runs like shit, I can hear that a 400$ ball joint is worn out, it leaks a lot of oil, and just turned a 100000 miles.

I can't recomend an American car and I think that the Escort is a bad idea.

Quoted: Not to mention I got a $300 ticket for following too close, I wouldn't have been nearly as upset if it weren't for the ticket.

First off let me say I am glad everyone is ok, but how the hell can the cop write you up for following to close?? Maybe you were looking out the window, reading a map, talking on the cell, maybe the brakes failed, or maybe you were following to close. Shit happens. Isn't that what they call an accident?? How in the world do you make that assumption and give a guy a ticket? I would contest that one....


Cheers