New 2002 Owner-SUPER Sad Start...(what would you do?)

[tweak89]

Well, I'm new to the last generation of Thunderbirds. Found a black 2002 with 120k, 2 owners with good service records. Everything works, interior/exterior really good shape and it was at a price I couldn't pass up. I had been looking to replace my 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata and was looking at the 3rd get Miata's and found this one when looking at a Miata.

Well, pulled the trigger today, drove her home a happy camper. Well, since my wife was out and about when I bought it, I had to go pick her up and take her to the dealer to grab my truck (which I had left to bring the T-Bird home).

Long story short, rainy conditions, and a quick loss of awareness in traffic resulted in me rear ending a Nissan Murano at around 15mph. Damage to them was pretty minimal at least visually. Damage to my T-Bird? buckled hood, cracked driver side fender, headlight is history, deformed the number cover somewhat plus whatever damage lurks below the hood.

So, my question is...would you get it fixed? Insurance is not covering it since I only put liability coverage on it due to the extremely limited miles it was going to see (obviously in hindsight, would've, could've, should've). It's not going to be cheap since body parts aren't exactly plentiful or cheap. I paid 8k for it and felt I got a pretty good deal and am leaning towards fixing it as long as it doesn't exceed 5k.

This page contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated. As an eBay Partner, and Amazon Associate I may be compensated if you make a purchase at no cost to you.

 

[derjimmer]

Personally, I think it's worth fixing, if the costs can be kept below 5k. I think you got it for a good price. Parts will be hard to find, but I think if you have a good body man, they can fix the dents and wrinkles. There are Salvage yards that sell parts from wrecked Tbirds. Shipping is expensive. Check out local salvage yards.

 

[airpirate413]

Well, I'm new to the last generation of Thunderbirds. Found a black 2002 with 120k, 2 owners with good service records. Everything works, interior/exterior really good shape and it was at a price I couldn't pass up. I had been looking to replace my 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata and was looking at the 3rd get Miata's and found this one when looking at a Miata.

Well, pulled the trigger today, drove her home a happy camper. Well, since my wife was out and about when I bought it, I had to go pick her up and take her to the dealer to grab my truck (which I had left to bring the T-Bird home).

Long story short, rainy conditions, and a quick loss of awareness in traffic resulted in me rear ending a Nissan Murano at around 15mph. Damage to them was pretty minimal at least visually. Damage to my T-Bird? buckled hood, cracked driver side fender, headlight is history, deformed the number cover somewhat plus whatever damage lurks below the hood.

So, my question is...would you get it fixed? Insurance is not covering it since I only put liability coverage on it due to the extremely limited miles it was going to see (obviously in hindsight, would've, could've, should've). It's not going to be cheap since body parts aren't exactly plentiful or cheap. I paid 8k for it and felt I got a pretty good deal and am leaning towards fixing it as long as it doesn't exceed 5k.

Fix it !!!

 

[tweak89]

Well, I dropped it off at a body shop. Guy was really straight up, said he'd source used first and take his time to find parts as inexpensive as possible. There isn't much in the way of "wrinkles". He said he look at fixing the hood, but that it didn't look promising. We'll see. I waited around so long for the right price/car and came upon this one by happenstance. At least I got to drive it 20 miles in pristine shape before tragedy struck :-( Even sadder, is that I didn't even get to take my "new toy" picture at a spot where I've taken all my vehicles since it was raining, so I have no before shots.

 

[ScooterDog]

Yikes! I just got that "sick feeling" in my stomach hearing your story. I feel terrible for you. I agree that repairing it is the way to go, but I understand why you' re asking. I'm sure you could get a good chunk of money by parting it out, but that would take time and effort and you'll end up with nothing. Getting it fixed will take more money for sure, but you're left with a fun car!

 

[tweak89]

I guess I just needed some positive reinforcement, haha. I've been wanting this car for the longest time. Even the body shop owners some (who works there) said "it's said seeing a car like this get damaged". At worst, even with the additional money invested, If I ever part ways with it, I'll likely get some of it back. And hey, a shiny new black paint job!

 

[tbird]

When I was in high school my mom wrecked a brand new Toyota Camry on the way home from the dealership. Was not her fault either.

I'm a safe driver and my full coverage insurance is pretty cheap and also covers uninsured motorists which are a big problem in todays world. I only switch to liability when my car is worth less than 2500.00

Your choice is simple.

Pay 5-7k to fix yours or find another one for 9-11k

 

[stevedaphotoman]

Long story short, rainy conditions, and a quick loss of awareness in traffic resulted in me rear ending a Nissan Murano at around 15mph. Damage to them was pretty minimal at least visually. Damage to my T-Bird? buckled hood, cracked driver side fender, headlight is history, deformed the number cover somewhat plus whatever damage lurks below the hood.

Tweake89,

I feel for you bud.. I just thought how I would of left if that happened to me last year when I picked mine up.. I do remember with in a couple months of me picking ours up, I was getting on an express way and I was looking back in the rear view mirror to see if the right lane was open only to look front and see the two cars in front of me decided to stop on the acceleration lane.. Man I swerved left into the right lane while standing on the brake peddle.. Luckily she stopped just in time.. I felt my heart jumping out of my chest.. Someone was looking down on me.. Have patience and take a deep breath..

I would suggest to wait to see what your body shop guy finds on the parts.. Add it up after you get the figures from the body shop, add 10-20% surcharge to the total because I love this car and see if the money makes sense... Also remember, this could be your daily driver then in a year or so, you can find a collector bird out there with less than 10K miles for your Sunday driver.. I saw a white beauty on Barrett Jackson Scottsdale last months with 200 miles and it sold for $30K plus $3K auction charge.. If I only had that money kicking around..

Take care and remember a trip in the t-bird is the best therapy..

 

[Badbird]

Well, I'm new to the last generation of Thunderbirds. Found a black 2002 with 120k, 2 owners with good service records. Everything works, interior/exterior really good shape and it was at a price I couldn't pass up. I had been looking to replace my 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata and was looking at the 3rd get Miata's and found this one when looking at a Miata.

Well, pulled the trigger today, drove her home a happy camper. Well, since my wife was out and about when I bought it, I had to go pick her up and take her to the dealer to grab my truck (which I had left to bring the T-Bird home).

Long story short, rainy conditions, and a quick loss of awareness in traffic resulted in me rear ending a Nissan Murano at around 15mph. Damage to them was pretty minimal at least visually. Damage to my T-Bird? buckled hood, cracked driver side fender, headlight is history, deformed the number cover somewhat plus whatever damage lurks below the hood.

So, my question is...would you get it fixed? Insurance is not covering it since I only put liability coverage on it due to the extremely limited miles it was going to see (obviously in hindsight, would've, could've, should've). It's not going to be cheap since body parts aren't exactly plentiful or cheap. I paid 8k for it and felt I got a pretty good deal and am leaning towards fixing it as long as it doesn't exceed 5k.

Tough call but you should bite the bullet and sell it for salvage. You will spend way beyond what you will ever get out of this car especially once the car fax indicates the car was wrecked. Buyers will not purchase. Also consider that the 2002 was not a highly regarded build year, multiple problems and underpowered. Parts are extremely hard to find and overpriced for used.

 

[tweak89]

Well, believe me, if It looks like the cost will be beyond a certain threshold I'll let it go. But, although it looks terrible, I drove the car over to the collision center without issue (only got a warning light that indicated my headlight bulbs out lol). While I know I'd probably not get anything out of it should I part ways with it down the road, I didn't get it as an investment. I'll be taking to the collision folks more midweek after they've had a chance to really look at what it will take to get it back to normal (which from outward appearances means hood, driver side fender/headlight, number cover and radiator/radiator support). I know there's lot's of little things that add up when it comes to body repair, so that's what will become the deciding factor.

It's unlikely I'll be investing anything in a "weekend" car for some time regardless of what happens. I'm lucky to be able to say that the money really isn't the issue, but the "value" it represents to me in regards to the car. 3k is for sure a keeper, 4k becomes a maybe leaning to keeper, but over that I'll really think a bit more. I've already look at parts cost and unless there's something really serious going on under that bumper cover, then I "think" I'll end up keeping it. If the car had overheated and threw a bunch of warning lights or deployed the airbags I wouldn't even be thinking about it. It would be getting the big stuff parted out then sold for scrap.

 

[tweak89]

Well, here's the damage. Pretty much contained to the driver side corner. The SUV high bumper, my low car= :-(

 

[stevedaphotoman]

I really love my 2002 but like they say in the NY lottery commercials (a dollar and a dream) if I had the money not sure if I would do another retro (although I really love them) or go back and do a 56 - 57 for a weekend driver.. I still love the styling of the retro better but nothing like a vintage classic.. Along with money needed to buy it, I would also have to build a new garage to store both.. My heart goes out to you.. I wish you the best and hope the body guy comes through for you.. I was eyeing the retros for about 8 years before I pulled the trigger.. Life, kids and college tuitions were in the way..

 

[03LeeBird]

Looking at the damage really hurts, but many of us purchased our cars for the long hall. If you plan on keeping the car for many years, fixing it is a no brainer. But if you just thought about driving it for a few years and trading it in, you may want to just part it out and get as much of your money back as you can. When it's fixed, you may want to consider beefing up the insurance. I put about 3K on my car each year so my premiums are quite low. In my mind, well worth the expenditure. In most states you can pull much of the insurance off in the winter months to save a few bucks.

 

[tweak89]

Yeah, I'm still kicking myself for that choice, but in over 30 years of driving having no accidents I figured I'd be safe haha!! Oh well.. discussed the plan with the process this morning and am moving ahead with the repairs in stages. Stage one: get her fit for the road (all parts replaced and functioning). Stage 2: paint (can't really just paint the new parts and make the rest of the car pale). Stage 3: the small stuff, any emblems or small details that aren't necessary to accomplish the first two stages.

 

[tweak89]

If this were the Miata I was looking at that this happened too, repairs would already be started since parts are plentiful (and cheap). So far, with what is needed, there isn't anything that can't be found, but it's just more expensive than usual due to the small production run.

 

[tbird]

Yeah, I'm still kicking myself for that choice, but in over 30 years of driving having no accidents I figured I'd be safe haha!!

I pondered the same thing last March, and also accident free 30 years, but then decided to just fork out the money for full coverage. After reading your story, I definitely won't be tempted again!

 

[tweak89]

Well, still waiting for the numbers on this. But, as a bonus, there are three flood/total loss Thunderbirds going up for auction here in Houston. Bodywise all are in excellent condition, so that could be a big money saver if it comes down to that. They are being sold as non repairable flood cars which means they are likely going to be scrapped so prices should be reasonable.

 

[stretch]

i would definitely grab one of those auction cars.youll get the parts u need cheap and quick.plus u can maybe sell off the rest of the working parts to other owners.i myself could use a cabin fusebox cover that was missing when i bought the car.ford discontinued the part.at least u can make some of the money back by parting that car out.

 

[stretch]

bc these cars are kinda rare and so few parts are available u may not not have alot of bidders at that auction.then again in a huge warm weather city like houston theres a lot of tbird owners looking for parts maybe.where i live cleveland oh i could get one of those salvage cars with the change in my couch. havent seen a tbird on the road here in at least 10 yrs.

 

[tweak89]

Well, If it times out right I may give it a try. Ran by the shop today and luckily, the mechanical damage is fairly minimal. New radiator and condenser, radiator support along with the hood, fender and bumper cover. Of course the other little things start to add up as well ( grill insert, headlight, minor bits and pieces not to mentions installation, prep and paint). But, the owner it trying really hard to locate some quality used parts. So, we'll see.