Anyone Wreck a New Car Shortly After Purchasing It ?

[Mark Gregory]

Here is a fellow who had a car one hour and destroyed his brand new $340,000 Ferrari car .

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4737452/Driver-wrecks-new-260-000-Ferrari-just-ONE-HOUR.html

Edited July 27, 2017 by Mark Gregory (see edit history)

[padgett]

Have wondered what the life expectancy of a Hellcat (and now the Demon) is. Probably about the same as a Kawaski Mach III triple.

[Mark Gregory]

Padgett you probably remember the 1970's 750 Norton Commando it was around that time .

[1912Staver]

Norton's had their problems , but nothing like the ability of the Kawi to dump it's rider on his or her backside. Lots of powerband HP all hanging from a wet noodle.  I still own my 750 Commando that I bought 2nd hand in about 1977. Several friends had Mach 111's but most of the bikes didn't last  past the first year of ownership. Modern bikes can be almost as much of a handful with their mega horsepower but tires are so much grippier these days. Still lots of modern sport bike riders and bikes bite the dust.  Something about 175 HP and 500 lbs.

 

Greg in Canada

[padgett]

I remember seeing a newbie in a parking lot stand one straight up in the air. Rear tire left the ground, rider fell off, the bike came down sideways and cracked the cases.

 

Had a Suzuki water buffalo about then, first bike I had that would not do a wheelstand, just burn the rear tire and that was on about 60 hp.

[intimeold]

Ah, Your reference to the  1971 Mach III Kawasaki Triple

 

Just this past first weekend in July, we were at Vintage Motorcycle Days, at Mid Ohio Sports car complex.  A big week of Vintage Motorcycle, racing, concours shows, club events and a huge swap-meet.

 

 The swap meet is where I spent most of my time.  One of the bikes I took to sell was a 1971 Kaw 500 Mach III, with 800 miles on it.

 

I only purchased it recently from the second owner; and the bike came with a story and road-rash.  Story has it that the first owner, found out quickly about the wheel-standing ability of that bike.  The was evidence that the back of the  rear fender touched the pavement , and taillight was damaged some.  A replacement taillight lens  was put on.  Possibly the handle bars and exhaust pipes were also damaged beyond repair.  Because the second owner, put on a set of Z bars"period cool" but dangerous; and put on extended front forks.  Maybe the front forks were bent also.

 

Second owner said the first owner gave up on it after getting hurt.  Well, with the extended forks and Z bar; that made that bike look cool but virtually unrideable. Which he soon found out and he parked the bike.  So 45 years later : I show up and buy the bike; I have had scores of Triples. I rode them and still ride and respect them.

 

Off to Vintage days, with this "Barn Fresh"  1971 Triple  H1 500cc Mach III 

 

Both the buyer and myself are happy.  I still have 1 H-2; not my best ever but my latest.

[Joe in Canada]

When you have the kind of money for a supercar cost is irrelevant seeing it will probably be a tax wright off anyway. I live a couple of miles from Mosport Race Way where the big boys rent the track to play with there toys. Last year a fellow destroyed a car and made a fast phone call to have another Ferrari delivered to the track seeing they had the track rented for the day at $10,000. Another time a wanaby racer put the trany out of a Lamborghini if I remember right. He then had another car delivered to use for parts seeing he could not get another trany off the shelf in time. I get all the stories from a club member who is a flagman there.

Edited July 28, 2017 by Joe in Canada (see edit history)

[Ronnie]

I had a Yamaha RD 350 with expansion chambers put me on my butt for the same reasons the Kaw triples would. It had a similar power band on a smaller scale. Once it hit the power band it seemed like if flipped over backwards before I could let off.

[jeff_a]

My Dad bought a new 1960 Mercury Monterey and in less than a year hit a train, hard.

Edited July 28, 2017 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[Mark Gregory]

The 1970 Norton 750 Commando had 60 Hp at 6,880 . What was so different with the Japanese bikes everyone flipped them ?

I heard the Norton was the fastest then the Honda Helcat ? beat them in speed with less cc . If my memory is right we are talking nearly 50 years ago guys .

 

They are still rebuilding the Norton cores and bikes with modern components in Colorado .

http://coloradonortonworks.com/

[Ronnie]

45 minutes ago, Mark Gregory said:

What was so different with the Japanese bikes everyone flipped them ?

The Kawasaki and Yamaha bikes discussed above were bikes with 2 cycle engines. The Norton has a 4 cycle engine with lots of torque and power at lower rpm. The 2 cycle engines on the other hand had a peaky power band that made the engines seem a bit sluggish until you reached the power band (an RPM where the engine was most efficient) and then it was like you kicked in a supercharger or like you hit the nitrus button in a race car. If you weren't ready for that things could get out of hand quickly. In my case I had put expansion chambers on a friend's RD 350 that I had never ridden before. The expansion chamber exhaust pipes make the power band even more peaky and adds a lot more top end horsepower. I jumped on it to try it out after installing the pipes and when it hit the power band it lifted the front wheel so quickly that I was straight up before I know it and ended up flipping over backwards. The RD 350 has a short wheelbase that makes it easy to lift the front wheel anyway and adding the extra horsepower with the expansion chambers just added to the little bike's ability to lift the front wheel.

Edited July 28, 2017 by Ronnie (see edit history)

[James-Wahl Motors]

You all have wandered off topic, sorta. I'll bring this back to antique automobiles. I didn't buy it or wreck it, but i was in the car. This was mid-late 80s in Florida, my friend had talked to a guy with a runner '65 Barracuda, 273 automatic, rust-free car from Nevada. Some year or so later, the guy called him and sold him the car cheap. He bought it on a Friday, on Saturday he and his girlfriend and I piled into the car to go show a friend on the other side of town. We were crossing over an Interstate and a guy in a Camaro came off the highway and blew the light: we ended up t-boning him. Both cars were toast; I think I still have a light scar on my scalp. The upside was my buddy bought a nice old-lady's '64 Valiant 2-door with a blown slant-6 and transplanted the 273 and running gear into it and made a sweet car out of it.

[28 Chrysler]

A high school  kid I knew got a new 69 Road Runner for a graduation  present.

The fist Saturday night he wrapped the right rear quarter around a stop light pole in downtown St. Paul.

 

The last motor bike I was on, a kid coming toward me in a new 1972 Camaro and made a left hand turn .

The Honda  rolled the top of right front fender over the hood,  I did some solo flying,  not a bad landing.

The driver would not get out of his car until the Police arrived.

[jrbartlett]

My father was approaching a car dealership in the 1960s when he saw a car pull out of the dealer's driveway, directly into the path of an oncoming vehicle and get T-boned. My father stopped to help and noticed the car had the dealer sticker in the window. The driver said he had just bought it, and added that "I've heard about stuff like this, but never really believed it." He had literally gotten 50 feet before wrecking his brand new car. 

[SC38dls]

My grandfather told the story of buying a New Plymouth in the 50's in Chicago. He sold farmers insurance and did a lot of traveling to Iowa, Nebraska and other states. Originally from the upper peninsula of Michigan he would go back every summer. The car was about 2 months old and he headed to the U.P. A few miles outside Copper Harbor he was doing about 50 mph and a black bear ran out in front of him. The bear rolled across the hood, hit the windshield, crushed the roof rolled of the trunk and took off into the woods. His new car was totaled but he was more upset trying to explain to the insurance company how his car was totaled but the bear got away! 

[30DodgePanel]

$1.15 mill worth of power + clueless 27 year old - 24 hours = total loss...

It's old news but I know someone who worked on this. It's amazing how some folks have money to burn..

From my understanding he is paying to have it rebuilt. I  give him a week before he does it again.

 

Courtesy of the web

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2851215/Wrecked-Eager-new-car-owner-smashes-rare-1-15M-McLaren-one-DAY-picking-up.html

 

 

Edited July 28, 2017 by 30DodgePanel (see edit history)

[intimeold]

19 hours ago, James-Wahl Motors said:

You all have wandered off topic, sorta. I'll bring this back to antique automobiles. I didn't buy it or wreck it, but i was in the car. This was mid-late 80s in Florida, my friend had talked to a guy with a runner '65 Barracuda, 273 automatic, rust-free car from Nevada. Some year or so later, the guy called him and sold him the car cheap. He bought it on a Friday, on Saturday he and his girlfriend and I piled into the car to go show a friend on the other side of town. We were crossing over an Interstate and a guy in a Camaro came off the highway and blew the light: we ended up t-boning him. Both cars were toast; I think I still have a light scar on my scalp. The upside was my buddy bought a nice old-lady's '64 Valiant 2-door with a blown slant-6 and transplanted the 273 and running gear into it and made a sweet car out of it.

The posts may have gotten a little off;  but your comment about, "back to antique automobiles" touched a nerve.  Had an gentleman years ago, that wanted motorcycles banned, from all local  shows.  I'm sure that is not your belief.

 

You, are aware that the AACA accepts antique motorcycles also. 

 

I am lucky, in that I cherish all forms of mechanical transportation.  And I own and have owned many types of, automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, scooters.  The AACA also has that feeling.

 

 

[Harold]

I was at a Mitsubishi dealership in the early 1990's and a new Montero took off by itself.  It crashed through a showroom window, got hung up on the window sill, and was frying the tires until somebody ran over and shut the key.  I saw the whole thing, and it was like watching a movie in slow motion.

 

I worked at a Saturn dealer in the late 1990's and there was a just-introduced Saturn Vue backed up to the showroom glass doors.   A young salesman jumped in to move it, didn't know it was in reverse, popped the clutch, and backed through the door.

[Terry Bond]

How about witnessing blowing an engine on a test drive!   When I was stationed in Pensacola Fla during the winter of 1969, myself and a couple of buddies dropped into the local Chrysler dealer who was having an all-night New-Year's celebration/open house.  We oogled over the new muscle cars in the show room and had a blast grabbing literature.  One of the slightly intoxicated salesmen asked if we wanted to see something really special that was out in the shop - one of the Super Bee 440 six-pack 4 speed cars!   We drooled over it and were really enjoying our private showing.  When he started the engine it was a thrill.  Next thing you know, we were in the car and taking it out for a "test" drive.   I wasn't driving but a good friend was and quickly put it through it's paces.  The streets were quiet so grabbing a little rubber between gears was pretty neat, and the roar of the engine echoing off the buildings was sweet music.  We soon found ourselves just out of town on Rt 10 at the end of a long bridge when the salesman decided to take the wheel and show us how to handle that 'slap stick" shifter.   He aimed back towards Pensacola, ran it up a few thou RMPs and dumped the clutch, and nailed the gas.   First gear was a neck-jerk but he managed to miss second gear and all I can remember is the scream of the engine going way past red-line on the tach.  The rattle, clanging and funny burping sound it made as the engine slowly died was unforgettable.  We sat there for a few moments watching steam come from under the front end (or was it smoke?), then we got out of the car and without saying anything, just began to walk back to town.   We were too afraid to look back but I can still remember the faint sound of that guy eventually trying to start the car.  It made a really funny sound off in the distance. 

Terry

[James-Wahl Motors]

5 hours ago, intimeold said:

The posts may have gotten a little off;  but your comment about, "back to antique automobiles" touched a nerve.  Had an gentleman years ago, that wanted motorcycles banned, from all local  shows.  I'm sure that is not your belief.

 

You, are aware that the AACA accepts antique motorcycles also. 

 

I am lucky, in that I cherish all forms of mechanical transportation.  And I own and have owned many types of, automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, scooters.  The AACA also has that feeling.

 

 

 

Yes! I did not mean anything against motorcycles, just that the topic was wandering off "shortly after purchasing." I have two antique motorcycles!

[Joe in Canada]

The next doors son had a few too many a couple of years ago when he lost control of his car rounding a corner. He landed his car in a GM dealers car lot damaging 5 new cars. His father a local police sergeant was away on holidays  and was not able to sweep that one under the table like he did the rest of the many other  times.  

Edited July 29, 2017 by Joe in Canada (see edit history)

[Ronnie]

I had a friend that bought a brand new S10, four wheel drive, pickup with all the bells and whistles. He was so proud of that truck. The next weekend he went to Catoosa Wildlife Management Area to bag his fist big Deer. He went out and sat deep in the woods all day until it got dark without even seeing a deer. As he was driving out of Catoosa on the gravel road a large Buck jumped off a high embankment and landed on his hood buckling it in on the motor and it crashed through his windshield. When the wildlife management officers came by to assist him they confiscated the deer and the loaded gun he had hanging in his back window rack. They wrote him a ticket for having his rifle loaded while driving the road after dark. He got the big buck he wanted but he didn't get to keep it long.

[DAVES89]

We were juniors in high school [1974] and a good friend of mine scored a 1970 Red Chevelle with about 30,000 miles on a 400 CI 4 speed. First Friday he owns it he is waiting to turn left into a McDonalds and gets rear  ended. 4 Days later he wants to see how quick it is and is doing about 90-100 MPH when a car pulls out from a driveway. He hits a ditch and ends up in a power pole. Car totaled in 8 days...

[DAVES89]

I sold a GEO Prizm to a guy for $2500.00 for his daughter to use. About 3 months later I get a phone call from his insurance company's adjuster asking me how much he bought the car for. I asked him why and he said that by law that when a car is totaled within a certain time frame the full purchase price has to paid to the insured on a total. The man told the insurance company that he paid $2500.00 but he told the DMV that he paid $1100.00. That is why I was contacted. I told him $2500.00 was the actual amount and they reported the discrepncy to the DMV. I was told by the adjuster that the guy was in all kinds of trouble.

 Lesson learned "Don't cheat on your taxes!"

 

[JWLawrence]

Back in 1976 we were at the BMW and Subaru dealership looking at a new Subaru. Suddenly folks started going towards the corner and looking down the road. A dealer employee showing a new BMW sedan wrecked the car into a utility pole. It was an impressive crash. No one was hurt, but the front of the BMW was a mess. I have wondered whatever happened to the wrecked BMW. I doubt it was totaled. Probably repaired and sold to some unsuspecting party. JWL

[Bush Mechanic]

A friend, Tim, in Perth, advertised his used  Austin Healey 100/6 for sale. A punter came along and was suitably impressed. He went off for a test drive, with Tim in the passenger seat. After a couple of hours fears were growing for their safety, and Tim was eventually located in a hospital bed. The pedals are quite close together in those Healeys, and aproaching a 'T' intersection, the prospective buyer went for the brake and punched the loud pedal. (I think we've all done it once or twice). Unfortunately he wrote the car off against a brick wall.

He actually visited Tim in hospital, and gave him half of the asking price, (to his credit), claiming that that amount was all he was going to offer for the car anyway!

[CarlLaFong]

Not me,but my grand daughter totaled her Nissan Versa in 8 hours. She's fine and there's one less POS on the road. Now she has a new F-100. Atta Girl!!

 

I did ride a new Mach III at Van Nuys Kawasaki. They told me it was the first one off the boat. Dunno if that was true, but it was certainly one of the first. Wheelstands were part of the deal. It didn't just snap up and toss you off the back, like many claim. The front end came up as the engine came up on the pipe. I found it to be pretty simple to control by simply modulating the throttle. I didn't ride it enough to assess the handling. I guess it was awful, though I doubt is was worse than my CBX and its rubber frame

[Ronnie]

Here's one that didn't have a happy ending... The owner of a local convenient market bought his daughter a new Z28 Camaro for a high school graduation present. A couple of nights later she (and three of her friends) were driving on a narrow back road and topped a hill to fast. She lost control in a curve just over the hill and hit a power pole. The Z28 was totaled and she was in the hospital for about six weeks. Her legs and ribs were broken and her teeth were knocked out. She almost died. The first time I saw her after the accident she was so battered and bruised that I didn't recognize her. Oddly enough the three friends were only bruised up a little and were treated and released from the emergency room without spending a night in the hospital.

[Brass is Best]

Like this? 

 

[caddyshack]

In 1966 I was waiting in the customer service lounge in downtown Minneapolis waiting for my new Chevelle to be dealer prepped and delivered. Across from me was an older fellow waiting to pick up his new Vette. As we were talking about our new purchases a loud crash was heard behind the waiting room wall. We both commented on how we hoped it didn't involve our cars. I was lucky, he was not.  His car was coming down the circular ramp from the second floor prep area and in between floors another new car was going up the ramp. Not much speed involved, but fiberglass was all over the place, and radiator fluid ran down the ramp. The guy was just sick, but he got a new Corvrtte with a larger engine a more options as compensation. He never even got to drive his new car and it got wrecked.

[Mark Gregory]

Here is another driver crashing a $300,000 car . I guess these rich drivers can not drive ? ?

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4751314/Hire-driver-writes-225-000-Lamborghini-30mph-crash.html