Got run over by a truck.

[steve matthews]

Help M100 across the pond Virginia USA.
I stopped truck did not.
Lost entire rear, including soft top frame.
What to do? Do have collision but can the insurance get body panels?
Drinking heavy now with bad neck.

Calypso Red very confused and sad.

[tweetdriver63]

Sad to hear that. I don't know about the availability of such parts in the US. You can contact Dave Bean Engineering, but they ain't cheap. Another possibility is in this thread.

A rather gnarly-looking black elan in Florida that's been on ebay. It's wrecked in the front and has been sitting for some time. Maybe the owner will deal, he's had no luck on ebay finding anybody to buy it as is.

Edit: Oops. I just noticed it actually sold. I had thought it had just ended without meeting the reserve. Sorry.

This guy hasn't had anything listed on ebay in a while, so I don't know if he's gone out of business, or what, but you could try to contact him:

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=lotusrecycling&ftab=AllFeedback

You could also try contacting sportscar world in Texas. Their website no longer has a catalog of parts up, but they are still very involved. I know they were represented at LOG 29.

[steve matthews]

tweetdriver63 thanks for the response.
I'm still in shock. 1 wine botle down.
Will start out fresh tomorrow.

Car will not start. Switch at battery fuel cut out?

Have 1 year until log 30 to get her ready.
Steve

[superbad]

Is the chassis damaged? I may be in a minority on this, but unless there is sentimental value, I would let them write it off. All that stuff is hard to fix correctly, and you're going to carry that crash damage history around if you ever sell it. There is a fantastic looking red one (31k miles) on Ebay right now.

Hope your neck is OK, and glad it wasn't worse...

[tweetdriver63]

Is the chassis damaged? I may be in a minority on this, but unless there is sentimental value, I would let them write it off. All that stuff is hard to fix correctly, and you're going to carry that crash damage history around if you ever sell it. There is a fantastic looking red one (31k miles) on Ebay right now.

Hope your neck is OK, and glad it wasn't worse...

That's another option if the damage is that bad. If it's just body panels.....

The last time I had a car written off, I elected to keep it. It was my son's, so I didn't really care that it would have a rebuilt title. The inusance company sent me a check for the total, minus only about $300 for the salvage value of the car. You could find out what the salvage value of your Elan is. It may be worth keeping for, or selling for, parts. If it were me, and the salvage was say, $500 or so, I would keep it (if I had room to store it) for a parts car.

BTW, there's also a very nice looking 40K mile BRG on ebay in OK. It actually looks nicer than the red one to me, and the picture in the trunk (showing the bound manuals, etc) makes it look like an enthusiast's car. OK's a lot closer to VA than CA, too.

[steve matthews]

Sport's cars should be red, I was #886

I'm not a Brit can I own a green one?
Just a little humor. If you could see her engine bay you would understqand.
Will post pictures.
Still sad.
Steve

[Tyger]

tweetdriver63 thanks for the response.
I'm still in shock. 1 wine botle down.
Will start out fresh tomorrow.

Car will not start. Switch at battery fuel cut out?

Have 1 year until log 30 to get her ready.
Steve

Try resetting the inertia switch!

[tweetdriver63]

tweetdriver63 thanks for the response.
I'm still in shock. 1 wine botle down.
Will start out fresh tomorrow.

Car will not start. Switch at battery fuel cut out?

Have 1 year until log 30 to get her ready.
Steve

Try resetting the inertia switch!

It's under a round plastic plug on the top of the speaker enclosure behind your driver's seat. (It cost me about $150 in towing and shop charges to learn about that.)

[Tyger]

It's under a round plastic plug on the top of the speaker enclosure behind your driver's seat. (It cost me about $150 in towing and shop charges to learn about that.)

Yep. Pays to read the manual!
My plastic plug is long gone; I just have a hole there.

[Jackonicko]

Good luck with it Tyger.

[knoxmotorsports]

Damn Steve!

Dean just told me the bad news, and here I am reading about it on LEC. I hope your neck starts to feel better soon.

If she's fixable, we can certainly take care of it with you. I know how much you love that car.

The two on ebay could go for 15-19K.... perhaps we let them "total it" and just buy it back as salvage. I bet the true salvage value is a lot higher than what the INS company will charge you to buy it back.

Hang in there man. Come by the shop if you want to get away from it all.

Billy

[steve matthews]

Insurance do to inspect Thursday the 12-03-09.
Insurance question? For insurance savvy person. What does collision coverage mean?
Thanks all
Steve
Calypso Red with a tear in her headlight

[superbad]

It means you're covered for damage (after your deductible amount), regardless of who's at fault- even if you're all alone and run into a fence or something. If you were hit from behind, it's almost certainly the other guy's fault, and his insurance will be on the hook for your car, regardless of what coverage you have. Unless he's uninsured, in which case your insurance company will cover it.

[knoxmotorsports]

Steve, how did it go? Superbad is pretty on the money with how collision works. The point of collision insurance is to monetarily compensate you for a fair value of what you have lost. The onus is on them to offer you as little money as possible, so as to make their profit as big as possible by increasing his premiums.

But no matter what they tell you, it is YOUR car, not theirs. You are entitled to show them proof that it is worth more than they have offered, and recent receipts for services done in the last year (or so) increase the value that they ought to give you. You are entitled to refuse any offer they make you. You are entitled to buy it back for salvage value if they total it. Usually it is way less than the value of its parts, so it is generally a good idea and a good deal to buy them back (especially if you have friends at a shop that likes building and rebuilding cool stuff ). That way, you can part the car out, fix it, or turn the driveline sideways and swap it into a 1st gen Elan

Either way, good luck. Let us know how it goes.

[steve matthews]

Knox boys, insurance audit today was good and bad.
Car may be toast or may be restored.
Being towed to Lotus Dealer who will coordinate with Lotus factory
on what to do. Parts are still not available. Lotus will make decision.
As of know their is a big hole in my garage. The MX5 might have to go in their.
MX5=MGB on steroids.
Thanks for asking. Will stop at shop soon.
Steve

[steve matthews]

Forgot to mention costs to repair were at $ 12,000.00 +
when we last talked. And that is with out a shop to repair her.
She is worth every penny.
Steve

[DeanG]

Sorry to hear about the accident. Glad that it was not worse.

The M100 is way undervalued IMHO so they are inexpensive to buy and expensive to fix. If totaled it would be much better if you could get your hands on the car and parted out than some unknown, uncaring shop. Keep us informed. Good luck.

[Elanlover]

I'd get a detailed list of the required parts to repair. The Lotus dealer may state the parts are not available or hard to get when they may very well be available form other sources not known to them either new or used. If your Lotus dealer can identify which are not available (if any) we might be able to point you in the right direction.

[steve matthews]

Elanlover, I just pulled the plug on car # 886.
Virginia approved Lotus body shop spent 2 days looking for parts.
They came up with 1/2 needed. They mentioned the
lower back btm. panels. Along with the brackets hinges soft top frame.
Bumper, clamshell. Insurance next Tuesday 12-15-09. May buy back car and stow away.

Did I read somewhere that the forms to make the body panels went to Korea. If so will
body panels be made?

Without a car a red car a fast red car.
Steve

[nsr250]

Steve,

Sorry to hear about the car. Seems that you and I are in the same boat. You have a car with no rear end and I have a car with no front end. Same color too! Hmmm. Let me know if you'd consider parting it out. I'm in the market.

Don
Monroe, GA