Today, I finished installing a brand new engine in my old car. It cost just over $6000. Later, I was waiting at a red light and an uninsured drunk driver smashed into it head on. It's completely totaled. I got to drive it 5 miles. The car is worth $1000, even with a new engine. FML
I agree, your life sucks (16852) - you totally deserved it (1972)
On 11/15/2009 at 9:59pm - money - by stupidoldcar (man) - United States (Texas)
:( Ugh. I'm sorry. Your insurance should cover most of it, right? This is why we need to have stricter rules in the US about drunk drivers... esp. uninsured ones!
no insurance covers $1000 because that's how much his destroyed car is worth... you'd think they would insure it for what it was worth BEFORE destroyed huh? but you have to remember insurance companies are (bizarrely enough) for-profit companies
Man, that's a good point... why the hell didn't the OP get it insured before the accident? Well, maybe he was on his way to do that, since he didn't get to drive too far.
Maybe he did, but the payout still doesn't cover what he put into the car.
PS, Other guy's not insured while drunk driving? Take his damn house.
the bigger question is, why in the world would OP replace the engine in a $1,000 car with a $6,000 engine...
#39 - On 11/16/2009 at 12:27pm by IgniteMe28
Bringing new life to an old car? Sometimes that's all an old car needs, I can tell you a few models that I would take over most of the newer cars if they were reliable enough
Actually. Because he didn't disclose the car's modifications when taking out the insurance, the whole contract is void. Legally he shouldn't get any money back at all, and could be arrested himself for driving an uninsured vehicle.
The OP never said they didn't have insurance just that the driver of the other vehicle didn't. Personally i would sue the drunk driver, its their fault they didn't have insurance that shouldn't get them out of having to repay the cost of the car they destroyed.
MagicMeds, do you manage to dress and feed yourself without help each day? Insurance doesn't just cover the scrap value of a totalled vehicle, and there's nothing bizarre about an insurance company profiting off the service it sells its customers. Why else would they exist?
For a bit of clarification, his insurance has no liability unless he had UM coverage.
#63 - On 11/17/2009 at 1:44pm by SheriffBart
Dude, if he doesnt have insurance that automatically means it's his fault (although it is his fault) and he has to pay for everything. But fyl until everything is taken care of.
#2 - On 11/16/2009 at 3:21am by spiderman0606
I know the feeling... We spent $15000 on a car earlier in the year (from a car dealer) and in September we had to put a $6000 motor in it... then in November we had to put a $2500 turbo into it (its a turbo deisel) So this $15000 car has cost us nearly $24000 in total (including the change) and if we sold it we would b lucky to get $10000 for it. Definatley a FYL I feel for you...
#14 - On 11/16/2009 at 4:33am by werzal
That's not what totaled means. Totaled means the insurance company pays the market value of the car rather than pay for the damage, because that's the less expensive option for them. So the car was worth $1000 before the accident.
$1000 is what the inurance company has valued his car as... that is the maximum payout that he will recieve...
well, first of all, if he was drunk AND uninsured then its automatically his fault, hes paying for everything. is the engine still workable? maybe try selling it or anything else thats working. but yeah, fyl.
#8 - On 11/16/2009 at 3:53am by kisseshugsdrugs
If he was drunk then sue the idiot for damages! It's completely the other driver's fault. It doesn't matter if he doesn't have insurance, you'll win in the courts and hopefully the other guy will get a suspended license and forced off the roads.
#9 - On 11/16/2009 at 4:08am by KelMarCos
Of course I'm sure I'm echoing other posters but YOU SERIOUSLY SPENT 6K ON A CAR NOT EVEN WORTH THAT?!
Seriously, why the FUCK didn't you just go get a new(er) car? It totally blows that you got hit by an idiot drunk with no insurance but maybe that was karma's way of telling you that you spent the money incorrectly.
#12 - On 11/16/2009 at 4:14am by avoidthegirl
The car was worth $1000 after the accident.
And maybe the OP likes to rebuild/remodel cars or whatever so maybe thats why he didn't just go out and buy a new car off a lot.
Just because you wouldn't spend your money that way doesn't mean that he spent his "incorrectly".
#16 - On 11/16/2009 at 5:16am by borabora1991
No, when your car is totaled, it means that the damage is so extensive that the insurance company pays you the market value of the car (before the accident) rather than covering the damage (i.e. it costs less to pay for a new car than to pay to fix the old one). So the OP really did spend $6000 on a $1000 car.
That's definitely not how karma works. Karma would be: "Today, (actually a few days ago, stupid format.) I got drunk and beat the shit out of my girlfriend. The next day, I finished installing a 6,000 dollar engine in my old car. 5 minutes into the test drive, a drunk driver hit me and totaled it. FML" (I'm sure that's more than 300 characters, but whatever, I'm not submitting a real FML, so it's okay.
Maybe he couldn't find a decent used car for 6 grand, and there wasn't really anything else wrong with his old car, other than the fact that it's old. He may have decided to opt for the engine instead of paying 6 grand for a used car that needed more work added on to it.
If I could avoid spending more money than I had to, especially in this economy, I would.
#31 - On 11/16/2009 at 9:53am by AndelleRae
You know, you can still sue the guy to pay for damages. He'll likely have who whore himself or something to compensate you for your car, but he still has to pay regardless of insurance or no insurance. Most likely after he serves time in jail for being a dumb shit. You're fine though, he still has to pay.
#15 - On 11/16/2009 at 4:47am by Darth_Taco
When an insurance company values your car, they don't care what you spent on the parts. They go by what it's worth in a public market setting.
I'm pretty sure they don't include modifications unless they have to; insurance companies aren't exactly known for paying more than they have to. So if the market price for that kind of car was 1000$, that's what he'd get. The value of a car isn't equal to the money you've spent on it, not even close. Establishing the exact value of a modified version of the car would be hard, and my guess is that it would be even harder to file separate claims for the engine and the rest of the car. In other words, sucks to be OP.
Still, this did happen in Texas. Since it's in the US I assume that the instinctive reaction would be to sue. Since it's Texas, shooting the drunk fuck should also be a viable option. Both are better than dealing with an insurance company.
next time take the money and invest in a newer car. once things start breakin down it's like a domino effect so ima have to say ydi
#20 - On 11/16/2009 at 7:15am by No_fyl_cuz_ydi
I must say it was kinda dumb to spend $6000 on a $1000 car, but that doesn't mean YDI. That other guy is definately at fault, so it's his responsibility to pay for damages.
I can't think of any relevent comments. All I can hear since the "head on" part is, "Apply directly to the forehead."
#27 - On 11/16/2009 at 8:49am by Funkengine12
Seems like the majority of comments for this FML fall into 2 categories of stupid: "it's his fault you're fine" except that the guy is drunk and uninsured, and probably doesn't have any money. You can sue someone with nothing but they don't magically have enough money to pay you when you win. Lets not forget that he needs something to drive for the months it takes to extract money from this asshole. "ur dumb 4 spending $6k on a cheap car" except that almost every car is a bad investment and starts losing money as soon as you buy it. Lots of people take older cars and restore them. What if he just bought it new, got hit, and still lost like $6k because the market value drops as soon as you drive it off the lot?
If a $1,000 car needs $6,000 worth of work, it's already totaled. You should never have bought the new engine in the first place.
The other driver was uninsured? Go to the doctor and tell them about a pain you're having in your back. Then take the fool driver to court. You have a ticket of opportunity if you want to use it.
Just adding another "YDI for bad economics" comment. $6k will get you a used car that will be better than putting a $1k car that you spent $6k on (and is still worth $1k). @28, yes all cars depreciate in value, but your argument only works for brand new cars. Brand new cars lose lots of value immediately, but the rate of depreciation slows down as it ages. Buy a $20k car today and it's worth $15k next year, buy a $6k car and it's worth $5k next year (assuming an uninsured drunk driver doesn' t hit your first). So if OP had just bought a $6k used car it would have been in much better shape than wasting $6k on his car that's only worth $1k.
#32 - On 11/16/2009 at 10:02am by g_love_glove
Um, that was patently inane. You should have bought a new (or should I say used) car instead of replacing the engine. Buying a used car that merely needs some tuning or little additional work would have been more effective and less expensive. Laziness is a gamble with a price; unfortunately, you lost. The irony is that now you'll have to spend the time anyway, especially if you're intent on getting all your money back out of the bum. =/
#34 - On 11/16/2009 at 10:27am by blastvortex
You MUST have the recipt for the engine. Show that to the insurance Co. That'll prove to them your car is NOT the average old car - because it has a new engine, it's worth a LOT more than the average car like it.
Almost hate to say it, but you're gonna need a lawyer to fight the ins.co. for ya.
Worse case scenario, pull the new engine and find a high-mileage car in decent shape to put it in.
I sorta feel sorry for all the posters that don't know what's it's like to have a vehicle you're proud of for the things you did to it. I'm glad life isn't just about the math.
P.S. Drunks SELDOM have $$ left after drinking for insurance or paying damages.
even if your insurance doesn't pay, you can still sue the drive of the vehicle for the damage to the engine. You can't sure for the labor but you can prove the value of the engine.
#37 - On 11/16/2009 at 11:54am by driedpeaches
Being hit by a drunk driver definitely wasn't your fault, and I'm sorry for that, but you should've never put that much money into a 1,000 dollar car. You could've bought another nice one for 6,000. But now you know.
Last time I was in an accident the other guys ins. co. paid me for any and all upgrades on my car. I believe they will at least compensate you for half the cost at very least. You just have to negotiate with his ins. co.
It's kind of hard to negotiate with his insurance company if he doesn't have one...
#42 - On 11/16/2009 at 12:50pm by nightsrequiem
That's because the relationship between you and the other guy's insurance company was one of tort victim to tortfeasor. That has fuck-all to do with the OP's contractual relationship with his insurance company.
#60 - On 11/17/2009 at 12:29am by SheriffBart
I can't believe some people can't figure this out...he put a $6000 motor into the car and the car was worth more until the accident which is now worth $1000.
#43 - On 11/16/2009 at 2:10pm by iplayrugby18
Oh man... that sucks. All it takes is one asshole to ruin everything.
#44 - On 11/16/2009 at 2:11pm by FML_FYL_2009
This is a common trick done by the insurance companies. They must pay for the worth of the vehicle. Often that is done via the market price. But if you can show that it had a non-standard engine worth $6000, they must cover that, because the market price only covers the standard configuration of the vehicle.
#45 - On 11/16/2009 at 2:18pm by rangerx
I hate to ask but why wouldn't you have taken the 6K and put into another car worth (um) 6K?
#46 - On 11/16/2009 at 2:45pm by tjfreemanjr
you are a dumb ass for putting a $6000 engine in a $1000 car. If you saved all the receipts for the engine, you may be able to get some of that back.
you're an idiot for putting an engine in the car that costs more than the car itself.
#52 - On 11/16/2009 at 5:59pm by Le_Pecheur
AHAHAHA thats why you get a car appraisal and full coverage my friend. Without it your insured at the blue book. With it your insured at its value. Ah well, you live you learn. Good luck with classic rebuild number 2!
#54 - On 11/16/2009 at 6:35pm by sumdizzyfoo
Pretty sure I've never heard of an engine costing $6000 and only being worth $1000 for the whole car after a crash..an engine for 6G? Were you driving a Bugatti? And even then it'd be worth more.
#55 - On 11/16/2009 at 8:13pm by kissthesky
There must have been two drunk poeple in this case.
1)The other driver
2) YOU--- Personal Finance 101, don't put $6,000 into a $1,000 car!
#57 - On 11/16/2009 at 10:40pm by dixiehighway
sorry dude you are sol. ydi cause some insurance companies have addendums you can buy for modifications like this.
#58 - On 11/16/2009 at 11:46pm by ladiesman14
YDI for wasting 6x the value of the car replacing the engine. You *should* have just bought a new or used one in better shape -- that is worth $6000+
#62 - On 11/17/2009 at 12:24pm by ozymandias
First off, you deserve it for blowing 6k on a new engine install on a car that is only worth 1k.
Secondly I am not sure what you had, but 6k for an engine install? Me thinks you got screwed. I did an instal 2 months ago for $1000 and a case of beer. $1000 for a long block 302 and the case of beer for my time.
the complete, 100% long block 460 with headers that i put in my 1993 F-350 only cost me $2000 as a NAPA crate motor
you got ripped off, man
#67 - On 11/19/2009 at 2:19am by Hillbilly_Deluxe
I agree with YDI for putting a $6000 engine In a $1000 car. And again for paying $6000 for an engine.
Some of these posters are complete idiots... The car was probably worth MORE than $1000 BEFORE the drunk TOTALED it... Get it... The $1000 is probably all that is salvagable from the WRECK!!
#70 - On 11/23/2009 at 7:34pm by werzal
why dont u take the engine out the car that way u can recover some of the money since the engine would probably be worth something if it wasnt damaged
My only recommendation is to sue the driver. He might be in trouble for drunks, and it's doubtful he'll pay the 6k, but I would bet that you could at least ruin him financially and borrowing money or taking out a credit card.
#73 - On 11/29/2009 at 10:16pm by NorfolkDude
