Hit a Forest Rat last night
 

Actually the stupid doe ran into me. Caught the passenger side quarter. Just behind the door and before the wheel well. I hope that be-atch has a wicked head ache this morning. :shakes head:

No scratches, so I’m hoping I can get a PDR to pull it out for me.

What is a forest rat? And chances are, that "be-atch" is probably dead lol

ouch.... :(

Deer.

I've hit 10 of them over the years. 7 with the old Power Wagon. 3 with the truck before that. The truck before that was a turkey, LARGE dog (thinking coyote maybe). A cow on a back road with a motorcycle.

Makes sense. I'm thinking he ran over a rat....how much damage could a hamster do?

Hopefully there's not any damage to mz daizy

I ran over a dead racoon with the Z. It ripped the plugs for the O2 sensors off of the bottom of the tranny.

Pics of damage..
 

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How bad youse guys think?

Couple of more...
 

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I’m going to sell or trade in. Should I go through insurance, pay out of pocket or should I take the $25,000 the dealer offered. Only reason I ask is because I’m not sure if I want to alert my insurance company.

Bruhhhhhh, I thought you were going to keep?

Just keep in mind that if you file a claim with your insurance company, this claim could follow you around even if you switch to another company.

I had that happen with my truck. Hit the passenger side front/rear door and totally took out my dually fender. I was pissed. Ran right into me at full tilt.

I’m really torn... my favorite car I’ve ever owned but it’s just not practical. I can either run it into the ground (which would break my heart) or sell it while it’s still worth something.

I’m waiting for a divine intervention to make me decide...

Yup, came out of nowhere... WTF? One of the reasons I gave up Bikes.

I ran over a skunk once. Did no damage other than a god awful smell I couldn’t get out of the car for the 3 years I had it.

If it makes financial sense to sell and you won't regret your decision to sell, then go for it.

My vote is to keep it. I'm paying $800 (car note, insurance, and garage)/month for a car that I can't even drive (and haven't driven in almost 2 years) because I love it so much lol.

For what it's worth, selling it now may be a bit harder than before. If selling privately, you may get more but will take more time. If selling to a dealership, they will prob. low ball you now that rates have risen and sales are slowing down (and the $25K they offered was probably before the forest rat running into you).

Another reason to keep it:

You get to be part of a fun group :icon17: (unless you go EW's route and buy a bmw and still lurk on the forum). For example, one of the threads you created lol:

http://www.the370z.com/lounge-off-to...anks-vtec.html

I went to a dealer I have “NO” interest in buying from to see what I can get. They are aware of the damage. I’m waiting on an estimate on the damage. Ball park was $1500. I’ll pay that out of pocket if I can get $3,000 more out of her. Obviously.

What’s weird, is this is the first time I’m attached to a car I’m selling. Every other one I was happy to see go, so the decision is hard for me.

I have a deal in place on a Mazda CX-5 using MZ DAIZY as a down payment. Just can’t quite pull the trigger...

I’ll still lurk here! I like youse guys! Besides, where can you get entertaining conversation like magnetic oil plugs for $15 a year? :rofl2:

Why an SUV?

:rofl2::icon18:

In a nut shell...

brand new. Warranty is important.
Wife loves it.
More practical for this time of my life. AWD is important now.
Creature comforts are awesome. Major bang for the buck.

Downsides:
It’s an SUV
It’s a Mazda.

I’m looking at what is going to be better for us 5 years down the line. A 10 year old Z or a 5 year old Mazda. Kicking the can, mostly.

$25,000 pre or post accident?

If it's post accident I would take that any day and fall in love with something else.

Let the finances make sense.

Yea, post accident. I’m certainly not going to fall in love with a Mazda SUV, but it certainly fits our needs. Thus, my dilemma. Heart says keep it. Head says sell it.

Keep the Z AND buy the Mazda. Problem solved.

Yea, well... I was kinda hoping you hit that Powerball and help me out... :hello:

I'm gonna win that sumb!tch....




Rusty, I will need for you to help out MZ DAIZY with the half I'm giving you after I win lol

I still say get rid of the Z $25k with minor cosmetic damage is fantastic regardless to any upgrades, proper care and what not.

In regards of the Mazda, understand that one of the biggest drawbacks of ALL Mazda's is road noise due to less insulation than your average vehicles. This is how they compete in all honesty being that they have the looks, power, performance and "some" reliability.

Not counting their classic RWD models, almost all others I've owned and worked on are very slim on cabin insulation.

Road noise is a big one for me and they are loud.

What is the OTD price of the Mazda? And how much do you owe on your Z?

Keep in mind, inflation paired with higher rates and Fed Funds Rate drastically erodes your buying power and $25K doesn't get you as far as it used it.

Better yet, why not keep your Z and trade in your wife's car? I thought you mentioned in another thread that she has a Kia?

[QUOTE=vtec to vvel;4032286]Better yet, why not keep your Z and trade in your wife

Fify :tup:

[QUOTE=redondoaveb;4032288]LMAO! :icon18:

Mz Daizy, what ever you decide bro, just think it through.

It's not exactly the best time right now to be taking on additional debt. Feds raised rates 6 times this year, with 4 of them being 75 bps raises, and probably another raise in 12/2022 with more expected to come in 2023 to fight inflation. Feds are trying to discourage borrowed spending and lessening the money supply in the economy through quantitative tightening, so if a buyer does qualify for a car loan, they will be qualified at a lesser amount with a higher rate (more of your monthly payment will go towards interest rather than principal).

Rusty, sounds as if you're vehicles for hunting...

Understand that, and its hard to make such a decision. My Z is in the garage and done till March. My main use of the Z is tracking, so on the road to and from and on the track.

But I do think at times about selling it and usually come up and say no. But that is getting harder and harder to do.

If you think the offer is fair and then do it. But don't look back, you at some point can always find another vehicle to love.

Also think about how it makes you feel, when you get comments on it. Yes its an old gal, but she carries it well. Comments keep coming, and I go WOW, they are talking about MY car.

Yea at times its not practical, but you live once. So good luck on whatever you decided. There is no wrong answer.
:tiphat::driving:

Try to pop it out with a toilet plunger. It may make it
less noticeable.

This is why we can't have nice things :shakes head:
Sorry to hear of the damage. I say repair the dent and keep it :)
From the photos, I would guess you definitely want to avoid an insurance claim.

Forest rat is a new one. I like it! :tup: