StanV

Hi all,

Do not read on if you cannot stomach another's foolishness....and please excuse my using incorrect nomenclature for some parts. A search produced nothing that exactly matches my issue.

I have been enjoying my '82SC Targa a lot recently. Took it to a late meeting at work, and found that staff parking had been moved to another area of the lot. I was familiar with the new spot, took off across the mostly deserted blacktop....and found the new curb sub-dividing the parking area. I estimate I was doing about 15 km/h when I hit.

Pulled back, parked, no issues; pouring rain so waited a couple of days until I could get a good look (no difference in handling on the way home).

I do not like what I see; the bar protecting the front underside is pushed back, the skid plate is crunched (A/C removed a while back, nothing there to hurt), and the tow hook is bent outwards almost 90 degrees. More worrisome is that, although the front torsion bar mount and the A-arm look OK, there is a subtle "tilt" to the chassis/body shell (I think there is a separate belly pan?) where the torsion bar front mount attaches.

So, I stood back and noticed the front hood has a wider gap on the affected side, and there is a VERY subtle (you can feel it, not see it) crease of the front fender on that side right above the wheel. The use of the word "subtle" above is intentional - I've posted no pics because the ones I took of the fender and belly pan don't show the problems. If pics of the bar and skid plate would help, let me know and I'll post them.

I have an appointment booked with a very reputable body shop here, but I want to go in forearmed with some knowledge. That's where I hope rennlisters can help.

1) How bad can this be? I realize these are expensive cars to repair correctly, so I will have to balance the cost of repairs versus what the car is worth. This is most definitely a daily driver, not worth "preserving at any cost". I just want to sound calm and collected on the phone when I get the estimate.

2) Most important - although I don't envision selling, one never knows. Is this the kind of injury that, regardless of the quality of the repair, would send the majority of you running no matter what the asking price? This is something I would have to disclose to a future purchaser, who will in all likelihood check in with you, so....I'm doing it first.

Thanks so much for any assistance/advice. I am feeling pretty badly about this, despite my wife telling me I'm only human, etc. etc.

SV

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Stan,

Sorry to hear about your mishap.

You need a very good body shop that's well experienced with 911's to check the car out and estimate this for you.

1) You may have bent the front pan which requires replacement and/or using a Celette or Car Bench to pull the front end straight and square again. Its NOT cheap to do this properly. The inner fenders need to be checked carefully to see if they have moved or not.

2) Now,.....IF,.... IF this is repaired correctly, its not a deal killer for the next owner and all documentation needs to be retained for that purpose. I've seen a LOT of bad repairs and you don't want to go there. Any future buyer needs full disclosure of course, however a good repair makes this like new.

Naturally, your insurance company may take a different view here and many see these older cars as a liability, thus rushing to declare it a total loss. Do your homework in this regard.

Good luck, Sir.

theiceman

wow sounds like you definitely tweaked it ..

There is one other option .. if you dont notice a great difference in driveability and it is going to be very expensive to repair as Steve points out you could just live with it and keep on trucking without sinking any more money into it . Or you could see if the ins company will write it off and buy it back . If it were pristine might be worth saving but seeing its just a daily driver ( like mine ) do what repairs you can at a reasonable cost and live with the rest .

Good Luck

jackb911

+1000. Selecting a shop that "knows Porsches" for a correct repair of damage of this nature is essential. You most likely have a damaged unibody structure.

Shop selection is YOUR choice, not the insurer's. I speak from experience as I was an auto claims manager with a major carrier for many years before I retired.

StanV

Thanks everybody for your advice. I have a good shop lined up, and am preparing for the worst....

Over 20 years without a claim, or even a ticket...what a way to break a streak!

Cheers,

Stan V

theiceman

Stan just wanted to add that i did EXACTLY the same thing albeit at a lower speed . Was driving across a parking lot right into the sun and didnt realize there was a curbed island in front of me . bang RIGHT INTO IT . It happens , not the end of the world. i hit a wheel andbounced up on top . i was lucky and there was no damage .. even the wheel didnt need rebalanacing , but i thought my fillings were going to come out and sent shivers down my spine when i hit.

bluetick

I have no advice - I'm just commiserating for the various stupid things I've done over the years.

Small potatoes, but last night I grabbed an umbrella from the passenger side and was going to toss it in the rear. I stuck it straight through the headliner in the process.

theiceman

if we had a thread on stupid things it would go for pages just on mine.

StanV

Update:

Only one shop in the area that has the necessary bench to repair this vintage 911. Fortunately, they are thorough, and the more they dug the more they found.
Bottom line: not repairable, given the car's value. As much as I am "attached" to the car, I must agree that an '82 Targa "daily driver" is not worth the estimated cost of repair. The insurance estimator and adjuster have been very fair.
If there's a lesson to share, here's one more reason to keep receipts! Everybody who has had an old car written off feels their car was "better than average" (though only half can be), but in my case the receipts confirmed that the car, though as worn as a daily driver with original paint must appear, was the mechanical paragon I claimed.
Now, after a brief upsurge of remorse for the accident, I am faced with shopping.....

Thanks for all the comments/advice/replies.

Stan V