Goodbye ECOdiesel - totaled while parked @ 429,466 miles

Van Wylder

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2011
Location
SE Ohio
TDI
00 Jetta sedan 5 spd. 03 Jetta wagon 5 spd.
Well, it's lights out for our 1991 Jetta GL ECOdiesel. It was parked out in front of the house in a quiet neighborhood when the 17 year old girl across the street slammed into the back of it while "swatting at a bee on the windshield."

It's been a great car. 429,466 miles on the original engine and body.

Caught it all on our CCTV security cameras... video going up on YouTube at some point.

My guess is that bee was her cell phone (See picture), and there ain't a snowballs chance in he!! she was going 25. Kids are worthless these days. Cellphones have made them stupid, lazy, and prone towards instant gratification. You're a better man than me; I would've been prone towards thumping her parents for letting her drive. All that aside, I can pretty much guarantee that car will come up on the IAA auction, Northern VA site in the next few months when the dust clears. It looks to be possibly fixable.
 
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tomo366

TDI Lifer, Member #68
Joined
Jun 30, 1997
Location
Kensington, Maryland USA
TDI
2015 Jetta SEL TDI
Damn that sucks......sorry guys.....I had a gray Eco many years ago before I got my 1st TDI what a great car it was commuting 110 miles a day at the time.....
 

jbleu101

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2004
Location
Ohio
TDI
2002 Jetta TDi, GLS
That sucks. That was a nice car. I hope you are able to salvage some parts for it and keep pieces of her running in other vehicles. Speaking of which...did she have a name?
 

whitedog

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
Location
Bend, Oregon
TDI
2004 Jetta that I fill by myself
That sucks, but may I suggest that if you can buy it back cheap enough, and you can make it drive this may be a 24 Hours of Lemons car.
 

MonsterTDI09

TDIClub Enthusiast, Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2009
Location
NoVa/NJ
TDI
2010 Jetta DSG/ up keep on 2009 Jetta DSG 2006 Jetta Pag 2 in North SEA Green
Sorry this happen guys:(.That car was in really good shape to boot:(.I notice a couple of things in you pictures.The girl doesn't seem to upset about accident like no big deal.Looks like the wipers are up on the van and the air bags didn't deploy.Why is the dude still in the car?Was his shorts still around his ankles?:rolleyes:
 

Dieselducky

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2011
Location
Dunnville
TDI
88 Jetta Diesel - 2000 Jetta TDI - 04 BMW M3 - 06 Kia Rio - F350 Superduty - 87 Buick GNX - Mobile Cranes
I almost ran over a 18 year old texting while she was driving....she hit the guard rail..that spun her car around right into the path of my crane... my front "bumper" was resting on her dashboard just crushed the front of her car to almost nothing..i pushed her about 100+ feet the whole time staring at her face...she never let go of the phone.. had it in her hand through the whole event.
 
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whitedog

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
Location
Bend, Oregon
TDI
2004 Jetta that I fill by myself
25 MPH? I don't know how accurate you can be but with the timer there and a measuring tape you could get a good idea of how fast she was going when that bee distracted her.
 

ultrasparc

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2006
Location
Wa
TDI
00, Jetta TDI MK IV
oh man

I need to connect my Woot Zmoto cameras. That video was pretty good.

You can really see her accelerate before she hits it, im guessing it was 35 - 40mph.

Sorry for your loss, looks like it was in great shape.
 

onlyinabeetle

Veteran Member - TDIClub Contributor
Joined
Oct 6, 2004
Location
wrentham
TDI
2012 Jetta Sportwagen
wow after impact, right back to texting, the conversation must be that good! Sorry to see the car go out like that, kinda sucks when you have no control over these things (such as the tree that fell on my beetle) However bad it may be, you guys are ok!!
 

Jettascuba

Veteran Member
Joined
May 27, 2009
Location
South Africa
TDI
2002 VW Jetta
:(

Oh no! Pull some stills from her and her hands behind the wheel just before the hit, have some expert enhance it... Pffft... swatting a bee her car would have swerved, she did a wide one around that turn and carried straight on...

Your car looked so well kept...

Miss my A2 now...
 

MonsterTDI09

TDIClub Enthusiast, Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2009
Location
NoVa/NJ
TDI
2010 Jetta DSG/ up keep on 2009 Jetta DSG 2006 Jetta Pag 2 in North SEA Green
I just watch the video.The dude was his using I phone. I bet she was looking over at his phone.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
This angers me beyond most anything... I got to drive it once, and enjoyed it!

I don't know how Lawson did not beat her into a bloody pulp. I would have come unglued. She would remember that day for the rest of her life.
 

thebigarniedog

Master of the Obvious
Joined
Oct 14, 2007
Location
Fail Command (Central Ohio)
TDI
1998 Jetta tdi
wow after impact, right back to texting, the conversation must be that good! Sorry to see the car go out like that, kinda sucks when you have no control over these things (such as the tree that fell on my beetle) However bad it may be, you guys are ok!!
:(

Oh no! Pull some stills from her and her hands behind the wheel just before the hit, have some expert enhance it... Pffft... swatting a bee her car would have swerved, she did a wide one around that turn and carried straight on...

Your car looked so well kept...

Miss my A2 now...
Yeah, one would expect that she would have swerved or braked if a 'bee' was the culprit. Sadly, it seems like alot of people that she's already got the 'lying' and 'it's not my fault' down :mad:. But hey, she seems all broken up about the consequences of her actions .......

Sorry about the car Jason, this kindov stuff just pisses me off.
 

bhtooefr

TDIClub Enthusiast, ToofTek Inventor
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Location
Newark, OH
TDI
None
This is when you go to the police with that video, and have them bring the hurt on her.

Might even be possible to get felony reckless driving to stick.

Glad nobody's hurt, though.
 

jasonTDI

TDI GURU Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Apr 26, 2001
Location
Oregon, WI
TDI
20' RAM 3500 CCLB dually HO/Aisan. 2019 Cherokee 2.0T
oh man

I need to connect my Woot Zmoto cameras. That video was pretty good.

You can really see her accelerate before she hits it, im guessing it was 35 - 40mph.

Sorry for your loss, looks like it was in great shape.
Yep. That's not a 25 mph hit just to push it that far. You can tell your car was lighter though based on the damage VS. her damage.

What a twit...And I agree on the sentiment about these self entitled, instant gratification, clueless morons. They just don't get the ramifications of their actions. There is some serious lack of "parenting" going on EVERYWHERE. Can't be a "best friend" and a parent. If a kid has a bit of distaste for their parent(s) and wants to leave when they graduate you know you did the job of preparing them for the real world and cut the cord.
 

jasonTDI

TDI GURU Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Apr 26, 2001
Location
Oregon, WI
TDI
20' RAM 3500 CCLB dually HO/Aisan. 2019 Cherokee 2.0T
This angers me beyond most anything... I got to drive it once, and enjoyed it!

I don't know how Lawson did not beat her into a bloody pulp. I would have come unglued. She would remember that day for the rest of her life.
The remaining 30 seconds?:D:eek:
 

VW Derf

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 3, 1996
Location
Richmond, BC, Canada
TDI
2010 Blue Graphite Pearl Golf Variant
Wow! That's a terrible loss. Fortunately you weren't getting into the car or something at the time because she would probably have hit you guys. At least it is all documented.

Hopefully it can be resurrected, even though it will never be quite the same.
 

Hamsterdiesel

TDIClub Enthusiast , Veteran Member & HO5G CoFound
Joined
Jul 30, 2002
Location
NH
TDI
1999 Golf IV, Black and now 2015 Reflex Silver Passat SE
Who was in the van with her?

I just saw the video - she looks like she's doing 35-40mpg! Damn!:mad:
 

Abacus

That helpful B4 guy
Joined
Nov 10, 2007
Location
Relocated from Maine to Dewey, AZ
TDI
Only the B4V left
I agree with going after her for more serious charges, you have the proof. No way I'd let this go. No way.

Not sure about the laws in VA, but what about a "cut-n-shut"? Seems like a good candidate.
 
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