Looks like my Vento is RIP!

Well, the dreaded happened to my baby. My black Vento was NAILED yesterday morning on my way to work. Yes, I am perfectly fine, thank you for the concern. My car...not so good. My personal opinion is that it will be written off. That's the same opinion of the body shop it's sitting at waiting for the insurance adjuster. It's too bad...the thing was running really well...needed a new clutch, etc, so I guess it's better it happened this week, as the plan was to head into the shop next week and get a lot of things looked at. Yes, I'm still pretty cheerful, etc. I never knew how I would react to something like this, as I put a lot of sweat, skin, and blood into this car. So far...in the end it's just a car. I'm okay, no one was injured in the accident, and something new is coming for me on the horizon. Now, what to do about a new car. I'm doing a little debate between getting another A3 TDI, and A4 Golf TDI (oh, no! not the DARK side!), or just something completely different. At the moment I'm leaning towards the Golf, but I'll have to see. I'm sure I'll only get so much from insurance (yes, I'll fight them on the price), and then I'll see how much more I want to put in towards a "new" car.

In case you are wondering about the accident itself, here's a quick recap. Driving to work, light goes red up ahead (southbound on Dufferin at Finch). Traffic stops, and so do I. I leave my normal safe distance between me and the guy ahead. So, a large work van comes flying up behind me (I've been stopped for something like 10 seconds at this point), tires start squeeling from braking, I brace for impact, and then get a nice morning shower of glass. Rear window simply exploded. Back driver's side of the car is crumpled, passenger side shows a bit of buckling. Of course, I get pushed forward and hit the guy ahead, so my hood is shot, drivers side e-code is blown apart, rad pushed back a little, grill is gone. Surprisingly, the engine was still running after the whole thing. Ironically, the van which hit me is owned by a demolition company. Full of tools in the back, etc, so it was a lot of weight which plowed into me.

The Jetta did it's job...it took the impact and saved me from being injured. For that I am grateful. It was a reliable car, and I planned to have it for a lot longer. It had only 200000 km on the odometer, so still breaking in.

RIP Vento...it was fun while it lasted.

BTW, if you want an opinion on the Chevy Cobalt...well, there is no "throw up" emoticon in these forums. I got a BASE model, too...but I find the ergonomics of the whole thing pretty poor. I honestly would have preferred to get a Yarris as a rental. (I'm actually interested to find out how that car feels...no, not looking at actually getting one)

I'm glad to hear you are all right. It is unfourtunate about the car but as you said it did what it was supposed to do.

FYI: The dark side aint so bad!


MU HA HA HA Yes... come to the dark side John...

Oh John that sucks man!!!! Glad you are ok.. To bad about the car.. Time to start looking for a MKIV? The darkside isn't to bad!!!!!

BTW: What demo company? I supervised a huge demo project in the summer and wondering if it was one of theirs.

Sorry to hear about your car getting "Demolished" John. Good part is you are OK, though a bit shaken up I bet.
Had a 1995 Passat where I was being hit head-on, airbags going off and dazed as hell. But as you say the design of the car did its job and you are still here to tell the tale.
Get a MKIV, I think you will like the difference a few years make, not yours, the car designs.
Good luck

Glad to hear you are ok, my pride and joy was totalled by a moose 4 years ago, and I had the same reaction as you, in the end, it IS just a car, even though you never think that after putting so much time into it. You move on, and glad you are still around to tell the tale!

i think i heard about it on the news about there beign traffic there because of a accident. All teh best.

Damn, too bad about the accident, but at least you're fine. Keep us posted if/when you start looking for a new diesel.


Rich

As you said the car took one for you and did its job well. The good news if there is such a thing from something like this... Since you were sandwiched you are 0% at fault and will not affect your insurance premiums as it will not affect your driving record.

Good to hear you are okay.

There is a saying that everything happens for a reason. The Jetta took one for the team so you could be smiling whilst driving a MK4 TDI. Glad to see you're ok John.

Toronto_Vento said:

BTW, if you want an opinion on the Chevy Cobalt...well, there is no "throw up" emoticon in these forums...

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Sorry to hear of your misfortune--I think your black Vento was in a lot better condition than mine was, it's always hard to see a car you've sweated over get crunched.

Is a buyback/partout worth it?
Oh, and regarding the Golf--I was going to go that route myself until I found another A3 for a great price. I suppose it all depends on what you end up finding.
Cheers,
-BB

Glad to hear you made it through OK. Good luck in your search for another car.
You know its kind of funny, alhough we have never met I feel like I know you from reading all these posts the last few months and after reading the news it kind of gives you that feeling like someone you knew briefly just passed away.

Yeah as was already stated, its good you're okay and healthy and thats the main thing. But it is too bad about the car but hey the bright side is you can look forward to purchasing something thats new to you, and thats always exciting.

Not to dwell on the negative but what was this idiots reason for rear-ending you?? I mean someone COULD have been hurt, this guy probably shouldn't be on the road, or else his vehicle shouldnt be, one or the other needs to be looked into I would think.

Hey, John--

Sorry to hear of your loss. But on the bright side, Scott is just finishing up his A3 project: a sleek black beauty A3 that is *almost* as wonderful as mine! Actually, as a southern car, he suggested I sell mine (can you imagine the horror!?) and keep this one. NFW, but we do want to see this one go to a good home!

Good luck--Chris

Thanks for all the kind words, everyone. Still not 100% on the fate of the car, but other than 'officially' hearing the verdict, everyone I talk to that takes a look at the car (body shop), or people I talk to (insurance agent) all have the suspicion that the car will be a write-off. I have to try and arrange with the body shop to see if I can go in one night and pop out my upgraded injectors and few other things from in the car. Luckily I kept my OEM ones, so it'll be a straight swap...I've done them within 30 min, so no big time needed.

Well, I gotta be proud if I actually make the news. HA HA HA. Not exactly the best way to do things, but Toronto knew about it none the less. I honestly wasn't in much of a mood to talk with the driver right after the accident. It was a young guy who a) had too much speed, and b) obviously took his eyes off the road.

As for the search for a new car...I'm already casually looking around. I actually found a Golf which kind of looks interesting (on Autotrader...It's not like I'm going to jump at the first car I see, though). My problem is that I'm already dreaming up the checklist of things I'll want to do to a Golf TDI if I get one. Ah ha ha ha

As for the buyback thing...I don't think it's really worth my time. Only one ecode remains, so that's not really worth it. I'm going to try and pull out a few of the things I put under the hood, which isn't much. The only thing which will be a shame to lose in this whole thing is the Dieselgeek shortshifer I have installed in the car.

Magoo...I'm coming to the point where I am in total agreement with you. Everything happens for a reason. This year so far has been exactly that for me. Things happening, which didn't seem like much at the time, but led to really good things later on. I'm not a huge "fate" person, but this year is definitely an interesting one. Even yesterday (friday) after the accident. I took the day off work, and had an amazing afternoon.

Chris, thanks for the offer, but there is a lot of stuff involved in getting US cars up here into Canada. Besides, I seem to be dreaming right now of the power potential of the A4s. HA HA HA My main concern is the clutch.

Don't forget to look up lease busters. There were some pretty decent deals on there a couple of months ago.

Man, sorry to hear about the loss of your car, John! But I'm glad to hear you're OK. Getting hit from behind is one of the worst to your physiology... make sure you get yourself checked-out. "Ouch, my neck hurts..."

BTW: Yeah, a MkIV sounds good, but here's a semi-secret tip... If you are interested in a MkIII, Golf and TDI in one sentence, talk to Gerry... Else, talk to him anyway, maybe he can find something inexpensive for you at a VWoC auction. And in that light, I hope you get a really good settlement from the insurance co. Don't let them shove up yours and force you to take what they want to give you on the first go

Damn ... Good to see you're still typing at us ... ! ! !

Can anyone see John in a New Beetle ?????

Sorry to hear about this!! At least you seem to be allright - but as TDMeister said, get yourself checked out !!! Sore neck muscles have a way of making themselves known a few days after the fact, and there's always the possibility of an injury that only manifests itself _years_ after an accident such as this !!!

All the best,

Yuri.

So sorry to hear John…I know you had a lot invested in that car. Get every penny you deserve out of this though, I’m still seeing a chiropractor after my minor fender bender.

As for cars in my opinion I’d go with an A3 Golf with really low K’s or an A4 Golf… at least that’s what I’m doing this spring (yes I’m selling! but still staying with diesel).

I feel like a vulcher asking this but you should see if you can salvage anything from the car (I have a parts list!).

Sorry to hear about your car John.So much for the mod you are working on.Looks like it might be a good donor car for a repower if someone is so inclined.Lots of TDI's at work with VW certified and 06's

Maybe of interest to you John:
http://www.trader.ca/DealerShowrooms2.asp?Category=1&Region=0&trader=1&ID=1
This website has every dealer listed in Ontario
==================================================================================================
Some I found
Bytek VW (Ottawa) (613)745-6886 Phone http://www.bytekvw.com/
1999 Jetta TDi 187000 km @ $ 10,900.00 Stk# N0584A
http://www.bytekvw.com/1999_vw_jetta_tdi_gl_blue.htm
Golf GLS TDI Manual Sunroof Alloys Silver 143,000 KM's Stk# N0744A $14,900



Downtown Fine Cars
2005 Golf TDi $19.900.00 No mileage given
I suspect wrong year advertised since its listed between a 2003 and a



Pickering VW
2002
@ 2 Jettas TDi $ 19,900.00 1 @ 91700km 1@ 87114 km
2002 Golf TDi $ 18,500.00 82650 km



Yorkdale VW
2002 Golf GL TDi 62205 km $17,995.00



1997 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA 1.9 td (turbo diesel). 230, 000 km on the odometer,
150,000 on the engine. 5 spd, a/c, cassette deck, sunroof,
keyless enrty, alarm, new rear shocks, new windshield, new tires,
e-tested, certified. super clean car $5900. obo. Welland. Tel: 905-352-3210



One more:
On eBay in Canada
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Volkswagen-Golf-...esel-Great-Shape-In-Out_W0QQitemZ4616704294QQ
categoryZ15292QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

This one is located in PEI, but may be overpriced at $ 7,488.00 to start out with and has no bids.

Gerry...yeah, so much for that mod I was going to start working on. Oh, well...no worries. So, uh...you selling that Golf of yours? HA HA HA.

Yuri....um, no New Beetle. I don't think I would be amused much, let alone my gf. IF I go A4, it's most likely going to be an early golf. As much as I'd like something newer, I'm not really looking to pay 20 grand to get a newer car.

Chris, I'm not really interested in buying the thing back and parting it out. I want to pull a few parts out (willing to replace them with the OEM parts which I have lying around) and be done with it. One guy at the body shop was really interested in the car. The engine starts and runs fine apparently, so it's all cosmetic, etc...nothing mechanically wrong engine wise. I didn't have THAT much invested in it really...well, nothing like what some people put in their cars. I did a lot of little custom things to give the car it's own flavour, but that was more work, and less parts.

I might end up seeing a doc just to be sure, but without sounding like some macho buffoon, I actually do work out a lot, and I'm built fairly rough.

Looks like if the thing gets scrapped, I'll be driving an 82 Chrysler New Yorker (mom's car) until I find something new. Oh, that will be fun on the fuel mileage. Good old early 80's V8. YEAH! Still not sure if I want to stick with VW or not. Probably will end up with another TDI, but I'd love to try some of the other cars out there. I could really see myself driving an IS300, but an inline 6 probably won't get the efficiency of the TDI.

Toronto_Vento said:

Gerry...yeah, so much for that mod I was going to start working on. Oh, well...no worries. So, uh...you selling that Golf of yours? HA HA HA.

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That would be quite a car... same black colour as your Jetta, likewise A3, unique in NA...

IF I go A4, it's most likely going to be an early golf. As much as I'd like something newer, I'm not really looking to pay 20 grand to get a newer car. ... I could really see myself driving an IS300, but an inline 6 probably won't get the efficiency of the TDI.

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Just how much do you think an IS300 costs in the used market??

I didn't have THAT much invested in it really...well, nothing like what some people put in their cars.

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Who's THAT pointed at??

I might end up seeing a doc just to be sure, but without sounding like some macho buffoon, I actually do work out a lot, and I'm built fairly rough.

Click to expand...

Uh huh.

TDIMeister said:

That would be quite a car... same black colour as your Jetta, likewise A3, unique in NA...

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Yeah, it would definitely be an interesting idea...assuming Gerry would let it go for the right price. HA HA. While being unique, I might just try the 'upgrade' (yes, that has been debated) to the A4 style/etc. While the VNT turbo is more flimsy, I also see the advantage of it. It's a decision I'm mulling over (along with the long list of possible mods).

TDIMeister said:

Just how much do you think an IS300 costs in the used market??

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Yeah, so I quickly found out how much those cars run in the used car market. Well, at least it knocked one car off my list. The Golf still seems to be the front runner.

TDIMeister said:

Who's THAT pointed at??

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Oh, no one in particular with any silver Passats or anything. I mean, who just out and sells their car after all that effort? ha ha ha From what I've seen, you've put a lot of effort into Quicksilver, but at the same time, some of the guys I talk to on other VW boards spend way more on upgrades than I want to spend on the car INCLUDING upgrades!

Nothing will happen yet until I find out from insurance exactly what's going on. I guess there's always a slim chance they'll fix things, but VERY slim. I may be coming with questions/help to a few of the members here in the next while, as I have minimal knowledge of the A4 chasis.

Wow,

Glad to hear that yo are OK John. As alrady mentioned, cars can be replaced, people can't.

I will be in the market for a new car soon. Looking at getting a wagon. I hope to go to some dealer auctions with a frind, so if your interested in tagging along, let me know. Good thing is that you can get a smoking deal at a dealer auction, but can't test drive or get a warranty with it.

Yeah, I've got a contact through someone at work for dealer auctions, and that is an avenue I might pursue. I know the deals can be good, but not too sure how many 5-speed Golf TDIs actually make it through those things. I'd love to get a Platinum Grey golf, but those didn't start until 2003, and the likelyhood of those coming up in auction at a price I'd be willing to pay isn't too good. I know...hard to get picky about colour with used cars, but there are just some colours I don't see on a car I drive.

So, Nigel...you built your car up, and now you want to get rid of it? HA HA HA...you need that much more space? Get a Passat Wagon TDI. Oooohhh!

Anyhow, if you go to one of those auctions any time soon, let me know. I may want to see how this whole thing works. If I understand things right, one will know before hand what cars are being sold. I'm honestly not looking at trying to get a warranty out of the whole thing...sure, it's a nice comfort thing, but at the same time, it usually doesn't amount to much.

Me???

John, I think the grey Golf you want is Silverstone, not Platnium grey

Again, glad to see you are ok. I know I would have done alot more then not "talk to the guy" if he totalled my car.

Oh man....good to see you so positive about the whole thing.

LNXGUY said:

Again, glad to see you are ok. I know I would have done alot more then not "talk to the guy" if he totalled my car.

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I donno what I'd do about it.

But mine is a MKIV Golf TornadoRed ....you want a ride? I only have 216s and Saturday I put the Unitronic in it.

Man...after driving a diesel...I wouldn't go anywhere close to gassers. Saving money on fuel...
So...you better get a TDI or else...

And if you get another make...how much you have to learn about it? TDI's, at least, you know them inside out.

Well, good luck in finding the right one.


PS: Hope is gonna be a MKIV TDI GREY