SVX is totaled... definitely a very sad thing

This is by far the worst story of my life... Probably pointless and nothing but shear pain for every other SVX owner to hear, but I kinda need to vent a little about this. I bought a beautiful blue 1994 SVX L about 4 months ago. Damn I loved that car...

Anyways, on Friday night (or Saturday morning) I was driving home at about 12:30, and I live in a wooded area with a fairly narrow road to my house. Just driving along as usual, I come around a corner, and what do I see in my lane? A pair of headlights... A big, fat pair of headlights headed right towards me in my designated space on the road. What the hell do you do when you see a set of headlights coming toward you like that? Well, I obviously attempted to avoid getting in a head-on collision. So, I tried to fit in between the oncoming car and the embankment on the right side of the road. But as soon as I saw this car coming towards me, I panicked. My body stiffened up, and all my limbs hyper-extended themselves to brace for impact (simply instinct, I suppose). Unfortunately, my right leg did this while my right foot was on the accelerator. And even worse, I'm almost 100% certain this engaged power mode. Knowing the acceleration capabilities of my car while in power mode, I probably gained about 10-15mph from the point of panicking until impact of the embankment. That places my approximate speed upon impact at about 45-50mph.

I hit the dirt of the embankment, then nicked a tree, then hit a second tree. Hitting this tree caused my car to flip over and slide down the road about 300 feet, upside down, while spinning in circles. My car then hit another tree on the left side of the road, which caused it to flip back over onto its wheels. My car finally stopped moving by getting caught in a ditch on the left side of the road.

The hood is scraped and tweaked to the point of being un-openable, the windshield is smashed in, the roof is caved in (but thanks to that roll-cage, not completely), both of the doors are scraped and tweaked to the point of being unclosable, all the windows on the driver's-side are broken, one of the windows on the passenger's-side is broken, the passenger's-side floorboard was ripped open and dirt kinda started flowing into my car, and the front passenger's-side tire is completely flattened. The only thing that survived is the rear end (the trunk works, lol).

The first thing that I thought of when the car finally stopped moving was to try and turn it off to avoid an explosion (in case of a fuel leak). I suppose that the steering column got jolted, and the ignition was tweaked, because I couldn't turn the key all the way into the off position. So, I tried popping the hood to disconnect the battery, but the hood wouldn't open. I then tried to find my cell phone, but I couldn't find it do to rolling, and all the dirt inside my car (I found it later in the middle of the road... still works). At this point, I opened the trunk to get a flashlight. I looked around for a second or two, realized I was pretty close to a friends house, and ran there.

Surprisingly, I suffered only a few scratches to the left side of my face (from hitting the glass, from the glass breaking, or from my face hitting the pavement for a partial-second cause the car was on it's side momentarily... I'm not sure, it could have been anything), a sprained left middle finger, and a swollen right thumb. Thusly, I was capable of moving and had no physical impairment. So, I ran about one-quarter mile to my friend's house, used his phone, etc etc... And the rest is history, I guess. CHP came, and the tow truck driver came, and since that jerk didn't stop, it's considered a hit-and-run. Unfortunately, my insurance company has no one to blame this accident on, so I'm getting blamed. I get a point on my record, my insurance rates go up, and I get blue book for my car (about $5200).

Sure, I'm stoked to even be alive still... I really should be seriously injured if not dead. But I'm only 17, and I've never had any really huge losses before. However, it feels SOOO bad to work so hard for something (my SVX), and then have it taken away in one instant by some total ass. Such a loss... What's even worse is that I know I'll probably never have an SVX again just because it's so rare.

Does anyone know how to build a remote control for time so that I can go back and change this? Seriously, I hope that none of you out there ever have to experience the total loss of your car, especially if it's an SVX.

Maybe some day, if I'm ever rich and famous (yeah, right), I can get another SVX. Until then, I am but dream car-less again...

[wasions]

I hate it about your car, but it's great that you're okay.

At times like this, it's best to think realistically. It is, after all, just a car. In all likelihood though, this car saved your life.

I don't know whether you're up for tips yet, but should you get another car soon, one of the best things you can do is to get some autocrossing experience in it (wet and dry). After a few frenzied laps, panic goes bye-bye. I always said I'd get my kids out on the track, but didn't. They've been driving 11 and 9 years each, and I'm just now overcoming my fear of riding with them.

SVX's are still out there for sale. You'll be back.

Best of luck to ya.

[Phil Hill]

But once again a testament to the designer, the design, the quality of construction, the inherant safety of the vehicle. The vehicle suffered, so apart from what appear to be superficial injurys, you did not.

The fact that you didn't have a sudden impact into the oncoming vehicle or one of the trees saved you, the rapid decelleration of impact is what causes major injury and trauma.

Life does go on, you sound like you have a good attitude to life, and appear to be a die hard SVX fan. There are SVX's out there to be had, you'll be back !!

Phil.

[svxistentialist]

Glad you are OK Deruvian.

At 17 it is hard to have enough experience for these types of surprises. Everyone of us at your age has had an "off-road" experience, more than one if you are a bad learner.

You will get another car OK, glad you were not hurt. Somebody up there loves you.

Joe

Glad you are ok, i am sure you can get another SVX i have seen them around here going for under 5K with 70-100K miles on them.

I feel for you and hope all goes well, steve is right get some crazy driveing taken care of in a safe location, i do it and i know it has saved my car more times than i can count.....

[249SVX]

I understand exactly where you are coming from. Mine was just totaled a week and a half ago. I almost flipped over, but the first big rock I hit(which is what probably bent the frame) prevented me from doing that. Things will work out ok.

Hi,

Really glad to hear that you are alright given that it sounds like a pretty severe accident.

I am only writing this at all because we should learn a lesson or two from your experience. I think this may sound unsympathetic but its more directed at a couple of things that you said.

First: As a 17 year old, you obviously have very limited experience driving, let alone a powerful 230hp car. Your panic reaction easily attests to that: panic is the last thing that should ever happen regardless of the circumstances.

You should always be in control and control also means ready and able to respond to the unexpected ( very defensive driving). I've said it before in this forum , but EVERBODY shound take a high performance / defensive driving course: includes me and I have!

Second: If you seriously believe that you were going 40-45 MPH, I think that you should rethink it, to impact two trees, roll over and slide 300 feet on the roof and roll again onto your wheels and go into a ditch and impact another tree indicates that you were going in excess of 70mph and very probably more than that.

At 60 MPH, you would cover 88 Ft/sec and with the impacts and 300 ft of inverted skid, I would guess 80mph....

Too fast by a ton, way too little skill and experience: I hope that you don't yet get charged .... you are very lucky to have survived, I hope its a lesson well learned!

Good Luck

Hotshoe

I agree fully with everything Richard just touched upon, especially, the value of a defensive driving course. Having taken one of these, I can attest to the fact that it really makes you a lot more conscious of your surroundings, and I will carry the lessons learned from the class for a long, long time. There is, though, no greater lesson than to have experienced something of this nature. Take what happened as your ability to have a second chance. You could have died, and had you not been driving the world-class auto that you were, you very well might have.

It is difficult sometimes when you're on a country road with the assumption of no traffic to not step on the accelerator and do a little 'spirited' driving, I'm guilty of it, and I bet almost everyone here is. It is part of the allure of the SVX.

What happened is behind you now, and nothing said can fix that, but, invest in a defensive driving course, and slow down a little.

Best,

Mike.

[Mr. Pockets]

I want to say first of all that I agree with you - people need more driving education than they typically get.

I was going to keep my second point to myself, but your post pushed me over the edge.

None of us were there except deruvian. Therefore, since all we have to go on is his story, none of us has the information required to contest that story. We don't know what the road looked like, the angle of the bend, the angle of the embankment he hit, where those trees hit, what the friction is like between the roof of an SVX and snow - any number of variables.

Give this guy a break. He just had a pretty horrible experience and lost his SVX, which I would think we would all be able to relate to. Is his story 100% accurate? Who knows. But even if it isn't, and he is partially to blame, I bet he learned his lesson.

Deruvian, I'm glad to hear that you made it through your ordeal relatively unscathed. As much as it hurts to type it, the SVX is just a car. It's not a life or a limb and you can find another one.

Originally posted by hotshoe50
Hi,

Really glad to hear that you are alright given that it sounds like a pretty severe accident.

I am only writing this at all because we should learn a lesson or two from your experience. I think this may sound unsympathetic but its more directed at a couple of things that you said.

First: As a 17 year old, you obviously have very limited experience driving, let alone a powerful 230hp car. Your panic reaction easily attests to that: panic is the last thing that should ever happen regardless of the circumstances.

You should always be in control and control also means ready and able to respond to the unexpected ( very defensive driving). I've said it before in this forum , but EVERBODY shound take a high performance / defensive driving course: includes me and I have!

Second: If you seriously believe that you were going 40-45 MPH, I think that you should rethink it, to impact two trees, roll over and slide 300 feet on the roof and roll again onto your wheels and go into a ditch and impact another tree indicates that you were going in excess of 70mph and very probably more than that.

At 60 MPH, you would cover 88 Ft/sec and with the impacts and 300 ft of inverted skid, I would guess 80mph....

Too fast by a ton, way too little skill and experience: I hope that you don't yet get charged .... you are very lucky to have survived, I hope its a lesson well learned!

Good Luck

Hotshoe

[Aredubjay]

Originally posted by svxistentialist
Everyone of us at your age has had an "off-road" experience, more than one if you are a bad learner.

I was a slow learner.

Deruvian. Don't be sad that you lost your car (well, maybe for a little while. But grieve fast, and get over it). Think of it this way: Your SVX gave its life to save yours.

I've been through a similar accident (stiffened with panic, punched accelerator heading for an embankment -- and I was 22 at the time). Didn't roll over, but, hit a cow and two calves (not in that order) and went airborn across the road and was stopped when the nose of my car hit a small tree. I wasn't hurt (except for 7 stitches in my nose from hitting the steering wheel). Like you, it could've been much worse. We may have been kept alive so that we can tell our stories and caution other people to the dangers of drinking and driving (in my case) or the benefits of defensive driving (in your case).

We're just happy you are able to write your message, as opposed to having your good friend (In the case of Chris Pape), break the horrible news to us.

If you want another SVX, you can find and afford one. In any case, an SVXer is an SVXer for life. With or without an SVX, know that you're always welcome here.

[mattski]

Everytime we get a new member who introduces himself/herself as a 16 or 17 year old I worry about the driver and the car. Having been through that age, I remember the urge to push the envelope without much thought of the consequences. I know at 44 I have a much different approach to driving than I did at 17, and I still managed to total two Subarus over the holidays.

My 15 year old son will soon be getting his license and I would never, ever consider getting him a 240 hp vehicle, no matter how well it is designed.

Matt

[Aredubjay]

Originally posted by mattski
Everytime we get a new member who introduces himself/herself as a 16 or 17 year old I worry about the driver and the car. Having been through that age, I remember the urge to push the envelope without much thought of the consequences. I know at 44 I have a much different approach to driving than I did at 17, and I still managed to total two Subarus over the holidays.

My 15 year old son will soon be getting his license and I would never, ever consider getting him a 240 hp vehicle, no matter how well it is designed.

Matt

How right you are, Mattski. When I was 17, I drove with reckless abandon. . . I owned the road . . . I was screaming around as fast as my car could carry me. Of course, in a 64 Ford Fairlane, with a strait 6 -- that wasn't too fast. Luckily, I didn't total my first car 'til the aforementioned accident.

One of the things that impresses me most about the World Network Forums is, the collective wisdom that is available here. It's great to see it dispensed and even greater that (from what I've seen) most of our younger counterparts are willing to listen and many are willing to receive.

It's also great for us old muckers to be able to learn a thing or two from our younger members. This is truly a great and diverse community.

[wasions]

Originally posted by mattski
My 15 year old son will soon be getting his license and I would never, ever consider getting him a 240 hp vehicle, no matter how well it is designed.

Matt

But a 230 hp vehicle, now that's a different story!

[fait_svx]

Hey Deruvian, glad you made it out ok. And, one thing about the SVX is,that it's a very well built car. I believe it did save your life. The SVX is built like a tank!!! Had you been in a Civic or Accord, who knows how the outcome would of been. Good luck in finding another SVX, I'm sure you'll find one.

[svx_commuter]

I am really glad you are okay.

I am really sorry the other guy got away. I often think about hitting the other person when I read these. Then they would have to stop.