Just wanted to bring some closure to this matter, as I think I finally received my LAST bill in the mail on it on Friday.
Unsurprisingly, the car was declared a total loss by the insurance company. After some back and forth, I ended up getting back what I paid for the car minus my deductible. It was VERY difficult for both the insurance company and I to find comparable sales, so just be aware of this if you end up in this situation. If you don't have an agreed value policy and you think your car is worth something, strongly consider getting one. These cars are so one-of-a-kind now!
I simply didn't have the time to do anything with the car, but I didn't want it just to go to any old junkyard, I sold it to a gentleman I met locally who is going to use all of the remaining good parts (and there are a lot) on his car. He is not going to part it out, so please no requests for parts. BTW, in case you are interested, the wheels were American Racing Torqlite wheels (they really worked nice with the white/black/ no wood combo).
I did spend a few minutes looking under the hood but the whole thing is just a big tangled mess of burned plastic and wires with no insulation. There's no telling what started it.
In retrospect:
I am thankful that I was the only one in the car when it happened.
I am thankful the fire dept. was only a mile away and came fast.
I am thankful that my minor smoke inhalation did not result in any long-term health problems. I have since found out that some people with car fire smoke inhalation have to use inhalers for months afterwards. There are some VERY dangerous chemicals released when cars burn. I cannot overstate this. If you don't believe me, go read what is released when viton seals burn.
I am thankful I had comprehensive insurance on the car. The medical bills have been nuts, but the insurance company has been helpful in dealing with all of it.
So far, the medical bills for this little incident have been as follows:
Ambulance ride of a total of 3 miles: $375 + $9 a mile = $402
Two hours sitting in the ER and getting a chest X-ray: $226 + 325 = $551
Doctor's bill from the attending physician: $200.
If you take nothing else away from this, please be careful when working on your own car, whether fuel, electrical, suspension, brakes, even tires. If you crash into someone else because of a failure on your own car, the costs could be astronomical, and the few $ you saved would be of no comfort.
Home 
Sun Dec 08, 2013 7:18 pm
