[N/A] CFIT...

SkyChaser

SkyChaser

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SkyChaser
or in this case, CDID (Controlled Drive into Deer).
IMG_20201029_061617683.jpg

That's the results, folks, of ’98 Escort vs. Deer. It was a draw, I think. The deer's dead and is someone else's dinner (it was a big one, too!), but the car is toast, too. On the other hand, the windshield didn't even break even though it was already cracked in two places, and I'm perfectly fine, so my little Escort may have won.

I loved that car so much. How is it possible to get so attached to a bunch of metal and bolts anyway?!
 
Sorry to hear, but I’m glad you’re okay!

Not a thing you can do when those animals decide to jump out in front of you!
 
Ryanb said:
Sorry to hear, but I’m glad you’re okay!

Not a thing you can do when those animals decide to jump out in front of you!
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psh, like you'd know anything about that :D:eek:
 
The Escort saved your life, so easy to love something that protects you. You can fix, or possibly replace it? Parts are likely not too expensive and if there's no frame damage or airbag deployment, you may get away with fixing it for not too much...
 
I lost a car the same way, 150+ pound rodents, that's what I think of deer. Glad you are ok.
 
I saw a dead deer (large buck) on the side of the road this morning in one of the most unusual places, where I would not expect to see deer, at all. Highway 37 from Vallejo to Sear's Point, which is basically a ten mile causeway running through a salt marsh at the edge of the San Pablo Bay.
 
Wow! Glad you’re okay. That could easily have been much worse. Hope the deer was insured... ;)

On the bright side, you’ll get a new(er) car now.
 
Heck, that thing looks better than some of the cars I see around here.

I don't see any coolant running out. Replace the headlight and the other light, stomp the hood close to the original shape and keep on driving it.

Unless an airbag or two went off.
 
Zeldman said:
Heck, that thing looks better than some of the cars I see around here.

I don't see any coolant running out. Replace the headlight and the other light, stomp the hood close to the original shape and keep on driving it.

Unless an airbag or two went off.
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It’s a 22-year-old Escort. That thing was totaled every time she ran the gas below a quarter tank.
 
Auto v. Deer was a big issue when growing up... Valley Forge Park was a sanctuary city for deer. Though I did get me a 6 point one year from the comfort of my bedroom... and got grounded too. my father didn't see the humor in it. Something about the rapport of Marlin 30 - 30 echoing through our house at 06:00 hrs on a Sunday didn't sit right with him, or my mother.
 
I know, it could have been so much worse, and I'm very thankful that it wasn't.

As for the car, it's worse than it looks, I'm thinking. The radiator's shoved back against the main engine block, and an oil line broke for sure, as there was oil leaking out all over the road. I'm pretty sure the hood latch held for a ridiculous amount of time, as the inside framing is pretty yanked apart behind the bumper. I did manage to slow down enough that no airbags went off on impact. The inside looks perfectly normal. Actually, the whole car except the front end does. I always said I'd drive it until the engine died, I just didn't realize cause of death would be blunt-force trauma. :/

I was carrying liability only, mostly because the insurance would be worth more than the car. I didn't think to get the deer's information. I should have. It was at fault... ;) The problem with a newer car is I don't want a newer car. I want MY car. lol This is a bad time to want a car that's not a boring reiteration of something everyone else drives. Not having the luxury of time or money tends to limit options. Replacing my sporty blue Escort with a dull white Taurus is going to hurt, but that's the most likely end result. I will not cry over a car...I will not cry over a car...I will not... lol
 
See if you can rent a cheap clunker while you shop. That will relieve some of the time pressure and you won’t feel quite so forced into buying something you don’t want.
 
SkyChaser said:
...I loved that car so much. How is it possible to get so attached to a bunch of metal and bolts anyway?!
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This is just a training exercise. Wait until you buy your first airplane! :D


As long as you are okay. That's all that counts. The car is replaceable.
 
I've not hit a deer ... yet! I seen a couple just the other night. One passed in front of the truck as I got on the brakes pretty hard as I know there is ALWAYS another one coming right behind it. The little one that was coming next actually turned back towards the woods. Most times they ain't that smart.

You may be able to fix the Escort cheap enough but with the age of the car I'd probably follow the advice of others and let it go into retirement.

I like the story that comedian Ron White tells about his cousin Ray having a tough time killing a dear when Ron admits to getting a deer in his van, "going fifty five miles an hour with the headlights on and the horn blowing!" :rofl:
 
Deer are one of my biggest worries when riding the motorcycle, especially at night. A hit like yours would be disastrous.
 
Daleandee said:
I've not hit a deer ... yet! :rofl:
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I've only ever hit one, decades ago, with only minor damage to car and deer (I think).

My lead-footed ex, when we moved to a rural county notorious for deer collisions, managed to hit 7 deer the first year we lived there. Totaled one car and several of the deer. She hit two at once in my new Acura, 5 days after I bought it.
 
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Last December a deer ran into the side of my truck and did about $6000 worth of damage to it. Since it was a 2004 model anyway, I took the insurance money and the trade in value and bought a new one.
 
GaryM said:
I've only ever hit one, decades ago, with only minor damage to car and deer (I think).

My lead-footed ex, when we moved to a rural county notorious for deer collisions, managed to hit 7 deer the first year we lived there. Totaled one car and several of the deer. She hit two at once in my new Acura, 5 days after I bought it.
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That’s pretty bad, but it doesn’t really seem like grounds for a divorce.....
 
Half Fast said:
That’s pretty bad, but it doesn’t really seem like grounds for a divorce.....
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:) No, there were serious issues that provided grounds. The deerslaying could have been but a petty annoyance in the grand scheme of things.

Well, maybe not petty to the deer...
 
GaryM said:
:) No, there were serious issues that provided grounds. The deerslaying could have been but a petty annoyance in the grand scheme of things.

Well, maybe not petty to the deer...
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Of course, you didn’t mention whether the Acura was a brand new NSX.
 
Half Fast said:
Deer are one of my biggest worries when riding the motorcycle, especially at night. A hit like yours would be disastrous.
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I refuse to ride much at night (especially in rural areas) for that reason. The only exception I’ve made is for commute home from work at night, which can mostly be completed on relatively safe surface streets. Even with those precautions I still managed to hit one on my ride home from work about a month ago. It ain’t fun, but thankfully I escaped with minimal injuries. That was partially due to being lucky and having off road motorcycle experience. I was more mad that hitting the deer wrecked my favorite motorcycle (a vintage Triumph) and will force me to rebuild it again. I had about 150 miles on it since the last rebuild...
 
GaryM said:
My lead-footed ex, when we moved to a rural county notorious for deer collisions, managed to hit 7 deer the first year we lived there.
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Did you think she might have been practicing in anticipation of the divorce.?? :lol::lol:
 
SkyChaser said:
or in this case, CDID (Controlled Drive into Deer).
IMG_20201029_061617683.jpg

That's the results, folks, of ’98 Escort vs. Deer. It was a draw, I think. The deer's dead and is someone else's dinner (it was a big one, too!), but the car is toast, too. On the other hand, the windshield didn't even break even though it was already cracked in two places, and I'm perfectly fine, so my little Escort may have won.

I loved that car so much. How is it possible to get so attached to a bunch of metal and bolts anyway?!
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Did you have it named?

 
GaryM said:
No, there were serious issues that provided grounds. The deerslaying could have been but a petty annoyance in the grand scheme of things.

Well, maybe not petty to the deer...
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I don't know... she provided enough food for your family for the entire year. Seems like a keeper ;)
 
SkyChaser said:
or in this case, CDID (Controlled Drive into Deer).
IMG_20201029_061617683.jpg

That's the results, folks, of ’98 Escort vs. Deer. It was a draw, I think. The deer's dead and is someone else's dinner (it was a big one, too!), but the car is toast, too. On the other hand, the windshield didn't even break even though it was already cracked in two places, and I'm perfectly fine, so my little Escort may have won.

I loved that car so much. How is it possible to get so attached to a bunch of metal and bolts anyway?!
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That sucks. Is that the little two door with a trunk? My son had the same car.
 
NHWannabe said:
That sucks. Is that the little two door with a trunk? My son had the same car.
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Yep, it's a ZX2 coupe. It's a sweet little car.

I went and looked at it again, because I don't give up and I just couldn't bear the thought of a white Taurus. LOL I'm going to ask my mechanic how much he thinks it'd cost to fix it if I do the stuff like headlights and he does the stuff like the radiator. The other cars in my price range are all just as rusty as the Escort is, and have old tires, have at least 30,000 more miles, and have no more guarantee of trouble-free mechanicals than the Escort does. I bought the car for $1600, and all the other options in the area are at least $3000 for a comparable vehicle. To date, I drove it 14,000 miles in 14 months. The only time it didn't start was the day it was -48F (if you don't count the time I left the lights on...). It's been in the shop once. If there's any chance it could affordably run again... LOL Sometimes, I think I resemble a sentimental idiot and sometimes I know I do. :)
 
SkyChaser said:
Yep, it's a ZX2 coupe. It's a sweet little car.

I went and looked at it again, because I don't give up and I just couldn't bear the thought of a white Taurus. LOL I'm going to ask my mechanic how much he thinks it'd cost to fix it if I do the stuff like headlights and he does the stuff like the radiator. The other cars in my price range are all just as rusty as the Escort is, and have old tires, have at least 30,000 more miles, and have no more guarantee of trouble-free mechanicals than the Escort does. I bought the car for $1600, and all the other options in the area are at least $3000 for a comparable vehicle. To date, I drove it 14,000 miles in 14 months. The only time it didn't start was the day it was -48F (if you don't count the time I left the lights on...). It's been in the shop once. If there's any chance it could affordably run again... LOL Sometimes, I think I resemble a sentimental idiot and sometimes I know I do. :)
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Glad you’re ok. But I feel like you may be the only person in this country that loves American Ford Escort. Even its mother(Ford) stopped loving it long ago.
 
genna said:
Glad you’re ok. But I feel like you may be the only person in this country that loves American Ford Escort. Even its mother(Ford) stopped loving it long ago.
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That's possible (though I do know there's quite a few people who like their ZX2s). Being the only one who loves something has never stopped me in the past. :)
 
SkyChaser said:
That's possible (though I do know there's quite a few people who like their ZX2s). Being the only one who loves something has never stopped me in the past. :)
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Yeah, but you’re a pilot now. There’s a certain image to be maintained. Have you considered a Corvette?
 
Half Fast said:
Yeah, but you’re a pilot now. There’s a certain image to be maintained. Have you considered a Corvette?
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Eh, images are over-rated. LOL The Corvette I could afford would probably look worse and may or may not run. Or is it just about the name? ;)

genna said:
maybe you should do a little upgrade

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1992-ford-escort-rs-cosworth-5/
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That looks awesome, but it also sold for a sum that equals two full years' salary for me. A little above my paygrade! LOL
 
SkyChaser said:
Eh, images are over-rated. LOL The Corvette I could afford would probably look worse and may or may not run. Or is it just about the name? ;)
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No, it’s all about speed. The “Maverick” thing, y’know. Maybe a fast motorcycle?
 
Well, I would recommend that if SkyChaser is going to go Taurus, get a Taurus SHO. Late 80's model had the Yamaha V6 that was fun and punchy for its time (and manual transmission.) Probably very reasonably priced now.

Or if so inclined, a SVT Contour. I had one of those and it was a lot of fun, well balanced chassis (surprising for a FWD vehicle). Or a SVT Focus (the younger cousin to your ZX2.)
 
Half Fast said:
No, it’s all about speed. The “Maverick” thing, y’know. Maybe a fast motorcycle?
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That'd be pretty cool, but considering it's a daily commuter vehicle with over half the days below freezing and many below zero, a motorcycle would probably the best way to end up with frostbite. LOL Actually, the deer would probably be a bigger problem. I seem to recall someone saying that hitting on a deer with a motorcycle is always one of their biggest worries, especially during night driving... :D (It also might be a good idea to ride along with someone else before I attempt to drive one, considering I've never been on one before! Though it'd be more like my style to just get on and try. LOL)

I talked to my mechanic. He said it looked like it would need a new a/c compressor (if desired. LOL), radiator/fan assembly, new headlights, interior bumper "scaffolding", and maybe a new hood if they couldn't get it straightened out enough to reliably latch. The frame didn't look bad, and they're actually one of the best at frame straightening in the area, so...we'll see. He's going to price it out on Monday and let me know what it looks like it'd cost to fix it. So I get a few more days before I have to give up on the idea of driving it again. :p
 
Fiesta ST.... 'nough said.
 
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