It's been a tough day....

[Bwest]

So,,,  I went for a drive in my '59 TR3 today,  and within a mile of my house discovered a 'tank' driver who decided that waiting for me to pass ( he was on a sidestreet)  he'd try to zip out in front of me...  I  was well under the speed limit, but even locked wheels didn't save me. I hit him broadside,  and am now facing the reality that my very nice ( not quite perfect,) car is destined for the crusher. I have had Hagerty insurance on it for years, and am looking for some advice on what path to proceed on-   I don't believe the car is repairable,  so is the consensus that I should sell it off whole, let Hagerty 'buy' it from me, or part it out-   I've had this car for 45 years,  ( totally restored)  so there's an emotional component, too.     Frankly,   I don't know what to do.   I've got literally thousands of hours and $$$$$$$$ invested.     Is there a 'best way' to deal with Hagerty?   

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[Trumpy3]

What a bummer. I do not know the insured figure but it looks quite repairable judging by the pictures. I would imagine that body panels are easier to get than here and we would fix that one up.

It would be a shame to loose another side screen.

Brian

[Richardtr3a]

That can be repaired with a new front panel and a repair panel for the front wing.There are  number of TR specialist who will restore this car. Judging by the number plate you are not in the UK. After 45 years you must try hard and save it. I had the same problem and it took years to restore.

Where are you ??

Good luck 

Richard & B

[Lebro]

As long as the chassis is not badly distoted it is repairable (at a cost) I guess it depends of what insurance cover you have.

It should not be crushed, even if not repairable there is a lot of undamaged things on it which would be of use to others.

Bob

[RogerH]

Once the broken parts are removed it will look like new but in pieces.

All the parts are out there.   The major cost will be labour AND a large bottle of Autoglym

 

Roger

[BlueTR3A-5EKT]

I am sorry to see and hear of that incident

That is precisely the accident I fear.   Numpty in a modern.  They look at an old car and do not recognise a vehicle that travels on the road they are also using.   Motorcycle riders suffer the same I suspect.   Probably why the popularity in urban tanks has risen.

Just 2 days ago I had a girlie in a Chinese appliance lurch into a head on gap I was already in with the TR.   Not sure if they were tapping the tv screen, putting on make up or using the phone, they sure as heck were not looking or driving.   The shock on the appliance attendant operators face was classic ‘oh ****’    Thankfully for me the TR emerged unscathed as no impact happened.

I was taught to consider every other road user was an idiot.   Seems that is our only way today.

Edited October 7 by BlueTR3A-5EKT

[RogerH]

Hi Pete

the modern cars almost drive themselves. There is no feel/feedback/or external sense.  The drivers expect the car to do what it does.

I know that the driverless cars do this quite well for most of the time but modern drivers no longer drive. They point and brake occasionally

The rules and law are of no assistance.

The only thing that we can do is be careful, be very very careful.

My Saab 9.3 has a built in early warning system (clever Saab). If things are getting scary the Saab lets out a scream. Other than waking me uo it doesn't do much else

Annoyingly when Sue is not in the car the Early Warning System (EWS) is deactivated.

 

Roger 

[Kiwifrog]

On 10/6/2025 at 2:34 AM, Bwest said:

So,,,  I went for a drive in my '59 TR3 today,  and within a mile of my house discovered a 'tank' driver who decided that waiting for me to pass ( he was on a sidestreet)  he'd try to zip out in front of me...  I  was well under the speed limit, but even locked wheels didn't save me. I hit him broadside,  and am now facing the reality that my very nice ( not quite perfect,) car is destined for the crusher. I have had Hagerty insurance on it for years, and am looking for some advice on what path to proceed on-   I don't believe the car is repairable,  so is the consensus that I should sell it off whole, let Hagerty 'buy' it from me, or part it out-   I've had this car for 45 years,  ( totally restored)  so there's an emotional component, too.     Frankly,   I don't know what to do.   I've got literally thousands of hours and $$$$$$$$ invested.     Is there a 'best way' to deal with Hagerty?   

 

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That is truly tragic. The problem is that modern tank drivers see an old car and think "slow" so think they can get away with cutting us off at intersections etc. I have had it a few times but luckily without contact. The last one I chased down and had words with and they said they didn't see me which is bollox because they looked me straight in the eye before pulling out! I always approach side roads with caution and  quite often cover the brake because as stated most modern drivers just aren't, they are just steering wheel holders.

I certainly hope your Insurance rebuilds the car, a new or second hand chassis looks in order but as stated earlier parts are easier to find in the US these old cars are almost part of the family to most of us    

[TR Rob]

If this was in the UK the insurance company would probably write the car off as the repair would exceed the insured value. The problem being they are used to repairing cars by just removing damaged parts and replacing with new, repairing a 60 year old car would be a complete unknown to them, and hence expensive .

If this happens, could you accept the write off value and then arrange to buy the damaged car from the insurer and make arrangements to get it repaired via a more viable route using a specialist who appreciates this type of car, and hopefully be somewhat cheaper than mainstream insurance repairers. 

[Martin TR3a]

If your hood was previously tight, it looks like the front half has been compressed, shortening the cabin? That would surely be a very difficult repair. If it is written off, over here, that is forever recorded against the car and will affect future value. 

I feel your pain, but the most important thing is you're here to write about it. Wishing you a positive outcome. 👍 

I ride motorbikes, about 10,000 miles a year. Two or three times a year I have someone pull out on me, or into my lane, requiring a reaction. I'm looking for it, but it is a risk. It has been much worse since the Covid lock downs. I thought that would improve, as people got back into driving. Doesn't seem to have.

[mike ellis]

Similar thing happened to me a few weeks ago, car pulled out from a side road giving me no time to stop.  Fortunately there was nothing coming the other way so I was able to swerve round him as he stopped half way out.

This was despite my having fitted daytime running lights to potentially reduce this type of situation.

[Hamish]

This is very sad to see I hope hagerty and your level of cover gets it repaired 

this is why I use the clubs insurer here in the uk with a 50% uplift to cover the extra costs in parts and labour. 

[trchris]

Unfortunately l would think the labour cost alone will condemn the car to be written off l glad to see no one was injured . When many many years ago, l was being taught to drive HGVs the instructor told me to treat every other driver on the road with caution which is how l drive to this day and as mentioned above many times I have had to take drastic action to avoid accidents which would have resulted in a coming together…and they want us mature teenagers off the road!!!
Chris

[RogerH]

Another one to watch out for are the loony white van man drivers.

Going to the lakes week-end up the M6 the other week a Grey TRansit entered  from a slip road.

I was in lane 3 of 4. He crossed lane 1 then lane 2 and was going for lane 3. His off side wheels cross the white line then he spotted me.

Pulled back into lane 2 .  He aceleerated away in rthe small space he had and got in front of me.

I was quite relieved to see hi disappear into the distance.

 

Be careful - there are nutters out there

 

Roger

Edited October 7 by RogerH

[ntc]

All well and good however when you come to renew your your daily drivers you will need to declare a claim or your insurance will be void 

[Trumpy3]

Today's drivers either want to hit you , race you or just ignore you. Most are only in the car to get from point A to point B. They have no understanding of what it is they are actually doing and what they are in charge of. The car is just a means to an end. Drivers of cars like ours generally understand their car capabilities, drive accordingly, and are enjoying the experience.

Regarding insurance, it seems to be quite different in the UK, I do not know about in the USA.. Here, classic car insurance generally has a clause that allows the owner to keep the 'wreck' if it is written off, providing it is older than 35 years. This allows you to rebuild the car yourself or at least get some financial return for your loss. This system has allowed many write offs to be put back on the road or at least be used to allow another to be restored. Their not making any more.

All this of course does not compensate for the feeling of loss. This feeling is generally the reason that wrecks are rebuilt.

Brian 

 

 

[John Morrison]

What an absolute shame, I'm so sorry to see this, and my thoughts go out to you.

As regards, your insurer, I think you need to know what you would like to happen, is your heart in getting the car back and rebuilding, or

are you just so fed up you are going to let them take the car and pay you out? and perhaps buy an other, You say you have 1000's of hours in the car, and I very much believe you;

Do you have an agreed valuation for the car if yes, I would have thought pretty straight forward?

Take your time, think things through, and I very much hope you (a) work out want you want, and (b) get there or pretty close anyway.

Keep u sposted.

John.

[iain]

This is tragic and I wish you well in getting a satisfactory resolution.

I have a feeling that our cars are so small in comparison with moderns that we may well be perceived to be further away than we actually are………….it’s certainly true when I’m in the Elan on the motorway, people see me in the mirror and pull out thinking  I’m miles behind…..

Take care all.

Iain

 

[Don H.]

Do you live in a no-fault state, @Bwest, or is the other party's insurance on the hook for your repairs?  

I'd fight like hell to make sure a quality repair was done.  Far too easy for them to write it off.  But given the possibility that you might have some delayed medical issues from the collision, perhaps the other party's insurance might be convinced to pay for a repair.

[fordfiesta]

OUCH! The photos are painful, but the TR is fixable. One car I used to own was officially "totaled"...twice! 

For repair and Restoration advice, get in touch with Macy's Garage (in Ohio) right away. Good people. Even in the worst case (if the frame is too tweaked), replacement original or newly-made frames are available, but it looks as though the sheet metal took the worst of the hit, rather than the frame. Best of luck with it

[Don H.]

8 minutes ago, fordfiesta said:

OUCH! The photos are painful, but the TR is fixable. One car I used to own was officially "totaled"...twice! 

For repair and Restoration advice, get in touch with Macy's Garage (in Ohio) right away. Good people. Even in the worst case (if the frame is too tweaked), replacement original or newly-made frames are available, but it looks as though the sheet metal took the worst of the hit, rather than the frame. Best of luck with it

Yes!  Mark Macy and his crew have done quite a bit on my TR3B over the years.  They know their stuff around TRs and they do high quality work.

[PaulAnderson]

Sorry to hear of your accident.   As others have suggested, it’s repairable with the right insurance policy and effort.  I was involved in a major accident in 2019 wherein someone high on cocaine drove down the middle of the road and totalled our TR travelling in the opposite direction.  There was no time or space to avoid it, but I minimised the risk by swerving.  We were very lucky regarding injuries but the car needed a new chassis and bodywork down one side.  It took a couple of years as Covid was on at the time but it got done, paid for by the TR Registers insurance and we love driving it.  Keep your resolve and it could all be good again.

[Keith Wigglesworth]

When you sit next to a 4x4 at the traffic lights and look up you can see the problem. You are very low and out of their perception. The simplest help here is daylight running lights and led lights all round and make sure your lights are on when modern car lights have automatically triggered on. Simple and cheap to do. Search the forum for info.