Any advice from you experienced dudes??

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thearcticsea

Rocker
I respect the opinions of a lot of you dudes. I'm 27 and you more experienced guys have been through a lot.

Here's the situation.

just bought a BMW Z3 2001, 2.5i. It's topaz blue with the factory hardtop, manual transmission, m package, cold weather etc etc.

Basically, my dream car from when I was a young kid. I never thought I'd own one but I'm so happy I do.

So today at work my friend and coworker was saying how much fun he thought it must be to drive the little roadster.

So lunchtime came and he had to go pick up the lunch so being a good guy I thought I'd let him take my car. I put the top down for him so he could have some fun. Anyway, he came back with lunch and told me he donned my car against a guardrail.

He said he thought he put it in reverse to back out of his parking spot and accidentally had it in 1st and accelerated into the guardrail in front of him. It's weird because he drives a mini, which has the exact same shift configuration as my car.

Whatever I check out the damage. The bumper and hood seam is definitely wider now and the bottom of the front dam is cracked in half. My license plate is also dented.

He said he'd pay for a new license plate........

I guess I'm just posting because I know it's just a car, but I'm super depressed. I want this car to be perfect and I want to have it and rebuild it 25 years from now, when I'm 50....

I guess I'm just asking what you dudes think I should do? Should I have the front end repainted and fixed? Should I take the bumper off and bring it to a place and have it redone? Do i have to buy a new bumper since its cracked or can they repair it??

I need to keep the cost down because im paying for it myself. I don't want to go through his insurance because honestly I'm just way too nice a guy. I know lots of people would say fuck it and just go through his insurance but I really can't bring myself to do it. I just don't know what to do.
 
BlueJ

BlueJ

Blue Haired Freak
Go through his insurance. It's no skin off his back, unless they jack his rates, which he deserves. It's not about you being a nice guy, it's about your "friend" being a total tool if he doesn't FULLY pay for the damage he did to you dream car.

Did I mention, a TOTAL tool???
 
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simpson

TT Racer
He wrecked it, he should pay for it.

He's no friend, he's an ass. Volunteering to pay for a licence plate? Are you effing kidding me?

I would get a couple of estimates and split the cost to repair it. You have some responsibility because you let him take your car.

Also, I would ask to borrow his Mini Cooper to go to lunch one day...just saying.

-simpson
 
BlueJ

BlueJ

Blue Haired Freak
simpson said:
... You have some responsibility because you let him take your car....
Click to expand...

Respectfully disagree. Hertz doesn't have that attitude and you pay them for the privilege of the joyride. Operator of the vehicle is the responsible party, and that's what insurance is for.

Agree completely about the guy being an ass, though!
 
hankmarx

hankmarx

750cc
Your "friend" should be all over this. His insurance, his time dealing with it, you get to pick the shop. !00% his fault, he should make it right. Accidents happen, and then you take care of business. If you need to prompt him to do the right thing, he is being an ass.
 
Kirkus51

Kirkus51

Hooligan
If he truly is a nice guy it won't be any skin off his nose. Go thru his insurance company or at least make him pay for the damages.
 
Kirkus51

Kirkus51

Hooligan
By the bye. When I was looking for a "new" car I drove one of those babys. man was it fun as hell. The only problem for me was since I'm on the rotund side it was too hard to get in and out of and when the top was up my head hit the roof.
 
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Twodogs

Street Tracker
Sounds to me that you want to remain the "Nice Guy" and have your mate read that everybody else thinks he is an arse. A true mate wouldn't have hesitated in getting your pride ride fixed. Man up boy!!! Get him to fix it and get another mate ....Top 10 perfect Mates list
1 Bike Mechanic,
2 Spray Painter and Panel beater,
3 Owns a pub,
4 Is a Chef,
5 Has a good looking Sister with lots of good looking girl friends,
6 owns a pub,
7 Is an Upholsterer,
8 Has a good looking Mum with lots of good looking girl friends,
9 Has a chrome, nickel plating and powder coating shop
10 Owns a pub that his good looking Mum and Sister work at with all their good looking girl friends......oh and it has a good chef......oh yeah and ol mate who works in the drive through is an excellent bike mechanic and an ace on the spray gun
 
B06Tang

B06Tang

Cafe Racer
Your friend needs to be a stand up guy and accept what he has done. Go through the insurance and take care of it. You want to be the nice guy but shouldn't he be the nice guy and make sure that your dream car is taken care of after what he did to it?
 
Sal Paradise

Sal Paradise

Hooligan
articsea -

You read all this - the voice of experience here.

I wonder if your "friend" will take responsibility?

He should. You should insist on that.


I dented my buddy's beater commuter once. It was a crap car and a tiny dent. He parked it behind my car and I backed into it. I called it into Geico myself before I even told him. So when I told him, I handed him the phone number and a claim number and said just get it fixed and Geico will pay and I am really sorry. I didn't care about anything but making it absolutely 100% right with him. My rates didn't go up, Geico paid to fix the dent ( a waste of money) and most importantly our friendship was unharmed.
 
T

thearcticsea

Rocker
Thanks for the responses guys. You've all said the same things I was thinking.

I know what I should do, I'm just not looking forward to the shit show it will surely bring about.

Funny thing, when he came back and all this happened my first thought was, "that sucks. He didn't even get to enjoy the drive."

Thanks again!
 
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Bonneville09er

Bonneville09er

Street Tracker
to me, its a no brainer he has to pay for the repair. i know i would pay if i did it, and would expect my "friend" to pay me.
 
LoVel

LoVel

Two Stroke
I don't really even need to say this based on all the other posts but, hell yes he should return it to you exactly as it was when he took it.
 
BlueJ

BlueJ

Blue Haired Freak
thearcticsea said:
..I'm just not looking forward to the shit show it will surely bring about..
Click to expand...

If there's a "shit show," he's no friend. Get the ca$h and take his number out of your phone.

Unless of course he scores big on items 1, 4, 8, and 10 on TwoDogs list. :)
 
Lone Trumpet

Lone Trumpet

Street Tracker
If your coworker doesn't feel as though he needs to take care of the repair bill by some means, he's no friend in my book either. Being a nice guy is one thing... being taken advantage of is another. Friends don't take advantage of friends. Friend or no friend, bottom line is he needs to make it right.
 
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