RedComet

I got into an accident. As 17 and a new driver, looking back upon the situation I believe the Z was just too much for me. I was making a right turn onto my street, the roads were slippery, I then accelerated out of the turn, I then went into the bend of the road, my car started to skid, I could not brake before I was hitting the curb, I then skidden onto someones driveway, and onto their neighbors lawn, then I hit a lamp post (snapped right in half), I then continued into a small tree (about 5-6" in diameter). There were about 5 cop cars that came, they were all laughing and pointing at me. There was only one police officer that was not screaming at me. I believe my car may be totalled. I do have pictures of it, but it is too painful right now for me to look at. Just knowing that there could have been a kid on a bike, or someone walking along and I could have killed them. Its too much. I guess it took me to have this accident to realize what a weapon a car really is, and how dangerous they can be. I hate to tell you all, but I will most likely be leaving these forums. I can't even look at the pictures without crying. I feel like right now. I was extremely lucky to have not been injured, and even more lucky to have not hurt anyone else. Thanks everyone for the fun and good times.

Jill - Its a shame we never actually got to meet and talk about our babies.

Megatron (Nate) - It was a blast at the meet, thanks a lot.

Victor (VQracer) - You truly are a 350Z god. Watch what you do. I know we are very similar in age.

Dr Bonz - Your car is amazing, never let your passion die.

SirMikel1 - Seeing your procharger in person made me really excited to see what our babies are going to grow up to.

Chebosto - You really work hard for the Z commmunity, thanks a lot.

Thanks a lot guys, even if I did not get to meet you, or become close to you. You gave me hours of fun. I have learned so much from you all, unfortunately not enough. (I wanted to attend a damn driving school...) Keep on Z'n. Never let the legend die. 350 brothers (and sisters) thank you very much.

Z_Pride

I know it hurts bro and I hate hearing about accidents, especially ones involving teens but I'm glad to see you're alright and the only damage done was to inanimate objects. Hang in there.

Turcoupe

That sucks man, but take it from me (A 23 yr. old guy Z owner), this isn't the end of the world. I totalled my first car doing exactly what you described (18yrs old), and I just got my Z back after doing 3,500 worth of damage do it after trying to pull a turn way too fast with VDC off. This is what young people do. That is why are insurance costs are higher for us. Thankfully no other car was in the accidcent with you and no one was hurt, especially you. It takes years to realize that you and your cars are not invincible. Hopefully, you learned your lesson now and this won't happen with your next sports car.

So are you going to get another Z if your car is really totalled or opt for the EVO 8?

MY350Z.COM

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the kind words. I'm sorry to hear your loss. Hopefully you will learn from it.

Always take it easy on wet roads especially with a RWD car.

Victor

Poison123

iTrader: (2)

Not to diss you, but I remember you were the one who complained about how high his insurance was, something like 8k+ a year I think. I cringe to think what it will be now. But I gotta give you props for having the guts to admit what you just posted. It takes alot to do that, I honestly hope you just have the car repaired and just learn from this lesson that life has bestowed up on you. Basically get back in the saddle and don't let life scare you away dude, because once that happens its always gonna haunt you for the rest of your life.

But no matter what I gotta say again, I give you props for honest post.

bk_r0x

Hey man,

Sorry to hear about what happened. I totalled my car this summer, and it freaking sucked. I know exactly how you feel. I think you were right when you said that the car was too much for you... having a car with that kind of power available when you're still a new driver is probably not the wisest of choices, but hey, at least you had a Z for a while.

Hope everything works out for the best.

RedComet

thanks, I will probably keep the Z if it is not totalled. Otherwise I know my parents will want me to get something much less powerful, cheaper and something extremely safe. The Mazda6 is the only thing that sounds even remotely tasteful in that area. I really don't know what I will do. If you guys want to offer me suggestions with cars, that would be great, I haven't looked at this category in so long, I don't know whats out there.

2004z

iTrader: (3)

I know this is a bit off topic, but it somewhat relates.

I've only had my Z for a little over 2 weeks. At first, I couldn't wait to "see what the car could do." All that horsepower and torque. I wanted to drive it FAST and I wanted to do it NOW! I didn't wanna waste my time breaking it in. 1200 miles are you insane?!

However, taking things slow has really made me appreciate the power of the car. This is not a car you can just jump into and start mashing the pedals. This car has power, lots of it, which needs to be learned how to use. It took me a while to learn how to control the car at slower speeds, it's just starting to feel comfortable to me now. If I couldn't even control the car at low speeds, how the hell could I even think of controlling it at high speeds?

If it weren't for this break-in period, I probably would have done something stupid and wrapped my car around a lightpost or something. Maybe the break in period isn't more for the car, but more for the driver.

Now, I'm no longer 18 and wouldn't do some of the crazy stuff I did then. But will I drive the car fast when she's broken in? Yes! Will I be careful about it? Absolutely!

I'm sorry that you lost your car, it certainly was an expensive lesson to learn. Regardless of the cost, it was still a good learning experience for you and it is something that will make sure you always drive safe.

I know things are bad right now, but don't worry, you'll be back on your feet in no time.

ares

iTrader: (2)

acura RSX might be something to consider. more power to them than a 6, some cool facter vs the 4door sedan. and you can get a used type S under 20 easy.

ShaftEd

Hey, you don't have to be young to ruin perfectly good vehicles. At 42, and someone who should know better, I totaled a new motorcycle trying to be "Johnny_Racer_Boy". Broke my leg on that one too. Let's just try to learn from our mistakes, and not do that again.

ZRated03

I agree w/ 2004z. Driving the Z isn't as easy as it seems. I have an IROC I dumped an insane amount of money into and I thought I'd be able to get into the Z and drive it like I stole it. Untill I drove it for the first time.. Its a completely different feel than the IROC in alot of ways. Altho its not as ***** to the wall fast out of the line, the linear acceleration is something I had to get use to. I'm at 1,039 Miles and now I'm 10x as comfortable behind the wheel as I was at 200 Miles. Don't worry about it man, Fix the Z.. trust me, you'll regret giving it up. I totaled said IROC the 2nd day I had my license. But I took it upon myself to fix it anyway. Don't take a step back and get a sedan. Fix the Z and you'll be a pro before you know it. Just shift at 3,000 RPMs for awhile then slowly move up untill your confortable grabbing 3rd and hitting the apex. It takes alittle getting use to on every car.. hang in there man. Peace.

- Joe

35oZephyR

iTrader: (4)

Hey bro..

I did the same thing you did when I was your age. Instead of taking down inanimate objects I slammed into a sidewalk jacking up my wheels. It was in an Infiniti M30 and those things weren't far from the Z's power.

I took the turn waaay too quickly and didn't know the power of my car. Luckily there was no one around to hurt. It's been like half a decade later and I've avoided getting into accidents. (knock on wood).

Everyone will learn lessons while driving and it was just unfortunate for you that you learned it in such a precious car.

Just be careful because anything could happen with any car. It only takes a second of being carefree or oblivious.

Good luck and be safe in the future.

Dr Bonz

iTrader: (1)

You did a lot of growing up in a short amount of time. We all have had moments like this. Even old guys like me! You WILL get over it and you'll be a better driver for it. Hang in there.

MannishBoy

iTrader: (1)

I recently won a trip the the Audi Driving Experience Advanced Handling Class. They booked us into a date that apparently was primarily a teenage class, although the curriculm is the same for all classes.

This is a GREAT thing to send young drivers to. It is well worth the money, because you get to practice things like heavy braking, skid recovery on a wet skid pad, off road recovery, etc, over and over until it becomes nearly second nature. Young drivers (I was this way, too) might know the theory of what to do in a skid, but until you've done it enough to make it an instinct, you probably won't react right in the fraction of a second you really have on the road to recover the car.

I highly recommend something like this to parents and kids. In addition to being good training, it was a lot of fun, too, to abuse somebody else's new Audis for a day or two

bshockley

Uh, not to start anything, but not ALL young people do this. I am 23 now as well. I have never had one ticket, and I have never gone insane driving a car. Granted I drove a 91 corolla most my life, but even when driving other's cars and my parent's cars I have been safe. Driving the Z I do the same thing. I have yet to lay down tread (except once on accident - still new to manual), and drive her like she's made of egg shells.

I also have my pilot's license and in a way I think it's made me a safeer driver, because I now drive the way I fly, with safety at the very top of the list. (I sound like a bad after school special)

I am sorry to hear about the accident. Anytime something bad happens it sucks, wether or not they should have known better. And I am glad to hear no one was hurt. I hope your Z makes it out ok, and if not, then maybe in a few years you can get another, when you're ready that is.

SweatyPalm

I recommend K2 mountain bike....Enthusiast model with 6 spd switch gear. Sportmart has this bike on sale for $199...and if you negotiate, they might throw in a rain coat too.

RedComet

my dad made me download the pictures so I may as well post...

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