So.

I took the Z out for a ride today. It's a beautiful day here in SC, despite being the first day of winter.

I rode up into Landrum, which is one of those sleepy little towns, and cruised out to I-26. Hit the on-ramp, and lo and behold, there was no traffic at all. So, I take the car up over 120 (without really trying). (Please, no flames).

I decided I didn't want to get a ticket, so I got off at the next exit and I'm just enjoying the sights, the day, and the Z.

Finally get about a mile from home, and here comes the agility test. A squirrel decides this would be a good time to cross the road. I juke to avoid him, and he does the same move. I was only going about 25-30mph, but I couldn't avoid him.

Heard the sickening thump, and looked in the rearview mirror. Flat. As a pancake. Got home and checked the car. No damage for me, but I can't say the same for the squirrel. Rinsed off the tire and wheel well, and put the Z up in the garage.

I feel bad, but it was unavoidable. Sure beats the heck out of the deer I hit a few years ago, though.

Any others have roadkill stories? Hopefully no one has damaged their Z with some nature.

 

I smacked a dove a few months back with my Ford Ranger. I was doing about 80mph and the dove just came from nowhere.... hit the bird square on with my grille. When I got to work I checked the grille only to find the dove firmly planted in there... dead of course. Had to pull pretty hard to get him outta there....

then 3 days later it happened again... WTF?!

 

wow... you sure are a dove magnet.

 

Squirrels are the spawn of satan anyhow, so don't feel bad about hitting one. The little demons would constantly get in the attic of my old house and tear what ever they could chew to shreds. One of the little monsters even got under the hood of my Pathfinder and chewed up the wiring. In my book they are fair game.

 

I have ran over 2 squrrels and 1,racoon, the racoon was big and did break the ft bumper cover, new bumper cover painted and ready to put on. Damn car is a small animal killer .

 

Guess we need to watch out for the small varmints.

Hope nobody hits anything huge.

 

yeah like a bear

 

a bird dive bombed towards my grill and i nailed him at about 15mph. He hit just above my grill and left no marks. Poor guy hit the cement pretty hard from the impact, and I think he broke his wing and got crushed by the car behind me. i think he was trying to commit suicide because i was going really slow and daytona blue is easy to spot.

 

On my way up to Laguna Seca for a track day last year in my TRD Suspended MR2 Spyder, I ran over a freshly hit coyote. Felt like it tore the entire bottom of the car off. I pulled off to check the damage. Didn't really see any, but it was hard to tell because it was night. Anyway, for the next 2 hours of the drive it smelled like beef jerky cooking and I was finding fur under the car for weeks after. Just glad it was already dead and just laying there in the road and not standing up!!

 

my first road kill was a bird.... a firebird!!

 

I have to agree with squirrels being spawn of satan. For some reason in my old Sentra the windows wouldn't roll up or down on the driver's side any more. Took the car into the dealer, and the mechanic pulled out a big gob of chewed up wires that the squirrels had gone after. I think that car might have been cursed anyway, though, since wasps liked to build nests on the b-pillar between the doors.

Oh, and living in S Jersey, I'm scared to death I'm going to hit a deer one of these nights. There's already been several near miss incidents. We need one of those infrared heads up displays like the Caddy has, as an aftermarket add on.

Craig

 

I read somewhere those infrareds aren't that good. They have the new thermal ones thats suppose to be way better, wait... or was it the caddy has thermal and infrared was suppose to work better... damn nm

I wonder if chewed up wires are covered under manufacturer warranty.