Driving a wrecked Prius - Forever!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Daddy Dave, Dec 22, 2014.

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  1. Daddy Dave

    Daddy Dave Member

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    The son of a friend of mine rolled his ~2008 Prius in the median when he fell asleep at the wheel. I don't know how he did it but it landed on the roof without putting a scratch on either side or front or back. The car is in great shape other than part of the roof about 6" too low. It slightly bent the tops of the right side doors and broke out the glass on those two doors. The windshield and hatch are still in perfect condition. It was easily totaled by the insurance company due to the extent of the roof damage. The front and back and driver's side and interior are all pristine. Everything still works and it drives like it was new. None of the airbags exploded. My ultra-poor bike racing son wants it! I'm sure it is still a much safer car than most cars he'd drive. Why not?
     
    #1 Daddy Dave, Dec 22, 2014
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You should make it a convertible
     
    #2 JC91006, Dec 23, 2014
    irrational likes this.
  3. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    Can he afford to buy it from the insurance company? The car will have a salvage title. The balance of the warranty is voided. Will he be able to insure it? Will he be able to get it inspected? How is he planning to pay for operating & maintenance costs? That car could be a great project--for someone with deep enough pockets, not for someone who doesn't even have pockets.
     
    #3 JimN, Dec 23, 2014
  4. Daddy Dave

    Daddy Dave Member

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    The insurance company only offered the owner $50 for it. He can afford that! Insurance will be cheap because it will be only liability insurance. My son drives a Subaru Outback with very high miles that has a bad rear main oil leak. The Prius will be a great improvement. He's a career counselor at a high school when he's not racing bikes. He has income - just not very much.

    From a brief web search, it looks like the title will be removed and after a lights and safety and emissions inspection it will be given a Salvage Title. We'll look forward to a few visits to the DMV to sort it out.

    Since I posted this I've had email contact with the owner who is out of town for a couple of weeks. We'll be test driving it today. It has been sitting a couple of months so it will be interesting to get it started.

    JC91006 - This is the same Prius that we've had emails about salvaging a few parts from it.
    My
     
    #4 Daddy Dave, Dec 23, 2014
  5. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    You planning on keeping it on the road? Sure it might be road legal and a cheap drive, but I'd not touch it, let alone drive in it. If the roof is lower by 6 inches then the structure of the vehicle is shot. Have an accident again and it'll fold around you like tinfoil.

    Sure that might never happen, but if it does it won't be pretty.
     
    #5 GrumpyCabbie, Dec 23, 2014
  6. Eclipse1701d

    Eclipse1701d Prius Enthusiast

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    If you do purchase this vehicle, the only way to make it safe would be to install a roll bar/cage in the vehicle... I'd love to see a Prius with that. Also, is your son less than average height?
     
    #6 Eclipse1701d, Dec 23, 2014
  7. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    #7 fotomoto, Dec 23, 2014
  8. Daddy Dave

    Daddy Dave Member

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    I'll follow this sidetrack! What the book probably doesn't mention is how dangerous it is. My son has lost two teammates to bike accidents in 8 years, crashed so hard that he broke a collarbone into 8 pieces a few years ago, and broke his collarbone twice and rib once in three separate crashes this year. He's decided to specialize in individual long distance endurance events because they are safer. He has lots of pro cyclist friends. He's not in it for the money!
     
    #8 Daddy Dave, Dec 23, 2014
  9. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    On the positive side that's a reduction in the coefficient of drag from 0.260 to 0.255 right there. ;)

    I used to do a bit of bicycle racing in my younger days. I was only ever mediocre at it, but it was great for keeping fit. :)

    If you don't mind me asking, I was wondering about the circumstances in which his team mates were lost. Around here the most common form of serious injury or fatality for competitive cyclists seems to be getting hit by motor vehicles during training rides rather than incidents in actual competition.
     
    #9 uart, Dec 23, 2014
    Last edited: Dec 24, 2014
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    we have a ton of cyclists in our area. mostly exercise, but big groups up to 40 or 50 bikes. it is dangerous on our two lane roads with no shoulders and people driving 40-50 mph. we have a lot of serious accidents every year. it's not unusual for me to pass one occasionally. very sad and dangerous.
     
    #10 bisco, Dec 23, 2014
  11. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    See about getting the roof fixed at a decent body shop, and enjoy the car.
    I'd concentrate on making sure that the car doesn't have any pillar damage and that the windows keep the rain and sleet mostly outside the car.
    If your kid rides bikes for a hobby (either kind) then driving a previously wrecked Prius will be comparatively safe.

    It's an 08, so there's no issue with the voided warranty.
    If I remember correctly WY isn't one of those oppressive nanny states that try to thwart the beneficial side-effects of natural selection by pretending to inspect vehicles semi-occasionally, and you're almost guaranteed to pass any VET if they do that.

    Good Luck!
    Post Pics.
     
    #11 ETC(SS), Dec 23, 2014
  12. brucebee

    brucebee Junior Member

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    I have had good luck with salvage titles/ roof damaged (broncoII) also a 944 porsche. If it drives good and no mechanical issues. Gotta be safer then an old vw or any other old care. just left the bronco roof damaged.
     
    #12 brucebee, Dec 23, 2014
  13. Daddy Dave

    Daddy Dave Member

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    Both were hit by cars during training rides. None in actual competition though they've had very serious injuries.
     
    #13 Daddy Dave, Dec 23, 2014
  14. Daddy Dave

    Daddy Dave Member

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    Yes, I'll post pictures! We test drove it today. When we first looked at it, the 12V battery was completely dead. A quick jump from my 2010 Prius and it started immediately as if it had been driven yesterday. It showed 5 bars on the HV battery display and the engine ran as you'd expect any Prius to run. It was flawless. We pulled it out and swapped the plates from my own Prius and took it for a 20-mile spin. (I live in northern Wyoming. Seeing a cop where we were was extremely unlikely.) Everything works. It drives smooth and straight and the owner said he'd had the frame checked because he was considering having it half-fixed. The brake regen works, cruise control, abs, etc. It reported 42 mpg on the 20 mile run.

    Some rain is always going to leak into the car. From what I've read online, most states only require a safety inspection and an emissions inspection. This car will end up in North Carolina. I'm sure it will pass any emissions inspection.

    The bad points are 1.) more wear on the center console than expected, 2.) I'm not positive that the right side doors can ever close correctly, and 3.) the tops of both right door frames are bent inward a little bit which means they can never have glass in them. We'll buy 1/4" Lexan tomorrow and see if we can make acceptable windows for it. I did that once many years ago and was impressed that it was indistinguishable from glass window without close inspection.

    We'll start it again in the morning to see if the 12V battery will hold a charge. If not, that will be replaced immediately. We'll replace the right mirror then live with it for a few days to see if we can shake out more flaws. My son has 10 days to make a decision. At this point it is likely that he'll buy it.
     
    #14 Daddy Dave, Dec 24, 2014
  15. Daddy Dave

    Daddy Dave Member

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    I agree. None of the airbags went off in the rollover so it is still a very safe car for most types of accidents.
     
    #15 Daddy Dave, Dec 24, 2014
  16. Yakoma

    Yakoma Active Member

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    Go for it...worst case he parks it in the yard and parts it out on Ebay and makes a small fortune.
     
    #16 Yakoma, Dec 24, 2014
  17. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    You can always have the roof cut off and replaced and have both doors replaced. I have seen this done on a BMW, and the car drove for another 20 years.
     
    #17 orenji, Dec 24, 2014
    Daves09prius likes this.
  18. brucebee

    brucebee Junior Member

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    i kinda like the idea of a prii convetrable. in ca only inspction is for smog. window idea is good. One time bought a 85 toy longbed 2x that the guy hacksawed the top off of. drove great, looked really funky, but was probly one of the first slammed trucks. the 04 prii I have now did not need to be smogged as i live outside the smog belt, not even to change ownership. wont comment on bicycldes
     
    #18 brucebee, Dec 24, 2014
  19. brucebee

    brucebee Junior Member

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    somehow i sent that without being finished w/my answer. I used to race motorcycles. Guys on bikes on street nowadays. closed course would be better
     
    #19 brucebee, Dec 24, 2014
  20. Classic_pri

    Classic_pri Former 2001 Prius 0wner

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    If it lets water in I'd worry about electrical components corroding in an excessively damp cabin space. The car might go another year or two, but eventually it's going to have problems and they're likely to be widespread, IMO.
     
    #20 Classic_pri, Dec 28, 2014
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