That's just too nice looking of a car to let it go. You WILL regret it!!! Heck, if anything, buy it back and then sell it here to someone who will fix it. You never know what will happen to it if the ins co gets it... Any idea how much the buyback is???
First off. Stick by your guns and make the insurance company pay you what the state requires they pay you. In some states it is the replacement value and there are guide lines to establish the amount. In others it is Blue book but all in all they make an offer and you can counter offer. SIGN NOTHING until you are satisfied. Secondly I will tell you what I tell my son, The key to safe driving is paying attention. Attention to the vehicle you are driving attention the the road conditions attention to the people around you. You didnt get hurt so it is an inexpensive lesson learned. Thirdly, Sorry you gotta go thru this it is rough for anyone especially the first time... Good luck and safe driving.
I have not heard definite numbers yet, but I'm told I will by wednesday. You took the idea from my mind in buying it back then selling it to someone who has the means to rebuild it. And trust me, I will fight until I get the most out of it.
A car that clean? Keep it:beers2: I myself am starting college in the fall and I am spending every last penny I have on my Skylark. Should I be focusing on a daily driver? Yeah, but hell once life hits us when will we have the time and energy that we have now as teens? My goal is to get my rusty worn out hunk of car road worthy for the 2 hour trip to queens. There is a thread full of people telling me to give up, quite the opposite of what is being said here. if that is any indication then that means go for it! Buy the car back and buy a cheap $500 commuter car. Spend every last dime you can reasonably afford on getting a new frame, be it a restored frame or one off a rust bucket whose body is beyond use. You can reuse alot off your current frame so it should be relatively cheap. We gotta keep these cars alive and what better way to do that then to be a part of it yourself?
Sorry to hear about your car, but glad to hear you are alive. I have been there done that. I bent the frame on my skylark when I was 18, making a left hand turn in a rainstorm... So yes, the car was otherwise totalled. So what did I do? I replaced the frame!!!! I had done an engine swap in that car a year before, but other than that, basic mechanical work. It can be done. I did mine in my driveway in deed-restricted Tampa Suburbia, managed a 3.6 GPA, and did football. That car is far better shape than mine ever was. I had basic hand tools, and the only help I had was from my newly retired dad who jacked the body up off the frame during the day when I was at school. You can do it!!! The insurance company doesn't own you (again, I subscribe to that "don't tell me what kind of day to have" ethos), or that car. As a result of me being an idiot 18 year old (drifting in the rain way before Fast & Furious even showed up on the big screen) gave me the best automotive education ever. You might learn a thing or two about these cars! Go find a Chevelle frame and go to town on it (well, if you do decide to use a '69 chevelle frame, there are a few rear bumper brackets that require drilling holes that the chevy frame didn't have)! Good luck KFD
Do NOT buy a $500 car. That is a terrible idea that people always toss around. Think about what you have to pay for when you get anther car, insurance, maintenance, tires, tags, and repairs (because a $500 car is going to suck). What an EPIC WASTE of money!!!! Take your insurance check and get the frame replaced/fixed ASAP, and get by with nothing until it's done.
A friend of mine helped his neighbor swap frame's on his '67 Chevelle (in an apartment complex no less). Check it out. A little prep work pulling the suspension and engine out, then the actual frame swap was simple. A couple buddies, a second engine hoist, simple. I think sourcing a new frame would be the hardest part. http://www.bangshift.com/forum/index.php?topic=5357.0
Matt you sound like a sensable 18 year old. I say glad your ok but don't let this car get away. It doesn't take a whole lot to get another frame and change your body to!!! I will come help!!!!:bglasses:
If he needs a car it is better than paying a grand for another car and watching this Buick go to the junkyard. He is a college student like we are and I'm sure he doesnt have a ton of cash to throw around. With another car he can work on the Buick at a comfortable pace and make sure everything is done right. Insurance and tags can be transferred from the skylark, a $500 car doesn't always need repairs and every car needs maintenance no matter what the price. On top of that if he gets a daily driver the skylark can have classic insurance which would prevent this from ever happening again since the car would guarenteeably (excuse my grammar) be covered and insurance for the skylark would only be about 300 a year. Hagrety has a policy for 18 year old drivers which I was quoted at 300 a year for. Replacing the frame is not a weekend job, it is also not a bank breaker but rushing to try and get it done before school will only end badly (I am a hypocrite for saying that, but I do have a backup car in case the skylark isn't finished) Just because something is cheap doesn't always mean it is worthless. If you inspect it properly and shop around you can find something decent.
That car can easily be put back on the road before school. This past winter break, I had create a working, reliable, decent looking 350 out of a broken strip/street engine and a greasy turd of a stock 350. Also I had no money to start with. Well it took me a week of working in 20* weather but I drove that car to college two days before classes started, and that engine is still running great. At the time, if I sold off my nice 350 to pay for a $500 beater instead of another engine, guess what I would have right now, a $500 beater and a broke buick. Also, when you go to college, working on cars is the LAST thing you are going to want to do. Trust me, partying, studying, fooling around with girls, and going to football games, is ALOT more fun. I would recommend busting your ass or paying someone else to get that frame swapped. It would also be an excellent time to fix common issues that arise after 40 years of use, because fixing your car in the dorm parking lot is not fun. Also forget Hagerty car insurance for a college student. Alot of those cheap classic car insurance policies have fine print that state the car can only be used to go back and fourth from car shows, only drive a certain amount of miles per year, have the car garaged at all times, and you can NOT drive it to work or school. Violate that fine print and have a wreck, you "ain't gettin' no money!" http://www.hagerty.com/us/auto.aspx?id=57708
A SEnior i high school kept bragging that during X-mas break he was getting a GN!!!ou: After the first day back he turned a corner a gunned it to impress everyone across the street @ the bus stop and lost control. That wasn't you by chance was it? Redeemer class of '86??????o No: KEEP IT!!! KEEP IT UNDER WRAPS FOR A FEW YEARS IF NEED BE! YOU WILL ALWAYS REGRET IT!!!!!:TU:
This sucks, I'm with the others buy it back and swap frames and core support! They're out there. Your body doesn't look like much of anything happened to it. Heck the seams in the doors to the fenders look even too. If you can go without this car for about a month, I bet you can get the frame swapped in that amount of time. + time to gather parts.
Did a similar thing with a Monte Carlo when i was about 16, i was younger so i win right? You always win when your still breathing. At least you have a chance to practice the hobby of restoration. Gary
I called hagerty and they said no problem, theres no mileage limit, you just have to have a daily driver. Technically it should be garaged and can only be driven sparingly but it depends on what you use the car I suppose, I just know 300 a year is better than 3000. I can't drive my car in the rain anyways and I suppose that is the only situation you can't talk yourself out of, itherwise everything else has an excuse worst case scenario. My point wasn't to tell him what to do, it was to give options so this beautiful car doesn't get scrapped
Well I like to treat my Skylark like a normal car. It gets rained on, and I use it everyday, and I maintain everything on the car where I can just get in and ride. Hell, a couple of weekends ago me and one of my fraternity brothers decided to drive to Panama City in the middle of the night. Buick ran from 11PM to 5AM. We even had to sleep in the car one night, and drive back the next morning. During the 700 mile weekend I had no issues. NONE! That's the way these cars were meant to be used IMO, not like some garaged toy.
NO WAY! Doesn't look 'that' bad to me. Like others have said, even if you must- replace the frame. You've got everything else, a whole car, to swap over. Your car is too clean and complete to just junk it. Go for it!!!
I want to drive my car everyday too, I just would end up swimming if it rains:TU: My point is if the OP can't afford to fix this car all at once or right away and he definitely needs transportation sucking it up and buying a crappy car is better then junking this skylark. He can put historical insurance on it so that he doesn't have to risk driving this car everyday if it rains or worse, he can afford to have a commuter car. Not every college student can afford to insure two cars. There more options we suggest for Matt the more reasons he has to keep the car. I love my Skylark, I'd drive it all over but the point is in the snow, in the rain and in the city are some of the worst areas to drive these cars. They aren't disposable like a $500 beater is.
