What Car Did You Crash as a Teen?

[thstone]

The one thing almost all of us have in common besides our Boxsters is CRASHING A CAR AS A TEEN!

This subject came up in another thread and I thought it might be entertaining to hear some stories from back in the day (if you're older) or maybe fairly recently (if you're younger). Tell us the car year, make, and model along with the circumstances.

Also, hoping no one was seriously injured. This is meant to document a rite of passage into adulthood not be a gorefest.

[Frodo]

In the late 1970's I had a '74 metallic blue VW Super Beetle---loved that car, so nimble and fun to run through the gears. Was driving home in the wee hours of the night, buzzing along at 70 mph or better when the rain hit, coming down in buckets. Hadn't had the car very long, and don't believe I had ever driven in a driving rain like I was experiencing that night.

Unwisely, I didn't slow my pace...it was late and I was tired, and had 20 miles or more to home. Came upon a stretch of beautiful, new smooth black asphalt, straight as an arrow...and inundated with a lot of rain water. Predictably (in hindsight), the car hydroplaned and started into a spin. Didn't panic, made the proper steering correction to straighten her out...and she just kept going. (The lightness of the car, the short wheelbase and the engine in back all conspired against me.) Made 2 or 3 complete rotations during which, initially, I was still careening down the middle of the empty road. My luck didn't hold, however, and next thing I knew I heard wet weeds and other roadside foliage slapping against the side of the car. Half a second later I smacked into an unforgiving cedar tree (I even remember what kind of tree!) at the driver-sde A-pillar, smacking my head off the side window in the process.

I was fine, but my beloved Beetle was a goner. Hitch-hiked home in the rain (actually got a ride at 2:00 a.m.---what a different time that was!) and drove back in the morning, with my not-so-happy father, to view the carnage. It was not a fun day.

BTW, I was no longer a teenager at this point (more like early 20's)...but I still sort of drove like one!

[bmcuscgr94]

I'm 16-17 driving an early 70's Ford F100 pickup coming back from basketball practice going up a hill 5 miles from home in the late evening. There's a steer on the edge of the road who decides to panic and bolts towards me. I've got nowwhere to turn due to steep drop off on one side and steep bank on the other. Brake hard but its too late. Steer and I hit head on, kill's steer, takes out front of pickup-radiator, most of the suspension, bumpers, one fender. We're ok.
Witness in car behind me is the daughter of the family that own's the steer and her grandfather is my insurance agent. She goes ahead home and calls my dad and gets her dad and tells them both that the crazy steer charged and she was suprised I didn't swerve off the road trying to avoid it. Her dad gets a couple of their ranch hands and they haul the steer off and save the good parts for a bbq.

[AndyA6]

18 years old, driving a 1303 "S", loong road trip, visit a girlfriend, moving on to get home. In the middle of winter, roads covered in ice and snow, I did not pay attention -or just too tired- and rear ended a Mercedes. It was a very small dent in the bug and nothing to see at the Mercedes' bumper. The driver of the Benz got out, looked and told me to move on. Only thren I realized that he just rear ended another car.....! Lucky me!

So, not really a wreck but at least some story

A year later a lady drove into my beloved bug, rebuilt rear.

[jwade]

I was 16 and was handed a brand new red '90 Mustang GT Convertible..

Had barely rolled over 5000 miles late that fall on my way to school during a heavy rain.

Was making a left hand turn in an area I drove every day, and two pregnant miltary women (did that to stay out of the Gulf war I might add) were crusing the opposite direction at nearly double the posted limit of 35mph and no lights on.

I broke traction in the turn due to very slippery conditions plus having a 5 speed tranny.

The Izuzu Imark the women were driving nailed me on my passenger side, then it spun me in a 720 and I ended up crashing into a late 60's T-bird...

I remember that wreck like it was yesterday...Just a damn tragedy....I loved that car!

[tonycarreon]

had just gotten my license 2 days prior...

my friends and i were going to band camp (keep the snark down!) and decided to visit a music store (sheet music, not CDs) on the way. came to an intersection and started making a left-hand turn. it was then i saw the motorcycle coming at me. he slammed into the front passenger quarter panel and pretty much made the car non-movable due to the metal pushing down on the tire. i had a green light and he had a green light so technically i was at fault, but i later learned he was drunk so that's why i didn't get cited.

piece of crap 1979 buick skylark but the parent's were not happy. my dad just brought a 2x4 with him and pushed the quarter panel away from the wheel. drove it that way for a few more years until the engine stopped working.

[blue2000s]

I've never crashed a car, but did have a couple of stupid moments. I spun my 1982 rx7 twice in the first couple of years that I had it in 1990.

First was when I hit a puddle of water from a broken sprinkler head while going around a left sweeping corner. The car did a 360 up onto the curb at the outside of the turn stopping about a foot from a tree. Bent a wheel. Amazing how tough the suspension on a 2400 pound car can be.

The second was from making a right turn at an intersection with some amount of excessive throttle application. The road had sand on it (Colorado uses sand on the snowy roads in the winter instead of salt, it's like ball bearings when the roads are dry) and the car did a 180 in the middle of the road. Scared the crap out of a lady in a Minivan going the other way. No damage that time.

I still have the car 20+ years later. It's still the most fun car I've ever driven.