GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Well all, it looks like my Vibe is no more. I was at the beach last night swimming with some friends, and around 1:30 someone I knew went to the gas station down the road for some cigarettes. An hour passed and he wasn't back, so we got dressed to go out looking for him (3-4 hours walk from the 5th beach to the nearest public phone) The guy at the store never saw him, so we called the police. We reported the car as stolen (As well as all the cash I had in my pants that were on the beach), and today they called saying they found the car.. and it was totaled beyond repair :.(He was doing well over 80-90 mph on the 3 Mile Bridge, and reareneded a truck, collided with the right blockade wall, then the middle blockade wall, and slammed into the right blockade wall in front of the truck. He somehow mnaged to pull himself out and hitch a ride, according to a witness who was fishing from the bridge. The police called his parents house, and his family said that he moved out about a week ago and he's addicted to crack. I saw the car from outside the impound gate, and it was heartwrenching to look at. Both fenders are ripped out, the sheet metal looks like it got sliced or ripped apart, and the windshield is shattered (The rest I don't know, since I only saw the front 3/4's of it through a gate). The police officer I spoke with told me in his opinion, the car's totaled beyond any idea of repair. To top it off, the guy is broke, had no car (Therefore no car insurance), and is 25, so his parents are no longer responsible for him, nor his actions.I'll send in some pictures when I can get to the car, until then I'll be trying to find some sanity in the bottom of an Everclear bottle.

Oh...my God.That has to be the worst thing ever.. I'm so sorry..!It's not much consolation, I know.. but...gah! I would've killed that guy...

Woah! That's... well, to be honest, I can't come up with any words for that. I'm really sorry to hear about this. Hang in there.

"Someone you knew went for some cigarettes . . "1. Did you "loan" him your car or did he "steal" it? 2 Know any other reason to stop smoking.

Is it too late to report it as stolen?Manohmanohman what a story. Feel for ya buddy.

Speechless is all i can say...That blows beyond imagination...I'm sure there's some kinda retribution...maybe they can garnish his wages or something to get money back...there's gotta be some sorta justice that can be done...

That sucks beyond anything that sucks.

Damn that has to be the ****ties thing I've ever heard someone doing, if you knew him why the hell did he steal your car? Man I would be so pissed if that happened to me I would screw his life over even more in every possible way (ie havin the police catch him with some of that crack and going to jail) or some such thingAnd what sucks even more is you put quite a bit of money into your car in aftermarket parts

Sorry to hear that. I'm assuming your insurance co. will cover it.Quote, originally posted by jake75 »"Someone you knew went for some cigarettes . . "1. Did you "loan" him your car or did he "steal" it? Sounds like he was your friend, and you let him take your car to get some smokes?

That's really bad, hope you're insurance will cover it, and glad you weren't in it when it was wrecked.

Boy oh boy that is horrible news! I feel for you man. Have you spoken to your insurance?Keep you chin up!

Man.. that sucks... sorry to here about that... I had a friend had something similar happen to him.... girl borrowed his car... ( went futhar than expected too... ) got druck and totaled his brand new Nissan Sentra SER Spec-V... then she left the scene and called him told him car in totaly different location.. anyways.. long story.. point I am getting too is.. She had no licence and no insurrence of course... but his insurrence paid his car off.. and he had GAP so it covered what insurence did'nt... I hope this give's you a little hope... he had state farm insurence if that helps.... guess you just gotta find out from your insurence people's... Hope it works out for ya in the end...

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »"Someone you knew went for some cigarettes . . "1. Did you "loan" him your car or did he "steal" it? I don't get it?You "know him" and trusted him enough to take your car unsupervised - but you considered it stolen?You sure do (did) have a very high level of trust for people who don't sound very trustworthy (addicted to crack, broke, etc)

I just recently found out about his addiction after he took it. Apparently, he was busted for it and went to lock-up and served time, and got his life back together. His mom told the police that he just started within the last week. I knew him through his sister, who I hooked up with for a while. I doubt I'll let anyone even hold my car keys after this.Called the insurance company this morning, and they said since it was stolen as well as wrecked that they'll put down $20 a day for a rental (Sounds like I'll be getting lancer or something) while they work out what to do with the car. My insurance is through Allstate btw. I was hoping to wake up and find it all a bad dream, but no such luck. Hopefully, they'll decide to total the car so I can start over on a new car. (In my opinion, even if a wrecked car is built back up by professionals, they're never the same.) Well, thanks for the empathy all, I'll post later with pics since I'll be going to get my books for college later on.

i doubt anyone would loan their car out to someone they knew was addicted to crack! come on! give the guy a break. hell! i let mavrik take my car all day when he came to visit and that was the first time we'd met... he coulda driven it to canada!sorry to hear what happened fialchar. but be very careful since you have allstate. my mom works for them and they have a tendancy to drop you if you make any claims. so don't be surprised if they do after all is said and done! or jack your rates up so high, they are unbearable!!! good luck, my friend!

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »i doubt anyone would loan their car out to someone they knew was addicted to crack! come on! give the guy a break. hell! i let mavrik take my car all day when he came to visit and that was the first time we'd met... he coulda driven it to canada!maybe I did... all kidding aside he is in a lot of trouble as it is. he should not have asked to drive the car since he knew he did not have insurance... he should not have fled the scene of an accident, he should not have been speeding, he should have called you, and so on and so on.I'd have to really like my friend enough not to charge him with EVERYTHING I could. I'd try and sue, I'd press charges. I hope your insurance will cover theft and push it that way as hard as possible. This bridge... before or past the store he was going to for smokes? Obviously he was joy riding.

What exactly is the definition of "stolen" in this case?As I understand it, he had permission to use the car - I don't really understand how that is legally considered "stolen".Can someone elighten me?

Quote, originally posted by kaybeejay »What exactly is the definition of "stolen" in this case?As I understand it, he had permission to use the car - I don't really understand how that is legally considered "stolen".Can someone elighten me?Its not stolen.. technically its "unauthorized use of a motor vehical". Because he went somewhere other than authorized to go, in this case to the store. But to an insurence company its almost the same. They should cover it, and if you had uninsured motorist you are covered either way. Good Luck

Damn dude. Sorry to hear what happened. I feel ur pain. My car was pretty much totaled, but the dealership said that it was fixable, so the insurance company went along with it and now I got a car that sounds like c*$#. My car actually had $8000 worth of damage. So, I got lucky. But, hope everything goes smoothly with this man. Sorry to hear what happened. Inder Singh

well, just like anything, i would consider this to be stolen. just cause you gave permission to go to the store a small distance and short time, doesn't mean he was given permission to drive it all night or everywhere. if he violated that agreement, it would then be stolen. that's like saying, well he said i could have a couple bucks, but you take $2000 out of his account. that's stealing.

So if it is totalled, what car will you be starting on?

I'm thinking about an earlier gen Eclipse, there's one I was looking at earlier. It's a 91 Mistu Eclipse, J-Spec engine, 20,000 miles on the entire car, 18" Tenzo R rims, body kit, spoiler, 30G turbo kit, AM intercooler, 3" full cat-back system, JDM headers, and a CAI. He's only asking $3000 for it which IMO is pretty low.I'm on my way to the impound station now, I'll bring back pictures if my camera is still in the car's glovebox. Bye for now.

Man, does that suck beyond belief. Hope all works out for you in the end.

If he hands over the keys, it isn't stolen unless it isn't returned and it probably would have been if it was still in one piece. The guys insurance (if he had some) probably wouldn't have covered this as it isn't primary on the vehicle. Anyway, I feel for you, We can't judge your actions without being in your shoes. Your Vibe has been quite the adventure. I hope your next ride has a peaceful exsistance and your ins. co. doesn't nail you.

It all sounds very convenient that his parents said he just moved out a week ago and just started doing crack again a week ago. To your 'friend' who violated your life, in case he is reading this forum, you are a piece of garbage, human filth. Have a nice day.

Sorry to hear about your ride man. That is very sad to hear. I hope all goes well with the insurance company. But the way TRDVIBE was talking you might not be in good hands with Allstate.I hope that guy gets what is coming to him.

Quote, originally posted by goodvibe »If he hands over the keys, it isn't stolen unless it isn't returned and it probably would have been if it was still in one piece. The guys insurance (if he had some) probably wouldn't have covered this as it isn't primary on the vehicle. Anyway, I feel for you, We can't judge your actions without being in your shoes. Your Vibe has been quite the adventure. I hope your next ride has a peaceful exsistance and your ins. co. doesn't nail you.Well he gave permission to drive to the store and get smokes, not drive way past the store, recklessly speed and slam into a truck and then walk off like nothing happened without even a phone call to say "dude... I smashed your car." And then even to not even be home afterwards to be contacted.If I lent my car out to you to go to the corner store for smokes and an hour later you had not come back? I'd call the cops on you also and you'd better be out of the country by the time I found the wrecked Vibe hah...

ha hah a! you gonna chase him down with an ice pick? remember, you canucks don't have guns, so you gotta leave the violence for the hockey ring! ha ha ha!

Trust me, a gun can kill you instantly but speared by a harpoon will hurt for a long time, probably only stop hurting when you eventually die.

just check him hard into the wall! hit him with a hockey stick or something! LOL

You know...if the car frame is bent and the driver had new car replacement on his policy.....then he can refuse the repair as it is unsafe, and should be able to get a new vibe.....or wrx wagon! lol...

oh ya! wrx=227 hp awd baby!!!! but i like that new 05 subie legacy xt... 250 hp awd!

Actually the new subu legacy GT (2005) would be an immediate replacement if my car was a write off

Not sure about your insurance but mine which has a new car replacement doesn't allow me to pick and chose, it will have to be the same or another car of equal value...

If there is any upside to this, it is that he didn't kill anyone. This happened to a friend of mine (let's call my friend Sherry) several years back. She let another friend (let's call this person Kelly)drive her car and this 'friend' ended up stealing the car, buying crack, letting drug dealers use the car to transport drugs (cops found 1-kilo of coke in the car after the crash along with a beeper and a wallet of a known dealer) and then crashing the car into another car. When Kelly crashed the car, going 90+ mph, she killed the other driver and the driver's daughter. The other driver's family sued not only Kelly, but my friend for letting Kelly borrow the car. Even though Kelly stole the car in the end, Sherry and her insurance company, still lost out on the deal because the courts said that Sherry had voluntarily loaned the car out to Kelly. And no, that isn't fair, but our court system is weird, if you ask me.Sherry and her insurance have been tied up in court for a few years fighting this in appeals, and the insurance company says they will fight until they win because Sherry did nothing wrong. If she does lose, her wages will be garnished for the rest of her life, unless the courts reduce the settlement amount (currently set at $20 million in damages). And yes, the insurance company will have to pay out a part of that, but my friend and her ex-friend Kelly will still have some financial part they have to pay.BTW....Kelly is sitting in jail right now for vehicular manslaughter (and some other charges I can't remember right now). She was sentenced to a minimum of 20-years before the possibility of parole, so there is some justice there.So in the end, it could have been worse. But still, reading your explanation brought tears to my eyes and I feel so bad for you, I really do. Like so many others have said here, I would go after this guy as much as you can, teach him a lesson.

I now understand the reason my co-worker keeps 150-300-150 liability insurence on all his cars... (with comp and collition) he told me its so people are less likely to sue your personaly but I never realy understood that untill now... Altough I wonder how that would work in FL were its a NO FAULT state.... I know in LA they were tring to make it that way.. but the insurence company's are trying to block it.... wow that is a totaly ***ed up situation... I hope and pray everything works out for all of you in the end...

Man I am sorry to hear about your Vibe. I can't even imagine why someone would do something like that. I hope everything works out for you. Keep us posted.

Did you get any pics yet?

I went and saw it and it's nasty on the driver's side. I tried to take pics with the camera in the glovebox but I think it was out of batteries. I noticed that a disc brake was laying in the passanger seat snapped in half, the tires were shredded off of the wheels, components of the system were thrown around the car and pieces of them bent, and you can see the ground through the front left quarter panel. My insurance company said they won't pay for a rental now either, because I'm under 21 (Even though my name was on the title as the owner).

Rental companies here have the same rule. must be over 23 here to rent a car even if your 16, own your own and need a rental.disc snapped in half? man... that sounds very bad... how fast was he going again? As horrid as the car sounds, I'd still like to see some pics.

most rental agencies won't rent to under 25 even. but def not 21. this really sucks!

Mavrik....Not sure about your insurance but mine which has a new car replacement doesn't allow me to pick and chose, it will have to be the same or another car of equal value...That is mostly correct .... but you can pay the diffrence to get what car you want. again that is depending on the policy you took....but they will nail you on premiums for the next 6 years and you will be a risk policy....

ok, I just asked an aquantance who is a police officer and this was his reply...Quote »Yeah if you give permission than your outta luck there. In Illinois the theft law has to prove that the offender was trying to permanently deprive you of said property. Now should he wreck it and not tell you and just disappear might be a different story but it would depend on the situation. Your insurance should cover all licensed drivers for full so that should be ok there as well.

Mavrik,Did you tell him he could leave the island to get cigg's?Thats a long drive to buy them, if he was leaving the island. which it sounds like it to me.I was there last month and I never even seen another Vibe.Was your the only one in Pensacola?

It was actually my Vibe, not Mavrik's (Mavrik is from Canada, I believe).There's a few in P-Cola, more Matrix's than Vibes though. There's only one other person who has a modified Vibe that I know of, and he has a modified Matrix as well (Lucky s.o.b. )We were on the fifth beach and he was going to go to the Circle K, a 5-8 minute drive, and he was about 50 feet from the Santa Rosa Limits. He left Pensacola Beach, drove through Gulf Breeze, and was on his way to downtown Pensacola when he wrecked. I'll be going back to the impound station today (Wednesday) so I'll be able to bring back some pictures (Seeing my Vibe like that made me cringe, you'll see what I mean in the pics ) Well, it's nearly 4 a.m. here and I have college today, so I better log off. Night.

I posted this on another board that I frequent (which has a few police officiers commenting)... Here are their responses -- basically most of them agree that since you gave him the car to drive, that it cannot be considered stolen. Instead it is considered "unauthorized use"...Here's a link...http://www.xterraownersclub.co...06835

That's pretty harsh, dude. The same sort of thing happenned to me, except in my case, the guy got messed up on Xanax, decided to go joyriding, told all his friends the car was his for the week, and got in a hit-and-run with my car. That was five years ago. Fortunately the hit-and-run didn't go on my record, but the guy responsible was never charged with anything and I had no choice but to suck it up and pay the higher insurance rates. I am also much more careful of who I let use my car now.The only consolation I have is that I am a little wiser for the experience, and I can look at the guy's life now and say that karma is a *****.

Boy, as a fellow "owner" of a totaled vibe, I sure know what you're feelin' there. My wife and I are both feeling blue over the loss, but we are already looking forward to a new Vibe. Some "friend" he turned out to be! Better luck to you in the future.

I can empathize with you! I was in Winnipeg for a 3 month work term and had my Jeep stolen the first week I was there and wrapped around a telephone post. 3 months of public tranportation was not much fun! As much as we love our cars, you have to remember that its just a car and shouldn't let it get you down for too long. In a few months you'll be sharing this story as one of your life experiences!Keep your chin up!BB

It's at the Bayside Collision center and so far it's been estimated at $15,000 in damage to the Vibe, and they aren't even done yet -.-I'll be going tomorrow to remove my stuff from the car, I'll have some pics then.I found a nice replacement car, however: 99 Acura Integra Type R