My car, my car!

[mandragora]

So, I'm sitting at home working on some legal stuff this afternoon. When I hear this tremendous sound through the open living room windows. I run to the window and I see my car (my precious baby) which had been nicely parked a couple of doors down from my house - it's London, we mostly don't do garages, as there's not often the room.

My car was now skewed against the side of the road and forced back against the car that was parked behind it.



And beside him was a rather shaken and pale man, who was already apologising profusely as he leapt out of his BMW. He was reversing up the road (it's blocked off at the end and is very narrow so you can only get one car down it at a time), and because of the rain his windows were so steamed up that he couldn't see properly where he was going. I know, I know. Why didn't he open the windows to clear them...?

I moved my (beloved) car forward to inspect the damage. There are chunks gouged out of the back and the car that mine was foced against has a broken number plate. The impact point was the passenger side, which is now nicely dented, but only around the wheel rim. So, the car is still driveable, which is good for getting it to the repair shop...

I have all the man's details, he's fully insured, has admitted complete liablity and I have a witness. The £200 excess I have to pay on my policy will be reimbursed by his insurers (eventually, knowing insurers) but there's the pain of the paperwork. Not to mention being without my car whilst it's repaired. Although the weather has broken slightly and it's no longer insanely hot it's still pretty warm and the courtesy car I'll be given in the meantime had better have air conditioning.

But it could have been worse, the car could have been really damaged. As it is, though, it's not going to be cheap.

"Oh," he says, "it's a really nice car, isn't it?"

"Well, it was," I reply. *snerk*

However, I do have one burning question.

What is it about BMW drivers and why are so many of them such bad drivers?

Comments

[beledibabe.livejournal.com]

Ack! Sorry about your car (what a PITA!), but at least you weren't in it at the time.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Good point. Although if I had been I might have had a nice claim for whiplash... *eg*

Thanks for the sympathy!

[elynross.livejournal.com]

Oh, man! I'm glad the eventual outcome won't cost you financially, but poor you, and your poor car! Although, yes, better than it might have been. Sigh.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Aw, many thanks for the sympathetic words. It could have been a lot worse. I mean, who knows how honest the driver might have been if I hadn't happened to be at home?

[lexin.livejournal.com]

Oh, what a nightmare...but as someone said, at least you weren't in it at the time. Not much of a bright side, I know.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Ah well. As I said to the driver, this is what insurance is for, after all.

[zoerayne]

I'm glad it's not too bad, and that you weren't driving at the time. I think, however, that this is getting to be a habit that should probably be broken. *g*

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Tell me about it. Cursed! I'm cursed I tell you.

Mind you, it only seems to happen when it's raining. So, as long as I can avoid rainy days the car will be fine.

Oh, wait...

[filenotch.livejournal.com]

What is it about BMW drivers and why are so many of them such bad drivers?

Er, more money than sense?

I suppose this tops the large dumptruck that drove right into the rear panel of my partner's pick-up. And I'm not telling you or anyone else that I backed my car into the corner of the garage becaue I was trying to avoid the boom sticking out of the back of said truck.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

more money than sense

Most likely. Personally, I've never liked BMWs, and the fact that so many people who drive them are bad drivers only serves to confirm my (really wholly reasonable) prejudices.

And. You did what? Oh, oh, ouch! Although, those rubbish lorries (driven by the bin-men, you know *g*) are huge, so they are difficult to avoid and so you probably didn't have much room...

[filenotch.livejournal.com]

No, I have no excuse. I didn't hit it hard. I was moving very slowly. In fact, I think I made contact without realizing it, and found out with the sproithunk noise of the heavy plastic inverting at the corner.

'Said truck' was the pickup, not the lorry, but in my defense there was an unusual and long piece of boat sticking out of it. I think he would have been more annoyed with me if I'd damaged the boom to the main sail.

And yes, I'm that much of a goof. The cool points I lost with that maneuver.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Yes, but damaging the boom would have been infinitely worse, as you write. Besides, I think you cool can take it. Plenty to go around.

[keletkezes.livejournal.com]

I agree: anyone sensible with that kind of money would obviously get a Merc... ;P

Or a cheaper, more-reliable car and save the rest for a holiday/private jet/interest.

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Your car's nearly as unlucky as that damned Alfa I finally got rid of last year.

HUGS

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks for the hugs. The car definitely seems to be suffering a lack of luck recently. I love the car, though, and just have to hope this will be the last time that some careless bugger drives into it.

[britta54.livejournal.com]

Hugs and soothing pats to you.

I hope all goes smoothly, quickly, and with the least amount of ick while you deal with the resolution.

Maybe this will teach the other driver a lesson.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

The irony is that he'd had a lorry drive into his car just the day before, so he knew exactly how I felt.

I'm not sure how his insurers are going to deal with the claim, because some damage to his car is down to the lorry, which isn't his fault. But there must have been some damage to his car from crashing into mine, which most definitely is his fault. Interesting conundrum for them, I suspect.

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

Oh, MAN! Glad nobody was hurt, obviously, but what a hassle.

As for BMWs, I have a theory about them. The people who buy them are all about the status symbols and less about the actual ability to drive. Possible?

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Most definitely possible.

I suppose my car is a status symbol, as well, but it's a sports car, and they're usually bought by people who actually can drive, at least a little bit.

I've never seen the attraction of BMWs, which strike me as efficient but a bit soulless. If I was going to buy a saloon (thinking of your typical BMW and not the BMW Z3, for example, which as a sports car doesn't tend to attract your typical BMW driver) I would have a Merc or an Audi over a BMW.

[filenotch.livejournal.com]

I could tell you the reason I'd never by a BMW, but when I learned it, I couldn't finish my lunch. Not sure if it's WWII urban legend, or not.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Oh God. Presumably it's worse than the standard 'German industry exploiting Jewish slave labour'?

God. The mind boggles.

[filenotch.livejournal.com]

Yep, although it's unsubstantiated rumor, in that the ever-knowing Internet has no confirmation that comes up with my 'leet Google sk1llz. We all know the Internet is never wrong.

[thermidor.livejournal.com]

Gah! Poor car! Poor you!

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Thanks, hon. The car will recover and so shall my nerves! *g*

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

*hugs you and car*

Poor you! And you love that car! And all the hassle!

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the sympathy. It is a bit of a hassle, but it could be worse. I could have been in the car for a start. *g*

[temaris.livejournal.com]

Oh no! The poor car! *sends much tea and sympathy to both* I'm very glad you weren't in the car, but OMG! No!

I bet that driver feels sick though. Ye gods. I *hate* reversing up your road (as I think we discussed the last time I saw you, by an odd coincidence!).

Would you like to go be piratical if you're around one evening this week, in (admittedly poor and rather belated) consolation? (I am just about catching up with everyone, albeit slowly, mostly by visiting individual LJs!).