"Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious" (shour)
02/18/2016 at 00:58 • Filed to: None
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"Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious" (shour)
02/18/2016 at 00:58 • Filed to: None | 14
| 16 |
Tomorrow, a tow truck will come to my house to take away The Other Woman.
In the spring of 2013, I visited my local title and registration office with a freshly opened envelope in hand. “My car is paid off, and the bank has released the title to me. I bought the car in Arizona, and now that it’s mine and not the bank’s, do I need to get a new title issued in Texas?”
“Does that title have your name on it?”
“Yeah.”
“¯\_()_/¯”
(Yes, that’s the response I got.)
Why pay more money, I thought? I’ve already given Texas my stupid yearly vehicle tax, and if the office says, “¯\_()_/¯,” well, then who am I to argue?
——————-
In 2008, I was beginning to get frustrated with the mounting costs of maintaining my running (and fun) 1993 MX-6. I had room in my budget to finance a car, and I resolved to make a purchase in early 2009. My criteria was, in priority order: Reliable, rear-wheel drive, fuel efficient. In researching these options, I discovered that Miata is always the answer. Oh sure, there was also the MR-2 and the S2000. American pony cars and boats didn’t meet the last criteria. But the Miata was especially easily justified, seeing as how I didn’t have children, and if I ever needed to move more people or stuff, my then-girlfriend had a sedan, and her dad had a Silverado. My colleague had a Ridgeline. If there was a time to get a roadster, it was now.
Throughout the second half of ‘08, I occasionally browsed Ebay Autos, Auto Trader, and Cars.com to just see what the market was like for used Miatas. As I mentioned before, the plan was to buy in ‘09. But in November of ‘08, I found the perfect car: a garage kept ‘02 Special Edition in Titanium over brown leather. (I wanted silver or grey.) It had just over 28k miles, was in Phoenix (a scant five hours away), and the dealer wanted $14,900 firm. I had to have it. So, that weekend, I picked up my friend in Las Cruces, drove to Phoenix, and bought it.
On the day I bought her, in Phoenix.
Prior to the Miata, all my cars had been hand me downs. This was the first purchase that I was making, all on my own. And I loved (and still love) this car. My then-girlfriend once snidely remarked, “I think you love this car more than me.” So, as a rebuttal to her comment, instead of referring to the Miata as Shourmobile v4.0, as tradition would dictate, I called it The Other Woman.
She outlasted that girlfriend. Although, to be fair, that girlfriend dumped ME. ¯\_()_/¯
In the summer of 2010, a middle-of-the-night hailstorm peppered The Other Woman with marble-sized ice. Insurance handled the repairs, minus the $500 deductible.
In the spring of 2011, I was cruising on TX-29, between Burnet and Liberty Hill, north of Austin, headed to see the aforementioned then-girlfriend. Came over a crest to find a deer, which I couldn’t avoid (without driving into an oncoming car). Insurance handled the repairs, minus the $500 deductible.
In the summer of 2012, the cracks and splits in the factory soft-top were fully leaking, so I had the top replaced. That aftermarket top never did open or close as easily as the factory top, but it got the job done.
February 2015, I fail to see a NASTY pothole, and drive through it with the passenger side. I render not only both tires unusable, but also manage to slightly crack the factory aluminum SE wheels. Four new aftermarket wheels was cheaper than buying two factory replacements.
Then, the freak November hailstorm.
The aluminum hood, the decklid, the tops of all four sexy-as-hell-coke-bottle fenders, massively dented. Cuts and rips in the soft-top where the hail clobbered it on the metal under-frame. At 158,000 miles, insurance declared it a total loss. I took the remainder of the payoff, and bought the Lexus LS400: Shourmobile v5.0.
I love this Miata, and bought it back from the insurance company, with the intention of slowly, over time, restoring her. Redo the bodywork, new soft-top, plus new struts were in order, and new seats, since the leather was coming apart. The truth is...it would have likely cost a small fortune. Since the weather has been insanely cold, I hadn’t driven The Other Woman since the first week of January, instead, favoring the heated seats in the Lexus every morning on the drive to work. Spring would arrive eventually. You know those grey-haired guys who have that 40-year old Cougar or Chevelle that still looks and runs great, and it turns out that they’ve actually owned that car and kept it on the road for most, if not all, of those years? I wanted to be that guy, and I wanted The Other Woman to be that car.
——————
February 9, 2016
“We’ve run into an issue, and we can’t close your claim. Your car is titled in Arizona.”
“Okay.”
“We were operating under the assumption that your car is titled in Texas. As we discussed when processing and paying out your initial claim, hail damage does not constitute a salvage title in Texas when the car is totaled.”
“I’m guessing that in Arizona, it does?”
“A total loss declared due to hail does indeed require a conversion to a salvage title.”
“Okay, so, what do I need to do.”
“Well, there’s more. Texas law forbids the operation of cars that are salvaged-titled from out of state by its residents.”
Long pause...deep sigh. “So...what does this mean, then?”
“We have to take the car back. You can’t own it or operate it. Let me reiterate that this is not OUR policy, this is Texas regulations forcing us to do this. You can’t even drive it to us; we have to send a tower to pick it up. And all we are allowed to do is sell it for parts. I’m really sorry.”
Yesterday, I handed over the title and signed the power of attorney. My insurer handed me a check for the amount that I had paid to keep the car. (Really, they had just deducted it from the payoff.) Today, I cleaned out all my belongings, and despite no longer owning the car, I decided to take her for one last spin. It was a beautiful day today, perfect for one last topless sprint.
As if she knew what fate had resigned us to, her starter refused to budge. The battery, having been frozen and thawed over six weeks, and not charged due to use, only provided only a few light clicks as I turned the key. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “Let me go. I’m ready.”
I like to think that one day down the line, I’m going to buy another one. But it won’t quite be the same as this one. And that’s okay. But, in my opinion, she is going to die an undignified death...an unnecessary one. That, to me, is the real tragedy. I can only hope that her engine, her wheels, and whatever other parts people will buy, will find new life in reviving some gearhead’s garage project. Still, disappointing.
So why tell you guys this stuff? Because you’re Oppo. You’re Jalop. You understand. And, also, so that we all learn.
1. Thoroughly research your state’s laws concerning titles. Never believe a clerk that says, “¯\_()_/¯.”
2. Also, I hate Texas.
RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
02/18/2016 at 01:06 |
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Don’t think I’ve ever seen hail bigger than rice grains. Can’t imagine ...
daender
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
02/18/2016 at 01:10 |
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Fuck that! If they’re parting it, then take some parts for yourself and keep or sell them!
Does Arizona care if it’s missing the latches to the soft top, the interior door panels, taillights, headlights, speakers, tweeters, radio, etc?
I would have sold that 3.9 LSD for a few hundred plus a trade for a 4.3 open diff!
/Ender-rage has been activated; no reason to let them take your Miata like that. Might as well try to get every dollar out of it as possible.
Hellcat Everything
> RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire
02/18/2016 at 01:18 |
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I can. Golf ball sized, fell for two minutes according to my neighbor, destroyed my house’s roof and all the windows. My car was spared from this because for no particular reason, that day I chose to take I-10 home instead my usual highway and got stuck in traffic for twenty minutes. Missed the storm by about five minutes.
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daender
> daender
02/18/2016 at 01:23 |
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Can you postpone that tow? Message any Miata boards or Facebook groups, you can part (or at least swap out parts for less valuable parts for cash) that thing fast to the right guys!
AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
02/18/2016 at 01:24 |
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As if she knew what fate had resigned us to, her starter refused to budge. The battery, having been frozen and thawed over six weeks, and not charged due to use, only provided only a few light clicks as I turned the key. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “Let me go. I’m ready.”
That part. That’s what it means to be a Jalop/Oppo/car person. When one forms an emotional and memorable bond with their car.
Sorry that it had to end like this. Hopefully there’s another car like this in the future for you.
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Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
> daender
02/18/2016 at 01:27 |
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No, the insurance company said that state regulations required that they buy the car back from me. They weren’t supposed to let me buy it back from them to begin with. Very, very frustrating.
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Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
> RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire
02/18/2016 at 01:31 |
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Probably the best photo I have to give you perspective on the size of the hail, right after the storm let up. (The video was me driving through it in the Ranger. It let up just as I got home.)
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daender
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
02/18/2016 at 01:33 |
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Ugh, that absolutely stinks.
CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
02/18/2016 at 02:09 |
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I’m sorry. I hope you can find a suitable emotional replacement..
TheD0k_2many toys 2little time
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
02/18/2016 at 02:47 |
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Dang insurance! If i would have known sooner i might have bought parts off it
64Mali
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
02/18/2016 at 08:07 |
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As a Mazda person I am sad to see a Miata go, but it served you well.
yitznewton
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
02/18/2016 at 08:22 |
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The suck is supremely strong in this story. Savor the memories! And good luck in your Miata future.
Meatcoma
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
02/18/2016 at 08:26 |
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Ah hail.. so much fun. Here’s the highlights from mine. Pass side got it the worst. 6k worth of paintless hail dmg repair. I’m so sorry for your loss.
V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me!
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
02/18/2016 at 09:05 |
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“We have to take the car back. You can’t own it or operate it. Let me reiterate that this is not OUR policy, this is Texas regulations forcing us to do this. You can’t even drive it to us; we have to send a tower to pick it up. And all we are allowed to do is sell it for parts. I’m really sorry.
You’re not allowed to own your stuff that you paid for.......
MonkeePuzzle
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
02/18/2016 at 10:06 |
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“We have to take the car back. You can’t own it or operate it. Let me reiterate that this is not OUR policy, this is Texas regulations forcing us to do this. You can’t even drive it to us; we have to send a tower to pick it up. And all we are allowed to do is sell it for parts. I’m really sorry.”
DAMN! thanks for sharing, you’ve come to the right place. I fully plan to keep my civic even if its totaled. In fact, my wife is tired of me reminding her it gets towed to no where but our garage in the event of an accident when she borrows it. I sure as hell hope insurance will let me buy it back! I sure hell will never get the true value of the car from the insurance company, and it’s parts would find a happy new home on another shell.
Sorry your case didn’t work out. Here’s hoping it’s for the best, replacing all that damaged body work would have been a nightmare!
Frenchlicker
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
02/18/2016 at 10:38 |
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The emotional connections that can be created with a car is ridiculous. The first ever car I bought with my own money was a pos 1998 Ford Taurus. I spent a ton of time wrenching on that car and driving. I broke down a little bit when it was towed away after its engine blew up.