Hi,
This is a question to which only you can answer. I'll elaborate.
If you have no collision insurance, and no "stated value" for the car,
it'll be up to you to pay for the repairs. And even if you do have
collision insurance - there's no guarantee that the insurance company
will agree with what you think the value of the car to be.
The key is: have you had the vehicle appraised - prior to this encounter
of the tree kind? If not - you need to show the insurance company a lot
of documentation as to the value of the car. Also, with the damage being
100% at fault (presuming that your weren't forced into the tree), perhaps
there are issues with the insurance coverage...
Bottom line: it can cost _a lot_ to repair major front end body damage on
a TR6.
By way of example, a friend and his wife were driving thier pristine TR6
(a 74 rust-free example) along a nice country road last spring when
another car ran a stop sign and presented itself in broadside fashion to
my friend. Unable to stop instantly, said TR6 drilled the other vehcile.
Estimated impact speed??? Maybe 15 mph.
Anyway, the front fenders were toast, the inner fenders were toast, the
front valence was toast the grill, radiator, and other stuff up front
were all bent and there was collateral frame damage.
So far, the repair bill (by was of anecdotal reference) is over 9k in
labor/parts and the car still needs to be painted. Figure another $2k for
a paint job, min.
So - is tour car worth $10k to you??
That's your answer.
On the other hand, these cars are pretty easy to work on - so it might be
possible to resurrect this machine given lots of time and money. But if
there's frame damage, you'll need to resort to professionals to fix that,
and you'll only save money if your time is worth very little (and I would
be the last person to presume anyone's time is worth no value) with
regard to all the cutting/welding and other body work is required. Body
work is _very_ labor intensive - especially when done right. And that's
why it'll cost so much to fix
As regards to lap belts - I wholeheartedly agree with you. However, in
open top cars - please use interia reel type belts... if you go upside
down, you sort of need these. Yes, same friend tested the rollover
capability of his TR6 a few years back...
good luck with your decision!
rml
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