Guess what I did

[§carlet §wordfish]

I wasn't even on the road!

I was backing the Sunfire out of the driveway, the HHR was to my left and the van was behind me. I was concentrating on not stalling (because I do that too much) and cut left too soon and my left front fender ran into the HHR's rear bumper.

So the HHR's bumper only has some scuffs but my Sunny's fender is all caved in.

Do I know how to start the year off with a bang or what!

[A Horse With No Name]

What makes it worse is that yuou were probably still sober at the time.

Chris

[daves87rs]

What makes it worse is that yuou were probably still sober at the time.

Chris

Yep.

Well, at least SS was okay....

[ocnblu]

It happens a lot, ppl hitting other family members' cars in their own driveways. Someone, for some odd reason best attributed to "fate", will park in a different spot, or some other event out of routine will cause just such a sucky little crash. Mr. Swordfish, let us know how this episode evolves and resolves.

[§carlet §wordfish]

Yes I was sober, I was on my way to the church lock-in which was really the worst part of the evening/morning (middle school girls are mean-spirited people.) And I'd been executing the same manouver fine for the past two weeks. Maybe I turned on the radio too soon.

My folks were very understanding (my mom always like to tell of her misadventures in her parents' old Chrysler). The HHR looks perfectly fine. My front fender is pushed pretty far in but looks like it should pop right back out. The car still drives fine. It's really not that bad in the scheme of things.

I'll take pictures of my handiwork later.

[A Horse With No Name]

As the father of a twelve year old girl....yes middle school females can be mean.

Sixty-six

[knightfan26917]

Do I know how to start the year off with a bang or what!

Pun intended???

What you experienced are the most frustrating collisions, imho, given all of the circumstances and being in the driveway, not on the road.....

Cort | 35swm | "Mr Monte Carlo"."Mr Road Trip" | pig valve.pacemaker ...RT 66 drive = Sept '09

WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"I see something that I don't like" ... Sheryl Crow ... 'Real Gone'

[Intrepidation]

Sorry to hear about it but at least it wasn't serious and at least it was a family member!

Our driveway is on a hill, and with 2 big cars and Prizm parked next to each other, it can be tricky/scary when it's covered in snow or ice, especially backing them out. I've had one of the cars slide towards the other more than once, and only just missed grazing them.

[toesuf94]

Don't feel too bad...my dad TOTALED my sister's Mustang II in our Driveway. He was backing out, and she pulled in. The hood STOPPED in a tee-pee shape at the base of her winshield. She was so freaked out, she threw it in reverse, drug it out from under dad's truck, and took off NASCAR style down the road, driving out her side window with the steam billowing out of the radiator, smoke from the tires...it was classic!

The best part, our insurance agent at the time literally THREW the check at my dad with a big smile on his face and threw his hands up screaming: " I DON'T EVEN WANT TO KNOW HOW THIS HAPPENED IN YOUR DRIVEWAY!" and walked out, never to be mentioned again.

[daves87rs]

Don't feel too bad...my dad TOTALED my sister's Mustang II in our Driveway. He was backing out, and she pulled in. The hood STOPPED in a tee-pee shape at the base of her winshield. She was so freaked out, she threw it in reverse, drug it out from under dad's truck, and took off NASCAR style down the road, driving out her side window with the steam billowing out of the radiator, smoke from the tires...it was classic!

The best part, our insurance agent at the time literally THREW the check at my dad with a big smile on his face and threw his hands up screaming: " I DON'T EVEN WANT TO KNOW HOW THIS HAPPENED IN YOUR DRIVEWAY!" and walked out, never to be mentioned again.

[Robert Hall]

Back in the '70s, my folks house in Steubenville, Oh had a narrow driveway cut into the front yard with stone walls on each side (was probably 8 ft deep by the garage door) leading downhill into the 1 car garage (the drive was long enough for 2 cars). My sister, learning to drive, backed my Dad's '69 Mustang out of the garage, out of the driveway to the street, and managed to strike the left side several points along the way...the rear bumper corner, the door handle, the mirror ripped off, the left front fender arch, the front bumper ripped off, various other scratches. I don't think my Dad ever let her park in the driveway again. My Mom was always bottoming out the Continental on that driveway, dragging the rear bumper bottom. When you backed out the driveway, you couldn't see the street because the rear of the car was up in the air..

And of course, being Ohio, the driveway got icy in the winter... my Mom once couldn't stop on the ice and drove the Continental through the closed garage door...

Edited January 5, 2009 by moltar

[Sixty8panther]

Wow.... that sux, sorry to hear that.

I did some minor "damage" to my new FREE winter whip.

But that does not count since it was intentional...basically

I drove into/through/over several snowbanks, some

hardened into rock-hard ice-walls, so as to destroy and

rid myself of the lower air dam (wind baffle) under my

'Burban's bumper, thereby improving my angle of attack

when climbing steep grades.

Here's a typical parking job of mine as of late ---

[toesuf94]

Back in the '70s, my folks house in Steubenville, Oh had a narrow driveway cut into the front yard with stone walls on each side (was probably 8 ft deep by the garage door) leading downhill into the 1 car garage (the drive was long enough for 2 cars). My sister, learning to drive, backed my Dad's '69 Mustang out of the garage, out of the driveway to the street, and managed to strike the left side several points along the way...the rear bumper corner, the door handle, the mirror ripped off, the left front fender arch, the front bumper ripped off, various other scratches. I don't think my Dad ever let her park in the driveway again. My Mom was always bottoming out the Continental on that driveway, dragging the rear bumper bottom. When you backed out the driveway, you couldn't see the street because the rear of the car was up in the air..

And of course, being Ohio, the driveway got icy in the winter... my Mom once couldn't stop on the ice and drove the Continental through the closed garage door...

Your dad must have skipped the part of the driving lesson with your sister that teaches us that sparks and falling parts means STOP! Oh, I bet this still comes up from time to time at family get togethers!

My sister, on her first time out with my mom and I in the car (1974 Ford Country Squire wagon!) Yells to us as we are leaving a stop sign "There's Janey So-and-So's house!" and, as she is pointing, proceeds to drive up over the curb, over a stop sign, and directly at Janey So-and-So's house's front door, four barrel carb sucking in vast quantities of atmosphere and gas as we continued to pick up speed. My mom reached accross my sister and spun the wheel HARD - avoiding So-and-so's house by about 10 feet and taking off down the sidewalk, launching us off the curb and back down on the street. Through the whole thing, my sister never once lifted off the gas! I remember getting flung back by the torque of the 360 into that naugahyde back seat and sliding into the right door and being pinned there for what seemed like an eternity. The whole event resulted in one twisted stop sign, a turfed lawn at Janey So-and-so's house, two scared occupants in the wagon, and a green scrape on the bumper of the car!

[Robert Hall]

Your dad must have skipped the part of the driving lesson with your sister that teaches us that sparks and falling parts means STOP! Oh, I bet this still comes up from time to time at family get togethers!

My sister, on her first time out with my mom and I in the car (1974 Ford Country Squire wagon!) Yells to us as we are leaving a stop sign "There's Janey So-and-So's house!" and, as she is pointing, proceeds to drive up over the curb, over a stop sign, and directly at Janey So-and-So's house's front door, four barrel carb sucking in vast quantities of atmosphere and gas as we continued to pick up speed. My mom reached accross my sister and spun the wheel HARD - avoiding So-and-so's house by about 10 feet and taking off down the sidewalk, launching us off the curb and back down on the street. Through the whole thing, my sister never once lifted off the gas! I remember getting flung back by the torque of the 360 into that naugahyde back seat and sliding into the right door and being pinned there for what seemed like an eternity. The whole event resulted in one twisted stop sign, a turfed lawn at Janey So-and-so's house, two scared occupants in the wagon, and a green scrape on the bumper of the car!

Fun... what is funny is my Dad was a driving instructor then on the side---besides being the school district's superintendent, he was the driving instructor also.

I think my sister flunked her driving test at least 2-3 times--she had a horrible time with parallel parking...then again, a '69 Mustang fastback or a '76 Continental aren't exactly the easiest cars to park, esp . the Mustang w/ it's blind spots. Both the right side trim rings on the Mustangs' wheels had curb dents (this is the same car my Dad and I restored about 10 years later). After she got her license, my Dad bought her a new '76 Pinto Runabout for her HS graduation. She didn't learn to drive a manual until her late '20s, until she bought an '85 Nissan 300ZX w/ a stick...then had 3 manuals in a row--a '90 300ZX turbo and a '93 Saab 900 turbo.

My learning to drive experience went pretty smoothly...I mastered parallel parking out on the farm using sand-filled milk jugs with PVC pipes sticking out of them placed on 4 corners like a box. I did most of my learning to drive in an '84 Ford Escort 4dr hatchback, diesel w/ a manual. Great steering, very easy car to position. In contrast, I did a lot of my road driving learning in my Dad's '85 Lincoln Town Car (big, cushy, easy, but w/ huge blind spots) and his '79 Dodge Power Wagon 4x4 shortbed pickup, which had horrible steering w/ no on-center feel and would stall on left turns (hence my phobia of left turns without an arrow).

Edited January 5, 2009 by moltar

[Sixty8panther]

Toesuf94:

That story is priceless! :

----

Wow that photo is blurry.... here's one w/ the flash:

Edited January 5, 2009 by Sixty8panther

[Robert Hall]

Toesuf94:

That story is priceless! :

Heh-heh..I used to goofy-park like that with my Bronco II. It was really good in snow. I remember parking like that sometimes on piled up snow in lots at the U of Michigan in the winter.

Edited January 5, 2009 by moltar

[Lamar]

Wow that photo is blurry.... here's one w/ the flash:

Hey, I did that once in college with the Pathfinder. I'm just surprised it didn't slide back off since the snow was turning to ice.

[Intrepidation]

Sixty8, awesome. When I eventually buy a Jeep I'm going to do that every time I need to part in the winter.

[ocnblu]

Sixty8: I tried to park a couple of times like that in my '81 Grand Prix. Young and dumb and full of... uh, baloney I was.

[toesuf94]

I will say that I am not just making fun of my sister, as I have had my times behind the wheel, not so damaging as my sister's antics, but still not perfect by any means.

And Sixty8...how can you do that to that fine 'burban? I mean, there should be videos, action shots, and my all time favorite: "Hey y'all- watch this!" - moments that end in more distruction then intended, and hopefully caught on tape.

Something LIKE THIS:

[daves87rs]

Toesuf94:

That story is priceless! :

----

Wow that photo is blurry.... here's one w/ the flash:

Looks like fun..though I'd fall out of the truck and about kill myself...