brandon Posted May 28, 2007 Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 So......friday night I decide to leave Orillia and head to the camp I worked at in Elk Lake for the weekend to take a few pics of bears....saw 12 of them yesterday....anyways last night I was having a hard time sleeping and new the weather would be bad on sunday so I decided to just drive through the night.....everything was going great....no traffic....no rain....just smooth driving....until I drove into a deer at 110km/hr just south of Gravenhurst at 5am this morning.....and wow thats the first accident I've been in and/or first animal I've ever hit....I hit the deer before I even saw it....the little guy came outta nowhere and I hit it broadside (practicing for hunting season) and i hit it with the centre of my grill. my grill and bumper are in pieces...my radiator is messed up and coolant leaked everywhere (reason the jeep isn't driveable)....and also my right headlight/signal light are shattered....I woulda got some pics but right after this happened it conveniently started pouring rain...lovely...OPP showed up and took a statement for my insurance....ohhhh thats right....my parents convinced me to take collision/comp off my insurance....even better lol....anyways aside from a crazy sore neck I'm fine but who knows what will become of the Jeep.....a few questions come to mind....how much will it cost to fix? is it worth putting money into a 96 with 240 000kms? etc. etc.....well thats my weekend story...oh and I was the 3rd vehicle to strike a deer in 10 mins along that stretch this morning. BE CAREFUL DRIVING OUT THERE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huntervasili Posted May 28, 2007 Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 Well be thankful your ok... you can buy a new vehicle but cant buy new muscles or pay to regain movements... Good Luck with the car BTW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motv8tr Posted May 28, 2007 Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 Glad to hear you're ok Brandon, it could have been a lot worse. Can't help you with your Jeep repair, but honestly wether it's worth fixing or not depends on how much you can afford to spend on a new vehicle VS how much to repair that one. Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted May 28, 2007 Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 Glad you're okay Brandon! I couldn't believe the numbers of deer we saw bounding across or in the median of 69/400 last Thursday in the middle of the afternoon. Bugs are driving them out of the bush I suspect. As for costs...depends what you can get out of the junk yard. As a reference my daughter tagged a Honda CRV from behind with the tire carrier sticking out (which should be outlawed on them!). So the bumpers didn't hit...that spare took out the grill, lights, right fender and hood of the '98 Sierra. $4600 and no radiator in that price. Sounds like you need grill, bumper cover?, a radiator and some light sockets. Rads gonna cost you about $300 for a new one or a rad repair shop can probably recore it for less than 1/2 that. Should be able to get a grill and bumper at the local wreckers for a couple hundred bucks. Hopefully you light assemblies are seperate units and easy to obtain and change out..unlike a '90 Tbird SC that's headlight assembly is ONE piece from side to side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandon Posted May 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 I should also mention my hood latch has a hard time closing so I think something in that area could also be bent. I'll get an estimate tomorrow and see what the damage exactly is. My only worry is that I'll sink all this money into it and then for all I know it will die shortly after. It needs a brake job and some work on the shocks...who knows tho...I've just got the s**t happens mentality goin for now and just goin with the flow. I just hope the other people who hit the deer this morning are alrite too....thankfully the one I tagged was fairly small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted May 28, 2007 Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 Did you at least ask for the deer? Once reported they'll usually let you! Tenderized even.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandon Posted May 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 the officer said I could take it but I rent a single room in Orillia and i have a bar fridge...if I had a freezer and a place to gut/skin/quarter it then I woulda taken it forsure...I let a few guys at the Tims/Esso station I stopped at that I had a deer down and I'm pretty sure one group of guys was going back for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oxcowboy Posted May 28, 2007 Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 (edited) dang brandon if ya were that hell bent on getting a whitetail ya should came down to the farm we got plenty sorry to hear bout the bad luck, but glad you are ok. as for the suv, see what the estimate is on it and go from there. i wouldnt sink a whole lot a money in it, with the price of gas surely you can find a decent deal on a newer model with less miles. i hope everything works out for ya. jason Edited May 28, 2007 by oxcowboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musky66 Posted May 28, 2007 Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 Hit a deer in my '96 Grand Cherokee outside of Peterborough a few years back- dented driver fender, busted the grill and headlight but still drivable. Insurance fixed it after I specified that the deer hit me and not the other way around! I am still driving her with over 267,ooo kms. Motor is the best piece of the vehicle- 5.2 litre with 4 oil changes a year with synthetic oil. Good luck! When doesn't a Jeep need a brake job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hydro Posted May 28, 2007 Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 Hit a deer in my '96 Grand Cherokee outside of Peterborough a few years back- dented driver fender, busted the grill and headlight but still drivable. Insurance fixed it after I specified that the deer hit me and not the other way around! I am still driving her with over 267,ooo kms. Motor is the best piece of the vehicle- 5.2 litre with 4 oil changes a year with synthetic oil. Good luck!When doesn't a Jeep need a brake job! Nice report, wheres the pics??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfish Posted May 28, 2007 Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 Dude that sucks man. You should of called ,I would of came up and got the meat,as I just finished the last roast last night. Glad yer ok though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandon Posted May 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 well.... $3256.07 to fix.......NOT happening....I'm going to see what I can get for it and for now my parents are fronting me some cash to buy a honda civic or something along those lines.....anyways.....don't hit deer lol......its expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Posted May 28, 2007 Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 Wow Brandon, glad you are okay. Did you get a second estimate, that damage doesn't look that bad. I would get a second opinion estimate. Joey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandon Posted May 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 its bad enough that the whole front frame is dented in. the hood barely closes now and the one pic you can see that the bumper is bent about 4" back from where it should be. plus the A/C rad and the engine rad are both toast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfish Posted May 28, 2007 Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 Thats a nuts price dude. You bend that sheet metal and bumper out yourself,I,ll bet yer under a g note to fix it yerself. Dont look all that bad. Civic you say,guess then you can go UNDER them deer.LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandon Posted May 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 lol see I prob could do it myself but since I rent just a room I have no tools or space to work on it....a civic will be cheaper on gas anyways tho lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeonfisher Posted May 28, 2007 Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 I say put in a new rad and take a hammer to the rest of it...do it with a case of beer and you won't get as frustrated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douG Posted May 28, 2007 Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 Brandon, take a look at Mazda3. Much more car than Civic, especially if you get the GT. I just did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandon Posted May 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 thanks for the suggestion Doug. Actually the Orillia Mazda place is first on my list of places to check out. I'm going to be looking for something under 3000$ though just for now. Who knows what I'll end up with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douG Posted May 28, 2007 Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 You can save yourself some time by doing the Autotrader.ca thingy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandon Posted May 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 waaay ahead of ya lol.....but I know I want something from a dealer thats been inspected. Never been all that trusting when it comes to private sales Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallyboss Posted May 29, 2007 Report Share Posted May 29, 2007 Just get a rad from the wreck yard and a light unit. The rest will give it a rustic look. I can't believe the guy want over 3 g's???? Did you tell him that you didn't want a 2007 frontend, So what if you have to slam the hood to get it closed!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motorhead Posted May 29, 2007 Report Share Posted May 29, 2007 I`d fix the rad and drive it.... you hit a deer small or not with a civic and there will be alot more than just a few sore muscles... glad your OK... too bad you couldn`t keep it.... Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnsled Posted May 29, 2007 Report Share Posted May 29, 2007 Certainly glad to see that you are alright. As for the Jeep, a trip to the wreckers for a few parts, a new rad and some red/green special adhesive and your good to go. Been there, done that! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loonietoon Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 Brandon it's a Jeep you can't kill it... Like everyone said.. fix the rad another light and you are set to go... give the truck some carictur (spelling).. Jeep Tough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now