Our second Isuzu is totaled, looking for #3

A couple of weeks ago I took Swordy to go pick up our VX at the local Isuzu dealer (cd player again, light gaskets, and a window regulator). I was driving our 91' Amigo with the top off. To get home I got on the freeway which in So Cal was as usual STOPPED. I stopped with the rest of the crowd, but the Honda behind me didn't. The guy hit me going 50+, never even slowing down. I was pushed into the mini van in front of me and she was pushed into a F-350 truck that didn't move much. All of the vehicles were able to limp to the side of the road except me. I grabbed my cb, and called Swordy. (He'd missed a light behind me and was stopped because of the crash in front of him he couldn't see.) A night in shinning armor came to protect me in the form of a big rig truck. I was stuck in the 2nd lane to the right of a 4 lane freeway and unable to move. The truck came up behind me and blocked all vehicles from hitting me again. It also blocked the next lane over so Swordy was able to come around, put a tow rope on my truck and pull me to safty. The VX saved the day again. My Amigo was the unlucky one. The insurance totaled it out. Swordy had done MAJOR Swordyizing with our Amigo. The Honda that hit me scratched up the steel Swordy bumper he had put on only a week earlier. Overall damage was 3 totaled vehicles. Amazingly no one was seriously hurt. I can tell you Isuzu installs some very good seatbelts. I was black and blue for a week.
We are now looking for Isuzu #3. Another VX would be awesome, but the budget just wont handle it. We were able to take off the back bumper, soft top, cb, custom skid plates, and more in hopes we can find another Amigo. This Amigo was a ebay find from Ohio. Next one needs to be from a south western state that doesn't salt their roads (valuable lesson). I've tried ebay, cars.com, recycler.com, and autotrader.com. Anyone know of any other means? We would love to have another vehicle by Moab, and have boxes ready to attack it once it's ours. Any online help that you know of?

Driving an old 73' Z28 Camaro, and feeling like I have to crawl over bumps is getting old. (Two of us can't drive the VX at a time.)

Deby

WOW Deby,
So glad you are safe, if brused. Say hi to Andy.
Good luck on you hunt for the next one.
Roy

Sorry about your accident. Glad you didn't get hurt. I think you mentioned it was in LA. I was living in Venice last summer and I saw the Martin Cadillac/Isuzu dealer had a couple new ones and I saw on vmag forum some being offered for sale from Andy454 who works for Isuzu and a few others as well. Good luck with the bruises and getting a new rig-

hey Deby...

Sorry to hear about your accident. I'm glad that you made it out with only bruises.

I, too, had a bad rear end accident on the fwy about 15 years ago. I was coming to a slow (about 15 mph) on a long exit lane and some guy, not paying attention to what's in front of him, slams into me going around 65+. I was driving a company station wagon at the time. But, during impact, I swear, it felt like time slowed down. It's funny, because a few seconds before impact, I heard a tire screech and thought, "oh man, someone's going to get hit. And boom! Upon impact my seat back support broke and collapsed backwards flat and I felt my body going through the motions. Glass from the rear window shattered on top of me and my legs kicked up under the dash.

I came out with bruises to my leg and a pulled arm muscle. However, a few days later, my back and neck started to ache and I was instructed to go to a chiropractor to get checked out. Turns out, I ended up seeing him for about 4-5 months.

Point to all this is I suggest getting checked out by a chiropractor or equivalent (if you haven't already) as traumatic accident effects start to appear on the body a few hours or days later.

Glad to hear the Isuzu protected you to the end. Good luck on your quest for another replacement.

Thanks you guys.
Roy... I let Swordy know you said hi. He wants to know if you're going to Moab.

Dylan... thanks, but an older one is all the budget can work with these days.

Ron... I saw this guy in the rear view mirror. I knew he wasn't going to stop. I did the exact thing everyone says not to do. I tensed every bone in my body, held on for dear life, and pushed my foot on the brake praying he wouldn't push me into the car in front of me. The next day I didn't have a muscle that wasn't sore. OMGolly did I hurt. I had bruises in places I couldn't understand. My arms felt like I carried the world in them for at least a week. My legs wouldn't let me walk up stairs. I had a bad back from a previous accident 20 years ago, so I knew I needed that checked out. I'm ok, and the bruises are all gone now.

I can tell you all I drive differently now. There isn't a signal I sit at without looking in the mirror to see if the guy behind me stops. I also seem to stop at least 2 cars length behind the car in front of me. My kids are finding it amusing that I talk to the drivers in other cars too......"please don't hit me, please don't hit me"

Footnote: CHP report came out today. The guy that hit me... he left the scene before the CHP got there. The lady in the mini van got his lic plate number. I'm sure anyone could have followed him home... follow the dripping fluids. Get this.... the owner of the vehicle says it is his car, but he wasn't driving it. AMAGINE THAT?

I can tell you where another amigo is sitting for sale in Ohio. Don't know what year, mileage, etc. I'll scribble the phone # down today, as I drive by it on my way to work. It looks to be in pretty good shape, but it's kind of an odd color of green. Don't know if it's a factory color or not.

Hitnrun I appreciate that, however, we decided not to get an older vehicle in the snowy areas. Swordy and are from California (born and raised). Neither one of us knew exactly what people were talking about when they said, "rust". None of our vehicles had ever had a speck of it...... til our last Amigo. We bought it sight unseen off of ebay. Swordy spent days getting the rust off the front bumper, and welding new steel into it. You shoulda seen what he had to do to the back frame to keep a new bumper on it. I was afraid to look back in the freeway where I got hit for fear I'd see a pile of rust. The next time we are going to buy a south western or Florida car. Really, nothing bad about Ohio, but us poor innocent people that buy your old cars are shocked into reality. Please do not take this as an insult, it wasn't meant as one.

Thanks for the thought,

Deby

Sorry to hear the bad news, I hope they fry the guy who hit & ran. California is the #1 state in the nation for hit and runs.
I hope we are still caravan-ing to Moab together and you are healed well with no permanent injuries?