Dear Friends of LOD:
As I was reviewing the pictures of my Burgundy 1996 Diamond Anniversary Edition here on the LOD site and as I continued to read about how many of you were enjoying your Mark VIII's, I must confess that I was being tempted to keep this beauty and sell my like-new Tundra, instead.
However, God has a way of guiding our paths sometimes in no uncertain terms. Sadly,on the way home from work this past Friday, 02-02-07, a large chevy pickup with a utility box flew through a red light and slammed my baby to extinction. By the grace of God, I walked away from the wreck virtually unharmed. Make no mistake: this was indeed a miracle, as he was moving easily at 25 mph or better with his large, heavy truck. If he had struck me five feet further back, on my driver's door, I surely would not be sitting here writing this.
His right front bumper pummeled into my left front fender just forward of the left front wheel. I was spun around and brought along his right side where his truck proceeded to rip up my left flank and tear up my left rear quarter. Thankfully, he, too, was unhurt. My gorgeous Mark VIII, however, is another matter. A testimony to how well this car is built is that every system not directly smashed, INCLUDING the CD changer, still works! However, I was hit with such force the radiator support was shifted about eight inches to the right, so much so that the upper radiator hose popped off the nipple because it wouldn't stretch far enough. My brand new Bosch Battery (1-week old!) was cracked open when it was pushed up against the engine. The left tie rod is now V-shaped, instead of straight (yet the wheel is not visibly bent!).
Having been an auto wrecker worker in my younger days, I am sorely tempted to keep this treasure trove of parts in my backyard for freshening out a possible future Mark VIII. However, my wife and budget will not permit this luxury. Moreover, I am still waiting to hear from the other fellow's insurance company. It should be a total, totally paid by his insurance company. We'll see.
Thank you for letting me participate on this great website. Rest assured, I'll be watching ya'll in the days to come.
As I was reviewing the pictures of my Burgundy 1996 Diamond Anniversary Edition here on the LOD site and as I continued to read about how many of you were enjoying your Mark VIII's, I must confess that I was being tempted to keep this beauty and sell my like-new Tundra, instead.
However, God has a way of guiding our paths sometimes in no uncertain terms. Sadly,on the way home from work this past Friday, 02-02-07, a large chevy pickup with a utility box flew through a red light and slammed my baby to extinction. By the grace of God, I walked away from the wreck virtually unharmed. Make no mistake: this was indeed a miracle, as he was moving easily at 25 mph or better with his large, heavy truck. If he had struck me five feet further back, on my driver's door, I surely would not be sitting here writing this.
His right front bumper pummeled into my left front fender just forward of the left front wheel. I was spun around and brought along his right side where his truck proceeded to rip up my left flank and tear up my left rear quarter. Thankfully, he, too, was unhurt. My gorgeous Mark VIII, however, is another matter. A testimony to how well this car is built is that every system not directly smashed, INCLUDING the CD changer, still works! However, I was hit with such force the radiator support was shifted about eight inches to the right, so much so that the upper radiator hose popped off the nipple because it wouldn't stretch far enough. My brand new Bosch Battery (1-week old!) was cracked open when it was pushed up against the engine. The left tie rod is now V-shaped, instead of straight (yet the wheel is not visibly bent!).
Having been an auto wrecker worker in my younger days, I am sorely tempted to keep this treasure trove of parts in my backyard for freshening out a possible future Mark VIII. However, my wife and budget will not permit this luxury. Moreover, I am still waiting to hear from the other fellow's insurance company. It should be a total, totally paid by his insurance company. We'll see.
Thank you for letting me participate on this great website. Rest assured, I'll be watching ya'll in the days to come.
