That time my buddy totaled his car with a bicycle
You read that right. An associate of mine was over the moon for his Subaru WRX STI. That is, until he turned it into a write-off with a bicycle and some poor timing. It turns out that in a game of “STI, bicycle, overhang,” the Subaru doesn’t come out on top. Instead, he ends up with a totaled car and a story.
Pay close attention to those low entrance warnings in parking garages; my classmate totaled his car passing under one
“It’s totaled. It’s totaled.” I can still hear my fellow student lamenting the almost certainly terminal damage to his GR Subaru WRX STI hatchback. It was late, we were tired, and this was just the last thing he needed.
You see, earlier that day, he was riding his bicycle not far from downtown Austin, Texas. After his ride, he loaded his bicycle up on a roof rack, the bike upright in its mounts. We met for a project and then went for a drive in his beloved GR WRX STI, the bicycle still on the roof. He turned into a nearby parking garage. We were stopped dead in our tracks by a deafening crash.
The bicycle, mount, and ride height were too tall for the low opening of the Austin parking garage. A large, transverse member pushed the bicycle and mount down into the roofline of the Subaru. At a glance, it didn’t look too bad. The truth was much worse.
After a couple of quotes, his insurance provider ultimately decided that the damage and warpage exceeded the value of the then-aging Subaru WRX STI. As wild as that sounds, the numbers weren’t in his favor. Today, an early-model GR WRX STI has a KBB typical list price of around $10,201. Unfortunately, the cost of repairing the WRX STI was much too pricey, and his insurance wrote the car off. Back to the drawing board.
It sounds silly, but it’s just another possibility in the universe of things that can cost you your car. If it’s not a bicycle and a low entrance, it’s a wayward deer or water damage. After all, fixes can add up quickly and eclipse how much your insurance provider is willing to kick in to repair your ride.
However, I clearly rubbed off on his decision making. Rather than grabbing the keys to another practical hot hatch like a Volkswagen Golf GTI to heal from his totaled car, he decided to move into two wheels. His next mount was a Triumph Street Triple. It was his first motorcycle. But more importantly, it helped him move past his ill-fated Subaru.
