Driving down a snow and ice covered dirt road I was jerked sideways by an unseen rut or pothole. I slid slowly to the side of the road and ended up upside down in a shallow swamp. Water came into the car along with mud and swamp debris.
Yes, I had no collission insurance. The roof is caved in about 4 inches but I am more concerend about the water which quickly became ice. It is February and still below freezing. I do have the car in the neighbor’s garage though.
How do I get the water/ice out? A few electrical components now have a mind of their own. The headlights turn on by themselves. The sun roof motor keep engaging but can’t open the window. There are other noises of things turning on. All with the key out of the frozen ignition lock!
Should I get rid of the car or is there a way to dry it out?
Your vehicle’s structual integrity has been compromised. The roof is damaged, the repair costs will easy suprass the value of the vehicle. I certainly wouldn’t continue driving it. Sell it for scrap or donate it for a tax break.
FoDaddy is not far off the mark. I would say there is a possibility that repair may be possible and practical IF you are planning on keeping the car yourself unit it is ready for the junk yard. As it is now or after basic and cosmetic repairs are done it will not be worth a farthing on the market. I would consider keeping it IF I was confident that whoever was doing the repairs really knew what they were doing and if they said it was structurally sound when done. Otherwise it is a serious safety hazard.
I have a guy who is offering to trade for his 97 Dodge Van with 220,000 miles on it. From the pictures it looks good and there has been a lot of recent maintenance on it. He is planning on fixing the Isuzu and selling it. Does this seem to be a solution I should consider?
Roll The Dice.
Trade a car that you know is junk for one that possibly isn’t.
I don’t know if 220,000 is high miles because you didn’t say how many were on the Rodeo. See if the guy will tell you if it has any phantom electrical problems or any others, for that matter.
I don’t know that I agree that the car’s “structural integrity” has been compromised, because I think the Rodeo is a body-on-frame design, but regardless, if anyone is giving you anything for the rig, I’d take it.
I tried posting this before but it didn’t show up. Attached is a photo of the van.
The rodeo is body-on-frame and has 207,000 miles. 500 miles ago I had a rod replaced, the crank turned, and new bearings. The van owner says all it needs is a trans pan gasket and the blower only works on high. In the past 1.5 years he’s replaced idler arms, radiator, fuel pump, AC evaporator, brakes with calipers and rotors and wheel cylinders, water pump, and rebuilt the rear end.
I can push the roof up on the rodeo and still need to push it up by the sun roof. The fender, bumper, grill, and rear hatch window can be replaced whenever. It’s the electrical system that I am most concerned with and least able to fix if needed. With some shorts already showing up, I’m worried about future shorts, corrosion, and such.
My wife isn’t convinced that a trade is a good thing. I am leaning towards the trade.
A vehicle that’s been in the water is going to be trouble forever. Take the trade.
Inspect the van first, of course. Don’t rely on pictures. If there are no receipts for any of the claimed work there’s no way to prove it was done.
If you often drive on snow and ice covered dirt roads this van is not for you. This vehicle is for paved roads only. Other than that it looks like a much better proposition than the swimmer sitting in your neighbor’s garage.