At about 1:00AM on Sunday, January 24 2010; two years and eleven months to the day after I purchased my car, it was destroyed.

I was drunk, and we all decided to have my friend, who was perfectly sober, drive me home in my car. Another sober friend would follow us and bring him back to the party after dropping me off. We made it about a mile down the road, when for some reason or another, my friend decided to get a little carried away. With the accellerator floored in 4th gear for about a quarter of a mile on a straightaway, we came to a quick S-curve to the right.

Piecing together my memory of the incident with what the car looks like now, what I think happened is the front end nosedived under heavy braking and the front valence rammed into the curb on the left side of the S-curve. This put the car in a lateral spin in a counter-clockwise direction and bounced the front end up and then over the back end. The car then rolled once all the way over, the rear window and roof taking most of the weight. We came to rest on the wheels sitting on the sidewalk on the left side of the road, facing back the direction from where we had come.

The A and B pillars held up beautifully and we were both wearing our seatbelts. Both front doors opened normally and we both walked away from the accident. My friend was unhurt, and I have six stitches in a gash in my left palm.

I would like to say to you all, be glad that we drive an incredibly safe and strong vehicle. That said, remember always that even a perfectly sober driver who normally is very level-headed and of sound judgement, on dry pavement with no other traffic around, can cause a hellacious accident.

And for the love of Pete, always, ALWAYS wear your goddamn seatbelt. I would not be here today had I not.

Gratuitous photographs follow. R.I.P. Helga, December 1996 - January 2010.

 

Jesus man, glad you're ok. I can't believe it didn't blow the airbags though. When your palm heals, use it to slap your friend.

 

please tell me you beat his ***

ooh and btw, wearing yoursetbelt isnt always a good thing... had i been wearing my seatbelt in one of my accidents i would have died... but the cop being the dick he was.. still gave me a ticket for not wearing my seatbelt even though he was the one that pointed out i would have died if i did wear it hahha

 

It's tough to see a nice, clean b5 go down, especially a black one. It's an even tougher pill to swallow that you weren't the one who wrecked it, although it seems like you have a really good attitude about the accident. Glad to hear you're both ok and also glad to hear another testament to the structural integrity of our cars.

Whats next? Another b5?

 

just curious u say dec 96-jan 10... was it a 97 model?

 

This upsets me. Your car was one of my favorites. So clean and classy. Anyway it's a good thing you're okay and props to you for not driving drunk. What are you going to buy next?

 

phill 97 is 96 a 99 is 98 haha thats how it works

 

Yeah, it was a '97 model year, built in Dec '96 and delivered in Jan '97.

Not sure what's next, but it'll probably be something that I can just buy straight up with the insurance money; my credit isn't what it used to be so I doubt I can get a decent loan. Top of the list at the moment is a 1983 BMW E21 320is, a 1990 BMW E34 525i, and possibly an Audi D2 S8 (waiting to hear back from a friend of mine about that lead though).

If anyone knows of a decent B5 quattro with a manual transmission in the midwest anywhere for under $3000, let me know! Haha...

 

glad your ok....good looking car too.

 

Sorry to hear about the car but I'm glad you're alright.

+1 on having a friend drive you home when you're drunk. Just wished the outcome would've been different.

Keep us updated with the next car!