I leased my 2014 Mazda6 Touring (w/ Tech Pkg) in January and I've been very happy with it. I actually liked it so much that I was planning to buy it at the end of my 36-month lease. I only leased it because I got a great subsidized lease deal ($1000 due at signing and $278/month including tax)...
Anyway, last Saturday night (4/12/14) at around 10pm, I was making a left turn on a green arrow and was t-boned by a drunk driver in a Ford F150! He ran the red light at around 45mph and didn't even hit the brakes until he was about 25-30ft away from me! He hit slightly forward of the rear door, primarily on the front door and right front fender. It spun me around 360 degrees at least two times before I slammed into the elevated center median/divider which folded the left front wheel under the car. The actual impact crushed the front passenger door and the side-impact airbags and side-impact air curtains deployed. Half of the front end was pretty much gone including part of the engine. It was NOT pretty.
BUT the main reason I'm sharing this (and the reason I'll be getting another Mazda6) is because I walked away with only minor injuries! The only significant injuries were caused by the seatbelt doing its job. The pretensioner (triggered any time the airbags are going to deploy) bruised my chest and the belt cut into my neck a bit, but it also kept me firmly in place until it was all over.
This was my first time dealing with an insurance claim on a leased vehicle of my own. I'm actually an insurance agent, so I've dealt with countless claims for my customers in the past. I obviously had GAP insurance (required on leases) but I managed to get the at-fault, drunk driver's insurer to be very generous in their valuation of the vehicle. I also got my $1000 down payment since I paid it less than three months ago. They were less than thrilled with my medical bills. I had a cervical spine fusion in 2005 and I went to my Orthopedic Surgeon and had x-rays and an MRI to make sure everything was okay. But I was only asking for reimbursement of my out-of-pocket expenses and not a penny more. I also made them reimburse my health insurance for what they paid.
I got my check today for the $1000 and my medical expenses and they overnighted the check for the car to the finance company today. I had the GAP coverage with my auto insurer instead of the overpriced coverage they push at the dealership. I talked with them on Friday and they're waiting to hear from the finance company after they receive the settlement check, then they'll issue a check for any balance required to payoff the lease. So it's almost over! =)
I've been shopping around for a replacement for the last week or so. I got approved for the 0% financing offer for up to 60 months, so I'm buying instead of leasing this time. I'm getting the same color (Blue Reflex w/ Black interior) but I'm upgrading to a 2014 Grand Touring. I have a written offer for $27,595 plus $399 'Dealer Fee' plus TTT ($3795 off MSRP) for a 2014 Mazda6 Grand Touring with MRCC+FOW Package (Radar Cruise Control & Forward Obstruction Warning). I'm putting $5k down and my payment will be $416/month for 60 months. Most people probably won't even realize that it's a different car, which is fine by me. It'll save me from having to explain why I have another new car after only three months....
Anyway, I'm looking forward to my 2014 Mazda6, version 2.0! It is very comforting to know first-hand that a car will protect you in a collision that might have seriously injured or killed you in a lesser vehicle. But I don't ever care to play crash-test-dummy again and I'm hoping to have my next Mazda6 for the next 8-10 years! I'm going to be really pissed if anyone hits the new one! (argh)
Anyway, last Saturday night (4/12/14) at around 10pm, I was making a left turn on a green arrow and was t-boned by a drunk driver in a Ford F150! He ran the red light at around 45mph and didn't even hit the brakes until he was about 25-30ft away from me! He hit slightly forward of the rear door, primarily on the front door and right front fender. It spun me around 360 degrees at least two times before I slammed into the elevated center median/divider which folded the left front wheel under the car. The actual impact crushed the front passenger door and the side-impact airbags and side-impact air curtains deployed. Half of the front end was pretty much gone including part of the engine. It was NOT pretty.
BUT the main reason I'm sharing this (and the reason I'll be getting another Mazda6) is because I walked away with only minor injuries! The only significant injuries were caused by the seatbelt doing its job. The pretensioner (triggered any time the airbags are going to deploy) bruised my chest and the belt cut into my neck a bit, but it also kept me firmly in place until it was all over.
This was my first time dealing with an insurance claim on a leased vehicle of my own. I'm actually an insurance agent, so I've dealt with countless claims for my customers in the past. I obviously had GAP insurance (required on leases) but I managed to get the at-fault, drunk driver's insurer to be very generous in their valuation of the vehicle. I also got my $1000 down payment since I paid it less than three months ago. They were less than thrilled with my medical bills. I had a cervical spine fusion in 2005 and I went to my Orthopedic Surgeon and had x-rays and an MRI to make sure everything was okay. But I was only asking for reimbursement of my out-of-pocket expenses and not a penny more. I also made them reimburse my health insurance for what they paid.
I got my check today for the $1000 and my medical expenses and they overnighted the check for the car to the finance company today. I had the GAP coverage with my auto insurer instead of the overpriced coverage they push at the dealership. I talked with them on Friday and they're waiting to hear from the finance company after they receive the settlement check, then they'll issue a check for any balance required to payoff the lease. So it's almost over! =)
I've been shopping around for a replacement for the last week or so. I got approved for the 0% financing offer for up to 60 months, so I'm buying instead of leasing this time. I'm getting the same color (Blue Reflex w/ Black interior) but I'm upgrading to a 2014 Grand Touring. I have a written offer for $27,595 plus $399 'Dealer Fee' plus TTT ($3795 off MSRP) for a 2014 Mazda6 Grand Touring with MRCC+FOW Package (Radar Cruise Control & Forward Obstruction Warning). I'm putting $5k down and my payment will be $416/month for 60 months. Most people probably won't even realize that it's a different car, which is fine by me. It'll save me from having to explain why I have another new car after only three months....
Anyway, I'm looking forward to my 2014 Mazda6, version 2.0! It is very comforting to know first-hand that a car will protect you in a collision that might have seriously injured or killed you in a lesser vehicle. But I don't ever care to play crash-test-dummy again and I'm hoping to have my next Mazda6 for the next 8-10 years! I'm going to be really pissed if anyone hits the new one! (argh)
