What Vehicles Damaged In Our Favorite 1990s Movies Actually Cost
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Vote up the most justifiable damages.
The 1990s was a cinematic decade filled with some of the best vehicular action sequences committed to film. Knowing the majority of those scenes were done with practical effects just added to the sense of spectacle. But have you ever wondered what it must have been like for all the bystander characters after the dust settled from a pulse-pounding car chase? Can you imagine what they went through to explain to their insurance companies the outlandish sequence of events that led to their vehicles getting wrecked?
From the Corvette Stringray that takes a plunge from the sky to the Lamborghini that gets a little too close to a hovercraft, this collection looks at some noteworthy vehicles from '90s movies, what the insurance claims might look like, and what they’d actually cost to fix.
- Photo: Tri-Star Pictures
Get down!
Vehicle: Freightliner FLA 9664
Year: 1984
Color: Black
Location of incident: Los Angeles, CA
Summary of incident: Driver claims truck was forcibly requisitioned by unidentified LAPD officer in pursuit of juvenile suspect. Charred truck remains were discovered a few miles away, along with crushed remnants of a Honda XR-100 (no valid registration). Due to improbable foot speed of the “officer” and lack of corroborating evidence from police department, payout on loss of vehicle is still pending further investigation.
Assessed value: $65,000
- Photo: Paramount Pictures
It’s like looking in a mirror… only not.
Vehicle: Scarab SCS
Year: 1997
Color: Red
Location of incident: San Pedro, Los Angeles, CA
Summary of incident: Boat forcibly highjacked by wanted fugitive Castor Troy (wearing the face of FBI agent Sean Archer) to facilitate escape from FBI agent Sean Archer (wearing the face of Castor Troy) who commandeered another 1997 Scarab SCS (white). Police patrol boat and white boat destroyed in pursuit. Blown up upon collision with pier, unsalvageable condition.
Assessed value: $40,000
- Photo: Buena Vista Pictures
Hey man, you just f*cked up your Ferrari!
Vehicle: Ferrari F355 Spider
Year: 1996
Color: Yellow
Location of incident: San Francisco, CA
Summary of incident: Vehicle commandeered by special agent Stanley Goodspeed to conduct high-speed pursuit of escaped fugitive John Mason through streets of San Francisco. Windshield cracked by collision with parking meters (5), bullet hole in dashboard from Goodspeed to facilitate timely exit from vehicle. Car crushed by derailed cable car and totaled.
Assessed value: $125,000
- Photo: 20th Century Fox448 VOTES
Looks like somebody capped the driver.
Vehicle: Lincoln Town Car Limousine
Year: 1985
Color: Brown
Location of incident: Seven Mile Bridge, FL
Summary of incident: During a classified military operation by unnamed intelligence agency whose purpose is classified, several sections of Seven Mile Bridge in Florida were destroyed. Vehicle drove into a section of bridge no longer intact due to driver being incapacitated. No claim filed.
Assessed value: $21,000
- Photo: 20th Century Fox540 VOTES
You are not the car you drive.
Vehicle: Lincoln Continental Mark IV
Year: 1980
Color: Brown
Location: Wilmington, DE
Summary of incident: Rear-ended and taken off-road by a Lincoln Town Car (1993 model) stolen from long-term airport parking. Assailant was an unnamed driver who fled the scene; witnesses reported driver was talking to himself about having a “near-life experience.”
Assessed value: $9,000
- Photo: 20th Century Fox
Are you aiming for these people?
Vehicle: Chevrolet Caprice
Year: 1987
Color: Yellow
Location: Manhattan, New York, NY
Summary of incident: Cab requisitioned by NYPD Detective John McClane during investigation into terrorist bombing threat. Sideswiped by two trucks, damage to suspension and front bumper during detour through Central Park, and collision with barrier and bikes. Abandoned and towed, NYPD claim qualified immunity, so driver responsible for out-of-pocket costs.
Assessed value: $11,000; repair and towing costs: $3,500.
- Photo: MGM/UA Distribution Co.
Use the bumper; that's what it's for!
Vehicle: VAZ-2106 Zhiguli x 2
Year: 1986
Color: White
Location of incident: Moscow, Russia
Summary of incident: Police vehicles severely damaged by falling monument dislodged from its plinth and temporarily embedded in an arch by a T-54 tank during a high-speed pursuit. Both vehicles totaled after rear-ending the armored vehicle. Authorities claim damage was done during a routine training exercise, and as such will not accept financial responsibility for any damage incurred.
Assessed value: $11,000
- Photo: Miramax Films
If you need someone to go to court, I’ll be glad to help, okay, that guy was a drunken maniac. He hit you and then he crashed into that car.
Vehicle: Chevrolet Camaro
Year: 1976
Color: Brown
Location of incident: Los Angeles, CA
Summary of incident: Incurred damage from collision with 1980 Honda Civic (white) in the midst of hit-and-run incident after running a red light. The Civic was registered under an assumed (female) name but driven by an unidentified male. Both parties are believed to have fled the country. Witnesses had difficulty explaining what the hit-and-run victim looked like.
Assessed value: $6,000; replacement bumper cost: $600.
- Photo: Universal Pictures
There's a dinosaur in our backyard!
Vehicle: Buick LeSabre
Year: 1996
Color: Blue
Location: San Diego, CA
Summary of incident: Collision occurred with other vehicle during attempt to evade an adult Tyrannosaurus rex. Vehicle tipped over and wrecked upon impact. Driver found to be at fault for not checking rearview mirror during maneuver.
Assessed value: $21,000
- Photo: Touchstone Pictures
On any other day, that might seem strange.
Vehicle: Corvette Stingray
Year: 1967
Color: Gray
Location: Lerner Airfield (Wendover Airport, UT)
Summary of incident: Vehicle commandeered by agent Vince Larkin and affixed to rear of aircraft; “Jail Bird” (Fairchild C-123K Provider) to hinder aircraft takeoff. Vehicle damaged and dislodged by collision with air tower. Totaled upon impact with the ground.
Assessed value: $90,000
- Photo: Warner Bros.1141 VOTES
I lost my job. Well, actually I didn't lose it, it lost me. I am over-educated, under-skilled. Maybe it's the other way around, I forget. But I'm obsolete. I'm not economically viable.
Vehicle: Yamaha G9 Series
Year: c. 1990
Color: White
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Summary of incident: Cart damaged by shotgun blast from fugitive William “D-Fens” Foster. As a result of shot, cart rolled into water trap and became submerged, no longer useable. Members found at fault for improper use of brakes and parking.
Assessed value: $4,500
- Photo: 20th Century Fox
Are you insured?
Vehicle: Jaguar XJ-S Convertible
Year: 1988
Color: Black
Location of incident: Los Angeles, CA
Summary of incident: Vehicle commandeered by LAPD SWAT officer Jack Traven during investigation into extortion plot involving bus laden with explosives. Traven used vehicle to gain entry onto the bus. Front door broken off upon collision with front of bus, and front bumper damaged by crash into water barrier. Because vehicle was not operated by the registered driver at the time of the collision and LAPD will not assume responsibility for damages, driver is liable for repair and replacement costs of door.
Assessed value: $41,500; cost to replace door and front bumper: $4,500.
- Photo: New Line Cinema
Oh god, my car! Look what they've done!
Vehicle: Lamborghini Countach LP5000*
Year: 1988
Color: Gold
Location of incident: New York, NY
Summary of incident: Driver and passenger report vehicle’s rear spoiler was dislodged and paint job ruined by close encounter with stolen hovercraft. Vehicle then commandeered by Ma Hon Keung of the Hong Kong PD; driver and passenger doors displaced while Keung pursued the wayward hovercraft. Because incident took place outside of officer’s jurisdiction, driver assumes cost of replacing doors.
Assessed value: $200,000; approximate repair bill: $35,000.
* the movie uses a kit car modeled after the LP5000.
