Teen girl Jacy Murray gifted $6000 car after hit and run

A teenage girl who had her car smashed up by hoons in a hit-and-run crash has been gifted new wheels.

Jacy Murray's Toyota Corolla, which she nicknamed "my little beast", was crashed into in the early hours of Sunday morning in West Auckland. The vehicle was completely written off and the driver who hit her car was nowhere to be seen.

After her story appeared in the Herald she had a number of offers for help - including from a car dealership, who offered her a new set of wheels.

Murray, who has been carpooling to work for the last week, is over the moon with the generous offer. The new wheels would be a massive upgrade from her previous car, she said.

Pearce Brothers Motors general manager Adam Lucich has gifted a Nissan Note to Jacy Murray. Picture / Nick Reed

"It's just amazing. I can't believe it. I wasn't expecting it at all.

"It was the last thing on my mind, I just wanted to find the person who drove into my car."

Pearce Brothers​ general manager Adam Lucich said they decided to gift her a car because they felt sorry for her.

"She's young, we all know what it's like to have our first car. We're very car-proud people.

"When I was her age I'd be gutted, absolutely gutted... It sucks."

The used car dealership selected a silver Nissan Note that retails at $6000 and only has 53,000km on the clock to replace Murray's $1500 car.

Lucich said they chose it because "it's a good first car" cheap on maintenance and efficient to run.

"If I was in her position, I wouldn't want anything too expensive to maintain or guzzle gas."

Murray woke up to a big bang in the wee hours of Sunday morning. She didn't realise it was her precious car that had been hit.

"It was only when Mum came up and said, 'Yup that's your car, it's gone'," Murray told the Herald last weekend.

"I thought, 'Oh that is just my luck'."

The entire car was destroyed, the boot was busted and had popped up, the back corner smashed in and the bonnet crumpled from the force of the impact.

Jacy Murray's first car was crashed into by hoons. Picture / Brett Phibbs

The vehicle had also hit the car in front of Murray's.

"I loved that little car. It was cute. You have a bit of a connection with your first car. I called it 'my little beast'.

"I just think it's a horrible thing to do. The guilt would eat me up if I crashed into someone and left their car there ruined."

Her mother, Joyce Laterveer, said some men up the road had seen the car speeding away and believed it was a dark-coloured American muscle car. However she had found white paint on her daughter's car. Either way, she believed the offenders' car would be severely damaged.

Neighbours had reported loud driving around the neighbourhood which they believed could be related, she said.

"It sounds like they've been hooning around. They were heard last night doing burnouts down Bush Rd."

Laterveer felt sorry for her daughter who spent six months "flipping burgers" at Carl's Jr to afford the $1500 car.

They were hoping to find the offenders because if they got their details they may be able to claim for the car under their insurance's "innocent parties" clause. Murray only had third-party insurance so the clause was the only way they could claim.

"She's gutted, absolutely gutted," Laterveer told the Herald.

"It's a lot of money at that age, and now she's going to have to fork out more money for another car and it's totally not her fault. She was home asleep and her car got written off."

A police spokeswoman said they had not arrested anyone and police continue to investigate, but if anyone had any information they were asked to call local police or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.