My car looks like Gomer Pyle
April 1, 2008
He may not have had the pronounced “overbite” that she has now, but boy howdy, does she look like a Gomer with the spoiler removed from the front bumper.
I took her back to the shop for another estimate, and the guys were nice enough to put her on a lift and give me a synopsis of the damage. They rattled off a laundry list of dinged parts: framerail, muffler, shields, bumper, spoiler, etc. They didn’t even produce an estimate after all that because they said that it was going to cost too much to pay out of pocket as I’d planned; they strongly suggest I make an insurance claim.
Now, I’m not sure if I can just take their word for it since they ARE in the business to make money, and my not repairing possibly minor damage means less revenue for them. I’m asking my friend’s brother to take a look at it and let me know what his personal assessment is. He’s not a mechanic by trade, but he’s very mechanically inclined and his dad is on hand for advice as well.
At the very least, I’ll feel more comfortable getting an unbiased second opinion before throwing down another insurance claim and a thousand dollars.
OUCH. Is the damage structural? Do you HAVE to get it fixed? I (and other people) have dinged and scratched and dented my car in countless ways–including the way you did recently–but I’ve never repaired anything that didn’t decrease the safety of the car. My mindset about cars is really different than most people’s, though–it is simply a way to get from A to B. (if it has A/C and a way to listen to music, that’s a huge plus, though!)
I don’t care what it looks like as long as it’s safe…this method saves on insurance premiums AND out of pocket expenses. I paid $2750 for it, so I’m not too concerned about resale value. So far it’s lasted nearly 4 years, and Kelly blue book estimates that I could get $2600 for it! (I would never ask that for it, though.)
Why don’t you want to file an insurance claim?
~sense to dollars~ That’s what I wanted my friend to check out for me. I was *told* by the shop that I’d damaged all sorts of parts, but I never heard a single “but that part was only scratched so you shouldn’t have to worry about it” when they knew that I wanted to pay out of pocket. They immediately recommended I go through insurance because it’d be so expensive which set off mental alarms.
I don’t plan to make a claim if it’s safe, even if I am a little vain about her because she was my first car ever and paid off in three years, because I’m never selling her. She’s on a 20 year contract as well š
~savingdiva~ I don’t want to unnecessarily raise my insurance premiums making a claim that isn’t strictly necessary. I’ve spent too much on insurance deductibles lately to waste money on cosmetic repairs.
Hehe. It is best to follow what the experts have to say regarding your car. As I have about the stuff that needs to be replaced and repaired, I realized it would cost a lot if you continue fixing that car. I tried fixing my car before and ended up selling it cheaper than expected.