Monday, September 19, 2005

Triumphant Return

Today, one month after its crash test, our old Volvo wagon comes home.

Whew!

It spent a lot of time being appraised and estimated, as the $3,000 price tag for its repair was a big chunk of its value. Finally, the experts at State Farm gave the green light for repair.

And then it sat.
And sat.

And waited for a new bumper to come in from a junkyard 40 miles away.

I thought about offering to pick it up myself.

Conclusions as I wrap up this unpleasant incident:

  • Thank God the other driver had insurance.
  • The insurance company should reimburse you for new car seats after an accident.
  • State Farm certified "quick shops" are not always so quick.

After this, I will always carry collision on my old cars--against the conventional financial wisdom.

Your good used car, faithfully maintained, has more value than Kelly Blue Book says. Collision doesn't cost much on an older model, and ANY body work costs a fortune.

At least, unless I take up welding.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Another thought is this:

n = number of drivers.
n + 1 = number of cars.

The long story is that we bought 2 of our cars new in '89 and '93. Then we had an opportunity to pick up an older SUV from a relative.

We've since replaced the SUV, but having 3 cars for 2 drivers has saved us a lot of stress over the years, esp since DH does a lot of our repair work himself.

Jora