Her Car, Totaled

They were stopped (or mostly so) in traffic.

Til he came along. 😯

And gave them a push. 😐

Smash! Crunch!

OK, more than a push — a whiplashing bash. 🙁

It happened on her birthday. In Sandy, Oregon.

Compliments of a motorist who barged into her car

Thankfully, Mr. Regretful Cruiser — well, those are the right initials anyway! — accepted the blame. 😳 Alas, he’s not accepted accountability. 🙁 And, we found out weeks later, he was (is?) an uninsured driver — cruising around with canceled insurance.

We only carry liability. (There’s a reason for it, but stating it would stray from the point of this post.)

Thankfully, it includes medical coverage for such an event as this. So she and her brother have already racked up hundreds of dollars in chiropractor bills related to whiplash injuries. Covered by Government Employees Insurance Companies. (Thank you, Heather! You and Geico have been superb at this!)

But we’re stuck with a ruined 1997 Buick LeSabre — about a $2000 loss. It just had over $500 of mechanical work done. It was our best vehicle. 🙁

What do you do with a car that’s totaled “only” because the rear end is royally bashed in?! (And the rear axle tweaked in a bit.) 😕

1. Bill Him — I could ask him to haul it off for $2000. Or simplify his life, send us $1500, and we’ll dispose of the remains. Here’s what I think of this option: 🙄
2. Recycler — Have the recycler haul it off. We’d probably get $250-300. (But I’m still persuaded they shorted us a couple hundred dollars on our Suburban.)
3. Wrecking Yard — Ask Butch (mechanic and wrecking-yard entrepreneur) what he’d pay us for it.
4. eBay — Park it (and our 1986 Honda Accord) in our garage, part it out, and (maybe) make a haul on eBay. Then haul the rest to the recycler or trade it to Butch for fixing our van.
5. Front Yard — Alternate: Craigslist — Sell it for a parts car or fixer-upper car.
6. Use It — Tie the trunk shut, wrap it in plastic to weatherproof it, fix the tail lights, reinsure it, and use it for short commutes.

What do you think we should do?