The Glade 4.0

Yesterday morning, I was getting ready to go to work, about to put on my shoes. Standing in the bedroom, which fronts on the street, I heard a loud crash. Thinking a branch had come down in the rain or something, I looked outside. What do I see, but a car with a smashed front and steam coming out of it, rolling backwards slowly down the street into a parking spot. And my car, which had just been rear-ended, while parked on the street.

Nice way to start the day.

At least the other driver didn't leave, so I was able to get insurance info, name, phone number, etc. But I fear the Subaru is not long for this world; it's 12 years old, not worth a lot from the insurance co. perspective, and the accident mashed up three separate chunks of the car - left rear quarter-panel, the bumper, and the gate (it's a wagon). Oh, and the muffler got dinged, too. Somehow, I can't see this costing less than a couple thousand to replace, which would be about 70 percent of the car's value - the magic level at which the insurance company will just cash it out to us.

Just what we don't freakin' need right now, a car payment. But I hate buying really old cars, fearing the inevitable maintenance and repair bills. I like two- to three-year old cars, for the most part.

Just pretty bummed out that the car got wrecked. I was planning on giving it to my daughter as her car in a few years. OK, seven, but, it's a Subaru, it would still have been running by that time!

_________________
This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

Well, now you'll be able to give your daughter a 10 year old car instead of one that's older than she is.

But, yeah, car-buying is a nuisance, especially when you're replacing something that worked fine but wasn't technically worth much. I agree with you, by the way -- I have no problem with old cars, so long as they're known old cars. But buying stuff that would be in the same age/value range as the one that just got wrecked would give me the willies due to the uncertainty involved.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

Sorry to hear about this Aethien. Hope all goes well in the search for a new vehicle.

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Darksiege
Traveller, Calé, Whisperer
Lead me not into temptation; for I know a shortcut

Thanks, gents. My wife is now pulling for the no-payment route, which means something older or not quite what I'm hoping for. This one may challenge all of my car-buying skills.

_________________
This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

Had something similar happen to my F-150 a few years back, except it was a hit and run! Insurance company
totaled the truck, we bought it back, had it semi-fixed and it's still running great! Just had to have the rear bumper, tailgate, and wheel well semi-straightened (has a couple of wrinkles in the wheel well and bumper still).

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"Said I never had much use for one, never said I didn't know how to use one!"~ Matthew Quigley

"nothing like a little meow in bed at night" ~ Bruskey

"I gotta float my stick same as you" Hondo Lane

"Fill your hand you son of a *****!"

Got some good news today - the body shop, at least, says it's fixable. Not much frame damage, I guess. Kind of surprising, but if we can get another couple years out of it, that will be good.

Just have to put off that truck for a little while longer.

_________________
This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

Good news. At least this gives you an opportunity to start saving now to avoid those car payments in the future.

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"Dress cops up as soldiers, give them military equipment, train them in military tactics, tell them they’re fighting a ‘war,’ and the consequences are predictable." —Radley Balko

Yeah, but we'll actually spend the money on a staircase inside our house that we would like to build. But it's a good reminder that even Subarus don't run forever.

And, hey, update your signature image!

_________________
This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

D'oh!

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"Dress cops up as soldiers, give them military equipment, train them in military tactics, tell them they’re fighting a ‘war,’ and the consequences are predictable." —Radley Balko

Nice!

_________________
This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

Good news Aethien!

_________________
"Said I never had much use for one, never said I didn't know how to use one!"~ Matthew Quigley

"nothing like a little meow in bed at night" ~ Bruskey

"I gotta float my stick same as you" Hondo Lane

"Fill your hand you son of a *****!"