Would you repair a 2011 Toyota Avalon with $5000 damage & 190,000 miles??

[Andre1969]

A few years back, a friend of mine traded an Avalon of that generation on a newer Lexus. This was around when COVID first hit, and before prices went through the roof, so he got a good deal on the Lexus, and the Avalon went for what I thought was a reasonable price, around $5,000.

I think it was a 2012, but not positive. It had just over 100,000 miles. And my friend was so thorough with maintenance and upkeep that he could probably keep a pre-1985 Buick 231 going indefinitely. Hell, maybe even an early, unsleeved Vega 4! So, it definitely had some life left in it.

However, my friend is also really meticulous about his cars. The interior on this one was starting to let go...cracks in the dashboard, other interior plastics cracking, and something in the seat was starting to go. It was either the leather, or the vinyl part, can't remember which.

At the time, I had thought about making him an offer on the car. The only reason I didn't is because I know I wouldn't take as good of care of the car as he did, and it would probably break his heart, seeing the car age. And then I also figured that if something did break, mechanically on the car, even though I bought it with the understanding it was an old car and they do break down from time to time, I was worried he might have felt guilty. Basically, I guess, the old never do business with friends thing.

 

[Librarian]

Our car was side swiped along drivers side with somewhat minimal damage. It runs just fine.

Insurance will pay us about $4500 for damage, has 190,000 miles on it.

Approx. retail value repaired is between $7000 to $9000.

Fix it Pros & Cons

-it is too "new" to just write it off
-mechanically is in good condition with new tires
-it will start to rust if not fixed in a year or two
- I don't enjoy selling cars
-it drives fine as it
- we drive it 20,000+ miles/year with this car
- I'm "OK" with writing off, my wife is fine doing that
-trade=in value will be quite low if not fixed
- its easier to just drive it and not fix it

I'm in a dilemma of what to do.

Would you fix it or take the money, drive it and write it off?

Look, we are of the mindset that we buy used cars & drive them until they die.

BUT the cost to repair vs. the value of the car does not cut it imo.
And the 190K miles seals the deal for me.

I don't know if used cars are still garnering a premium price, but last year I sold a 19 YO Honda Accord with 2 doors & 2 bumper corners crunched in (drivable) for $3K...sold IMMEDIATELY upon listing & he did not try to get less. Pretty sure I could have sold it for more.

 

[freetodream]

When would have ended your relationship with the car if there was no damage?

I was thinking about driving it 2-3 more years hoping prices might come down; but lately thinking prices may never drop to pre-covid $$.

(As an example, I was waiting for lumber prices to drop in order to build a new deck. But got tired of waiting and went ahead to build the 30' x 16' deck last fall which we are using every day now.)

The insurance company has been good to deal with.
We have decided to take the $$, they are sending a check for $4300.

They also said that if we decide to repair it they would be willing to cover the difference at a shop we choose. But at this point we just plan to drive it while looking for a new ride.

I think we could easily get $3500 selling the car. Not sure what the trade-in value would be in its unrepaired state. It (currently) has no rust and the passenger side is still photo worthy!! It has new mich cross climate tires as well as new front brakes.

Sorry to confuse people by stating we would "write it off" What I was thinking was: take the insurance $ and either trade it in or try to sell it before buying a newer vehicle.
I like the idea of getting a newer vehicle with more safety features.

I would like to do something a slow the rust from the salt used on our roads this winter. Would you try to paint very small areas where the paint is cracked?

Thanks for all of your advice.

 

[freedomatlast]

There would be people lining up around the block to buy that car for $3500 with the damage unrepaired.

I think it's actually liberating to drive around in a car that isn't perfect and if it gets a door ding or two, or some stone chips, it's nothing to get excited about.

I think you made a wise decision financially speaking.

Yes, try to get some touch up paint on the areas that are down to bare metal so they don't rust over time.

 

[Koolau]

If it's drivable and the insurance company will give YOU the repair money, drive it. Who cares what it looks like. You'll likely get another 75,000 miles out of it. There will be no depreciation, you can drop collision, you don't have to worry about washing it or detailing it. Treat it as pure transportation and enjoy how much money you are saving. Of course, YMMV.

 

[JoeWras]

Let's see.

New tires.
New brakes.
Garaged.
One owner!
Great condition.
And some damage that did not deploy the airbag and the car is perfectly drivable.

OP: $3500 is way, way low. Don't just take kbb value and deduct $5k or whatever the insurance says it would cost.

You should start offering much, much higher, probably $6k or so after a little buffing and detailing. Maybe more. I'd be one lining up in that queue that goes around the block if it were $3.5k.

Don't let a dealer fool you on trade in either. They'll have all kinds of sad stories, and tell you the market is dropping. Not for Toyotas! The used car market is nuts. There are plenty of people willing to get a reliable car with a ding or two.

Let me give you a comp. Here's one with almost similar mileage, same year. It has clearly been in some accidents, maybe worse than yours. The fact they don't list the CarFax says to me there is bad stuff on the record. You can see the front bumper is messed, and the grill is broken. The back has scrapes and bruises too. $7k listing:

https://www.kbb.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=678033143

 

[RetMD21]

If it's drivable and the insurance company will give YOU the repair money, drive it. Who cares what it looks like. You'll likely get another 75,000 miles out of it. There will be no depreciation, you can drop collision, you don't have to worry about washing it or detailing it. Treat it as pure transportation and enjoy how much money you are saving. Of course, YMMV.

For me this isn't the best time to buy a car. I am interested in a Toyota Venza LE but there aren't any within 100 miles of me and only 4 within 200 miles. I am willing to wait.