TromboneAl
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2006
- Messages
- 12,880
I'm wondering what could possibly make someone even consider (2).
In a brainstorming way, I considered it (although it's not my decision). When it comes to a biggish economic decision, I like to think about things even though they are considered a slam-dunk.
Here's the thinking -- please see this as just thinking out loud:
If (big if) the repair can be made successfully, and that part of the car is as good as new, then she writes a check for $3,000 and is done. She doesn't have to spend any time and money shopping for a new car. The car (which she likes a lot) lasts another 100,000 miles.
If she buys a used car, she will spend at least $6,000 and maybe more. She would have to spend time researching cars, having them inspected, negotiating, doing paperwork, and visiting the DMV. The used car could have problems of its own.
So, economically, the repair option would possibly represent a savings of $2,200 and no additional investment of time. More risky, of course.
I also recommended a second opinion, but she trusts the body shop (they know that she probably wouldn't spend the money on this car), and a second opinion would involve towing.
She's reading this thread, and I'm sure she will get a new car.
Right. I tried to include only the basic idea to keep it short and simple. Also, my info was third hand (mechanic to Jenny to me).Too nebulous to comprehend. A "somewhat buckled frame part that makes it dangerous to drive"? What part? The last cars sold in the US that had frames were the Mercury Grand Marquis and the Lincoln Town Car. Unless she's driving an old Crown Vic cop car
So I have to assume that this was spoken of very generically... very. So what happened three years ago? And what happened now, that this was discovered? A roving band of gypsy body repairers crawling under cars in the grocery store lot (hey lady, I'll fix yer car for ya if ya gimme 3 grand, it's really bad, it'll kill ya the way it is!)
I called it a frame part just as a shorthand. I don't remember what part it was, but I understood that the safety issue was something about crumple zones.
She had had a minor accident that involved parts in that general area. She went to a junk yard and got the parts and delivered them to the body shop. The cost of the repair would have been $2,100. But then they noticed this buckled part. She saw it and it was clearly bent (plus rusted, indicating that it was there when she bought the car three years ago). So that fix added $900 to the bill.
I was there when she bought the car, and she had it inspected, but this damage was not detected, nor showed up on the carfax report. The car had been vandalized, and the hood replaced. It had been purchased at auction by the person from whom she bought the car.
Note that if these had been two separate incidents, the buy/replace decision would be different ("Do I spend $900 to fix a $3,300 car?").
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