Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

ScarFace88;n3546899 said:
Depends on the Civic...

EVERYTHING is better than a Toyota. Even a base Civic. ;)
 
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especially the base civic, it's light and you can have it with a manual :p
 
CraigB;n3546868 said:
So when will we get some pics? :D

Are you keeping the Mustang and wagon too?

You might get more. :)

I traded the mustang in. Internet sales lady at the dealer was interested in it. After my experience at the two VW dealers, I want to go back to the ford dealer near me and say “thank you so much for refusing the test drive on your focus, you helped me get a Golf instead!”

The ford sales guy refused a test drive because he “didn’t want to put miles on a car that you're not serious about buying.” Guess, I should not have been straight up like I was with the VW dealers.
 
93Flareside;n3546902 said:
I want to go back to the ford dealer near me and say “thank you so much for refusing the test drive on your focus, you helped me get a Golf instead!”
Please do that.
 
Redliner;n3546910 said:
Please do that.

^ This. Please do. More dealers need to know they are shitty and lose business because of their shittiness.
 
Trying to find a door, fender and wheel for the BRZ.

Can get about 3478234788238 wheels, and the fender should be pretty easy.

Door, on the other hand, is where I'm starting, because it's the biggest ticket item and is the thing that's actually keeping me from driving the car.

First, I want to avoid painting. So I need black. Fortunately, the FRS and BRZ share black paint, so I can also get FRS doors.
I also want one that isn't already damaged because... Well, I want to avoid painting. Duh.

Which means that, within "one day off work" driving radius, there is... One of them. In southern MD.

Which won't even set the damn thing aside for the couple hours it would take to drive there. I realize the likelihood of anyone else deciding "Hey I need a Subaru BRZ door" in those couple hours is basically zero, but that's about the level of luck I'm working at lately so HEY.

So now I've started reaching out to places much farther away and am looking to just get it shipped. Shipping an entire door ain't gon' be cheap.
 
Are you trying to avoid increasing your insurance premiums repairing it yourself?
 
EyeMWing;n3547038 said:
Trying to find a door, fender and wheel for the BRZ.

Can get about 3478234788238 wheels, and the fender should be pretty easy.

Door, on the other hand, is where I'm starting, because it's the biggest ticket item and is the thing that's actually keeping me from driving the car.

First, I want to avoid painting. So I need black. Fortunately, the FRS and BRZ share black paint, so I can also get FRS doors.
I also want one that isn't already damaged because... Well, I want to avoid painting. Duh.

Which means that, within "one day off work" driving radius, there is... One of them. In southern MD.

Which won't even set the damn thing aside for the couple hours it would take to drive there. I realize the likelihood of anyone else deciding "Hey I need a Subaru BRZ door" in those couple hours is basically zero, but that's about the level of luck I'm working at lately so HEY.

So now I've started reaching out to places much farther away and am looking to just get it shipped. Shipping an entire door ain't gon' be cheap.

Why not just buy it over the phone and tell them you are on the way to get it? As long as it is as-advertised you will be fine. Do it by email and tell them that as long as the door has no damage they didn't disclose, then it is sold. If you get there and find a problem, tell them you don't accept delivery since it is not in the advertised condition. If they give you any problems, just charge-back the credit card.
 
Redliner;n3547040 said:
Are you trying to avoid increasing your insurance premiums repairing it yourself?

HELL YES.

Knowing now, I wouldn’t file a claim unless the car was guaranteed to be totaled. Filed a claim on the mustang in 2016. Not only am I paying an extra $50 or a month as a surcharge but, my insurance is $200 more every 6 months since.

Body shop quoted me $1200. I should have just paid it.
 
Redliner;n3547040 said:
Are you trying to avoid increasing your insurance premiums repairing it yourself?

Nah. I claimed it. Didn't really have a choice, since I am the hella-obvious at-fault and if {fortune 500 company} decides they want to get paid for something (though I can't imagine what) they aren't going to want to piss around with me personally when they have my insurance company's phone number right there on the police report.

Insurance company is mailing me the check. What I am doing, however, is trying to pocket all the Paint money on the estimate so I can throw it at other projects.

It's superficial damage, really. Just an unbolt bent parts, bolt on replacement parts job. If I can't get color matched, I'm not above just getting a damned orange door or whatever and being That Guy™ for awhile. Not like the car's worth anything, and it's not like I'm going to sell or trade it. I wouldn't get anything for it.

I also plan on dropping the collision and comprehensive at this point.
 
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EyeMWing;n3547091 said:
Nah. I claimed it. Didn't really have a choice, since I am the hella-obvious at-fault and if {fortune 500 company} decides they want to get paid for something (though I can't imagine what) they aren't going to want to piss around with me personally when they have my insurance company's phone number right there on the police report.

Insurance company is mailing me the check. What I am doing, however, is trying to pocket all the Paint money on the estimate so I can throw it at other projects.

It's superficial damage, really. Just an unbolt bent parts, bolt on replacement parts job. If I can't get color matched, I'm not above just getting a damned orange door or whatever and being That Guy™ for awhile. Not like the car's worth anything, and it's not like I'm going to sell or trade it. I wouldn't get anything for it.

I also plan on dropping the collision and comprehensive at this point.

I keep forgetting how insurance works in the USA.
Here, after you make a claim, you don't get the money, you get a list of places to call and the insurance company pays after they're done.
 
That is how it typically works here, but you can pick whatever shop you want to do the work. If you decide to repair it yourself, the insurance company will just send you whatever they estimated the repair would cost.
 
Yeah, and they're more than happy to do that because if you run it through an actual shop the actual shop is going to "WELL AKTSHUALLY WE ALSO NEED TO DO THESE 73 OPERATIONS YOU DIDN'T ESTIMATE FOR" and drive up the cost (because insurance company estimates are ALWAYS low) whereas if you DIY you're stuck with what they give you.

In this case, I happen to agree with their parts estimate. I literally came up with the exact same figure roadside waiting for the cops to show up.
 
Blind_Io;n3547133 said:
That is how it typically works here, but you can pick whatever shop you want to do the work. If you decide to repair it yourself, the insurance company will just send you whatever they estimated the repair would cost.

Well, I can choose which shop I want, but AFAIK, I can't fix it myself.
 
Will do.

The biggest x-factor is whether or not I can find anything I'd like to drive more that fits into the current financial reality.
 
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