Mose

Well, 6 months in any my 6MT/Anth/Ebony has been rear ended by a tow truck. No serious/frame/drivetrain damage from what I can tell (I drove it home and it felt exactly as it did before), but the trunk doesn't shut and the bumper, quarter panels and body kit are all going to need to be replaced as well if my estimates are correct.

I've owned a car that's been in a wreck before, and even though it was fixed to where you couldn't see or feel the damage anymore, it still wasn't the same. I'm so sick about the damage that I'm considering trading it in on a new '05 (this time with Navi). I've talked to several friends locally, and none of them can agree on whether that would be incredibly expensive (not considering the additional cost of the Navi) or worth the money.

I talked to my dealer and he suggested bringing it in and trading it before it is repaired and just taking a check from the insurance company to minimze the cost difference.

I'm pretty sure that I've talked myself out of this, but I wanted to run it by you all, as I think I remember seeing threads where people had traded their '04 for an '05. Anyone care to guesstimate what the difference is going to be between the wrecked trade in and a new '05? I've got about 6k miles on the '04. The insurance company has not been by to look at it yet, but I'm estimating $2-4k worth of damage.

Thoughts?
Mose

DarkWraith33

I'd be more concerned about the damage if it were in the front... Meaning, that as long as the suspension and exhaust weren't damaged in the rear, I would suspect that once it's fixed, you'll never be able to tell... That being said, I kinda know where you're coming from. I;m very much a stickler about my car.

Looking at KBB, the trade in value in your area for your car is in the $29 range, based on excellent condition. (The KBB retail is saying $33k)

www.kbb.com

Maybe the dealer can hook you up, I know my dealer certainly took care of me, but in the end, you're certain ( ) to lose at least $1k - $2k I'd suspect (based on a girl I know doing exactly what you are thinking of 3 times in one year! Jetta, to Jeep, to Solara, to a CIVIC finally)

Tough it out... It gives the car some character... Make sure your rear sway bar is "damaged" and replace it with that free insurance paid for Comptech one!!!

JetJock

Mose, several years ago I had the same situation as you're in. I had a Legend and it was involved in an accident. I planned to have the car repaired, but I had the same feeling about having a repaired car...it just never feels the same...like damaged merchandise so to speak. Anyway, they said the repair was going to take almost a month to get parts, so I decided to sell the wrecked car back to the dealer and take the insurance money. I got a check for almost $6000 from insurance, and I believe approx. $4500 for the wrecked Legend. I purchased my first TL to replace the Legend and I'm not sorry. Hope that helps you a bit knowing that my experience was a good one. I hope you get things worked out. Having an accident is never a pleasant experience, but even if you have to kick in some extra money...knowing you've got a brand new car should help.

Alligator

Here's a thought, what do you really want to do - down deep? Do you really want the 05, and are you using this as an excuse to get one, or are you just afraid the repair won't be as nice as the original? If it's the first, just get the 05 model. If it is the second, find a good body shop you trust and just live with it.

Mose

I'd be lying if I said I didn't want the '05 with the Navi. I know that I should have purchased that in the first place, but hindsight is 20/20, as they say.

So yes, this is in some ways an excuse to upgrade, but I'm not willing to lose $7-8k in the deal. I'm really looking for advice as to whether or not it's even worth driving my now ugly TL around town for a day checking with dealers, getting quotes, etc, since I'm going to have to take a day off work to do it (I'm out of town this Saturday). If the concensus is that it will be $7-8k or more, I'll just get it fixed and potentially get an aftermarket navi sometime in the future. If it's possible to get it down to under $5k for the switch I'll make the effort.

By my calculations, 6MT/Navi's are going for $33-34k. If I can get close to $29-30k for the car (including whatever the insurance pays) I just might do it. I'm skeptical that I can get the $29-30k for it now though.

fast-tl

I think you're right about if you can do it for about 5K, but if you plan to keep the TL for a while, why not make yourself happy and get the TL you want? If this is just the car until your next car, it wouldn't be fiscally wise.