Wife Totaled Her Car

[Pogre]

Nobody got hurt, but her airbag went off and the insurance company totaled her car, even tho it was still drivable... she ran a red light, not paying attention and hit another car.

It was a 2017 Hyundai Accent and was paid off, damnit. Insurance is gonna give us about $11k for the vehicle.

SO... were in the market for a car now, with somewhere around $11k - $15k to put down, or hopefully just buy outright. I'd really like to avoid a payment but would also like new. Nothing fancy. Good on gas, cheap and reliable. I'd even consider hybrid or EV, but those look to be a little more expensive right now... haven't been car shopping in forever. Certified used was suggested. I dunno, I've never looked into that. Tho it does sound like a decent avenue and should come with some type of warranty?

I fucking hate buying cars man. Not to mention my li'l Tacoma is over ten years old (relatively low miles and well maintained tho) and if anyone was due for a new vehicle it's me! Well that's out the window now... anyone have any suggestions for small, cheap and good on gas? I've seen ads for buying cars online now too. That might be interesting and less painful...

 

[SithZedi]

Nobody got hurt, but her airbag went off and the insurance company totaled her car, even tho it was still drivable... she ran a red light, not paying attention and hit another car.

It was a 2017 Hyundai Accent and was paid off, damnit. Insurance is gonna give us about $11k for the vehicle.

SO... were in the market for a car now, with somewhere around $11k - $15k to put down, or hopefully just buy outright. I'd really like to avoid a payment but would also like new. Nothing fancy. Good on gas, cheap and reliable. I'd even consider hybrid or EV, but those look to be a little more expensive right now... haven't been car shopping in forever. Certified used was suggested. I dunno, I've never looked into that. Tho it does sound like a decent avenue and should come with some type of warranty?

I fucking hate buying cars man. Not to mention my li'l Tacoma is over ten years old (relatively low miles and well maintained tho) and if anyone was due for a new vehicle it's me! Well that's out the window now... anyone have any suggestions for small, cheap and good on gas? I've seen ads for buying cars online now too. That might be interesting and less painful...

So sorry to hear. Thankfully nobody hurt.
I have had some friends have a good experiences with cars.com. If you don't use, at least you can get an idea of what you're in range for. Good luck.

 

[shadyJ]

If you are not the type to change cars every couple years, consider that this may be your last ICE engine car. Make it one that will last. I would just go for a Toyota or Honda, the usual reliable models like Corolla or Camry, or Honda Civic or Accord.

 

[Alex2507]

Nobody got hurt but

... my wallet

 

[Pogre]

If you are not the type to change cars every couple years, consider that this may be your last ICE engine car. Make it one that will last. I would just go for a Toyota or Honda, the usual reliable models like Corolla or Camry, or Honda Civic or Accord.

Those are what we've been looking at. Tryna get an idea of what's available and within budget. I really, really don't want a car payment! Both of our vehicles are paid off and that only lasted a couple of years! Grrr... and no, we don't get a new car every few years. At least I haven't. I've been driving my little Toyo Tacoma for more than ten years now and it still runs great. I wouldn't hesitate to go across the country in it right now.

You know anything about certified preowned/used? I know what that is, but I only know 1 or 2 people who went that route. I'm always afraid of ending up with someone else's problems buying used.

 

[Hetfield]

Oh man that sucks but thank goodness no one was hurt. It's kinda a bad time to be buying a new or used car unfortunately. Believe me I know, I'm dreading it because my lease is up in July. My regular car dealership is calling and emailing me every day and I'm skeptical because they have never done this in the past. I would just get close to lease end and go up and get a new vehicle but this time they are up my butt wanting me to come in.

 

[Pogre]

Oh man that sucks but thank goodness no one was hurt. It's kinda a bad time to be buying a new or used car unfortunately. Believe me I know, I'm dreading it because my lease is up in July. My regular car dealership is calling and emailing me every day and I'm skeptical because they have never done this in the past. I would just get close to lease end and go up and get a new vehicle but this time they are up my butt wanting me to come in.

Funny you bring up leasing. That's another thought I had. Just bank the money and lease. That'd be nice for a while but guarantees me endless payments. I wanna get out of this without having to finance a huge chunk. If I can find something for like $15k or less, out the door that'd be awesome.

 

[Eppie]

Glad to hear your wife wasn't hurt. Crappy timing, though. I don't know what the market is like in your area but supply here is still low so used vehicles are way overpriced. I heard a tale from a friend who bought a pick-up 2 or 3 years ago for $50k. The dealer recently gave him $52k on trade in! They said they could ship it to the U.S. and sell for a profit because pick-ups are in big demand. Crazy stuff.

I'm with Shady on recommendations for a reliable sedan. If I was shopping new, I might lean towards a hybrid. I would not go full EV yet until there are more stations set up around the country. Hybrid gives you good economy in the city but has extended hwy range. Full EV also requires a proper charging port installed in your home, so consider the added cost and what your wiring panel can handle. Fast chargers require higher current and a heavier charging cable. Some will work from 110, others require a dedicated circuit, so you need to do some homework there.

 

[Hetfield]

Funny you bring up leasing. That's another thought I had. Just bank the money and lease. That'd be nice for a while but guarantees me endless payments. I wanna get out of this without having to finance a huge chunk. If I can find something for like $15k or less, out the door that'd be awesome.

I'm literally an endless payment guy, it might as well be my middle name. Have had a payment since I was 21 and will do at 45. But that's what I chose. It's just a pain right now with inventory and that BS crap.

 

[Pogre]

I'll tell ya, she's pissing me off just a little bit... I'm driving a ten year old vehicle, she totals the newer one and now she's all "well I want cruise control" or "I don't like that model" and "I want a bigger car this time"...

Like fućk. We're getting what we can afford, and hopefully without a payment. Fuckin pick and choose and put restrictions on what she's willing to drive... booshit. She's lucky I don't revoke her license and buy a pair of Salk SS 9.5s...

 

[SithZedi]

The horse is out of the barn already on this one but I always tell friends to pay the extra cost on their auto insurance for new car replacement coverage. At least price it out.

 

[Pogre]

The horse is out of the barn already on this one but I always tell friends to pay the extra cost on their auto insurance for new car replacement coverage. At least price it out.

Is that where they'll cover the cost of a whole new vehicle instead of just giving you current market value? How do they determine that? Buy you a new current model of the car that was totaled? I'm kinda unfamiliar with the concept, but in well over 35 years of driving and 24 years of marriage have never had to file a claim like this. If it's only a couple dollars more a month tho, that woulda been nice in hindsight.

Oh well, too late for that now. We do have a check for almost $12k coming our way so that's a great start if I can find a good deal.

 

[Eppie]

I'll tell ya, she's pissing me off just a little bit... I'm driving a ten year old vehicle, she totals the newer one and now she's all "well I want cruise control" or "I don't like that model" and "I want a bigger car this time"...

Like fućk. We're getting what we can afford, and hopefully without a payment. Fuckin pick and choose and put restrictions on what she's willing to drive... booshit. She's lucky I don't revoke her license and buy a pair of Salk SS 9.5s...

We had our own vehicles when we married but when our second child came along out went the Ford Probe and in came the Taurus station wagon. That had a rear facing third seat which the kids loved.

We've always shared vehicles since, so we shop together. Luckily we've had similar taste and have gone with 4WD SUVs for the winter conditions, extra cargo space and higher site lines. The Ford Escape is available as a hybrid but I haven't done any recent research on used models and reliability. $15k goes a lot further down south than it does up here.

 

[Pogre]

We had our own vehicles when we married but when our second child came along out went the Ford Probe and in came the Taurus station wagon. That had a rear facing third seat which the kids loved.

We've always shared vehicles since, so we shop together. Luckily we've had similar taste and have gone with 4WD SUVs for the winter conditions, extra cargo space and higher site lines. The Ford Escape is available as a hybrid but I haven't done any recent research on used models and reliability. $15k goes a lot further down south than it does up here.

Yeah well... the more I think about it, sharing a vehicle and getting the RBH SVTR tower system is looking better and better...

 

[Verdinut]

I'll tell ya, she's pissing me off just a little bit... I'm driving a ten year old vehicle, she totals the newer one and now she's all "well I want cruise control" or "I don't like that model" and "I want a bigger car this time"...

Like fućk. We're getting what we can afford, and hopefully without a payment. Fuckin pick and choose and put restrictions on what she's willing to drive... booshit. She's lucky I don't revoke her license and buy a pair of Salk SS 9.5s...

Your wife wasn't hurt and that's what counts.

If you want to limit the outlay to $15k, I would recommend a used Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla. I would think you could find a reliable Honda or Toyota dealer.

Since 1998, I've been driving Honda Civics. Those cars are reliable. I'm on my seventh since 2019. I've been leasing them but this 2019 EX model is my best one so far. At the expiry of the lease period, this time I'm going to buy it.

You will notice that prices of used vehicles have increased recently. The current value of my Civic amounts to over C$17k, but I will be able to get it in August 2023 for under C$10,700 which is at the end of the lease..

 

[flyboylr45]

Yeah well... the more I think about it, sharing a vehicle and getting the RBH SVTR tower system is looking better and better...

Now you're talking!!!!!

 

[SithZedi]

Is that where they'll cover the cost of a whole new vehicle instead of just giving you current market value? How do they determine that? Buy you a new current model of the car that was totaled? I'm kinda unfamiliar with the concept, but in well over 35 years of driving and 24 years of marriage have never had to file a claim like this. If it's only a couple dollars more a month tho, that woulda been nice in hindsight.

Oh well, too late for that now. We do have a check for almost $12k coming our way so that's a great start if I can find a good deal.

This does a fairly good job explaining it.

New Car Replacement Insurance – Policygenius

If your car is totaled, new car replacement insurance pays for a new one of a similar make and model.

www.policygenius.com

 

[Replicant 7]

I'll tell ya, she's pissing me off just a little bit... I'm driving a ten year old vehicle, she totals the newer one and now she's all "well I want cruise control" or "I don't like that model" and "I want a bigger car this time"...

Like fućk. We're getting what we can afford, and hopefully without a payment. Fuckin pick and choose and put restrictions on what she's willing to drive... booshit. She's lucky I don't revoke her license and buy a pair of Salk SS 9.5s...

Glad your wife wasn't hurt. But I do see a correlation between women, my Son paid cash for his wife's new 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe 56k. Here's the kicker, she wanted their top line, all black 90k +! I was with them cause he ask me to go with them. When I had the chance to pull him off to the side. Told him, you pay 90k + for that black Tahoe I'm going to slice the tires before you get it off the parking lot! I jumped in, didn't care if she got mad. Talked with the sales manager and the salesman he was dealing with, I got him down from $59.890 to $48,890! V8, Leather captain seats with the fifth row seat leather, pull down Blu-ray player for peeps in the back it was loaded. Now he added a 5 year warranty 3k, plus $500 for lifetime oil change and tire rotations. With taxes, title registration and add-ons little over 56k. But back to your ordeal, take Shady J's advice, Toyotas Hondas, have much better resale value. But it's a choice. Best of luck Pogre! Hope you get them nice speakers too!

 

[mtrycrafts]

I'll tell ya, she's pissing me off just a little bit... I'm driving a ten year old vehicle, she totals the newer one and now she's all "well I want cruise control" or "I don't like that model" and "I want a bigger car this time"...

Like fućk. We're getting what we can afford, and hopefully without a payment. Fuckin pick and choose and put restrictions on what she's willing to drive... booshit. She's lucky I don't revoke her license and buy a pair of Salk SS 9.5s...

I feel for you, really.

 

[Dude#1279435]

We had our own vehicles when we married but when our second child came along out went the Ford Probe and in came the Taurus station wagon. That had a rear facing third seat which the kids loved.

We've always shared vehicles since, so we shop together. Luckily we've had similar taste and have gone with 4WD SUVs for the winter conditions, extra cargo space and higher site lines. The Ford Escape is available as a hybrid but I haven't done any recent research on used models and reliability. $15k goes a lot further down south than it does up here.

I wouldn't recommend the Escape. My mother owned one and it was costing her 3K in repairs yearly. However, that was 10-15 years ago so things may have changed.