Car Insurance

What a crock!

A little back story. We own an Olds Cutlass. It has had more than its share of problems, but as of late had been running reliably and getting hubby from point A to point B with minimal pain. It has never been a gem of a car, but it was paid for, we've had it for 6 years, and it ran.

So a week and a half ago, hubby comes home and says he was rear-ended on his commute home (if I had a way to make it happen, he would have a commute that was at least a quarter of what it is, but for now, I don't). Yay. Hubby was fine, a little sore, but fine overall, whew! He said the bumper was being held on by a bungee cord. Great. But really the damage didn't look too horrible. If you knew he had been hit, then yes, you could tell, but at first glance, little looks wrong with the car. It is drivable, he made it home after all. But there is damage, so now we have to start the process with the insurance company. Thankfully they took liability--there was really no way that hubby was at fault. So off to the shop goes the car. They start figuring out what exactly is wrong...and then find more that they didn't see when doing the initial estimate, and now the insurance company has to take a look at the car because "we are getting into a range where the car might be a total loss." Excuse me? a total loss for WHO?!?! Um, up until your client crashed into it, it was a perfectly fine (well, not perfect, but fine) car. It served us well, and frankly, I don't have the time, energy, or MONEY to buy a new one right now. Yes, I realize the insurance company will pay me the "value" of the car, but I argue that the "value" they have assigned neglects a significant portion of the "value" the car held for me! We will wind up as a one car household for a bit while we try to find a different vehicle, that is not a fun prospect given that homeschooling keeps us on the go quite a bit. We will waste what little free time we have going out to test drive cars, oh joy (I really dislike car shopping. Really. Dislike. It.) All because of a moment of distraction, and an insurance company's decision that the car isn't worth fixing. Again, I ask, isn't worth it to whom?

What a crock.