July 18, 2016

  • Camry Update

    Over the weekend, I was able to do quiet things at home that allowed me to calm myself and take care of normal weekend things.  I got a couple of good nights' sleep to make up for the lost sleep on Thursday night, and I now hve things moving forward.  The insurance adjuster came out to look at the car.  He asked very few questions, and I let him do his job -- the one question that surprised me was "they pushed you into the next car, didn't they?"  I had not even noticed that the front of the car had been pretty badly scratched.

    IMGP0585-001

    Before he did any calculations, he commented that he thought it might be a total , and that the suspension was a mess (that is most of the estimated cost of repair).  He sat in his car with a small calculator, and figured out the cost to repair the car.  When he was done, he told me that the car was not fixable within the insurance limits.  They will tow the car from my driveway, hopefully today or tomorrow morning, and the "total loss claims department" will be in touch to tell me how much they will give me and when.  My job for the rest of the week is to go car shopping!  We talked briefly about the merits of possible cars -- Camry, Corolla, Hondas, and Hyundais seem to be the cars of choice.  He did say not to buy a Nissan.  And he talked about some add-on's that he would recommend.

    As soon as I know when the car will be towed, I will head to the nearest group of dealerships and do some homework so that I'll be ready to buy a car as soon as I need to!

Comments (18)

  • My husband liked Toyotas. He was a mechanic, as you may remember.

    • I spoke with the adjuster this morning about what should be my next car -- he said either Toyotas or Hondas are good. This was my second Toyota, and I will definitely drive a new one in the next couple of days, along with a Honda -- the choice will likely come down to which one I feel more comfortable with.

  • Make sure you get your license plate off the car before they tow it away... Also make sure you get all the stuff that's in the trunk and glove box. When our car was totaled we took the full sized spare tire and kept it - came in handy as we swapped the temp tire for the real one in the new car.

    • Can't take plates off the car in CA -- they're part of the licensing/title arrangement, and have to go to AAA when I effectively sell the car to them in the totaling process. Really strict laws here about that -- and if done right, I get reimbursed for the registration as part of the settlement. The car goes as is! Everything else stays with me (glove box, trunk contents, toll road transponder, etc.) Then I have to remember to tell everybody. Hopefully I'll have a new car by Saturday or Sunday!

  • Have fun car shopping.

    • It's not my favorite thing -- especially when I don't have lots of time! I'll drive 2 or 3 cars in the next couple of days, and make a decision by Thursday. That much usually takes me weeks!

  • I am a Chevy kind of guy. Lol. I bought a new one in high school and took my bride to be for a ride home.

    Good Hunting. Sounds like fun. New Car salesmen are a braced unto themseleves.

  • I love my Prius C - I can get 80 mpg on a good day (warm weather makes my mileage go up)!

    • Thanks, Val -- that's good to know. I hadn't really thought about a hybrid, but will take a look at it when I drive Toyotas!

  • M likes Toyotas. He has one for a long time and is thinking of getting a new one this year or next, another Toyota. This will be the third or fourth Toyota he would have had. He had a Honda, a Mazda, and an Austin and a TR7 in the past. But I think he likes Toyota Camrys best.
    Janet I am happy that the car is considered totaled and you don't have to put up with a damaged car. Whatever you get in the near future, I pray you have many many years of good driving with it; Drive it in good health. I am sure the insurance agent will tell all the neat new things about rear view camera etc.
    All the best.

    • I drove Hondas today -- two models of Accord. One of them might work, but not like my Camry! I sat in Camry and Corolla over the weekend, but did not drive them -- will do that tomorrow, then I need to make a decision! I agree about not having to use a damaged car; when a car is totaled, though, you only are made whole to the value of the car om the day before the accident -- I will still have to pay almost half of a new car -- not quite what I had planned for this year! I like the rear view camera, and some have a right side view lane change assistance as well. I have a busy few days coming up!

  • Car shopping is not my favorite thing either ~ may it go smoothly for you!

    • So far, so good. All the companies are offering big discounts for the end of the model year. Camry was definitely my car, after driving Nissan, Accords, Corolla, and Camry It's been an interesting experience!

  • I guess this is a good time of year to car shop. Best of luck in finding one that's right for you.

    • It happens every year -- the new models come out in the fall (some are already out), and the dealers do everything they can to clear their floors of last year's model in order to have room for this year's. There are often huge reductions from the sticker prices. I may have saved as much as $5,000 on this car that way!

  • I would have not said-'get a Nissan", either. My Altima was a fighter, but in the end, the worn-out Catalytic Converter led to all manner of tough situations. I could not imagine having to deal with such things, on southern California freeways.

    • I'm surprised that the various mechanics that worked on your car over the last month or two didn't identify the catalytic converter as the source of the problem. I'm sorry you had such problems -- an anxious to hear the story.

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