Day 2

Just got back from getting the estimate...

Can you spell T*O*T*A*L*E*D?  

Their estimate was @$5,700, value is about $3,400.  Not a surprise for a 12 year old car. 

My insurance doesn't cover a rental.  I could get one for the rest of this week @33/day, which I'd pay up front and hope to reimburse from the other guy's insurance. But a rental would be sitting in the parking lot most of the time anyway, so I'm not going to do that.

The estimate guy (Aaron) tells me that State Farm will come to me to check things out and officially "total" it.  Then they take it away.  Aaron says the car is safe to drive, but would be very dangerous if I should get rear-ended again.  There is structural damage to the rear end, and the lights on the left rear don't work.

So I'll plan to stay home this week, and then, of course, we'll be gone for two weeks.  I've cleaned it out, and will ask the maintenance guy here to take the license plate off for me.

Decision time.  I don't think I want to buy another car, but I don't think I'm ready to quit driving yet.  Maybe this is the opportune time to think about leasing for a year or two.  (Fortune works in mysterious ways.)  And then there are other options arising.  The maintenance guy here is interested in buying the car, if the insurance company totals it.  He says he can fix it for his use.  Hmmmm.  And then a woman here want to sell her 2015 Nissan.  She's going to get the specifics from her son so I can check that out.  Hmmmmm.

I hope the insurance company calls me tomorrow.