The domino effect
The appraiser finally did look at my car, but I won’t know anything until Monday at the earliest. In Massachusetts, st. patrick’s day is pretty much the same as a national holiday. The insurance adjustor, who works in boston and has a very irish last name, took friday off. in addition, by 4 pm i couldn’t get hold of the appraiser, so I can only assume that he’ll wait to report his appraisal on my claim on monday.
In the comments below I revealed that the car is not actually driveable. When they ripped out the console, they jammed the gear shaft somehow. Who knows what that means as far as the transmission.
Based on what I’ve learned, I probably will not get much from the insurance company, since it wasn’t damage based on a collision. I will basically get a $500 deductible.
So, what remains is how much will the damage cost to repair. I am certain it will be more than $500. I think what’s going to end up happening is I’m going to have to see how much cash I have to pay for the repairs beyond the $500, which is really only a few hundred dollars without dipping into credit cards. Another option is just to buy a whole new car.
I’m just talking scenarios at this point, obviously.
I just attended the first part of a two-part homebuyer’s course. One thing that you are warned about is making big purchases or having big expenses right before you are planning to buy a house, because that changes the size of the loan you can get. And a new loan pre-qualification changes the whole landscape of your home search. So, they basically tell you not to buy a new car or new furniture until you are in your house for a few months.
No matter what I do under this scenario, it looks like I’ll have to hold off on buying a house any time soon.
I want to thank everyone for your well wishes in the comments. To know that I am not the only one to whom this has happened is comforting in and of itself. It also feels awesome to know that if I ever got my hands on the effing vandals I’d have a whole posse to back me up. Props!
daily life | sighclub March 18, 2006
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By Robin, March 18, 2006 @ 4:49 pm
as a fellow experiencer of recent car disaster, i am here for you! a husband of a friend of mine called me up after hearing my tale of woe from his wife, and offered all of his substantial “if it can be saved, i can save it” wisdom to see if the camry was worth keeping around. so, if you want me to quiz him on your particular problem, and maybe get a suggestion on a mechanic who would have mercy on your poor soul, i’d be happy to.