Your Car's Almost Totaled, But Not Quite: Should You Get A New One?

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There is that awkward in between when your car is badly damaged but not quite enough to get the car totaled. What do you do next? Here are some ideas on how to proceed.

Who's Paying?

It's important to look, first, at who is paying for the accident and how they plan to distribute the money. If an insurance company is paying for the repairs, they intend for that money to go to the auto repair shop. They might even send the money directly there. If you decide to forego repairs and keep the money, which is probably not advised by the insurance company, just know that you would likely be responsible for repairs going forward if there is another accident and the previous repairs weren't made. Though it's not unheard of for people to apply the money to another car or just to keep it in their own hands.  

What happens if you were liable for an accident or the other person didn't have insurance? You have more leeway. Do you decide to keep the car? Its value is probably going to be significantly reduced, if it was close to being totaled, even if you do make the repairs. It may even drive worse than before, even with the repairs. There are a few options to consider, other than making repairs:

  1. Junk the car. With this option, you just decide to call it a day and get the salvage value of your car. Rather than pay for costly repairs on a beat up car, you decide to apply that money towards a car that you know will be sound on the road.

  2. Make minimal repairs and sell. You might decide to make the minimal repairs to keep the car safe on the road and then sell it. If you were close to selling your car anyway, this could be a good option. There are quite a few options to sell a car, from dealers to small buyers to private owners.

  3. Don't make repairs. Before you decide not to make any repairs at all, do be sure that you get an inspection from an auto repair shop. A few ugly dings are one thing, but a car with a potentially dangerous repair need is another.

You could visit a used car dealer to see what kinds of car options are available in your price range. That would make it easier to tell just what kind of car you would end up with if you do decide to cash out on a car that was in an accident. Contact a company like Trade In Lane to find out more about selling a car fast.

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27 July 2017

Finding An Excellent Car

After I totaled my car, I knew that I needed to find a new vehicle that would weather auto body damage a little better. I started looking around for an incredible dealership that I could work with, and I was able to find a nice place that was relatively close to my house. They were easy to work with, focused on making my experience enjoyable, and had an incredibly large selection of great cars. Within a few hours I was able to find a really nice car that I loved, and I was really happy with the entire process. This blog is all about finding a great car that you will love.