Frame damage

[cjsmith]

Estimate = $3900. Down to maybe $2900 if I take used doors and fender, but the labor alone is nearly $2K and that's more than Kelly says the car's worth. If I make the case that it's in pristine condition with very low miles, AND I take used doors, AND I don't paint them, the math error fairy would still need to cough up $500.

This is mainly a gratuitous icon post.

Comments

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

And the car would get a 'salvage' title based on the pay-off from the insurance company--making future insurance coverage iffy at best.
Love the icon, BTW.

Forgot the cute new icon!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Right - and for good reason. It's possible that the column on which the rear door hangs ("pillar B"?) would never be as strong afterwards.

Affects resale value too, but I've known for years I was never going to sell this thing.

Re: Forgot the cute new icon!

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

And the 'B' pillar is what would be a major part of your protection if the poor car ever ended up in the position proposed by your icon.
I hate to tell you this, but scrap it!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

It was also a major part of my protection in the accident yesterday. Poor little car!

[selenite.livejournal.com]

math error fairy

Hey, we've finally found someone who can make our program meet its schedule!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Excellent! The math error fairy has all KINDS of good deeds to do!

[lkeele.livejournal.com]

It is an excellent icon.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I love it! I stole it off a card I bought for Rick when his (lovely new BMW) car was totaled (by a dingbat running a red light) lo these many years ago. Card says "Condolences on the death of your car." Forgot to give him the card, still have it, good occasions to use it are few... so I took a photo. :)

[joedecker.livejournal.com]

This is mainly a gratuitous icon post.

And a worthy gratuitous icon post it is. :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Why thankya kindly! :)

[shadopanther.livejournal.com]

Poor little Corolla. It has served well for it's lifetime. Perhaps it will be come a car-organ donor for other old Corollas still rolling along.

Best wishes to you for the next step in the car crunch saga.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

That's a reassuring idea. I hope it can keep other Corollas alive.

Thanks. Boy do I not like the whole car buying process... but it's gotta happen!

[shadopanther.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I didn't think of this before -- because your insurance company may want the totaled car whole-as-is -- but if for some reason you end up parting it out: If you had an automatic transmission; I could use the shift housing & shift indicator. [The plastic piece on either side of the shift lever broke thus breaking my gear shift indicator. I can feel what gear I'm in... but for the indicator to display the gear properly, it has to be pushed into place manually. I can move the indicator through the different gears with keeping the car in park.]

If it's a hassle though -- no worries. I've been planning on trying to superglue the plastic parts back together. And if that doesn't work, I have a plan b: pick-n-pull yard & c: buy new parts from Toyota. (If I do either b or c, then I'll actually care about the color: my housing is navy blue.)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. I'd like to get max value from the insurance people, but if for some reason they don't care about the condition of these parts, we could SO swap. Who knows? Maybe they're just going to cube it. Seems stupid, but if they do that I may as well pull everything useful out of it. I do have an auto, and my interior is navy blue as well. What year is yours?

[shadopanther.livejournal.com]

1989 Toyota Corolla DX, navy blue interior, rolled off the lot December 1988. (Currently at 221K miles)

I have an exploded diagram of how the parts go together & a Chilton manual.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

EXACTLY my model. Navy blue exterior in my case as well. And yep, I too have the Chil -- no wait! No I don't! I have the Toyota 1989 Corolla repair manual. AND the entire electrical wiring diagram, which is a softbound book about a half inch thick. Want 'em? 8-)

[shadopanther.livejournal.com]

Cool! Yes, I would like the books.

The exterior of mine is white.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

They're yours! Send address for media mail or we can arrange a pickup... um... when life is a little less interesting, maybe in a week or two. :)

[shadopanther.livejournal.com]

Thinking of other Corollas helping keeping mine in better shape, I have:
- pulled (from a pick'n'pull yard) a side & rear view mirror, battery tie down rod, navy blue plastic covers for rear seat belt anchors, small air duct, navy blue dashboard, & wheel rim. [I just need to get around to installing most of this -- the battery tie down & wheel rim are the only bits in place.]
- been given a Toyota radio (from friends who upgraded theirs)

[kennita.livejournal.com]

Could you donate it to one of those charities that accepts cars "running or not, in most cases", and at least get some tax writeoff out of it? Do you do better if you do this before it's written off as salvage?

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I could do that, yes, although it would be a financial loss for me to do that instead of taking the insurance company's check for it. The charity would like me though. :-)

I suspect that in this particular case it doesn't matter to the charity whether it's a salvage title. They'll probably sell it for parts just like the insurance company will. But that's a total guess. I don't know what they really do with such cars.

[kennita.livejournal.com]

I was confused. I didn't know (or forgot) that the insurance company would send you a check for more than that. Never mind.

[hitchhiker.livejournal.com]

turtle icon love :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

It's such a cute little dead car. :)

[airporter.livejournal.com]

I must agree. Gratuitous icon posts are good things.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

All hail the Cuteness of Dead Car! :)