Eating me Up

I was in a fender bender a week ago today. I had gone to the gym and was on my way home, and cut the corner into my alley a little too short, or so the cop who wrote me the ticket says. I maintain that had SHE slowed down, instead of barreling out into the main road which i was turning off of, she would have avoided me....BUT she didn't even have a yield sign, so I was cited for making an "unsafe left turn."

My car

I took my car to the insurance adjuster...and they totaled it!  The cash value is $2200 (which is actually about $1K more than what I thought they would say), less $500 for my deductible. I can buy it back as "salvage" for $200, so when I get the title transferred over to "salvage," Insurance will give me a check for about $1500.  The alternative was to give me $1300 check to get it fixed ($1800 estimate damage, less my deductible), but if,  when the shop got it up on the lift and found MORE damage underneath, there was only about $200 more 'til insurance would just total it anyway.

I think totaling it SAD, but probably for the best. It is JUST the fender and rear view mirror on the outside, (and my friend says those parts won't be that much), maybe some paint to make it close to the right color, an alignment, maybe a tie rod....so I will have a little left over to pay my ticket, buy some gas, and maybe an extra chocolate croissant while I am in France. (yes, I am going to France, next week as a matter of fact).


On Friday, me and my friend headed out to the junk yards...my first time, WOW....dead cars galore...I can't imagine people walking away from some of these twisted heaps of metal!!  But we found a rear view mirror assembly. My friend put my unbroken mirror in, and for $10, I can at least see behind me. We also found a fender, but it was red, so we are gonna keep looking.

On Saturday, I took it to the tire place and had them rotate and balance and check the alignment...Asked them if the tie rods were OK, and they said they weren't leaking.....I should have been more specific - IS IT BENT, is really what I wanted to know....but you usually get screwed when you are a girl going to these places.....

Waiting on a call now from the guy who might have a fender, otherwise, I am going to get the red one, get it painted, and call it a day...I love my car and am not ready to give it up yet for a new one...It is 17 years old and runs about the same now as it did in 1994.....the six hamsters under the hood are a little grayer, but they still got all four paws on the wheel in the cage!!

Or I WOULD just call it a day, if the BITCH I hit hadn't retained a LAWYER!!! Now, she is claiming whip lash, and even though I have coverage, I am freaking out.  I mean, look at HER car....a glancing brush with my apparently made of glass fender!! Her bumper is hanging down a little bit and there is a dent in the area over the tire (her steering wheel is turned, that is why the tire looks wonky).


The worst part is, she lives on my street and I have to be worried I will SEE her....I want to really cause some damage, but there is nothing I can really do.....The stupid thing is we have the same insurance!!  We each have our own claim and our own legal team already looking into everything. It is silly and redundant for her to have gotten another lawyer, don't you think, or is there something more sinister in play???


But yeah, I am going to France.......more on that later.....