Here's an article from my neck of the woods that details how expensive minor fender-benders in a minivan can be. The details:
Repairing damages to minivans involved in low-speed crashes of 3 to 6 miles per hour could range from $483 to more than $3,500, according to test results released Thursday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
In the "olden days" when I was a kid, our car could hit a tree at 25 mph and not show any signs of wear. Then again, that car probably got two miles-per-gallon as it was as heavy as a tank. ;-)
It's not only minivans either. When I was backed into this summer (at a low rate of speed, as you can imagine), the total bill for the insurance company was $2,000. Yikes!
Maybe this is yet another reason to ride my bike to work instead of driving. ;-)
I know its ridiculous.
A year or two ago someone backed into me in a parking lot, so we're talking under 5 mph here.
He broke my front left turn signal cover and left a minor dent in the bumper. I was very mad with him because i had been honking my horn all the time as he backed up so i decided to claim from his insurance. (luckily i also had a witness)
The insurance rep told me to bring the car in for repair and submit the bill for reimbursement. Over a month went by and i hadn't brought the car in for repairs cos the damage was so minor. I ended up buyin a light cover online for $30 and a patch kit for the dent may $60 and did the repair myself.
I then called the insurance company and told the rep it was too much hassle to bring the car in for repairs cos then i would have to rent a car and the damage was so minor anyway i just wanted the $90 back that i had spent.
The rep said "No, no we want to make sure you are compensated appropriately for this, Ill sent out an assessor"
So a few days later the assessor arrives and does his thing. I was thinking ok this isnt so bad, maybe ill get a check for a few hundred outta this! Then he handed me the report which had a total of $1400 on it.
He said you'll get a check in the mail in a few days.
He must have seen the shock on my face and knew exactly what i was thinking cos then he says "Go and have a nice weekend in Tahoe or something"
...So i did!! :-)
Posted by: Declan Shanaghy | January 09, 2008 at 06:11 PM
Got rear ended at a stop light in traffic couple months ago. Not real fast - maybe 10-15mph. She was driving an '01 Chevy S-10 mini-truck. I have a BMW 740il. Left one tiny crack and a small scratch in my bumper. Took out her bumper, the plastic under it and the grill. My BMW is like 12 years old, and I am not sure I want a new car after that!
Posted by: Orville | January 09, 2008 at 06:52 PM
I definitely prefer to be backed into when I'm in a minivan as opposed to when I'm on a bike, but I suppose views can differ on that.
Posted by: Robert | January 09, 2008 at 07:34 PM
We were in a head-on collision a few weeks ago and both cars were totaled. Neither we nor the other car (thank god - we hit them) were seriously injured. The cars took all the impact. My husband keeps saying that if we'd had the same accident 20 years ago, everyone would have been killed.
So be thankful for cars that take the hit, instead of you, the driver.
And wear your seat belts!
Posted by: MoneyChangesThings | January 09, 2008 at 10:48 PM
I don't think I'd rather get hit on a bike than in a minivan.
Posted by: Fiscal Musings | January 10, 2008 at 08:57 AM
That is because back in the days of tank cars, the car did not absorb the impact, the occupants did. All in all, I am in favour of crumple zones. The alternative is most bad.
Posted by: Todd | January 10, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Back when I had to park on the street, someone side-swiped my car in the middle of the night - breaking the side mirror housing, and causing minor dents/paint damage in the driver's door. I called my insurance about it, who sent me to a local body shop - I don't remember the quote exactly, but it was something between $1,500 and $2,500 to bang out the dent and completely match the paint, as well as replacing the mirror. I have a high deductible, and I figured that it was pointless to pay that much money to have my car look like new (not to mention that my premiums would go up), so I let it go.
I held the mirror on with duct tape for several months, until my husband pushed me to go to the local Ford dealer's parts division. A brand-new, complete mirror housing was less than $50. It took me 1/2 hour to get the remains of the old housing off and put the new one on - in the dark!
I think the key is understanding which repairs are necessary for the car to work right (mirror, body damage, etc) and which are merely cosmetic, but costly (dented door).
Posted by: Anitra | January 10, 2008 at 11:17 AM
A motorcycle was riding the lane during commute hours. All traffic was stopped except for him. He claimed that someone swiped his back wheel and he hit the car next to me and fell on my car, the heavy motorcycle pinning him to my car. Two guys had to help move the bike off him. I only have a ding on my car. I wasn't going to claim it, but I had to wait around for the highway patrol and then spend time talking to his insurance and they wanted to send out an adjuster. All said and done, it wasted 6 hours of my time. When they decided to send me the check for $700, I took my husband out to a nice dinner.
Posted by: Asithi | January 10, 2008 at 01:01 PM
I'm sorry to hear about the accident. It is terribly expensive but thank goodness for insurance! I totalled my car last year and was really grateful that I had insurance and my premiums didn't even increase. We thought about selling our other car and just getting one nice new car with the settlement but ended up with 2 cars.
Jerry
Posted by: Jerry | January 25, 2008 at 01:38 PM