Im a new poster to this forum, altough Ive been lurking for about two weeks now. I love the forum and Im impressed by the knowledge Ive gained just by keeping tabs on certain posts. I drive a '96 Acura Integra RS 2door (w/ slushbox) and Im making payments on it for about the next year and a half. Im 17 and live in SW Florida. Thats me and heres my problem. All <U>useful</U> input, suggestions, and even corrective cristicism.

About four weeks ago i was driving to school. I was late, got stupid, and was hit in the passenger side rear panel right by the bumper by a 1-ton F350 towing a bobcat. The damage could have been much worse. My bumper was torn clean of taking those styrofoam block with it. The fender was bent in several inches. The lower bumper support (the painted one attached to the subframe) is bent. Finally the trim panel below the taillights and trunk lid is a total loss. The interior trim panel that covers the part hit is also bent. Today I took it for a drive down my street (thats all the farther i want to go without a place to mount my license plate) and noticed a rubbing sound eminating from the passenger side rear tire (or axel??). That about sums up the damage done, not inlcuding a leaking radiator totally unrelated to the accident. I didnt claim insurance because Im 17 an have only been a driver for about 3-4 months. If I made a claim then my insurance rates would either be through the roof or the company would drop me all together. Remember the accident was mostly my fault.

So where do I go from here?????

I love my car, depsite being a base model with an automatic, its still an agile car thats alot of fun to drive. Ive been patient, saving my money for the repair because I was broke when the accident happened (i make ~$140 a week at Target ) I almost bought a vintage Datsun 260Z for $1800 but another guy beat me to it. I now have $700 and another $600 pending sale of some stuff I have. Tomorrow Im getting an estimate for repair of the dents and paint matching. From there lies my problem! Do I buy brand new OEM parts? Do I find some ebay deals? Or do I buy a body kit and some cheesy taillights?

Heres what I need:
- Rear bumper
- Right Rear taillight
- assorted parts for mounting bumper
- Interior panel (possibly, more on that later)
- Trim panel below taillights
- Paint matching

OK, Im looking back at this post and I realize its long and probably pretty boring. If youve read this much... thanks. Now I need your opinion including costs. Help me figure out where to get parts, how to fix it, should I make it a race car, strip the interior or try to return it to stock or better?????? Remeber Im pretty poor and dont have 1000s to spend. Thanks for any input! oh and here are some cliff notes...

1. got in wreck, right rear of car needs work
2. im poor. how should i go about repairing?
3. is this a good time to start modding? and if so with what??

 

Have it inspected by a very REPUTABLE mechanic. Just ask what's been damaged and what needs to be repaired. If you ask for a quote, that's fine, but the main thing is assessing what really needs to be repaired. Your rubbing noise could be just your fender well plastic shields rubbing against the tire (FWD have no rear axles) or hitting the control arms when you hit a bump. Again, your best bet is to get it estimated and go from there. I would personally hold off on claiming any type of insurance on it. If you claim the car through your government DMV to register the car having accidented, that's fine. But hold off on your insurance. Unless they are complete ******, the insurance guys are normally kind enough and SHOULD ask you "Would you like to claim it?" You answer no, then your insurance record stays clean and you pick up the repair tab. If you say yes, be prepared to pay double the amount on your insurance premium....PLUS the deductible.

Good luck,

Oz

 

Hmmmm.....I just thought about this just now. Who was at fault regarding the accident? If it is you, then I'd say you're screwed with the insurance people no matter what. If it is the F350, then there is a good chance the insurance guys will let you off and pay any personal and vehicle damages. But again, don't bite too easily. Find out some info first either by asking the police or making a fake call to the insurance people.

Regards,

Oz

 

Thanks for your quick reply Oz. I think that my above post was way too long to be clearly understood, or maybe I left stuff out Anyway, the acccident was basically my fault. I pulled out at the suggestion of another driver after waiting for 15mins at a busy intersection with no light. I couldnt see the truck that hit me until it was to late and my rs lacked the acceleration to pull out of the way. The owner of the truck offered not to call the cops in order to not screw me over. If we would of called the cops then my insurance rates would of went up no matter what i did because i would have gotten a ticket. So i havent talked to the insurance company and am paying for repairs out of my own pocket.

 

have a shop look at it. consider used parts cuz new parts at the dealer are expensive. If it's possible, do some work yourself. that can save money.I hope this helps. good luck on fixing her.

 

Okay, you have to be really clear about this. Are you sure that you and the F350 agreed to not call each respective insurance companies and the cops? If so, then I suggest that you do not say anything about the accident to the insurance people. Get it estimated....again a very trustworthy mechanic is key here.

Regards,

Oz

 

Exactly, the F350 offered to pay the $300 himself to fix his bumper and I will pay for repairs on my car myself. Should be cheaper in the long run considering insurance rates for 17 year drivers with imports...

 

BAD BAD BAD

 

you ever had "cheesy taillights?"

i hear they add 10 whp a piece

 

I was being sarcastic... i would never put taillights like that on my car


[Modified by Senkakusha, 2:11 PM 10/29/2002]