hail damaged car - question for the experts
07-11-2014, 05:57 PM
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hail damaged car - question for the experts
Hi all - been a long time since I posted..... But here's the deal. I got my S2000 new in 2003, an 03 suzuka blue. 30k miles now, rarely used in the rain or winter, i always had another car for that. Since the glory days of early ownership, I got married, had 2 kids, etc etc, and the car doesn't get driven much anymore. So I was thinking of selling it on here. I would have asked about $16k, it was in great shape, low miles, etc (please tell me if that would have been too high of a price).
A month ago my car was caught in a severe hail storm, so that changed everything. The car has bad cosmetic damage which i will describe below. No rain on the inside though, or any mechanical issues at all. So the reason for the post - should I try to sell it as-is, or get it fixed and sell it? See detailed options below. All advice is appreciated. Also, I am NOT trying to sell the car on this post, if it seems best to sell the car now, I will create a post on the appropriate page with pics etc as it is supposed to be done.
Option 1 - fix it - my insurance company said the damage is about $8000, on a car worth about $16k (their number), so they won't total it, not even close. But they will fix it right - brand new hood, top, trunk lid, front fenders, and rear fenders. New windshield. Door skins were barely damaged, they will be the only thing repaired. Whole entire car will get repainted in Suzuka Blue. And the body shop doing the work is really good honestly, so i think it will come out as good as new cosmetically. And i would hope to ask about $16k (again, unless that is unrealistic).
Option 2 - sell it as is - Maybe someone thinks they can fix it themselves for cheaper than $8000. I could sell it for like $8000 (as I will get a check for $8000 from insurance company), so i come out the same.
Oh, and the damage... It is bad. Think about a ball peen hammer, hit hard, and you get the idea. The panels that need replaced really do need replaced. Hood has probably 50 dents, trunk maybe 10, fenders maybe 10 each. The top is not bad, has a 1 inch tear, but they said they would put on a brand new top. Body shop is slammed, car doesn't go in until end of July, comes out end of August.
OK. Thoughts, opinions, advice? Thanks!!
A month ago my car was caught in a severe hail storm, so that changed everything. The car has bad cosmetic damage which i will describe below. No rain on the inside though, or any mechanical issues at all. So the reason for the post - should I try to sell it as-is, or get it fixed and sell it? See detailed options below. All advice is appreciated. Also, I am NOT trying to sell the car on this post, if it seems best to sell the car now, I will create a post on the appropriate page with pics etc as it is supposed to be done.
Option 1 - fix it - my insurance company said the damage is about $8000, on a car worth about $16k (their number), so they won't total it, not even close. But they will fix it right - brand new hood, top, trunk lid, front fenders, and rear fenders. New windshield. Door skins were barely damaged, they will be the only thing repaired. Whole entire car will get repainted in Suzuka Blue. And the body shop doing the work is really good honestly, so i think it will come out as good as new cosmetically. And i would hope to ask about $16k (again, unless that is unrealistic).
Option 2 - sell it as is - Maybe someone thinks they can fix it themselves for cheaper than $8000. I could sell it for like $8000 (as I will get a check for $8000 from insurance company), so i come out the same.
Oh, and the damage... It is bad. Think about a ball peen hammer, hit hard, and you get the idea. The panels that need replaced really do need replaced. Hood has probably 50 dents, trunk maybe 10, fenders maybe 10 each. The top is not bad, has a 1 inch tear, but they said they would put on a brand new top. Body shop is slammed, car doesn't go in until end of July, comes out end of August.
OK. Thoughts, opinions, advice? Thanks!!
07-12-2014, 10:29 AM
#2
I think I'd try to sell it as is. It's possible someone else could repair it themselves for less money and would take the car as it is.
Once it's repaired, it's be hard to get top dollar for a car with all that replaced (compared to one from the same year that was still original)
If you don't sell it in a reasonable time, you could then use the money and have it fixed then sell it or keep it
Once it's repaired, it's be hard to get top dollar for a car with all that replaced (compared to one from the same year that was still original)
If you don't sell it in a reasonable time, you could then use the money and have it fixed then sell it or keep it
07-12-2014, 10:50 AM
#3
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Might as well try to sell it as-is for 8k or whatever, and if nothing comes of it then go ahead and have it repaired.
More people will have access to borrow ~$8k than ~$16k on a car of that age, so that's something else to consider.
More people will have access to borrow ~$8k than ~$16k on a car of that age, so that's something else to consider.
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07-13-2014, 03:56 PM
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Thanks for the tips. For those who said fix and keep - I am now a 40 year old guy with 2 kids under 2. I rarely go anywhere without the family except work. And I now live less than a half mile from work (seriously), and it is 25 mph residential roads on that stretch. So the car never ever gets driven like a sports car. Before kids, we used it a fair bit, still not a lot because Philly is an hour away on interstate, and the wife (and my 40 y.o. butt) don't find the S2000 comfortable for that trip. I will be sad to see it go, for sure. Keep an eye out for pics and a real "for sale" post on the appropriate page of s2ki.com.
07-14-2014, 09:05 AM
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Sorry to hear of your loss. You park on Penn Ave? I lost my Subie & the roof to my house to the storm, luckily for me myS2K was in the garage. Good luck with the sale.
