Sh** day... (Rear ended)

Originally Posted by gy954

Here is my cautionary tale....

I too was rear ended a couple of years back. I knew I'd been hit hard enough to bend the frame, but the body shop assured me the car was repairable. Since I had dealings with the shop before and they have a sterling reputation, I accepted what they told me.

And the repaired car seemed to be fine: drove well and did not show odd tire wear (scrubbing). So all seemed well, so I thought. Then I went to trade the car in.

Of course I told the dealer about the rear-end accident, but when the tech put the car up on the rack I was screwed. Because the frame had been straightened the dealer claimed the car had much less value. Even, he said, possible liability--it could be dangerous.

Now I'm not saying I totally believed the dealer, but I can tell you that the rear end cost me $1500 in trade-in value. If I had known that when the accident happened, I might have taken the responsible party to small claims court to recover the $1500 decrease in value.

I wish you better luck. At least you're not injured. And forewarned is forearmed. Maybe.