Insurance companies suck, but this is not news to anyone.

[sanada]

Ugh, I've been haggling with Nationwide, trying to get a fair price for my car... their arcane methods of determining auto value seem to involve comparing my car to ones that have 60000 more miles and manual transmissions. They're valuing my car at $2400, but in this area I've found half a dozen cars of the same model and year, with the same

Comments

[randomdiversion]

I take it you are unwilling/unable to get an auto loan?

Even if you buy a used car, dealers usually only buy-back cars that are in decent condition, so getting a used car at a new-car dealership is probably better than getting a used car elsewhere.

If you present printouts of the ads of comparable vehicles in your area to Nationwide, they have to change their estimate. I did that when my Civic was totaled and got about $800 more. Your insurance company should help with arguing with Nationwide if you ask for them to help you.

With financing you might be able to get a Fit or something...

[sanada]

lol, I'm mostly unwilling to spend any more. I've got grad school to pay for and I just want something that will get me back and forth. The $6-7000 that seems to be the minimum for used cars from a dealership is double what I really want to pay right now. I'm only looking for a car that will last me 2 years or so, so I figure that anything I buy is as likely to die tomorrow as my cruddy, bucket-of-bolts Saturn. (I'm glad that condition of the vehicle isn't an issue in total loss insurance claims, because my car was in pretty poor shape!)

[chomiji]

Yikes.

Your mom is being silly, but you already knew that. Do you have a mechanic you trust, who would look at a car that you're planning to buy from a private individual?

I think you know that I didn't learn to drive until I was in my mid 20s. My first car was a Volvo wagon that we got for $2000. It was a great car - a better turning radius than most, and built like a tank. But the repairs were killer on the cash flow.

[sanada]

Yeah, that would definitely be a condition of buying from a private individual. And I've been checking the reviews of small dealerships, too.

I'm keeping repairs in mind, too - I've pretty much ruled out Volkswagon and Volvo and the like because the repairs on my mother's 2001 VW were getting so outrageous that she sold it and bought a much less troublesome Saturn.

[sanada]

lol, well, I'm not too concerned about it. I'll fight things out with the insurance company (I can be very stubborn when provoked! XD) and find a decent car. Whatever I buy can't be any worse than what I was driving. I've just got to deal with my mother, who can only speak at one volume - screaming. She's got the idea in her mind that if we go to the car salesman she and my sister bought cars from, he'll somehow cut a "deal" that will reduce the price of a $8000 car to $3000... >__>;; even though there's a sign on the wall that they don't haggle prices.