I have one payment left on my 2005 van (83000 miles). In late May an old lady and I backed into each other at the farm store parking. The Sheriff said she backed first so it was my fault. She made a claim of $718 against my insurance. On Friday, July 13 I backed into a fire hydrant and dented the
right rear corner bumper. Should I report the 2nd accident, have it repaired and surely get an increase on my insurance premium or shpuld I drive it like it is and take the hit should I choose trade. I do not see a trade in the near future even though August will be my last payment.
It depends on your deductible, A new bumper could be very expensive, I would try a paintless dent removal estimate, it may be lower than your deductible to get it fixed.
7 year old van. bumper damage. Look if you can live with the look on the car do so. Save up about 1200$ and then have a body shop look at doing the job on your nickel. I always try to pay for my own damage when it is cosmetic. I just live with it. I understand other people do not feel the same.
Bumper replacement is easy. You can do it yourself. New parts can be used or you could get used parts at an auto surplus store (junk yard). What brand and model van is it? Would you consider a DIY repair if we help you?
Get an estimate from a body shop. Tell them to give you a cost to completely repair the car to “like new” and another to just make it look as good as possible as cheaply as possible. A new bumper that needs to be painted is about $550 for a '2000 Camry. You might find the costs to be not much more than your deductible.
Make the decision to tell the insurance company after you know the costs to repair. I’m not sure if your insurance rates will change as a result of a claim or not, but you have a valid concern that they will go up.
You have been paying for collision insurance for years, so you might as well use it…When the van is paid off, you can drop it…But if it has a high deductible, say $1000, then I would just pay for the repairs…
You might consider a backup camera on your next vehicle.
“You might consider a backup camera on your next vehicle.”
You can also buy aftermarket backup cameras. Peak sells them; I saw it at Advance Auto Parts a couple days ago. Danica Patrick may have advertised it, but I kinda lost track…