What car should I buy? (Update: Sold)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Danoff
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Sage
Seems like Japanese transmissions in general are a bit notchy – I've stalled the Subaru on more than one occasion because I thought I'd put it into first but it had actually stopped just short.
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If you didn't have it in 1st, then it would just rev up and not stall, right?

But I agree that Subie transmissions have their idiosyncrasies. On my 2.5TS I always have difficulty downshifting into third through a fast corner...I think the tranny bushings allow it to rotate a bit in it's mounts, and thus move the shift pattern over a bit so 3rd is not where I expect it...
I mentioned this to my dad, and he said every Japanese car he's had has been like that. For the longest time my mom couldn't get the Subie's transmission into reverse unless she pumped the clutch first.
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Most cars have that "problem"; it's because there are no synchros on reverse.
 
yeah my civic grinds reverse now, i just go through all the gears and hope for the best when i need to go into reverse, but if anything happens it won't really be a big deal.....because i can just push it anyways.
oh yeah, one more thing (sorry for being a downer about the car) a guy blew his engine in the area by mis-shifting from 3rd into 2nd and like a week later another guy with a S2000 (im not sure how simillar they are) did the same thing.
 
So I haven't even put 5k mi on the car and like the biggest idiot in the world I hit some guy in a parking lot!!! :mad:

So I put a hole (about the size of a quarter) in my front bumper and scratched the paint a bunch. The reinforcement behind the bumper is poking through the hole.

I'm such a moron.

Does anyone have any clue how much this is going to cost me?
 
A bumper cover usually costs around 200-500 dollars, if you can give me the year make and model I can look it up for you (I work at a collision center). But how much you pay out of it depends on your insurance (if you're even going to make a claim) and how much you pay as a deductable.
 
Sage
Seems like Japanese transmissions in general are a bit notchy – I've stalled the Subaru on more than one occasion because I thought I'd put it into first but it had actually stopped just short. I mentioned this to my dad, and he said every Japanese car he's had has been like that. For the longest time my mom couldn't get the Subie's transmission into reverse unless she pumped the clutch first.
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Ha I get this problem with my Civic sometimes! if i dont drop it into 1st before i stop - occasionally i will have problem slipping it in from neutral - reverse gear does this sometimes too. When in motion its all as smooth as hell! 👍
 
Ouch. Sorry to hear that, danoff.

The actual part is anyone's guess. They can be anywhere from ~250-400 for a typical car... upwards of several thousand on high-buck sports cars. Then there's a gallon or so of paint, which can be ~80-100 per unit. Then there's a couple hours of labor.. which varies from shop to shop, but you can guess 2-3 hours. Add ~50 if either of the bumper mount/shock absorber needs to be replaced.

Sorry to tell you, but I'm guessing it will be 500+. Make sure you get an estimate from at least 2 body shops.

My (old) car was tapped .. *tapped* in the rear and it was ~400 even keeping the original bumper cover.


M
 
Yea, the refinish will kill you, we charge 40/hr, and thats cheap.
 
I don't think I'm going to claim this on the insurance. I have a $500 deductable so it would have to be like $1k for me to want to claim it.

:mad: :mad: :mad:

I'm still beating myself up about this every chance I get.

I'll make sure to take it to 2 body shops.

What's the major determining factor in whether they keep the original bumper vs. putting on a new one?
 
sicbeing
A bumper cover usually costs around 200-500 dollars, if you can give me the year make and model I can look it up for you (I work at a collision center). But how much you pay out of it depends on your insurance (if you're even going to make a claim) and how much you pay as a deductable.
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It's an '03 RSX-S
 
Welp, seems I can't find my book, I was looking earlier for my book with Acura's in it earlier. In the crash estimating data book it tells me how much the parts are factory, and how many hours it takes to install and refinish (factory). I'll try later to get into my co workers program to see all that on our computer for ya.
 
Well I cant seem to get to that, but anyway you should take your car to an estimator of some sort just to estimate the damage to fix it. I mean there could be even more to it depending on how hard you hit, there could be bumper retainers, emblems, clips, etc.
 
*sniff* *sniff* *bangs head*
 
Are you going to goto your insurance company danoff?
 
sicbeing
Are you going to goto your insurance company danoff?
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Nope. I don't think it's worth making the claim.
 
True. Did you make the hit then run? Or does the other car owner know that you hit him?

If you're paying it all of yourself, because it's a fairly new car, you may be paying quite a lot, like I'd say at least 500 or more, but then again that all depends on where you go.
 
sicbeing
True. Did you make the hit then run? Or does the other car owner know that you hit him?

If you're paying it all of yourself, because it's a fairly new car, you may be paying quite a lot, like I'd say at least 500 or more, but then again that all depends on where you go.
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The other car owner was driving at the time... we pulled over and exchanged information. He'll be making a claim with my insurance. I'll be paying for my car out of pocket (most likely).
 
Duke
Ant car dealer that sells a car for a loss is a liar, unless it's a lot queen he just can't get rid of.
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That sounds like my Excursion.
It had obviously been hanging around for a bit.
(the cobwebs on the exterior mirrors were a dead giveaway).
The list price was $54k.
We got it for about $10K less than that.

Danoff,
Congrats on the RSX. I hope you enjoy it.
I was going to weigh in on the Cooper, and warn you off.
Those things seem to be holding their value so well that a low mileage unit might cost you more than a new one.:eek:
 
danoff
So I haven't even put 5k mi on the car and like the biggest idiot in the world I hit some guy in a parking lot!!! :mad:

So I put a hole (about the size of a quarter) in my front bumper and scratched the paint a bunch. The reinforcement behind the bumper is poking through the hole.

I'm such a moron.

Does anyone have any clue how much this is going to cost me?
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Sorry to hear about your car, danoff. Hopefully the bumper(not the cover) itself is still OK. If it has a hole and bunch of scratches, I don't think the bumper cover is repairable. According to this site, front bumper cover is $316.51, list.
14s6m01_b46.gif

As sicbeing noted, it's the labor(installation/paint job) that's gonna be spendy.
 
If your bumper is just messed up on the outside, a tech can use all the clips and retainers from the old bumper to use on the new one, but if you paint it (which you will if you buy a OEM one) you'll end up buying a grille and whatever mouldings and emblems that go on the outside of the bumper (Fascia).

That picture is pretty much what we use at body shops and at dealerships, but in the books the pictures usually come with a legend saying how many hours each part is to R&I (Remove and install) and refinish (paint).

But remember, they don't accuratly charge you, even though the tech can get it done in 2 hours, it may be a "4 hour" job. That's how they make money.
 
sicbeing
But remember, they don't accuratly charge you, even though the tech can get it done in 2 hours, it may be a "4 hour" job. That's how they make money.
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Yeah. Also watch for the "bump" in the prices of the parts also. List price says $316, your body shop probably pays mid $200's. Decent body shop will charge you the entire list price of $316. Crooks will bump the price up on top of that. :ouch:
 
a6m5
Yeah. Also watch for the "bump" in the prices of the parts also. List price says $316, your body shop probably pays mid $200's. Decent body shop will charge you the entire list price of $316. Crooks will bump the price up on top of that. :ouch:
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EDIT

Normally we only charge you the list, if not lower
 
sicbeing
-no comment-

:p
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That's how most of the body shops and repair shops operate. There's nothing you or I could do!

Edit:
sicbeing
EDIT

Normally we only charge you the list, if not lower
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:lol: Glad to hear it. 👍
 
First Estimate: $1,200


That's a 4 hours of labor putting on the bumper. 6 hrs of labor painting it, and 6 hours of paint supplies. Also included is $500 worth of parts (bumper, absorbers, reinforcement whatever thingamagig).

I'll be getting a second opinion.
 
Regardless, danoff, don't make the insurance claim. $1200 seems bad but your rates will go up more than a total of $1200 over the period of time this is on your record with the insurance company. Hopefully you can get it down, but if not, I still recommend going out-of-pocket.
 
M5Power: Don't forget about the guy danoff hit. Both repairs combined, he could be better off claiming both. :ouch:
 
a6m5
M5Power: Don't forget about the guy danoff hit. Both repairs combined, he could be better off claiming both. :ouch:
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^^ That's what I was thinking.

It's actually really funny, because the damage is so slight that I've considered (several times) just leaving it. My only concern is that when I sell it I'll lose even more money.
 
Second estimate - $850.

I'll have to check with my insurance company whether it matters if I claim. If the other guy claims, then I'm wondering if it makes any difference whether I claim as well. If it does then I'll pay $850 out of pocket. If not, then I'll just claim it and save $350. Either way I'm feeling better about my stupidity already.
 
Driftster
Get a JiangLing Landwind..



I'll miss you though
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:lol: If he had a JiangLing Landwind, he'd be looking at a total right now.

Can you ask the insurance company whether you should file a claim? Sounds an awful lot like insurance fraud.
 
M5Power
:lol: If he had a JiangLing Landwind, he'd be looking at a total right now.

Can you ask the insurance company whether you should file a claim? Sounds an awful lot like insurance fraud.
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:lol: LMAO

Actually, I predict that insurance rates would be super high on a vehicle like that. You could have a fender bender with a moped, and damage your spinal cord or something. :D
 
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