I went to the body shop last night. The estimate was higher than I expected -- not that I have any sense of what these things cost. It will be in the neighborhood of $1250; I was thinking about $600. Most of the cost stems from the extra work it will take to actually get at the problem, since the dent is in a difficult spot on the rear hatch.
Though this gives me pause, I think I still need to have it done. I plan to keep this car as long as it will hold up. The spot where it was damaged is rusting, and eventually it will rust through. And, if I do move to a more urban area and want to sell the car, it's going to have to be in good shape.
I don't need to get other estimates. I already know that this body shop does the best work, and has the most honest owners I could hope for. I've had work done with them in the past myself, and their reviews from others are stellar. In fact, if another shop were to give me a lower estimate, I would assume they were taking shortcuts that I wouldn't want.
This will definitely earn me the $250 from Citi, so I guess I can count that as a discount.
They won't be able to take me until next week, or possibly the week after. They are very busy.
So, $600 on tires last month, $1250 on body work this month. This is definitely the Year of the Car.
Body shop estimate
March 6th, 2012 at 03:40 pm
March 6th, 2012 at 04:16 pm 1331050597
I have a tiny dent on my vehicle (hit and run while parked - like literally the day after I bought it -
March 6th, 2012 at 10:39 pm 1331073543
I have a 13-year-old Honda with a few dings and dents, but nothing I would ever fix. I hope to hang onto it for at least a few years longer, and I don't really care that it's appearance is less than 100%. I've certainly seen worse on the roads.
but, everyone is different.
March 7th, 2012 at 02:02 am 1331085752
March 7th, 2012 at 01:40 pm 1331127622