Mikelikes2drive

so... i got rear ended after watching the star wars episode III at midnight. the damage honestly isnt that bad. the plastic got scuffed several places, theres a bump or two there, and theres a small hole in my car along with some scratches.
the woman who hit me didnt look too well off, and i dont know but i have this guilty conscience of making her pay for it. she admitted it was her fault and her car had more damage than mine, but if she was driving maybe a benz or bmw i wouldnt think twice, but she was driving a beat up civic.

what do you guys think? should i tell her to pay for it? how much do u think it would cost? am i crazy for having this conscience of mine?! gahhhh im frustrated but dont want her to pay for it! gahh! ill try to get pics up by tomm night

Go48

Yeah, you're crazy!:-)

Really, regardless of someones station in life they should be held accountable for their actions. Doesn't she have insurance? If your insurance company pays for it, you may get an increase in your premiums. Also, the damage may seem minor, but you may be surprised when you get an estimate for repairing it. If money is not an issue for you and it will make you feel good about picking up the tab, then go for it. Personally, I wouldn't be happy about paying for someone elses mistakes.

I've done that myself, but looking back in one case I think it would have been more beneficial to the person responsible to have held her feet to the fire, so to speak. You know, alcohol-breath, young female driving car with carload of teens crashes into the back of my car--crying--so sorry, yada, yada, yada.

Let us know what you decide to do. Good luck!

rotten42

what color is your car?

khtm

nice av rotten

chrism

make her pay!

twisty7867

It will add up. To replace my rear bumper cover and a piece of the exhaust fascia was $740! (Thankfully I had no conscience issues, the bimbo that hit me was driving a new 540i...) But seriously, it's illegal to drive without insurance in California, either (a) her insurance will pay for it or (b) she will get prosecuted for not having insurance. Better to get that message across to her before she hits someone else and totals their car without insurance.

Diabolical RX8

What if you rear ended her?

She see's you have a Mazda RX8 and quickly assumes you have alot of money. Could she lie to the court and say she has back injuries and lifting problems?

I might be exagerating but you know it could happen.

Hung_horse31

I would make her pay. I had a dodge neon once and a old lady was pulling out to make a left turn, and i was behind her. Well she pulled out but then decided not to go, so she backed up and hit my car. I was in a hurray at the time and she seem very sorry and genuine so i did not bother calling the police. I took her name and insurance down and she said she will pay for it. Well the next day after i got my estimates, i called her to confirm. She replied you were to close behind me and im not paying. I couldnt do anything about it b/c i didnt have a police report.

Outlaws eXtreme

If the damage isn't that bad, have her pay you out of insurance... like 500-750 bucks or something. No one's insurance will know about it, and life goes on.

It seems that she wasn't being a bitch about it, so if the damage was light on your car, work a deal with her?

If it's bad, just go to insurance...

RX-GR8

make her pay.

QBallz

I would make her pay, thats what insurance is for. It's not like her premiums would sky rocket from a small fender bender, unless this happens all the time. If that was the case maybe she should either:
A) Pay attention
B) Not drive.

BTW Hope Star Wars was good I havn't seen it yet

Aratinga

MAKE HER PAY! You'll be surprised at how expensive the repair will be. AND -- if your insurance has to pick up the tab because you think you're being a nice guy, you'll end up paying more when they jack up your rates. (Yes, they will. They did it to me after I was rearended.)

There are times to be chivalrous. This isn't one of 'em.

RotrDoc

I share your concerns about the other party--I was rear-ended (at the check-point into my employer's) with a bump so slight that it left barely a scuff. The guy who hit me is a fellow employee--part of the family, as it were. So I let him off.

However---I would not tolerate any expense to me to keep my baby beautiful. It's the other party's responsibility to carry insurance and/or accept liability for any damages. Just like a child, you don't do them any good if you allow them to shirk such responsibility. It just makes sense, from a personal and societal perspective, to be hard-nosed about it.

HeelnToe

Agreed. I've done that. BUT...

Did you get her insurance info before you left? Cuz some people can become MUCH less apologetic once they think they can get away with it.

ALWAZL8

I've been there! The idiot who rear-ended me was in a beat up truck. He said he had rear-ended someone else earlier in the week! His insurance finally paid for my bumper replacement (almost $700) after 2 months of trying to get in touch with him and his insurance company because he gave false info to the officer who wrote the accident report.

Mikelikes2drive

yah i did get her information and i doubt the damages will be over 500 dollars, but arggg!! my conscience!! i guess i will just wait till next week and get an estimate and go from there.

btw star wars was awesome!!! the acting.... not so great but the fight scenes were very well done and they filled in alot of the story. YIKES! im late for class... thanks everyone for the advice

fredw1

I got rear-ended with minimal visible damage (partial license plate imprint on bumper), but a steel brace behind the bumper was damaged. My original estimate did not include this because it was invisible. This could have affected protection in the future had it not been replaced. My toal was almost $1000.

Outlaws eXtreme

It'll be at least 1k when they give you a quote. Just to repaint the rear, it's going to be at least 300 bucks. To fill in any damages, or align the car right, more money.

At least you can "debadge" the rear now if you choose to.

Mikelikes2drive

the damage isnt that big at all... no repainting needed i believe.. theres just one small little hole thats maybe .5 cm by .5 so doubt its gonna be over 500 or am i just being ignorant and optimistic?

valpac

iTrader: (2)

Do you like the hole in your RX-8? Or do you want a whole RX-8? I was rear-ended a couple months ago by a young woman in an F-150. She was obviously not Donald Trumps daughter. There was ALOT more damage than I first thought and the car totalled. Sounds like your car is certainly not as bad as mine, but your bill could be fairly expensive.

Insurance will pay. If she doesnt have insurance, make her pay outta pocket. Too bad if she "looks" like she's not that well off. If she doesnt have insurance, then she can't afford to drive a car. That's too bad, but you are not responsible for her irresponsibility.

There will always be haves and have nots. Get over the guilt of having (working for, saving for, earning) stuff.

SilverEIGHT

This is no time to be nice. She should not be driving if she can't be responsible.

Mikelikes2drive

thanks everyone for your responses and concerns. i called the person and came to my senses finally and decided that i was going to make her pay for it.

should i go to the mazda dealership to get a quote? or go to a bodyshop?

anyone know ne good body shops in the irvine or cerritos area?

valpac

iTrader: (2)

Since the car is a relatively new model, Mom & Pop shops may not know enough about the car to make accurate repairs. I would defer to the dealer's collision center. But make sure you ask around about the reputations of the various dealers in your area and pick the best, obviously. Good luck, hope things work out great for ya and you get the car back quickly.

capitolgator

Bring it to the dealership and ask them who they recommend to do the work; get an estimate and submit it to the at fault driver- then she can either pay for it herself or have her insurance company pay for it- her choice and you don't have to feel badly. She was negligent, not you. If the roles were reversed she would want you to pay but everyone can understand a persons concerns about higher insurance rates.

If she refuses to pay, then just go directly to her insurance company- if she refuses to give you that info- report it to your insurance company and they will track her insurance company down and make them pay.

Mikelikes2drive

thanks guys for all ur input and advice i really appreciate it
i've never been in an accident and outside of exchanging information don't know much else to do so i really do appreciate it. i really hoped i would never be in this situation but i guess it's inevitable
thanks again