Car and brothers

[prog]

It looks like I'll be giving it to Peter and Janice. Peter's car is around 12 years old and has like half a million miles on it; it's the junkiest sportscar on earth. It recently had something go wrong, which will require a $300 repair; they are so destitute that this is a major hardship for them. They'll pay it, but are worried about other things inexorably wearing out and falling off now (I can't recall what exactly the problem was, but it involved the word "floorboard", so yes).

It would be nice to make Ricky mobile, but, not having a job or even the ability to work, he doesn't need a car like Peter does. But even though they both have jobs, they are paid so poorly that they can't really afford a replacement car that's any better than their current one. (Why don't they get better jobs? Eh... Peter is too broken to find work outside of his field of expertise -- which is entirely noble, and also entirely cash-strapped -- and Janice is too broken to handle the stress of working for pay, and does full-time volunteer work instead. I like them, and they are so obviously good people, and their irreparablility makes me sad.)

Now to figure out what to do about that dent, because I can't very well give them a car that needs obvious bodywork. Considering just taking State Farm's check and accepting the hit to my premium, since in theory it's a premium I won't have to pay again for a while. Maybe I'll call em up and see how big the hit would be.

Comments

[keimel.livejournal.com]

I'd have to say leave the dent be, take the money from the insurance company (you don't have to spend it on the car, ya know) and if you want to be super special, throw some of the repair money at registration for Peter and Janice, making it that much easier for them to acquire yours. I think they'd like appreciate THAT more than having the dent fixed. I could be wrong. Or go but a toy for yourself. As long as the dent isn't with sharp edges and going to cause a rust out in the near future, just let it be.

$.02 (from the guy driving an 11 year old car with well over 200k miles on it)

[prog.livejournal.com]

The check I have covers everything that the accident (two years ago, now) caused. Most of it is ignorable, but the wheel wheel damage really should be fixed, so I have to do at least that much.

Good idea about the registration, though. (And excise taxes...)

[prog.livejournal.com]

Er, wheel well.