Found Not Lost

I’ve been lucky enough not to have had a catastrophic car accident (knock on wood). However, I’ve been unlucky enough to be involved in the type of minor bumps and dings that can quickly diminish the car’s value. The worst part is, most of the time it’s not even my fault or was not even in the car when the damage happened!

Sometimes you ignore the small bumps if they aren’t too bad just to save on increased insurance premiums, sometimes you just get it fixed and forget about it. That is, until you try to sell your car and can’t sell it for as much because of its diminished value.

According to Advocate Auto Claims, you can re-coup the diminished value of your vehicle up to four years from the date of the accident. The website claims that you can re-coup this loss in value from the other person’s insurance if they are at fault, and this is applicable in all 50 states. And in Georgia, you can recoup the loss even if it is your fault. I’m not sure how this applies in no-fault states, but go to the Advocate Auto Claims website and get more details on how you file a claim. They will even give you a free estimate of the amount you can recoup.

My girls and I loved the movie so wouldn’t it be great if Transformers are now available to own? Well, probably not. See the hilarious commercial below to see what I mean. That cute little Aveo from Chevrolet Europe would be great though.

These Aveo’s are presently available only in Europe but I hope Chevrolet would make them available in the U.S. soon. We sure need cars like this the way gas prices are skyrocketing.

The very first car I ever fell in love with was the 1967 Ford Mustang. Even though it was slowly moving towards the vintage category by the time I discovered it, I loved it’s sleek lines and shiny chrome bumpers. It was my fantasy car that sadly remained just that, a fantasy.

I’ve noticed that there is a resurgence of interest in older cars. I’ve seen young guys driving Camaros, Mustangs, Firebirds, GTO’s and Corvettes lately. I’ve even had a few of them ring our doorbell to make an offer on my old 1980 Firebird sitting in the driveway. I’m hanging on to my baby though. That was my first real car that I owned and I kept driving it for as long as I could. If I didn’t end up with kids needing car seats, I would probably still be driving that car. But for right now, it sits in the driveway except when we occasionally move it up and down the driveway so we can mow the grass under it.

My girls are starting to drive now and they’ve been eying my car. They keep dropping hints about paint jobs and tune ups, but I try to not hear them yet. Can I accept that fact that my teens will soon be driving my car? My same car that I drove when I was barely older than they are now? Would I be able to stand it when they start talking about sprucing up my baby and putting bright shiny wheels on her? Would I live through the anxiety of knowing they are out there in a fast and shiny car?

As obsessed as I am about worrying about the girls driving, my husband is so happy to finally have someone pay attention to his ‘car talk’. He’s always calling them over to show them stuff he finds on the internet like vintage cars or wheels. Even when the girls were smaller, their car ride game of ‘I Spy’ involved old cars. They love VW bugs, Mustangs, Shelbys, you name it.

If you are similarly obsessed with old cars, especially Shelby Mustangs and are on the lookout for shiny new wheels, check out http://www.americanmuscle.com/shelby-mustang-wheels.html they just may have what you’re looking for.