I think I need to find a car...

[lindyhop]

The settlement on the Corolla was way more than I expected so that was good news. I guess they use the Blue Book value to determine if the repairs are feasible. Then they go to an outside company to determine the street value, what similar cars are actually selling for.

We went car shopping and found a '96 Camry with more miles than I would like but I know it will last. It's clean and the body is in good condition. There wasn't much in my price range even though I upped my price after getting a reality check. I could have gotten something cheaper if I had the time and patience to check out private party ads but I just don't.

We had a great experience with one salesman who actually took the trouble to show what they had in inventory that met my specs. I told everyone I was looking for something under $10,000 and all the other salesman wandered around showing me stuff that was higher. The Ford Expedition was the last straw. When I said it was too big (besides being too expensive) the salesman said, well there's a minivan... Why don't they listen? We bought the car from the salesman who listened. Get a clue, people.