Legacy driver 11,474 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 My '98 wagon's passenger frame was damaged in a recent accident. I want to keep my beloved wagon as a daily driver, but don't want to put my wife or children in harm's way if the safety of the vehicle is now compromised. What do you think? Would you feel safe driving a vehicle with the damage pictured below . . . or is it time to let go of my emotional attachment with a vehicle I have traveled nearly 200,000 miles in? I appreciate your advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasLegacy2.5GT Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Is that the rear passenger quarterpanel? It really doesn't look that bad. What's the estimate on frame repair? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy driver 11,474 Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Yes. This is the rear passenger side with the trunk liner pulled up. The negligent party's insurance has declared it a total loss. The body shop gave me a figure of $3,401.43 for the damage and said that the whole passenger frame rail would need to be replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 if it runs straight and true i would drive it, if that is the only damage. at least around town to get groceries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy driver 11,474 Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 If it is in the driveway, my wife will probably drive it to work since it gets the best MPG of our cars and she has, by far, the longest commute. Although she was hit this time at a red light, her commute often involves highway traffic that comes to a quick stop. She has been rear ended twice before in this kind of traffic--once in the wagon and once in our van. That is what makes me worry about any loss of rear impact protection. This is actually the third bumper this wagon has had. It was also hit once in the rear while parked near a parade route by a horse-drawn carriage that went off course when the horses got spooked. If we keep it, maybe we should put bright reflective tape on the rear bumper and/or menacing rear facing spikes to keep other drivers from hitting it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasLegacy2.5GT Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Find a cheaper place to fix it. 3,400 is a crock of sh** to fix that. It's really not that bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 My L was rear ended as well. And it was much worse than what your damage was. I have no problem driving it around and am not worried about my safety in the least. $3,400 is reasonable if they do a repair for insurance purposes. That type of job would include cutting off the damaged portion of the unibody, cutting a donor section from a salvage vehicle, welding it on, doing the necessary body work, replacing the rear hatch, and painting. But not necessary. If your rear hatch closes, it drives straight, and you don't care how it looks then drive on and forget about it. You know the car's history. If you want to fix it, you can search around and find an honest body shop. They can pull the frame for around $300-400. A replacement hatch may run you about $70-100 at the junkyard if you have access to one. Painting is optional. I say keep it. My wagon w/257k looks like new and no one could ever tell it was rear ended by a dumb ass in a snowstorm. Too bad they didn't pay attention and have AWD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy driver 11,474 Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 Thanks for the advice. I've decided that it would be OK to drive the wagon, but I am ready to let it go now. Although I only get a little under $900 more from the settlement by letting the insurance company take possession of my wagon, this process has made me ponder my rationale in keeping a third car. Basically, my wife and I have been doing the bulk of our driving in the '98 wagon just to save gas and to pamper the '10 LGT. When I stopped to think about it, I realized how silly I have been to pamper a Subaru like some exotic--leaving it in the garage most of the time and spending nearly as much time washing it as driving it. So now, we will let the LGT get some dings, rack up some miles, and put some smiles on our faces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Or you could just sell the '10 LGT and fix up your wagon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecBamf41 Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Or buy a Brz. You don't need a lgt. Sent from my Galaxy Tab using TapaTalk 2 BNR18g on 93oct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy driver 11,474 Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 Monkeyposeur, Your L looks fabulous. I am sure I will reminisce about my wagon every time I see a silver second generation wagon on the road. Incidentally, I am your neck of the woods this week and am seeing so many more Subarus than I would see at home down south. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Thanks man! I just work with what I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated broknindarkagain Posted July 17, 2012 I Donated Share Posted July 17, 2012 I would drive it. Hell...my current Outback probably has so much frame damage it would make an insurance adjusters head spin. I guess thats what I get for rock crawling my Outback though. -broknindarkagain My Current Project - Click Here COME AND TAKE IT "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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