Disagreeing with husband

[PatsMom]

I've owned salvage vehicles - my brother used to work in used auto parts and when someone needed a car, he'd go out looking for what you could pick up at the auction. When the car is sold for $50 or $75 for salvage value, if it is in reasonable shape, it usually ends up being auctioned. People fix them up and sell them. Or auto parts dealers buy them to strip for parts.

You need to have a special state inspection in NH to get a safety sticker. And they put a permanent sticker inside the car door noting that it is a salvage vehicle. A dealer typically will not take it in trade but you can sell it at a private sale. You do have to disclose it is salvage in case the buyer doesn't notice the sticker.

I've never felt unsafe. My mother had a Dodge Omni that was salvage and she drove it for several years. You can get liability coverage and for a car that old and worth so little that is the only coverage you need.

If your DH can get the car at salvage value and fix it himself, the most economical choice might to to keep the Nova. Even if he wants to fix and re-sell it to add to your daughter's car fund, that might be a good thing. If you are worried about safety features like air bags, it is probably time to get her a newer car.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

He says I'm wrong and the car will be fine.

Yes but there are no airbags. Heck she has already been in 3 accidents. If anyone needs higher safety features in a car it is your dd.

If he wants to fix up the Nova & hang onto it for sentimental reasons, then fine, but he can do that on his own dime imo.

 

[horseshowmom]

My dh wants to "fix it" and her to keep driving it. I say three strikes and you're out. I just worry that it has now structurally been compromised 3 times and in a major accident I'm afraid she would be unsafe.

He says I'm wrong and the car will be fine.

I don't think the age of the car or the three accidents are necessarily reason to say no.

I was on his side until I got to the part about the front seat being broken by the impact. A friend of mine was in a similar accident. Since her Tahoe was brand spanking new, the insurance company wouldn't total it. The vehicle has never been "right" since then.

Like the others, I'm amazed you got that much as a settlement.

 

[Mermaid02]

Yes but there are no airbags. Heck she has already been in 3 accidents. If anyone needs higher safety features in a car it is your dd.

If he wants to fix up the Nova & hang onto it for sentimental reasons, then fine, but he can do that on his own dime imo.

Nana had the first accident back when the car was new.... Megan had the other 2- first one was her fault and the second one wasn't.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I think you should call Car Talk and ask them.

Personally, I'd get a newer car.

 

[Mermaid02]

I think you should call Car Talk and ask them.

Personally, I'd get a newer car.

I LOVE those guys!

 

[WDWisTheBest]

My daughter was in an accident last weekend, her 88 Chevy Nova has been "totalled" by the at fault drivers insurance company- they offered dd just over $1200 for her car. This is the 3rd accident the car has been in (not all by dd). ... This time the impact was so severe it broke the drivers seat.

Please reread that last sentence. The driver's seat was broken. Is that enough said?

 

[Mermaid02]

Please reread that last sentence. The driver's seat was broken. Is that enough said?

It's enough for me- not my husband.

 

[tlbwriter]

Well, I think your husband needs to be overruled. Two of you want to replace the car - is there any particular reason why he gets to be the one with veto power?

 

[indimom]

DH and I both vote, get a newer car without the accident history. Too much chance that there could be stressed parts that do not visually appear damaged, but could cause problems. Not worth the risk to us.

 

[Disnydad]

Newer car. When we got our kids cars we made sure the cars have at least 6 airbags.

 

[golfgal]

OP-if your DH is like mine he tends to think with his wallet first (not that it is a bad thing) but sometimes you just have to lay it out--is saving $3000 really worth your DD's life. It gets them thinking past the pocketbook.

When DH first found out we were having twins, his reaction centered around all the extra money they were going to cost--we needed a larger car, buying 3 pairs of shoes vs one, etc.

 

[bdcp]

Get a newer, safer car that hasn't been in an accident. Buy from a reputable dealer and get a Carfax report. Also have it checked for clamp marks and soldering that would indicate frame damage repair work. My DS worked for Carmax for a couple of years and that's the first thing they look for. A settlement of $1200 for a car that old is really good so take it and run with it. I wouldn't let my child drive a car that old that has been totalled. There could also be damage that won't be apparent until the car has been driven for a while after it's "repaired". My DS(24) was in an accident a couple of years ago in a 2004 Honda Civic that we'd bought used with 8K miles on it in 2006. No one was hurt, but both the other driver's car (who caused it and was ticketed) and his were totalled. He had driven it 2 years and it was in pristine shape. The insurance co was going to fix it until on further inspection, a second look by them actually, turned up a cracked transmission. That was enough to total it. We got 13K for it because it was in such good shape. I actually wanted them to total it because it would never be the same again.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Sounds to me like this is a "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" thing. I haven't seen the car, but if it was safe enough before the latest accident and the structural integrity was not compromised in the accident, what really changed? Cars generally do not become less structurally sound from being involved in multiple small accidents. I would be more concerned about the overall age of the car than anything else, but you were fine with the age of the car until now.

If you and your daughter push this, be prepared for resentment - especially if he believes that his judgment is being called into question. Tell a father that he doesn't care about the safety of his child and watch the fur fly. He clearly cares, so that isn't going to be the selling point in a winning argument.

If you are insistent about getting a new car, tell your husband that you trust his judgment about safety, but that your daughter hates the car (and hated it before the accident), so why would you continue to invest in something that everyone hates? Time to move on, and the wreck simply offers an opportunity to do so.

 

[bdcp]

Sounds to me like this is a "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" thing. I haven't seen the car, but if it was safe enough before the latest accident and the structural integrity was not compromised in the accident, what really changed? Cars generally do not become less structurally sound from being involved in multiple small accidents. I would be more concerned about the overall age of the car than anything else, but you were fine with the age of the car until now.

This wasn't a minor accident. The seat was broken and the insurance company deemed it totalled.

 

[Hercules10]

Why WOULDN'T she want a new car!? It could be totalled or have a scratch in it and your daughter would still want a newer ride.

A good old fashion reliable "beater" car is what every son and/or daughter should cut their driving teeth on until they can afford to buy their own.

In my not so humble opinion, a reliable engine with a strong transmission is 10X more safe then a car equipped with airbags that has a crappy engine that will strand her out in the middle of BFE. Those Novas were strong little reliable cars. And the fact that it's delivered contents unscathed through 3 accidents also says something.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

This wasn't a minor accident. The seat was broken and the insurance company deemed it totalled.

Sorry - neither makes the car any less safe, or the accident anything other than minor.

 

[diznygirl]

Sorry - neither makes the car any less safe, or the accident anything other than minor.

Hard to drive a car safely when the driver's seat isn't attached to the floor!

Dude, you MUST be from another planet.


Moving on, I suppose if the OP's husband is of the same ilk as the previous poster, then you need to show him that the car is unsafe by taking it to a mechanic. Good luck to you!

 

[Hannathy]

A good old fashion reliable "beater" car is what every son and/or daughter should cut their driving teeth on until they can afford to buy their own.

The woman is 21 hardly cutting her teeth driving! Time for her to be an adult and buy the car she wants with her money. She can ask Dad's opinion but it is her car.

 

[tlbwriter]

Keep in mind that if her seatbelt was in use during the crash, it needs to be replaced as well. Make sure your husband is including that in the repair costs.