We bought a used Saab with 127k miles for $2,000. Son#1 drove it for 2 years, then Son#2 drove it for 2 years and got rear-ended at a stop sign. The other guy’s insurance company (GEICO) offered us $3,000 and they keep the car, or $2500 and we keep the car. I thought $500 was pretty cheap for a car that still ran, even if the rear end was a bit pushed in and the rear hatch didn’t close properly, but nothing rubbed and the car still ran. So we fixed NOTHING, took the $2,500, kept the car and drove it for another 2 years. Then we donated it to charity and the charity eventually gave us a tax deductible receipt for $3500 - I have no idea how they justified that. So it’s all a numbers game.
@njres You must have spent some money on repairs to maintain the car so your sons could drive it.
A few years back, someone hit our van. The vehicle was totaled because the side panel couldn’t be fixed (due to the proximity of the damage to the gas tank). We negotiated with the insurance company to get the salvage title with a smaller pay out. The dent was unsightly, but it didn’t affect the integrity of the van. S drove it for a few years when he first started driving. H works for an automaker, so we love it when people buy new vehicles … but we drive 'em till they won’t drive anymore!