Car was in accident and rental car expenses is eating away at a lot of disposable income. Need advice.

Submitted by Milleniumfelidae t3_z8fvit in personalfinance

I'm in a bit of a predicament. I was in a car accident in late October and my car is still in the shop. But I have a few concerns.

I haven't had any luck so far in securing employment much closer to home. Currently commuting about 35-40 min each way depending on traffic.

I'm currently using Turo to rent out vehicles because renting with Enterprise would have left me in the negative. In my field there's a lot of driving involved and many of the jobs in demand are at least 40 min+. I've already tried working overtime but the cost of renting the vehicle each day will wipe out any overtime money.

I have enough to cover my bills but not much leftover after factoring in the rental. I'm very worried because I currently cannot afford health insurance for the coming year. I don't qualify for food stamps or Medicaid as I make too much. I renewed my lease literally the same week the wreck happened. The new lease does not begin until mid-January.

I don't have family or friends to rely on since a lot of them are on fixed incomes or unemployed.

It is an option for me to travel in my field and as a last resort have thought about temporarily working in Seattle since the wages are higher and I can get around without a vehicle.

The only savings I've got left is maybe around 1600 worth of coins (silver+gold) and I'm trying not to exhaust those out.

I am really trying the best I can to improve my situation with no luck.

My employer offered me a $5/hr raise after I threatened to find another job closer to home, but said job isn't willing to find me something closer.

I'm really not sure what else I can do to raise capital and I don't know how long I'll be without a vehicle.

Does anyone have any advice?

0

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

greyAbbot t1_iybgyd3 wrote

How long is the car going to be in the shop for? That seems like the crucial question, and the body shop seems like they should be able to give you an answer on this. But without that, your post is pretty confusing because you're talking about things like affording health insurance for the year or working somewhere else, which seem like long-term solutions to what seems like it should be a short-term problem.

You mention Seattle, but I'm not quite sure how that fits into the equation and whether you are saying that you live in Seattle or what. But I also live in Seattle and every single place around here is hiring so it seems like, even if you weren't willing or able to get a job in your field that had less of a commute, you could get a second job closer to your residence temporarily to plug the leak while your car is getting fixed.

Better yet, keep working that second job long enough to build up an emergency fund so that the next time something like this happens, you have a cushion.

3

Milleniumfelidae OP t1_iybi6ba wrote

The first part I'm not sure of. I'll have to call tomorrow. I do have the adjusters number and there was a link that gave me an update on the status of my car.

As for the rest of the post I'm worried about having enough leftover to keep up with everything. I've been wanting to get health insurance since I've been having chronic digestive issues that come and go throughout the year.

I do agree on having a cushion. Ive always had a few thousand in savings until moving down south. The wages unfortunately arent keeping up with the cost of living, especially rent. Prior to this I had lived in NYC and Seattle and it was easy for me to save in both places (NYC mainly bc things were done a lot faster and there was so much more opportunity, especially without a car) It was really hard to save but being forced to budget in this way showed me I could have at least put more away. It's trickier for me to eat so cheaply due to dietary restrictions. Fortunately I recently learned that I was able to get my food budget down to $30-$50 by cooking from scratch and buying certain gluten free branded items from Whole Foods using discounts. It sounds strange but my grocery budget ended up being much higher everywhere else to accommodate my diet.

I guess for me though it's a waiting game since I recently filled out paperwork for a place and need to return next week to fulfill job specific requirements. I've literally spent the past month trying to find a solution to my current situation and it's possible that it's now taken all this time to find something close enough to where I can at least ditch the rental car and have more money in pocket.

1

thepixinator t1_iybf7av wrote

Your automobile insurance company should be reimbursing you for the rental car. Have you filed a claim yet?

2

ymcmoots t1_iybfznf wrote

That's only true if OP had collision coverage, which not everyone carries.

6

theoriginalharbinger t1_iybj5p4 wrote

And even then, there are limits on all the elements of the coverage.

I have liability only on one car and waived collision on my other. If I'm at fault, I definitely don't get a rental.

If someone else hits me, then I'm subject to their coverage caps (15,000 min in my state). Anything beyond that I'm paying my under insured motorist deductible or having to come out of pocket.

3

Milleniumfelidae OP t1_iybjfmo wrote

Well that makes sense then. Both of us were insured looking at paperwork. This insurance thing has been eye opening for me.

2

Milleniumfelidae OP t1_iybflrm wrote

I have. It was filed same day of accident. There was a lot of miscommunication between the body shop the car was towed to and insurance. Unfortunately the insurance doesn't cover the full cost of rental. They only offered a slight discount but it still ended up being way put of my budget. Even then I'm hearing that most places only rent up to a month.

2

Siphyre t1_iybg43w wrote

Whose fault was the accident?

1

Milleniumfelidae OP t1_iybg7za wrote

I was found at fault. But apparently my car might be declared a total loss.

1

MentallyMusing t1_iyc4j0z wrote

They should know right away if your car has been damaged enough to be totalled. Like that day they (autobody shop/mechanic) would and should have told you. They're running a scam keeping that long under those circumstances

2

Milleniumfelidae OP t1_iyd0um4 wrote

I called today and the shop said the estimator from my insurance hasn't been out to see the vehicle. I'll call insurance later.

1

MentallyMusing t1_iydjad1 wrote

That's insane.... Declaring a vehicle totalled happens right away here and they are costing you a ShitTon of Money making you wait all this time. The autobody shop should be able to take responsibility for telling you if the projected repairs cost more than the current value of your vehicle or is unable to be repaired safety for future use this is the criteria used to declare a vehicle Totalled here. I'm so sorry you're getting dragged through the process in that way....

(maybe the standards of the insurance company are different in the State you live (I'm in Massachusetts)

Will they (mechanic) give you an estimate or do they wait till the insurance adjuster comes in person to check on the car before they'll even look at it? It's sounds like they're holding you and your car hostage to create higher prices/bills and if they have any connections to the rental shop I'd start keeping good track of All communication that you can. Good Luck!

1

Milleniumfelidae OP t1_iydrhl7 wrote

So I got a text today and claims said it looks like potential total loss. But they have to confirm it with another department

2

MentallyMusing t1_iydsk9f wrote

Keep all written communication safe as you can and ask for copies of how often and from when your car was first looked at and correspondence between them and your insurance provider while checking to see if any connections/contracts exist between them and the Rental Agency so you can potentially recoup some of your financial losses Created by their blatant mismanagement. Wishing you all the best!

1

Siphyre t1_iyf9yxr wrote

It is a bit sketchy that it is taking this long to make a determination. I'd complain to the Department of Insurance for the state OP is in. u/Milleniumfelidae

2

Milleniumfelidae OP t1_iyfdwu6 wrote

So I contacted them today and they said an estimate was written and determined it's a possible total loss, but it has to go by someone else first.

1

ham_sandwich_please t1_iybh7e7 wrote

Sounds like you have collision if your insurance company and the auto body shop are going back and forth. What do you expect the payout to be if the car is declared a total loss? I would keep on the insurance company to make this determination ASAP and get the car back on the road or purchase a replacement if it's a loss. Those are your only real options. Stay on top of both the auto shop and the insurance company daily.

1

Milleniumfelidae OP t1_iybj2ib wrote

Thanks!

This whole process is foreign to me and none of my family and friends are able to give me any advice. I feel like if it was declared a total loss then the process should be faster.

But I'm also in Charlotte where there are so many accidents each day. My claims adjuster said there are hundreds of accidents in the state each month. Im just wondering if maybe the people that need to inspect the vehicle are overloaded with tons of other vehicles as well.

And it happening around the holidays definitely didn't help matters.

1

mermonkey t1_iybhfto wrote

Sounds painful, sorry. I'm assuming biking, car-pooling, and borrowing a car are not going to work for you. Time is not on your side. Try to speed things up. Is your car totaled? Get an answer asap. Some rental places have good discounts for month-long rentals - prices vary wildly so shop around and around. Your insurance should restore your car to you (minus your deductible) or pay you what it was worth. Would be nice to get your car back asap, but if not, start shopping the used car market so you can move as soon as you have the $$. source - I had to rent a car for almost 2 months last summer in similar situation :(

1

Milleniumfelidae OP t1_iybira8 wrote

Thanks! I actually considered that for the past few weeks. But i live alone and I am single so i have no idea how I would juggle 2 cars. It would certainly help save in the money being washed away by rentals and gas. I've looked at getting something used although I understand it'll betrickery. I just want to have something with reasonable payments for me.

I'm doing my very best to come up with a solution. I've actually had no full days off the past two weeks because while I'm not at work I've been busy on my days off trying to find work closer to home and sending out forms. I'm actually pretty exhausted right now.

Unfortunately I had to let one of the opportunities go for multiple reasons. It won't make sense here unless you've worked in my field. But the short answer was that there were glaring communication issues and no opportunity for overtime which leaves me back at square one.

1

mermonkey t1_iybmsnu wrote

good luck! not suggesting 2 cars, just be ready to replace asap if your car is declared a loss...

1

FckMitch t1_iybsq0e wrote

How much is the rental? Like are you doing a monthly rental or week to week?

1

Milleniumfelidae OP t1_iybtjuu wrote

I borrow it for 5 days and that was $250ish. That's not a lot but I do have other bills and it doesn't leave much leftover.

I am looking to switch to 3 12s which should balance the budget more and it would be around $200.

It's week to week and for only the days I need it.

1