lost27

Just to expectation set, it took almost 5 months to get my car back from the shop. Granted this included both Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years holidays and they had a tech quit which all added up to additional time. The parts did take a while to come in too. As others have said already the initial estimate by the insurance company is just an initial one, the body shop will submit revisions to the estimate once they tear the car down to inspect exactly what needs to be replaced.

Blubusdrvr

Man, that sucks. Insurance companies are crooks these days. Let me know if you find a good shop in the area. My autobody guy had to close his shop in Middle River and honestly don’t trust anyone else.

s65e90

Sounds a little excessive for the repairs unless parts are on backorder. Nevertheless, repairs can commence before, but I'm sure the shop has other stuff going on as well. To the comment above, the company has nothing to do with the shop times, they want it out ASAP as they are paying rental fees.

KC-CarGuy

Yikes... Glad you are okay.

Kevpm

UPDATE:

Bodyshop took the car apart and did a real estimate. As of right now we are at $6237 for parts, and $3532 for labor. Total $10,971.98

New bumper (with no bumperettes), new hood, one new headlight, and one headlight is getting a new headlight washer and cap. Hopefully they match. I asked to have the damaged headlight to practice replacing the projectors before I do it to both headlights when I get it back to increase the light output. I expect one to be brighter than the other and like the results I am seeing from that little mod that retains the OEM look. Deer are EVERYWHERE around me, so headlights are very very important to prevent this accident happening again. In this case it wouldn't have mattered, but certainly have avoided hundreds of deer over the year when I see them.

So, the original estimate was only about 90% off lol.

How soon after getting the car back can I apply PPF to the entire front end with the new paint?

lost27

My shop told me to wait 90 days to let the paint cure before putting on PPF which is exactly what I did. I also PPF'd the new headlights too while I was there

QwikKotaTX

I would consider a 4 cylinder beater for a commuter car. Keep the Turbo as a pleasure vehicle.

lost27

Having a 2zz swapped MR2 Spyder kept me sane while my Turbo was being repaired. +1 for having a back up vehicle.

QwikKotaTX

I don't know what all them z's are but MR2's are pretty cool. My daily is a gas hog. I drove an Altima in AZ for a few days and never saw the gas gauge move. It was an eye opener.

Kevpm

I am shopping for a second vehicle. I work at a Porsche / Lexus dealership and get service for $50 an hour and parts at cost plus 20%, so a Lexus makes financial sense more so than even a Camry or Civic, that I would have to pay normal prices to service.

I really am hoping to find a 2004-2006 LS430 in excellent condition. I've been told by everyone they are the most reliable cars ever made. Plus, I do love a large ultra luxury sedan. One of my favorite cars I've ever owned was a E38 740i. I know the LS will not drive like that, but it will also be 10x more reliable.
Finding one has been very hard. I live in Maryland so meeting our inspection standard is hard, and I have a tight budget. Was hoping to spend $6-7k, but may need to bump that up unless I want a 10 owner car that has been in 5 accidents with 200k miles. It's possible I might have to settle for a GS, ES, or an RX. I am not a fan of SUV's, but with the high likelihood of hitting another deer on my commute, sitting higher up could be a good thing.

I plan to drive both cars 50% of the time. That should only add about 5k miles a year to the 996 and keeps it out of the snow and other bad weather.

TRINITONY

https://www.carfax.com/Used-Lexus-LS-430_t1370

Kevpm

I normally use autotempest to search for cars, but thank you! There are a few on there not listed on the other site.

The problem is finding a nice LS430 in my budget. Looking to spend no more then $8k. Any car not bought at a dealer in the state will need to go through Maryland state inspection which is difficult and can be costly. I thought it would be fairly easy. I found a super nice, one owner car but with 186k miles. Even for a LS that seems high. Might have to decide between condition and mileage. I think a high mileage car that has been well cared for is much better than a lower mileage car that has some issues.

Was really hoping to get something before I get the 911 back. While that paint is curing, I would prefer it be in the garage. I do not want any stone chips before I PPF the entire front end. I figure I got rid of all the stone chips, I mine as well protect it. I've heard 90 days of curing is best to avoid it peeling the paint off when removed.