A Mixed Blessing

Bend has a Bed Bath & Beyond store that Ben and I like to frequent, partly because they send out promo 20% off coupons in the mail, as well as other good deals. Presently we're using them to beef up our cast iron collection of cookware. Last time we were home was no exception—we were set to get a cast iron bacon press to use with our newly seasoned 9” cast iron skillet.

So, Ben had several errands to run one day—BB&B being one of them—and as he pulled into the parking lot, an elderly woman was backing out of her parking space and backed straight into the side panel of our Dodge Ram. To make a long story short, the accident was ruled 50/50 by both ours and her insurance, and an claims adjuster/appraiser came to assess the damage on our truck.

---Ben and I bought this truck about a month before our wedding for a smoking hot price of $2950. It has some miles on it, a few rust spots on the underside, and paint fades here and there, but it's a great 4WD manual truck that got us through 6 months of renovation and a move across the country hauling a U-haul trailer. Prior to our cross-country move, we put about $1000 worth of work into the engine to make sure everything was sound, as well as new all-terrain tires. Add it all up, and our total investment to date has been little more than $4000, all paid for.---

Back to the insurance claim: the damage caused was deemed a total loss for the vehicle. No big deal—we'll get a check in the mail from her insurance company for settlement on the truck, the truck's title will have to branded, and we of course have the huge dent. But—here's the great blessing from this unfortunate incident: the appraiser valued the vehicle at $4600 and adjusted a bit off of that price due to the high mileage, rust and faded spots. The grand settlement total then comes to $3964.21. Not bad for a paid-for truck that we get to keep, huh?

The truck still runs fine—it's getting older, though, and now with the dent, it has gained “beater” status. We plan to continue using it, dent and all. And the check? I bet you can guess where that money is going—straight towards the debt!