Need to replace the Kia Rio (rear ended)

[oil pan 4]

Several months ago we replaced our Lincoln town yacht with a kia rio.

The kia got rear ended real hard this past weekend by some one who stopped and has insurance!!! Its still drive able but will need to be replaced.
This isn't a mod car for me, pretty much just looking for something to buy and keep fairly stock for the lady to drive.

I wouldn't be against getting another rio, but selection around here sucks so I will need more options.
The only thing we don't like about the kia is it rides like a forklift and when there is a head wind it can't keep up with other vehicles on the highway at the speed limit (75mph) but we can live with it being slow.

Its been a good car it gets well over 20mpg in the city and nearly 40 on the highway. Would like something about like that in the MPG department.

[Daox]

Really any small car is going to do it for you. It just depends how much you want to spend.

corolla
matrix
echo
yaris
xA
civic
fit
cavalier
sunfire
aveo
focus
escort
saturn SL or SC

[user removed]

Depending on the rear end damage, you might just pull it out, line eveything up and keep going. This would be an option if the deck lid and tail lights were not smashed up badly. Maybe a photo? Keep the car pay a few hundred to ge it aligned up to a frame shop, and keep going with cash in your pocket. I did that with a Nissan NX2000 and my buddy who bought it was still driving it 10 years later.

regards
Mech

[oil pan 4]

I haven't been able to look at the damage my self because the car is out of town.
When I posted this I was believing the car was ruined but now I don't know.

[ksa8907]

Looks nasty. But still drivable as far as I can see, sub $1000 would get that damage fixed up.

[user removed]

If you can get the area around that taillamp aligned good enough so you can put another lamp in there and get it to seal decent you could just keep the car and pocket the settlement. The trunk lid looks OK, so you only need a right tailamp, which is probably available aftermarket for fairly cheap (I got two tail lamps and a front parking lamp for my Ranger for $65).

The car will total up to $4K in damage from what I can see in that photo (could be more or less and I don't know what the car is worth), but the impact was a glancing blow and I don't think there would be any frame damage or alignment problems.

Check around for a body shop that would just pull it out enough to get the lamp area decently aligned and a lamp installed. Tell them it is an emergency repair and you just need the car to be safely operational ,not pretty.

Settle with the insurance company (other drivers fault) for a cash settlement after you have a price for the "emergency repair" from the shop.

If you can come up with the amount of cash, you think the car was worth prior to the accident, and you know the car is in decent mechanical shape otherwise, then you should walk away with about $2k plus in cash. You don't want the repairs bondoed, primed or painted, just aligned enough to get the lamp in place.

You can't do this if there is any money owed on the car, the leinholder will have their name on the check, you can only do this if you own the car outright, in which case the chek will be made out to you and you will sign a release for the damage to the car, not for any personal injury. If they try to screw you on the value of the car then consider a personal injury claim. If anyone is injured never sign off on the personal injury settlement until you are sure everything is OK, which could take years.

I sold my son in law my 08 Altima Coupe for what amounted to $11k. He drove it a year and was hit in the rear end and they gave him $18K for the car.

regards
Mech

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

It doesn't seem so hard to fix, altough I understand that you might not trust the structural integrity after the crash...

[oil pan 4]

We bought the car out right, paid cash for it, just under $4000 for it less than a year ago. That included tags and title.

The other driver was at fault since she had been fully stopped at a stop light waiting for it to change.

[jakobnev]

Boat tail..

[redpoint5]

Get estimates from 3 different body shops and insist that the insurance company pay out the average of those 3 quotes. Find your own guy to repair what is essential to drive the car, and pocket the difference (buy the lady something nice/take a vacation with her).