My teenage son had a fender bender today. Most important, nobody was injured in any way, thank goodness. He was clipped in the right rear by a pickup and I'm pretty sure his car ('98 Olds Intrigue) is totaled. We only had liability on it anyway, but the damage includes the rear door, the door jamb, the fender, bumper cover, taillight, and trunk lid. In addtion, the right rear suspension is bent so the car isn't drivable.
Before the accident, it was a pretty decent car: 140K miles, leather interior, power everything, mechanically solid. The only real problems were the electronic HVAC control was wonky and the rear windows wouldn't go down. The real shame is we put new tires on it yesterday -- Doh!
So, my question is what to do with it? Proper repair would cost more than the car is worth (~$1500 value) but it's rebuildable by somebody who could do the work. It's also good for parts. I'd like to see him get at least some amount of money back out of it, but I need ideas on the best way to do that. Call a salvage yard (which one)? Put it on craigslist? Donate it and write off the value? Please post your ideas. Also, if anybody wants it, speak up.
