eurekastar
Well-known member
I haven't paid much attention to supply chain issues until a couple of months ago when a lady blew through a stop sign going over 30 miles an hour and t-boned my 2 1/2 year old Honda Accord on the driver's side. The car poor didn't even have 20,000 miles on it! Thank God for airbags! They saved my life! While I was injured in the accident, it wasn't anything serious.
That, of course, led to weeks of wrangling and negotiating with her insurance company, mainly because the other driver allegedly wouldn't talk to the claims adjuster. I was told they couldn't move to a settlement until they talked to her. That took three weeks...no wheels...no rental car. She was ticketed and clearly at fault, since I had no stop sign and she came out of the clear blue! After I threatened to bring in an attorney, she magically gave a statement and they began to act. However, there were more delays! First, they told me the car was totaled and they had it hauled from the wrecker service to a salvage yard. Then, they told me it probably wasn't totaled, which required an independent estimate from a body shop. Somehow my car was then lost for a week between the salvage yard and the body shop! When the body shop finally located it again at the salvage yard, their estimate grew substantially. After more negotiation, the insurance company finally concluded that it was totaled after all.
Interestingly, they gave me $5,000 MORE for my 2 1/2 year old car than what I paid for it brand new. That should have been a clue about what I would encounter.
This is where supply chain issues come into play. I set about looking for a new car and looked first for a new Accord. Of course, there was NOTHING in stock. I was told that everything was pre-sold before it arrived and they would have nothing available for at least three months. I looked at their used cars and everything was priced through the roof! I encountered that same scenario everywhere I looked and it was a FRUSTRATING experience! No new inventory and high used car prices.
I finally drove to the local Toyota dealership. Same thing. No new inventory and high used car prices. I test drove a 2020 Camry with about 14,000 miles. They wanted $35,000 for it. That's when I asked the salesman how much a new one would cost. He disappeared (as they usually do) and came back a few minutes later with a smile. "Good news!" he said. I have a new Camry that's coming in by the end of February that's better equipped than the one you just drove and it's only $31,000!" I ended up buying that one. It's the first new car I've ever purchased sight unseen, with no negotiation, AND that was cheaper than a used car! LOL!
Moral to the story: Watch out for speeding maniacs who run stop signs because it's a TERRIBLE time to replace your car!
Well, yesterday was the end of the month and still no new Camry; however, the salesman did text me and told me that it had arrived by rail in Houston where it was being processed. It was to be placed an auto transport truck today. So it should be here by Thursday!
That, of course, led to weeks of wrangling and negotiating with her insurance company, mainly because the other driver allegedly wouldn't talk to the claims adjuster. I was told they couldn't move to a settlement until they talked to her. That took three weeks...no wheels...no rental car. She was ticketed and clearly at fault, since I had no stop sign and she came out of the clear blue! After I threatened to bring in an attorney, she magically gave a statement and they began to act. However, there were more delays! First, they told me the car was totaled and they had it hauled from the wrecker service to a salvage yard. Then, they told me it probably wasn't totaled, which required an independent estimate from a body shop. Somehow my car was then lost for a week between the salvage yard and the body shop! When the body shop finally located it again at the salvage yard, their estimate grew substantially. After more negotiation, the insurance company finally concluded that it was totaled after all.
Interestingly, they gave me $5,000 MORE for my 2 1/2 year old car than what I paid for it brand new. That should have been a clue about what I would encounter.
This is where supply chain issues come into play. I set about looking for a new car and looked first for a new Accord. Of course, there was NOTHING in stock. I was told that everything was pre-sold before it arrived and they would have nothing available for at least three months. I looked at their used cars and everything was priced through the roof! I encountered that same scenario everywhere I looked and it was a FRUSTRATING experience! No new inventory and high used car prices.
I finally drove to the local Toyota dealership. Same thing. No new inventory and high used car prices. I test drove a 2020 Camry with about 14,000 miles. They wanted $35,000 for it. That's when I asked the salesman how much a new one would cost. He disappeared (as they usually do) and came back a few minutes later with a smile. "Good news!" he said. I have a new Camry that's coming in by the end of February that's better equipped than the one you just drove and it's only $31,000!" I ended up buying that one. It's the first new car I've ever purchased sight unseen, with no negotiation, AND that was cheaper than a used car! LOL!
Moral to the story: Watch out for speeding maniacs who run stop signs because it's a TERRIBLE time to replace your car!
Well, yesterday was the end of the month and still no new Camry; however, the salesman did text me and told me that it had arrived by rail in Houston where it was being processed. It was to be placed an auto transport truck today. So it should be here by Thursday!
