How to Get the Best Deal for Your Auto Insurance

Auto insurance is a necessary thing, something that we're all required to have if we're going to drive. It can also get expensive, especially if you stick with one company and never shop around. One of the best ways we've found to save money on our auto insurance - besides paying for the policy annually instead of monthly (or even every 6 months) - is to find an agency that represents multiple insurance companies. Every year, they review our policies and select the ones that give us the best deal.

Below are a few things to keep in mind when searching for the best deal on your car insurance rates.

• See If You Qualify for Good Driver Discounts
  Take full advantage of any type of discount that is offered, whether it's a good student, good driver, military, or any other savings plan. Saving a few dollars each month can add up over the calendar year. Make sure you add the information about low mileage use if you are only taking your car around the local area.
• Only Purchase the Coverage You Need
  Don't opt for coverage that you might never use. Adding excessive amounts of property and medical coverage can hurt your wallet in the long run. Weigh out carefully whether your car is worth enough to carry full coverage insurance. It might be better to stick with liability only if your car is older and in less-than-perfect condition. (this is one area that could possibly save us some money because our vehicles are several years old, and should something happen, the amount the insurance will pay will be far from enough to purchase a new vehicle)

• Do you qualify for multiple vehicle savings?
  Including more than one vehicle on your insurance policy will get you automatic savings with most companies. Adding two or more vehicles will reduce the price you would pay for each one separately. Also consider insuring your home and your vehicles with the same company for multi-policy discounts.
• Get Quotes from Several Companies
  Not all companies charge the same rates. Gather up several quotes to make a comparison. Take the time to investigate how people review the quality of each company. It might be worth paying a few extra dollars if you have faster claims and better customer service.

Find the auto insurance Orlando FL residents count on to give the best rates and top service in the area. Don't get caught without the right type of insurance for your vehicles.

How to Genuinely Enjoy a Road Trip

Lots of people have planned a road trip absolutely thinking that they will enjoy every second of the trip, only to actually get out on the road and find out things aren't exactly as they envisioned. Now the only thing they want is to get to their destination as quickly as possible and just get this trip over with.

Here are a few things that can help you genuinely enjoy a road trip:

It is important to strike a balance between planning too much and not planning enough. If you over-plan, you will get frustrated if everything doesn't work out according to the plan you have set up. However, if you do not plan enough, you may end up having to stay in nasty hotels, eat unhealthy and gross food, or even get lost on the way to your destination. It is good to have an overall idea of which route you will take, which hotel and restaurant options are available, and also what kind of entertainment you could enjoy along the way while still being flexible and able to take advantage of any opportunities that present themselves.

The amount of time that you have designated for the road trip (and other factors) will determine how much you can see along the way. No matter how much or how little time you have, it is always a good idea to take a little bit of time to relax, see something new, and enjoy yourself. This will make the road trip genuinely enjoyable. It may be something like taking a detour and staying in a relaxing hotel for a couple of days. Or it may be as simple as stopping at a unique bakery Chicago IL in order to enjoy a fresh doughnut - as opposed to just stopping at any old convenience store to grab a snack. Do at least a couple of things along the way that you will truly enjoy and that will make the road trip memorable.


Consider the individuals who will be traveling with you. If this is a family road trip, make sure that there is plenty of entertainment (and plenty of snacks) for the children. Otherwise, you are practically guaranteed to hear, "Are we there yet?" coming repeatedly from the back seat. Many vehicles nowadays come equipped with DVD players, so don't forget to pack the movies! Or, for some family fun, check out this handy list of games to play in the car.  If you need to get to a destination quickly, consider driving at night so that the kids can sleep most of the way. Take into consideration the preferences of each individual in the car so that everyone stays happy and enjoys the trip.

And last but definitely not least, make sure your vehicle is in good condition.  This cannot be overstated. Dealing with car trouble along the way can turn a trip that could have been quite enjoyable into a nightmare. A few weeks before your trip, have your mechanic check the vehicle over. If you do all you can to prepare your car beforehand, you will likely avoid car issues along the way.

So, who's ready for a road trip?

Save Money on Car Insurance?

You know all those ads you see on television and all the mail you get promising to save you money on your car insurance and just call for a free quote?  Well, we've been calling and asking.  It can't hurt to ask, right?

Except that all these things we've gotten with promises of savings are just plain LIES.  Lies, I tell you.  But still, we have to get new car insurance - not because we didn't like our old insurance; we did.  Just, for some reason, because we've moved we have to get new insurance.  Why?  I don't know.  To keep the insurance people here in business, I guess.  Because nobody would actually buy insurance from them given a choice.

Seriously, we want to insure the exact same cars and the exact same drivers, and even will be driving fewer miles since Jeffrey works only 5 minutes from home instead of 30 minutes like before.  They should be able to save us some money - at least a little just for that.  But no - they want us to pay half again to twice as much for the exact same thing.  And we have no choice in the matter, even though we know it doesn't have to cost that much.  We have to choose the lesser of all the evils and buy from someone here.  Instead of just keeping our old, much more affordable car insurance.  I'm still not exactly sure why...

It just feels like a total ripoff. 

Used Car Shopping

When shopping for a new (to you) car, what is the most important thing you look for?  Is it price?  Getting the latest model and the color you want?  Gas mileage?  Available financing and a low interest rate?

We've usually bought used cars because we could get what we were looking for at a price we could afford. It's a good thing color wasn't the most important thing because at least twice we ended up with a vehicle that was the exact color I didn't want.  Once it was a white station wagon, and another time it was a silver van.  Of course the silver van has grown on me...  I still wouldn't go out and choose a silver vehicle, but it had everything else we were looking for.

I think that looking at used trucks for sale winnipeg or used minivans if you need a minivan for your family is a good first step.  You may not find exactly what you think you want, but there are a lot of pre-owned vehicles available at more affordable prices than the brand-new ones.  There are also dealers who will look for and find something for you, if you can wait and don't need it right away.  Of course, that's how I got a silver van - like I said, it had everything else we were looking for.

For the best shopping experience, find a dealer with a good reputation in customer service, like this one that has used cars for sale in winnipeg. They have everyday low no-haggle pricing for everyone as well as no gimmicks, games, deceit or misleading "fine-print'.  Because really - why should making such a major purchase be full of games, deceit, or pressure?  Don't you hate car salesmen that want to pressure you into buying a car right now, today, they can only offer you this super great deal now, and if you wait it will be gone?  You know what I mean.  Yeah, I hate that.  Find someone like this, who will help you find the right vehicle for you.

I know they're in it for the money and the commission, but good customer service means repeat customers and more money in the long run.  If only all car salesmen understood that.

Minivans Make Great Family Vehicles

2011 Toyota Sienna photographed in Clarksville, Maryland, USA. 
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I think minivans are the best family vehicles available.  Actually, I think they're the best all-around vehicles - even now that our kids are all grown up, and we could conceivably get by with some other kind of vehicle.  We might look at some other kind of car when it's time to purchase the next one, but we'll also be looking at minivans, and it's going to take a lot to convince me that I don't want another one.

Why do I think minivans are the best family vehicles and the best all-around?

1. You can haul a lot of people in a minivan, 7 or 8 depending on the seat configuration.   This is especially handy if you have a big family.  Or if your kids have a lot of friends.  Or if you take turns with the other moms on your daughter's basketball team picking up everybody after practice, or at least the ones who live in the same neighborhood.
2. With the seats folded down or removed, a minivan can haul a lot of stuff.  It may not hold as much as a pickup truck, but it does a great job hauling everything from lumber for that home improvement project to groceries.  Unless you're hauling big or dirty items on a regular basis, a minivan is more practical than a pickup truck for the average family - because with a truck, you can haul the stuff, but not always the people.
3. You can not only haul your family in the minivan, but you can also haul their stuff - at the same time.  This is important!  A lot of people drive SUVs or Crossover vehicles.   Those vehicles can haul quite a few passengers, just like the minivans, but have you ever looked behind the third row of seats in an SUV?  There is not much room at all for any stuff.  On short trips that might be fine.  The basketball players can hold their backpacks and sports equipment on their laps.  But what about a longer trip, maybe to visit family for a weekend or a week?  The luggage needs to go somewhere, and in a minivan there is room to put that stuff even when all the seats are filled.  It's still a good idea for everyone to pack light, but they don't have to leave quite as many things at home as they'd have to if the family vehicle was an SUV.

To recap:  A minivan makes a great family vehicle because you can haul people, and you can haul stuff, and you can haul people and stuff at the same time.

If it Was ANY OTHER Window...

Cory got his first car early this summer, a 2001 Ford Taurus.  The car came with a 30-day 'warranty' - meaning that the dealership had checked the car over and said that it was in good shape, but if anything would need fixed in the first 30 days, we could get it fixed, in their service center, and they'd split the cost with us.  Which sounds pretty good, except for the fact that we bought the car one week, and Cory headed to Door County for the summer early the following week, and he wouldn't be back until the 30 days was up.  And, of course, the car had a few issues, the biggest of which is that his driver's side window sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.  Sometimes it goes down and won't go back up again - until, randomly, it finally decides to work.  Sometimes it just won't go down at all.

Now, if it was any other window, Cory could probably live with it, but the driver's side window?  Toll booths, drive-ups, drive throughs, talking to somebody without getting out of the car, etc.  You don't realize how often you use your window until it doesn't work.

So, Jeffrey reported it to our salesman, and then called him again last week to see if there was anything they could do.  He managed to get us the 50/50 warranty deal, even though our time was up, so today I took Cory's car to get it fixed.  He would have taken it himself, but with classes and rehearsal and all the things he has going on, he didn't feel like he would have time, so he brought me his car yesterday so I could take it.  It's a good thing he didn't try to take it - because I was there all day.

I got there at 11am, told them what the issue was - and the window was not working then, so they could see it for themselves.  They said to give them an hour or so...  So I finished my book, played my turns in Words with Friends, checked Facebook, etc.  I really should have taken my computer and gotten some work done, but I didn't think it would take that long.

Two hours later the service advisor I was working with came to let me know that they couldn't figure out what the problem was because they didn't have the right equipment to read the codes, so they needed to take it over to the Ford dealership where they would have the right equipment.  Did I mention this was at the Honda dealership?  Yeah, that's where we bought the car.  Not a Honda; just a Taurus somebody traded in for a Honda.  Probably.

Anyway, the Ford garage could get it in at 2pm - did I want to wait?  I figured I might as well since I was already there.  So I waited.  Apparently, over at Ford, the window decided to work.  But they did whatever it is they do to get the codes and found out which part was bad - some kind of junction box that controls all the windows.  Good, right?  Except that part has been discontinued.  So they couldn't fix it.  By then it was almost 4pm.

So they're going to look for a used part.  And I'll have to go back to get it fixed.  And hopefully it won't take too long since they already figured out what's wrong and just have to change out the part.   At least I can hope.  Because spending all day waiting for a car to be fixed is not my idea of fun.

File This Under "It Figures"

We finally went to see The Avengers on Monday.  It was really good!  We paid full matinee price - for reserved seats - and saw it on the UltraScreen.  The first couple weeks they were only showing the 3D version on the UltraScreen, so that's why we waited.  That, and being busy.  But anyway, we saw it and really enjoyed it - but if we'd waited just a couple days we could have gone for $5!  Yep, this week The Avengers is one of the Spotlight Movies - $5 on Wednesday and Thursday.  It figures.

Cory recently picked up Alien and Aliens on Blu-ray - for $10 each with a free ticket from each to see Prometheus when it comes out, which is a good deal.  But, he's been wanting the whole Alien Anthology [on Blu-ray] for a while now - and today Amazon put it on sale for $29.99 - for all 4 Alien movies and 2 discs of extras.  But since he just bought the first two movies, we don't really need to spend another $30 for the other two - even if we do get all those extra features.  It figures.

And Cory got a new (to him) car last week.  Sunday he went to visit friends in Illinois.  He'd barely left their house to drive home, and he hit a deer.  He's driven my van for ages and never hit a deer or anything else (except that poor mailbox, but we'll not talk about that now) and he just barely gets his own car, and some deer decides to commit suicide by standing in the road.  It figures! 

Cory is OK.  There's nothing he could have done - just a random incident involving nighttime, a car coming the opposite direction, and a deer that decided to cross the road at right that time.  He flipped his brights back on and there it was - no time to do anything but brake, but not enough time to stop enough to miss it.  It's just a bit frustrating to have his pretty car all crumpled up - right after he got it.  Thankfully we've got a friend who fixes things like this, and he's going to get her all pretty again.  And, most importantly - Cory did not get hurt!

Cory's New Car

After quite a bit of looking and test-driving, Cory found his car last night.  It's a 2001 Ford Taurus, and it's quite pretty.  It has less than 100,000 miles on it and should be a good car for him for his last two years of college and beyond - and it was within the budget.

Cory and his dad have been looking at lots and lots of cars on the Internet in the last week.  They've found some that looked promising, but they always seemed to be gone when they called to get more information - which can be quite frustrating.  It's not easy finding a (relatively) cheap car in good shape and without too many miles on it, and when they come available people snap them up.

He wasn't particularly wanting a Taurus, and was looking at some other kinds of cars, but when he saw this one it spoke to him.  I don't know if it said, "Cory, take me home with you!" or what, but he saw it, he drove it, he loved it - and he got to bring it home.

Yeah, he's pretty excited.

This Volkswagen is no Bug

When you think about Volkswagen, what's the first thing that comes to mind?  The VW Bug (Beetle), right?  Everybody loves a Bug, and playing Slug Bug when you're driving down the highway.  Well, maybe not if you're playing with someone who likes to slug hard.

But, there's more to Volkswagen - lot's more.  When we were at the Car Show last year, I was really impressed with the new 2012 Passat.  That is one nice looking car!  I guess I'm not the only one who likes it, because I was looking at a los angeles volkswagen dealer (online) and see that the Passat was named Motor Trend 2012 Car of the Year.  There are some nice photos and videos as well as listing of their inventory.  Granted, should I buy a Passat of my own, it probably won't be for a few years, and it will definitely be closer to home, but it's nice to look.  They have some nice looking cars available - check it out; I'm sure you'll agree.  I'm trying to decide if I like the Night Blue Metallic or the Opera Red Metallic.  What do you think?

If they don't have the ideal car listed in inventory, they have a handy tool that lets you pick the options you want to find just the right vehicle for your needs.  Even if you don't live in the Los Angeles area, you can do all your vehicle research from the comfort of your own home.  It's a great way to see what Volkswagen has to offer.  And for those in the L.A. area, Pacific Volkswagen is the largest Volkswagen dealership on the west coast, and they always deliver friendly services, affordable financing, and great selection of new and pre-owned Volkswagen vehicles.

A Chip in the Windshield

 I still get paranoid when I'm driving down the road and hear something hit the windshield.  It reminds me of the time a big dump truck full of gravel pulled out ahead of me.  I slowed down so I wouldn't be too close, but it didn't matter.  Something flew out of the back of the truck, hit my windshield and chipped it.  Once that happens, of course, you have to get it fixed - before a little chip spreads out to cover the entire windshield.

We called a shop to get it fixed right away.  They worked with our insurance company and helped us get the windshield repaired properly and at the most affordable price.  I'm not sure how they do it, but once they fixed it, you couldn't tell there had ever been a problem.  Of course, it's been a few years, so I don't remember whether they just fixed the chip or if they had to replace the entire windshield.

We didn't really check our local company for experience or reputation, just called the ones our insurance company recommended.  I would hope the insurance company doesn't just work with the cheapest but also the best.

Anyway, a chipped or cracked windshield can happen to anybody.  If it happens to you, hopefully your insurance will be as easy to work with as ours was, and they'll find you a good company to fix it.

Because Sometimes a Car Needs a Little Work

What do you do if your car isn't running right?  Do you have a mechanic or garage you always go to?  Or are you looking through the phone book trying to find somewhere to take it?

We've been taking our cars to a little shop not too far from here for several years now.  We've had brakes and water pumps fixed, and a new catalytic converter put on the Buick.  I can't even remember how we found this place, but I'm really glad we did.  He does good work, and his prices are really reasonable - and it doesn't hurt that the shop is close so it's easy to drop off and pick up the cars when we need to.  I just found out that the guy who runs the shop lives right here in town, too.

If haven't found a mechanic you like yet, RepairPal might be able to help.  You can search for auto repair shops in your area by searching by city, state (for instance, search for Chicago auto repair) or zip code.  Or you can search by make of car, so if you need your Toyota Corolla  repaired,  you can find a mechanic who specializes in that car.  Then, you can get more information about your local auto repair shops and even read customer reviews to help you choose the right one for you.

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Don't Lock Your Keys in the Car

Image by Tattooed JJ via Flickr

Sounds simple enough, right?  Just don't lock your keys in the car.

Unfortunately, it seems we all do it once in a while.  Earlier this week I got a call from Beth.  She was on lunch break at work and discovered she'd left her keys lying on the front seat of her car.  She wanted to know if Cory wanted to take a little drive and come unlock her car with my keys.  Instead, I told her to call AAA - because that's what we pay them for.  And since she works 20 minutes or so from here, it made more sense.

So she she called AAA, they sent out a locksmith, and she got her car unlocked in time to go back to work.  Unfortunately she didn't get anything to eat, but at least she had her car keys back so she could leave work when she got off.

I told her that, in the future, the best way to keep from locking your keys in the car is to always lock the car door with the remote.  That way you have to have the keys in your hand in order to lock the car, and there's no way to lock them in.

We'll see how that works for her.

Another One Fixed

Jeffrey took his car in Monday to get the damage on the side fixed.  Again, I didn't see the damage.  Why do I not go out and look?  I don't know.  I really was going to, but I didn't think about it until after he had left on Monday.  Oh well, it's all fixed now.  He took it to the auto body shop montclair (in Delafield, actually) and they did what they do and got it looking like new.

Honestly I'm beginning to wonder if this car of Jeffrey's isn't some kind of magnet for problems.  Some lady hit him, part of a tree fell on the trunk, and now this ice chunk or whatever it was tossed at him by a school bus.  I guess I should just be thankful that nothing has been too serious - just irritating.  Luckily we haven't had any problems with the insurance, either.  You hear horror stories, but ours has been great.  Taking a car into the body shop isn't cheap, either.  I'm really thankful we only have to pay the $100 deductible.  However nice they are and quick to pay, I'm hoping we don't have to call them again for a long time.  Hopefully Jeffrey's car has it all out of its system and will stay out of trouble from now on.

Always Working on the Car

Every once in a while we get a box of car parts that shows up on our front step. Beth's boyfriend Tim has been working on fixing his car up. From what I understand, he's got two Dodge Neons, and he's using parts from one in the other one, switching things around, ordering new parts, etc. Eventually, he'll have one car fixed up just the way he likes it, and he'll have another one to sell. He's trying to decide if it would be better to just sell it for parts or as a complete car. Either way, he spends a lot of time working on the cars.

Anyway, the car parts. Why do they come to our house? Tim doesn't have his own bank account, so Beth orders the parts for him, puts them on her credit card and has them sent here, and Tim pays her back. I think he gets a lot of his parts on eBay, so there's no guarantee or customer service. I wonder if he knows about Car Parts Warehouse (www.carpartswarehouse.com) where they have parts for all brands of cars. They guarantee the lowest prices and have free shipping, and offer toll free sales and support. You can't get that on eBay, so check it out if you need parts for your car.

Get the Best Body Work

Until last year we had never bought a new car. They were all new to us, but they were always used cars. Then last year, Jeffrey bought his brand new from the dealer Honda. Since that time he has gotten into an accident when somebody pulled out in front of him, and had to have the car fixed. Then, he had a tree branch fall and dent the trunk, and had to have that fixed. His fog light broke, and he had to have that fixed. And now there's something on the back end of the car where someone ran into him in a parking lot or it just cracked when he went over a bump because it is so dang cold out. He has no idea, just that there's something else that will probably need fixed. We never had such issues with the used vehicles! Or maybe with the used vehicles we were more likely to overlook a little dent in the trunk or something like that.

I wonder if there's a listing of repair shops here in Wisconsin like this one of auto body shops california. Only the best of the best collision repair experts are listed there. All members of the network are committed to providing quality work and excellent customer service. You can even read customer reviews of the different shops. So, you'll know you're getting the best service possible when you take your car to one of them.

I'd rather not have to take it in in the first place, but if it's going to be fixed, I'd like it to be fixed right the first time, wouldn't you? Enter your zip code to find a shop near you.

Keeping Really Cool

This may not seem like the time to ask whether or not the Air conditioning compressor in your car is working or not. After all, winter has just started, and it's cold outside. You're more worried about the heat, right?

Now would probably be a good time to think about that auto air conditioning, though. If it needs fixed, you can get it fixed before summer sneaks up on you and it gets hot. For those of you who live in Florida, that's next week, right? You don't want to be driving down the road with the windows rolled down and the sweat running into your eyes, do you?

For the best selection of auto air conditioning parts, with free shipping and full warranties, check out 1airconditioning.com. It sounds like they do everything but install it, but with their low prices, you should be able to afford the installation charges. If you know how to do it yourself or have a friend who does, even better.

The Price of Driving

Beth keeps talking about buying her own car. She's been looking and trying to figure out what the payments would be and what she thinks she can afford. Right now she has it pretty good, because she gets to drive one of our cars. We pay her car insurance, as long as she maintains a B average in school, and we pay for maintenance and repairs on the car. If she buys her own car, she'll have to pay all that. The only thing she really has to pay for now is the gas she puts into the car, and actually she's not doing a very good job of keeping track of that and paying for it. When she started driving, we got her a Discover card on our account, so she would always be able to pay for gas and not get caught without gas and without cash to pay for it. Also, we get 5% back on the gas purchases. Probably not the best idea because using plastic just doesn't feel like spending real money, and even though she knows she's responsible for paying it, she just doesn't keep track and spends her money on other things before the bill comes due.

So, basically, she owes us quite a bit of money for the gas she's been putting in the car. How does she think she can actually afford a car payment, insurance, registration, and maintenance on her own car? We told her to figure out how much it will cost and start paying herself - putting that amount into her savings account every month. Then she'll get into the habit of paying it and figure out how much she can really afford, before she gets tied to a car payment. Besides, she's not 18 yet and couldn't get a loan, and even though we love her, we're not risking our credit score by co-signing a loan or whatever she thinks we should do. Not without some demonstration that she really can and will handle the payments.

Hot Enough For You?

I turned off the air conditioning this morning. Finally, after a long stretch of heat and humidity, it cooled down enough to open the windows. I'm really appreciating it, too.

I'll probably still need the air conditioning in the van when I go shopping tomorrow. It doesn't take a lot of heat to warm your vehicle up enough that you really appreciate a good, working air conditioning compressor. They say that driving with your windows down hurts your gas mileage, so car air conditioning isn't just about comfort. It's about economy.

So, if your Honda ac compressor isn't working properly, and you need a new one or some other A/C parts, check out discountacparts.com. They have a wide selection of auto ac parts, good prices, free shipping, and a full warranty on every part they sell. Just enter your vehicle's year, make and model to find your part, and if you need more help, they have customer service representatives available to take your call, Monday through Friday from 6am-5pm PST.

More Car Repairs

If it's not one thing, it's another. Was that just last week we took the car Beth drives in to have the brakes checked and whatever else? Not too long ago, anyway. That ended up costing us $500 - but we do want her to have a safe car to drive, so...

Well, now the 'service engine' light came on in the car, so the car went back to the shop last night to be checked. It's just so weird the way more things always seem to go wrong after one of our cars is in the shop. It's like they check it over, work on it with their air tools, fix one thing, and somehow that causes something else to go wrong. OK, I'm sure it doesn't actually cause stuff to go wrong, but it sure seems that way. Frustrating!

Jeffrey is stopping by to pay for it on the way home today, and then he and Beth can go pick it up later. I wonder how much it's going to cost us this time? And what will go wrong next?

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Updates I Should Have Made

Jaye asked me yesterday if Beth got to keep her job, and I realized that I never did let you know what happened, did I? Yes, she got hired permanently, so she gets to keep working and making money to pay for her gas and insurance and other stuff like cat food and cat litter. They took longer than they were supposed to to let her know, but in the meantime, she was still getting hours. She is also finally moving out of the fitting room and out into a department, so she's happy about that. She was tired of standing in one place all night. Currently she works Sundays and two nights a week, but this week she's working an extra night. Since she insists that there's never any homework, she might as well be working. Of course, all she wants to do is spend time with Tim, but he's sick this week anyway.

About Tim, he's pretty much kept himself out of trouble and has been working on paying us and everyone else back. We've got part of our money back, and we know where he lives...

Jeffrey's car went into the shop to get fixed Tuesday afternoon, and he picked it up after work yesterday, so it's all fixed. He got a copy of the police report, and, even though they didn't give her a ticket, the police had listed the cause of the accident as 'failure to yield' and therefore her fault. So he called the lady who pulled out in front of him and told her he wanted her insurance to pay for it, and after some paperwork and not much runaround at all, they mailed him a check. They also paid for a rental car so he had something to drive while the car was in the shop.

Anything else you're wondering about? Leave me a comment, and I'll try to bring you up to date so you're not just sitting there or losing sleep wondering what happened.