Things I would rather spend $1652 on than the front end of a Cavalier..

So I got a call back from the woman I hit on Saturday. She got an estimate. $1652. She's going to get a second estimate, and I'll probably just pay the body shop.

I still think I'm better off not going through insurance. I have no idea what effect filing a claim would have on my rates, but my understanding is that if I call them to ask them, they could treat it as a claim and raise my rates. Plus, you supposed to report accidents to them within a certain amount of time, and since I've probably exceeded that time, they could drop me for that. Plus, I figure I should save actually filing a claim if I ever have a more serious accident and really need the insurance coverage. And maybe on some level, if this hurts me enough in the wallet, I'll actually become a less shitty driver.

Knowing my luck, they will find something else wrong with the car and it will wind up being way more than the estimate.

I realize this was completely my fault, and given the way I drive, it's surprising I've gone this long without causing anyone serious damage. Still, it's frustrating how much damage I managed to cause in a few seconds inattention at 2mph in reverse.

And I can't help think of a whole bunch of things I could spend $1652 on:

-one mortgage payment, plus an extra hundred something dollars for home improvements of some sort.

- 413 gallons of $4 regular unleaded gas

- a very nice flat panel TV

- 12 minutes or so (which is probably more than I'd need) with Kristen.

- 6 Nintendo Wii game consoles, plus a Wii Fit

- 1652 Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers from the Wendy's dollar menu

- 244 bags of Purina One Kitten Chow for Nibbler, my attack kitten

- About $50 short of the cost of a 24" iMac with the ed discount (which is actually something I've wanted for a while to replace the $200 Celeron that I'm currently blogging on)