The Sadness and the Gladness of the Gothmobile

I was supposed to be at Fandom Fest this year, but I wasn’t. I almost was. I was this close. But then what happened? Just as I was turning into the parking garage, I zigged when I should have zagged (as my grandpa would have said) and someone who was zigging properly shoved her car’s nose into my car’s side.

A non-injury accident that the police didn’t even take a report on.

Bossy surveys the damage.
Bossy surveys the damage.

Bossy was very shaken. For one thing, she thinks it’s her car. I was having an anxiety attack, myself, heading for panic, so we exchanged contact information with the other driver, got back in the car, and went home. Bossy drove.

We went to a body shop to get an estimate for repairs. The back door’s safety bar was compromised, so it had to be replaced, but the front door only needed the outside panel replaced. Still, the estimate was stunning.

Bossy was stunned.
Bossy was stunned. So was I. So was Charlie.

But we had to get it repaired. Not only for the safety factor, but you know how it is: Once a car looks banged up, it becomes a bang-up magnet. People don’t respect it. They open their doors into it and go, “They won’t notice, on a junker like that.”

We had to leave it, but we spent some time in the waiting area, swapping stories with other patrons.

Bossy makes a new friend.
Bossy makes a new friend.

Finally, the repairs were done, and the Gothmobile was back, better than new. Bossy inspected the work, and announced herself satisfied.

Better than new!
Better than new!

Here’s the place that worked the wonder: S&W’s Prestige Auto Body in Georgetown, Indiana. Nice folks, too. Right next door to Merritt’s, the best mechanics ever!

Thanks, S&W!
Thanks, S&W!

I’m posting today at Fatal Foodies about a vegetarian, gluten-free broccoli soup.

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character has an auto accident.

MA

About

I was born in Louisville, Kentucky, but now live in the woods in southern Indiana. Though I only write fiction, I love to read non-fiction. The more I learn about this world, the more fantastic I see it is.

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One thought on “The Sadness and the Gladness of the Gothmobile

  1. Dan

    September 8, 2015 at 7:54am

    I had the back bumper smacked in a parking lot (I wasn’t in the car) and I ran the front bumper into a pole while skating last winter instead of driving. The estimates are stunning these days. I’m glad no one was hurt.

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    • Author

      Marian Allen

      September 8, 2015 at 8:18am

      Yeah, Dan, I didn’t realize cars were being made out of gold these days. I should have known when I got hit and the sound effect balloon was filled with dollar signs.

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  2. Jane

    September 8, 2015 at 8:37am

    I didn’t know you took Bossie to the cons with you. She’s a fine-looking, no doubt stabilizing influence. And of course, there’s the wild cow factor. 😉

    Oh, the sadness of the bunged-up car! I have driven so many. That’s why my latest car is NOT such a creature. A Goth-mobile might need a few roaring flames flying back from the front wheel wells or even simply a cobweb decal or two, but it DON’T need dents! (OH! Or a set of hearse lamps!) (I’ll tell you the story about when I met the local Svenghoulie someday. Curiously, it involved Star Trek and a hearse!)

    Stay groovy.

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    • Author

      Marian Allen

      September 8, 2015 at 8:42am

      Yeah! It needs a couple of Abby Sciuto cobwebs on it!

      Bossie rides in the car everywhere with me. If I could just keep her from yelling rude comments out the window, I’d be happy.

      T. Lee Harris used to have a hearse! She says it’s the best car she ever had.

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  3. Holly Jahangiri

    September 8, 2015 at 9:45am

    The way you tell it, they fixed it FAST, too! How long did you actually have to wait?

    Yes, it’s all very, very expensive these days. I’ve been “fortunate” in the sense that it’s been others zigging where they should’ve zagged, so I didn’t have the added expense of the rental car. I’ve not been so lucky in terms of them being so minor, so do count your lucky stars, there! Glad you and Bossy are okay!

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    • Author

      Marian Allen

      September 8, 2015 at 11:44am

      I had to leave it for a whole week! We have two cars, though, so I drove the one Charlie usually drives in the interim. I wanted to camp out and stay with it, but they made me go home.

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  4. Pete Laberge

    September 8, 2015 at 7:47pm

    At least… No one go hurt. And you got the car back. My little fender bender in Feb of 2014 destroyed my Sentra, and the insurance company opted do pay out. Damage to the other vehicle: ZERO. Did not even knock the snow off the windows. But I hit the right rear taillight part of my car into a solid real bumper. The ass end of a Sentra is all plastic….

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    • Author

      Marian Allen

      September 9, 2015 at 8:50am

      Ouch, Pete! Was everybody okay? Sounds like another “skating instead of driving”, as Dan calls it.

      Permalink  ⋅ Reply
      • Pete Laberge

        September 9, 2015 at 10:59am

        Yep, Feb, Winter, on Ice. I was not physically injured, but mentally and financially?
        They gave me $6200 for a $16000 fully paid off, car. About 56K kms. Undercoated, Electronic rust preventer. MINT new inside, and great body.

        But the design of all these small cars is flawed. No rear bumper on them, except a small tube thing right in the middle of the trunk. No good in a quarter side impact.

        They would not fix it, because it was too much trouble. A light COLD snow on ice. And cold is not good for plastic, it makes it very brittle, no bending… The new taillight assy, and other asst plastic bits were about $2000. But it is the shop labour and taxes that killed it. The insurance cheque was the same as the repair cost. There was $2000+ in labour also. Add some paint and metal straightening (modern sheet metal is crap), and some paint, and voila!

        So, if you drive other than a full size pick-up or van, beware. And front quarters? As bad.

        You are LUCKY you got door dinged. That is about all they can fix.

        My own mechanic told me that the car repair place bought the car off the ins co for about $4k. Over time, they will use it as a training vehicle, and slack rime project. They will rebuild it, and quietly sell it out in a year or 2 or 3 for around $6-8K, at an auction. Whatever they get over $5k is pure profit, because, see, they have a use for it, meanwhile…. BUt in the meanwhile, I ended up buying a used Corolla.

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        • Author
          • Pete Laberge

            September 9, 2015 at 11:23am

            I know, I cried like a baby.

            Permalink  ⋅ Reply

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