Bruce's Journal

[Bruce]

People still going off the road today! I went out to the grocery store. There were 2 flares about 100 yards apart on the main road just after I got on. Cop with flashing lights at the right curve just before where I turned left, tow truck pulling a car out of the snow bank. It wasn't there yesterday when I went to look at DD's car and pay for the tow and the roads were worse. Still I stayed at 10 MPH below the posted limit and slowed extra at curves. The roads were plowed but very little pavement showing until I got to the major N/S road in the state. And that wasn't clear, at least half the time I had packed snow under at least one wheel.

Here you have to have liability which does cover other vehicles if you are at fault, we have the standard $100,000 coverage. Everything else is voluntary though most people carry uninsured motorist coverage since there are those without insurance even though it is required to register a vehicle. Oh yeah, there are those driving unregistered vehicles as well.

I figure I am on the hook for the difference between the $1,000 deductible we have on the other cars and the value the ins company would pay if the car had collision and was totaled since I'm the one that screwed up when the policy was written. Haven't mentioned that to DD yet, figure she needs to stew on her losses for awhile. She still is hanging on her claim that she wasn't going too fast around that corner. Sorry but if your tires don't have traction, even 3 MPH could have been too fast.

DW did mention last night that DD figures she's just shot her planned vacation to Japan when the resort closes in the spring. That has to hurt, enough to make her extra cautious when the roads aren't clear and dry in the future??

 

[RollingAcres]

With all that wind yesterday some places get terrible snow drift. Some people don't think of that and by the time they saw it, it's too late.

Haven't mentioned that to DD yet, figure she needs to stew on her losses for awhile

DW did mention last night that DD figures she's just shot her planned vacation to Japan when the resort closes in the spring. That has to hurt, enough to make her extra cautious when the roads aren't clear and dry in the future??

Whether it's your mistake or not on the insurance policy, I hope she learned from her accident this time. She's lucky that she wasn't hurt and no one else got hurt.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Mr. @Bruce,

Just caught up from having to go out of town.

Sorry to hear about your daughter. I'm glad she is OK. I really hope you can get the car fixed for not too much money. What kind of car does (did) your daughter drive?

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Bruce]

Her car, like her mother's is a 2006 Prius. She has about 165K on hers, DW has 205K. Mine is an '09 with 135K miles, DD1's is a '10 with 80K miles, this one doesn't have built in Nav, she bought a Tom Tom.

Estimate to repair the car is $5K. The auto body guy said his computer totals it at $3,800. We looked at a Craig's List 2008 Prius today with 150K miles, $3,850 IIRC. That would be about $4,120 after taxes. But it didn't have the Navigation system which she has currently and wants again. There was another 2008 that did have Nav but it would cost more than $5K after taxes. I told her she could get a standalone GPS for a lot less than ~$900 with the added advantage of free updates for ever (Toyota's nav system uses a double layer DVD and they charge out the wazoo for updates) but she wasn't interested.

She is going to get her car repaired. Hit the coolant thermos which Adam says Toyota wants $1,400 for (hoping he can source a used one!) but not the inverter. Left front fender and wheel well liner, hood, bumper, headlight assembly, fuse box are the major hits. Frame doesn't appear damaged.

Whether it's your mistake or not on the insurance policy, I hope she learned from her accident this time. She's lucky that she wasn't hurt and no one else got hurt.

She's gotten lucky 3 time now, this is the first time someone else was involved. But that kid has an entitlement issue. Haven't heard back from the insurance guy to see about a rental (will they even rent to a 23 Y/O?) or adding collision on her policy so my car is covered if she is driving it or adding her back to our policy for a short while. I did mention I didn't look forward to driving her to work and picking her up (30 minutes each way in good weather) 5 days a week. She said I could force DW to do it on Sundays. Force? FORCE?? Yeah I did let her have it on that. She should be groveling and asking very nicely if we will drive her to and fro.

Have I mentioned that my DDs should have grown up dirt poor so they would appreciate what they have?

 

[Rammy]

Wow. All I can say is, Wow.

 

[CntryBoy777]

Boy oh boy!!.....I'm certainly cringing here for ya my friend....and have been faced with similar things in the past with my 4 girls.....if I had of known when they were young, how they'd think and act when they were teens and 20s....they certainly would have different memories of what they faced growing up....and I wouldn't have sacrificed near as much so they could have....

 

[B&B Happy goats]

Bruce...the issues you have with your daughters are similar to the ones I had with my only child....He had a sense of entitlement. ...we haven't spoken or seen each other for over ten years. After giving all I could and doing the best I could do as a single mom He resented me having to work to support us.
Good luck with your girls, I hope you never get to the point that your child says "I appreciate that you gave me life, but I don't want a relationship with you "
Seems like these days, if you don't bow down to them ,then you are disposable. ...
Surprise will be that I am leaving everything in trust for humane society...and -$10.00 to him....
If I had known then, what I know now........, well you know how that saying goes.......good luck, ..girls tend to stay in touch better with their parents.

 

[Bruce]

Nice, I guess, to know that I'm not alone. And the leaving them money thing, I've already thought about an ever decreasing %age with the rest going to a charity or two. Of course it goes to DW if I croak first so I suppose she could give them whatever is left when she dies.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

No Bruce you are not alone....sad but true.

 

[farmerjan]

I may not have a great relationship with my one brother, but am good with my sister and other brother. Whatever my parents do at this point is ..... whatever. My father is so opposite of how he was raised by my grandparents.
That said, I may have some small issues with how my son does some things, but he was raised without alot, we were divorced when he was 7, and although there will be a decent settlement from his father as he is the only child, he learned from the get go, that money didn't grow on trees and I never had issues with him feeling entitled. He worked for his first truck, paid his own insurance from 16 on, but I did help him with his first loan. He works his butt off now, and I will hopefully never have to worry about him trying to take advantage of me or my stuff. Again, he is not perfect, but he has always known that you worked for what you wanted. And he will take care of me when the time comes, just as he will take care of his father. I have no issue with that either.

Yes, she should have been asking nice in every way she could think of. And one thing, why are you going to be on the hook for the difference in the 1,000 deductible? She's working, it was her fault, her accident, she should know what her insurance covers, it's HER RESPONSIBILITY to pay what needs to be paid.
My son would have said "force" to me about driving him back and forth to work one time, and he would have picked himself up off the floor... all 6'6" of him. That kind of disrespect has never been and will never be tolerated. EVER!!!! Not even to his father, and his father has made his life very difficult at times with his attitude. We have our days, and our differences, but he was taught respect and had better ALWAYS remember that.

God bless you that don't have at least that from your kids.