Scraped my car pulling into the garage. How much should I plan on spending to fix it?

My wife - I love her - is not great with the whole driving thing and has done a number on cars over the years; so much so that I can almost tell you what any minor damage is going to cost. Here's a rule of thumb... if you scraped the door, it's $500. That's where doors generally start... if it's a fender, it depends on whether it needs to be pounded out, but it'll be in the same area.

Forget insurance for a scrape - even if you're carrying full coverage, you're deductible is likely a couple of hundred at best and claims have a nasty way of costing you in hikes in premiums (insurance companies always get their money back). In addition to that, you don't want a claim on the car for a scrape. What I'm saying is that when you sell it or trade it, if you repair with a claim, it'll hit the carfax.

Take it down to a body shop and see what they'll do for you. Tell them it's a cash deal and ask them to work with you. They usually will.

/r/Advice Thread