car hail damage - fix or not?

[biscuit5]

Question: fix the car or keep the cash and drive car as is?

2010 Toyota sedan, 95k miles, very good condition. Mainly for commuting. Value around $8000ish (paid for)

Major hail storm in May, hood and roof of car damaged. Car is drivable as normal but looks bad. Insurer issued me a check for $3200 to fix (comprehensive, no deductible).

Wondering with the age of the car if you would repair it or drive it as is?

Had planned on keeping the car 5-10 more years and the engine in this car is easily known for going 200k miles.

If not fixing- backend issues arise on eventually selling the car down the road (its damaged, looks bad, diminishes value, rust could form in damaged areas); also I do carry collision so if keeping it and not fixing it, I would probably need to drop collision and carry only essentials as the vehicle would have diminished value.

what would you do?

[sls239]

I wouldn’t fix it unless circumstances have changed like you now keep it garaged or moved away from a hail prone area.

[Jack FFR1846]

Drop collision, fix nothing, drive on.

The longer you keep the car, the lower its value. If you keep it to 200k miles and go to sell it, the fact that it's got hail damage is going to reduce the value $200. You win.

[H-Town]

Personally I wouldn't fix it, because I don't really care about those dings and cosmetic damages.

But you mentioned roof. If there is damage to the moonroof, you should fix right away. If rain leak into your car and the liner, damages will be substantial.

[JupiterJones]

If it's purely cosmetic, I wouldn't fix it.

[8foot7]

On a 12-year-old car? Nah. Put the money away for the next car.
I'd drop collision for sure but keep comprehensive. Comp can't be more than $20-30 every six months, and you're a deer at night away from a pretty good return on that expense.

[Hyperchicken]

Maybe replace the hood? That takes care of half the dents (more or less), and is fairly inexpensive and straightforward.

Roof, that's a tough one, as you can't really replace it.

[MrBobcat]

With that % of what your car is worth, no way I'd fix it. I can almost guarantee your car didn't drop $3,200 in value.

[deikel]

with the hail damage will eventually come more/faster sun/UV damage and rust since you cracked the protective layer - so it will age faster.

Will it age faster then the car will eventually die, I doubt it

I would pocket the cash and drive the car into the ground. In fact I would describe it as anti theft protection - but I have a purely functional relationship to my cars

[MathWizard]

I wouldn't repair.

It's a commuter car. It's there to get you from point A to point B.
If you are worried about looks when taking it to a special event,
drive your other car that day, or rent a car for a day.

[MortgageOnBlack]

with the hail damage will eventually come more/faster sun/UV damage and rust since you cracked the protective layer - so it will age faster.

Will it age faster then the car will eventually die, I doubt it

I would pocket the cash and drive the car into the ground. In fact I would describe it as anti theft protection - but I have a purely functional relationship to my cars

The clear coat paint is intact from hail damage. Unless there is a bad crease from a dent, paintless dent repair is how most hail is fixed.

[Globetrttr]

Hardnosed, numbers-guy response: Only repair this if paint is cracked or chipped away in the impact areas. This will lead to corrosion, eventually, especially in the time you plan to own the car. Save the payment for eventual newer car.

But if you're more likely to keep the vehicle if it looks good (that is, less likely to make emotional decision to trade in for bright shiny new one), then take the cash and find a good body shop or independent PDR (paintless dent removal) guy to work the dents out for you. Usually, these people roam around the U.S. and follow summer storm paths and spend a few weeks or so in major cities, working for body shops with a lot of hail-damaged cars coming through. If you find a PDR person, see if they'll give you a deal so you don't have to use the body shop as a middleman. Maybe you'll find someone in fall or winter (less hail likely, and they're not busy).

[biscuit5]

thanks for all replies. Wanted to keep the car 10ish more years as it runs well, it just looks so crappy with the dents.

PDR - paintless dent repair is common for hail repair

[niagara_guy]

3k does not fix much hail damage, sounds like they low balled you. If you can be happy with the car as is I would pocket the money.

[Watty]

2010 Toyota sedan, 95k miles, very good condition. Mainly for commuting. Value around $8000ish (paid for)

Which model?

In this crazy car market I would not be surprised if the hail damage does not hurt the resale value a lot and used car prices are crazy.

I would take a hard look to see what it would cost to replace it with a new car with all the new advanced safety features and likely better gas mileage too. If you are willing to wait a few months for delivery my impression is that there are some models that you may be able to get for MSRP.

I think it is really worth your time to go car shopping and once you have some firm numbers you can decide what you want to do.

Also don't forget that they have gradually made cars larger. I had a 2018 Corolla that was about the same size as an early 2000s Camry that I had.

For example if it is a Corolla in made up numbers if you can get a new Corolla for $22K and sell that car for $6,000 as is and have the $3200 from the insurance company Then upgrading to a new Corolla would only cost you around $13K which might be worth while for you.

[tibbitts]

How much would a new hood cost, already painted in the correct color, vs. having the hood repaired?

Maybe you could find some sort of storage pod to cover the roof. Or cover it with solar panels.

[Reamus294]

With it being a Toyota sedan, someone will always be looking for a good deal on such a popular vehicle if mechanically sound and well taken care of. I wouldn’t worry much about selling it in the future for a discounted price obviously, but trade-in might be low.

I had a civic in a similar situation, and when I listed it a little lower than all of the other civics in sold in a heart-beat. Mine was bad enough to be totaled and I was able to buy it back with a clean title. I made money on the deal short term and long term. It was a little embarrassing driving around in a golf ball, but I used it as a commuter and errand car and it was nice not having to worry about any additional dings.