Hit a car with my bicycle

[somenub12]

I am a college student and I hit someone's car by accident. I have little funding and I recently received an estimate for $2900 in damages. I'm really freaking out about how to afford this. What are my options at this point?

 

[mightymoose]

Is this your own estimate or one the other person provided? If not your own, get one and compare.
Ultimately, you can't pay what you don't have. The auto insurance should cover the damage and if you don't pay up they have the option to take you to court over it. Until that happens you don't have to pay a dime.

 

[disagreeable]

Pardon my French but what the Hell did you hit on it!!!

My son ignored dad telling him not ride his bike around the cars in the yard during a family picnic and he planted the handle bar and his face into the quarter panel of wifeys converible. It only cost me $800 to fix.

 

[somenub12]

I made a dent about 3" on the car door.

 

[cynthiag]

Wow, $2900 sounds like an awful lot for a 3" dent in the door. We had the door of our car crunched in by a forklift and while I don't remember how much it cost to fix (the company who hit it paid for it), I know it wasn't that much!

 

[somenub12]

Are claim adjusters willing to negotiate?

 

[disagreeable]

What kind of car was this? Did you ask for a copy of the estimate? This sounds extremely high for the repair made.

 

[somenub12]

This is a 1999 BMW Convertible 328i convertible. I'm waiting on the claim adjuster to send me the estimate.

 

[army judge]

This is a 1999 BMW Convertible 328i convertible. I'm waiting on the claim adjuster to send me the estimate.

No way a bike could cause $3,000 damage to a 15 year old BEAMER.
The BBV of that car is only about $3500.
Someone is ripping you off.
Let him sue you.
Don't pay it just because some dude you don't know says it's worth $3000.
The adjuster is probably his pal helping him rip off suckers.
Don't be a sucker.
He can't order you to pay, even a judge can't do that.
A judge issues an order saying X owes A $100.
It doesn't order X to pay the $100.
A has to try and collect the $100.

If he sues he'd have to prove his damages, not just assert them.
Let him sue you, if he wins he'd have to collect.
If he went to court, I bet a judge wouldn't give him more than $500 for a 15 year old beater.

Besides, if the cops weren't called, what proof does he have to say you did it?
Your word?
Bet he scared you, huh?
You were so frightened you'd say you killed Elvis to save your life.
Anyway, can't you smell the stench of rotting SCAM? I can.