Advice on selling car

I second what everyone else has said previously about selling it. I also second what Alarm Guy posted.

Another thought and consideration is to pick up something used and reliable off of Craigslist as a temporary driver, for 6 months until new car inventories get back to normal.

https://miami.craigslist.org/brw/ctd/d/coral-springs-2015-volkswagen-vw-jetta/7359983264.html

Heck depending on what you buy and what price you pay you may still make money on it in 6 mos. Why? Because new car prices are going to come down before used car prices will. Supply and demand will dictate this. Used car market is most finite, with the fleet of used car numbers steady to declining. The new car market however will be steadily increasing as new car productions and inventory return to normal levels.

This theory was proved correct during the "cash for clunkers" time frame and the factors in play now are the same with some exceptions on new car inventories and lack of needed incentives.
Imagine paying $9k for a 7 year old Jetta with 100hp.
 
are you including FL 6% sales tax and any other fees dealers love to add in for the tags and "delivery" those are generally not added to the prices they show online etc for new cars and they don't negotiate on them either..... Sounds to me like its going to be $3k+to get out of this axiety which on a jetta that will be worth $3k in 10 years doesn't seem worth it to me. Spend $2k on a custom wrap or dip paint job and then when you really want to sell the paint will be in the same condition it is today?
 
Sell it.
Resale value of a vehicle takes a hit when it has been in an accident, no matter how minor the damage.
Take the money and run.
 
New VW don't have good warranties, my '19 had a fantastic warranty but t was a short lease and it didn't matter. You will have to pay $$ for a better warranty.
But your current 2020 likely has the short warranty too. The shortest in the business.
If the current car is a good car I would keep it. Cars are a "thrown together" from parts with a defined defect rate. Thousands of parts. The chance of getting a good car are slim. I know I've owned over 75 NEW cars in 50 years
Only a handful of those were good - the rest fair to poor to maddening.

If the current car is good keep it.

Just watch out. Those cars have poor water management in the trunk and rear door area.
I was constantly tending to this during my lease. - Ken
 
My brother sold me an Impala years ago that had a 1/4 panel repainted due to a garage accident, he couldnt bear that it had been repainted. I drove it a couple of years, sold it to our Aunt who drove it a few years, who sold it to a friends daughter. 10 yrs later it still looks the same and no one else cared.
 
If they did not do an up and over wherever they burned in the clear WILL eventually show. It might be a very long time but the blend line will fail. There is no if, it is when.

I used to be GregK24 level… he will never be happy and it will bug him even if the car is perfect. Best to just get a new one.
 
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New VW don't have good warranties, my '19 had a fantastic warranty but t was a short lease and it didn't matter. You will have to pay $$ for a better warranty.
But your current 2020 likely has the short warranty too. The shortest in the business.
If the current car is a good car I would keep it. Cars are a "thrown together" from parts with a defined defect rate. Thousands of parts. The chance of getting a good car are slim. I know I've owned over 75 NEW cars in 50 years
Only a handful of those were good - the rest fair to poor to maddening.

If the current car is good keep it.

Just watch out. Those cars have poor water management in the trunk and rear door area.
I was constantly tending to this during my lease. - Ken

There is a lot of wisdom here.

Most of us have been down the path of having mind-bending, frustrating, unreliable vehicles that drain our time, sanity, and finances. But when you get a good one, maintain it and keep it!

I have a general principle that if I find a good reliable mass produced mechanical item and I can afford to keep it, I'll keep it. Cars are a big one. It's remarkably difficult to find an affordable reliable vehicle. When you do, keep it.
 
I would suggest finding more important things to worry about in your life. All vehicles are imperfect.

While this is my philosophy, I realize everyone is different. I drive mostly older vehicles, and most have cosmetic blemishes with faded paint, scratches, etc. It isn't worth the money and mental energy to worry about it as long as they look presentable and they are safe and reliable, I'm fine with that. I drove a truck for years that had a big door dent until I found a matching door and swapped them. I bought a car once that had eyesore front end damage, but everything still worked. I drove it like that for quite a while until I got a new front end and grill and lights to replace the hazy cracked ones. Rattle can spray paint, sealant, and installation. If you look carefully it's a different shade. It would drive someone with OCD nuts! Doesn't bother me at all.
 
a couple of thoughts here...rather than live with the stress and fear of damage to a new car why not get something a few years old with existing scrapes and nicks? Already 'broken in', no worries!

Second - I had a 6 month old Outback get blasted with hail damage..not enough to total it but body panel replacement and 3/4 repaint. I was crushed. I thought it would fade into a mess. 12+ years later it looked as good as the day I brought it home..(garaged all its life)..The hail and repaint had zero affect on the resale value at that time. I was worried over nothing.
My Mazda looks like its been hit by every buggy in the parking lot and then bumped a few barriers on the way out. I was buying it for a beater but it still bothered me some initially. Now that's what I like best about it. I fearlessly park anywhere I want or squeeze into someplace tight and never sweat a new ding.
 
Sell it.
Resale value of a vehicle takes a hit when it has been in an accident, no matter how minor the damage.
Take the money and run.
If you are going to do it you need to make the move immediately, before the CarFax history report shows an accident, and while the used car market is still in upheaval. You won't be offered nearly this much money in a couple of months.
 
You can't keep a daily driver perfect. A body repair done correctly will last the life of the vehicle, OP decided the car was gone before he even saw the completed repair. Any bets on how long the replacement sticks around until something happens to makes it imperfect?

OP - Weren't the doors on the Accord repainted? How are you living with that?
 
Well here’s an update. Upon seeing the car I noticed they pealed some of the clear off when removing the tape. I don’t know how they missed this. The whole side is going to have to be resanded and repainted.

Upon asking the estimator to come look at the problem spot with me, she said “oh, you mean the right front bumper? EXCUSE ME!?!

Someone apparently had scratched the bumper while in the shop. I told her I am 100% sure it was not there before. I washed and dried the entire vehicle before dropping off for this purpose.

Then she said she saw it when I dropped it off and that she took a picture of it. I asked to see the picture so I had a time stamp, she quickly changed her tune and then said she only remembered seeing it, so no picture.

Long story short, you can tell it was repainted. Not happy with it as expected.

At CarMax now seeing how much they will give if we sell.
 
Just to bring up one other point. What if you get a new Jetta and it's a lemon and has issues 6-12 into ownership that cannot be easily fixed.
I totally understand about paint conditions. Unfortunately the longer you own a car the more chance the paint is going to get dings, scratches etc. Unless you never leave it unattended in public parking spaces.
 
Just to bring up one other point. What if you get a new Jetta and it's a lemon and has issues 6-12 into ownership that cannot be easily fixed.
I totally understand about paint conditions. Unfortunately the longer you own a car the more chance the paint is going to get dings, scratches etc. Unless you never leave it unattended in public parking spaces.

And, sadly, this is the reality. It's nearly impossible and certainly impractical to keep a common daily driver in perfect conditions. You'd go mad trying to maintain it that way. I place much higher value on a well running, reliable car. Every new/used car comes with some unknowns on mechanical and electrical gremlins and many can be a real soul draining headache.
 
a couple of thoughts here...rather than live with the stress and fear of damage to a new car why not get something a few years old with existing scrapes and nicks? Already 'broken in', no worries!

Second - I had a 6 month old Outback get blasted with hail damage..not enough to total it but body panel replacement and 3/4 repaint. I was crushed. I thought it would fade into a mess. 12+ years later it looked as good as the day I brought it home..(garaged all its life)..The hail and repaint had zero affect on the resale value at that time. I was worried over nothing.
My experience of the damaged described by the OP is that it will have no effect on resale value. At least that's been my experience with similar damage/repair at trade in time.
 
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