On Monday, Cory and I went to the storage lot where my GTO was being stored. As you can see from the images, the damage almost looks superficial. I would say, with two new wheels, a front quarter panel, new hood, new front facia, new door, new airbags, new oilpan, new crossmember, and about 5 grand worth of metal repair and paint this car could be drivable again. However, being the orignal owner of this car, I would never have been comfortable driving a car that had been damaged this way and "fixed" by "professionals". I guess it was better for me that the car was a loss.

Over lunch, the insurance company (mine, not his) called me up to tell me what the payout was going to be. Turns out, they are going to give me about two grand under Blue Book. Taking out my payoff for the car, I'm coming out of this exceptionally well, all things considered. I'm wasn't too banged up from the accident, and there don't seem to be any long term effects.

Now, I'm left with deciding what car I should buy to replace it. I enjoyed the "new car" experience but, I'm not sure that I really want to replace it with new. I doubt that I'll get the same experience with another car, considering most people have the opposite experience when dealing with insurance companies. On top of that, I got a hell of a deal on the car when I bought it off the lot. I've also been re-considering the costs associated with maintaining a new car and feeding a 5.7 liter engine.

I'm pretty sure a Vette' is not in my future (Bill). However, I am a little bit addicted to the sportiness of that a big engine affords, so I kind of doubt I'll be getting a Smart Car (rest easy Christine) or a Prius (good suggestion though, Bethany). Maybe it's time to be better to the environment and get a VW TDI like Matt suggests. I'll continue to consult with my car advisor, Russ, who got me to buy the GTO in the first place.

Well, I'll have plenty of time to think about it since my current plan is to pick up a decent work truck and use it as a daily driver for a while. Since I'm working on my house, it will be a good choice for picking up and disposing renovation materials. Looks like I'm going to be the "can you help me move this stuff" guy, since I don't know anyone in my group of friends who ownes a work truck. So for now, I'll be practical "truck guy" until some other car strikes my fancy.

Oh, and don't think I've forgotten about the 240 Z that I have parked in my garage. I called Lux Blue at Crushproof to see what their backlog was like and they will have room for it in a few weeks. I may be having a tear-down party in my garage some time next month.