How perfect is your car?

[weltweit]

I recall doing a thumbnail survey in a town in the Costa Brava and discovering that pretty much 80% of the cars parked in town had dents or serious scuff marks on them. Yet the Catalans still drove them about and didn't seem to mind.

Then I was in Germany and did the same check on cars in a small town, almost none had any visible damage. I wondered if this was evidence that German drivers are better than Catalans which might be possible, but equally it could be possible that Germans are more car proud and get their damage repaired immediately rather than drive a dented vehicle.

My own car has a dented tailgate/hatchback (and scuff marks on each corner courtesy of its last owner). I suppose I could find a hatchback in the same colour in a scrap yard and swap out the locks etc, but I am not that bothered by it and can't be arsed. Perhaps I am more like the Catalans than the Germans?

What do you think, do dents and damage bother you? and how is your car / past cars?

 

[moomoo]

About a year ago a neighbour left a note on my car saying that some old lady had driven into my car and left me her number. She was apparently very upset and worried. I called her and told her not to worry about it because I actually couldn’t decide which of the many scrapes she had caused. Shrug

 

[wayward bob]

last time they used the car mr b decided it needed cleaning to remove the smell of coleslaw (nobody knows why it smells of coleslaw). the valet-my-car-cos-i'm-too-scared dude was like "i don't think i can get that out - or that... "

tbf he did a fantastic job of removing the coleslaw, without disturbing the spider moss gardens in the wing mirrors

 

[brogdale]

If you really want know how many dents, scrapes, scratches and general damage yer car has, just get a quote from WeBuyAnyCar ,then rock along and she how much they'll really offer you.

 

[mx wcfc]

I will take photos tomorrow, I think, as words cannot describe how perfect my car is.

 

[SheilaNaGig]

I genuinely couldn’t care less about the dents scratches dings and marks on my car, although this one hasn’t got any dents so far. My last car had a really great dent in the back bumper from when I backed into one of the stupid bollards that isn’t tall enough to see out the back window, and the passenger-side door was a completely different colour to the rest of the car, which made it much easier to find in car parks. So long as it starts without bother and gets me there and back in one piece I don’t care. I came back to the car one time and it had been keyed on one side and my passenger was all like “oh no oh my God!” but I really didn’t care, I was just a bit puzzled why anyone would bother keying a beaten up Vauxhall Corsa.

It wasn’t even as if I was wearing a racist T-shirt…

 

[SheilaNaGig]

If you really want know how many dents, scrapes, scratches and general damage yer car has, just get a quote from WeBuyAnyCar ,then rock along and she how much they'll really offer you.

I got a terrific result from webuyanycar.com. They bought my last car even though it wouldn’t even start, the driver door was a different colour to the rest of the car (I think I just said that) and there were dents and scratches and dings all over it, the driver seat sagged towards one side, the bonnet release didn’t work, the electrics were fucked, and I got 150 quid in my hand. I only paid 300 for it about seven years before so I was well happy.

 

[Looby]

About a year ago a neighbour left a note on my car saying that some old lady had driven into my car and left me her number. She was apparently very upset and worried. I called her and told her not to worry about it because I actually couldn’t decide which of the many scrapes she had caused. Shrug

Someone drove into me at a roundabout. I was honest and said there was existing damage and couldn’t be totally sure what was there before but they replaced the bumper and repaired the boot. I was delighted, that was loads of different reversing fuck ups.

 

[dessiato]

All four corners are scuffed. There’s little dings all over. It’s very Spanish looking, sadly.

 

[Looby]

My current car is in pretty good condition but it’s only 18 months old and I’ve had it 13 months so loads of time to trash the value. No dents but there are some scratches. I’ve reversed into a few bollards in this car too. I do try hard not to but even with sensers, I still do it.

 

[Nivag]

My last car was unique, every panel had a dent or scratch or both
I gave up worrying about it as no matter where you parked in a supermarket there would always be some plonker banging doors off the car parked next to them.

 

[wayward bob]

our car was mr b's dad's. it has 4 wheels (+steering wheel), takes DIESEL, and cost £500. £20 pa tax was a nice surprise i couldn't pick it out of a lineup, carpark or our street (even though it moves about once a month)

 

[Crispy]

Scratched and scuffed to fuck. Never been washed. Don't care.

 

[Ax^]

has no car

rental was taken back today


looking at stuff at the weekends

 

[polly]

It's a bit scuffed. I think it has a scratch on the side from the neighbour's kids walking their bikes out between our two cars, but that's fine - it's not going to rust or anything. It has a big dent in the back that wasn't me. Other small dents and scratches - I haven't owned it long so haven't had a chance to put my mark on it yet. I feel like this is the perfect amount of damage and care tbh. Once I walked past some shitty Corsa or something with my kids and one of their school bags must have made contact with it, and the owner was inside. He jumped out and started going off at us, rubbing and squinting at a 100% non-existent mark on his car I don't want to ever be that stressed out about the condition of my car.

 

[teuchter]

I make a point of adding some scratches etc to cars that I walk past and don't like the look of, or if I suspect I wouldn't like the owner that I imagine they probably have. It's partly for my own satisfaction but mainly for the environment.

 

[chainsawjob]

A scrape down one side from a meeting with a multistorey concrete pillar, and a dent in the bumper from reversing into a bollard at the supermarket (which I didn't think had done any damage at the time, so didn't bother to look, and only noticed the damage a week or two later. I assumed the bollard was bendy cos it was plastic). Very cobwebby around the wing mirrors. Never washed it. No moss yet (unlike my old car). Had it just under 2 years.

 

[Saul Goodman]

I make a point of adding some scratches etc to cars that I walk past and don't like the look of, or if I suspect I wouldn't like the owner that I imagine they probably have. It's partly for my own satisfaction but mainly for the environment.

I make a point of knocking out anyone who thinks they have the right to damage my property. It's partly for my own satisfaction but mainly to prevent them from doing it to others.

 

[brogdale]

I got a terrific result from webuyanycar.com. They bought my last car even though it wouldn’t even start, the driver door was a different colour to the rest of the car (I think I just said that) and there were dents and scratches and dings all over it, the driver seat sagged towards one side, the bonnet release didn’t work, the electrics were fucked, and I got 150 quid in my hand. I only paid 300 for it about seven years before so I was well happy.

Oh yes, me too.
I had a really crap old Picasso that no-one would touch; they took it off my hands and gave me £200 quid as well. I was just happy to get rid of it, tbh.
But they sure know how to knock down the quoted figure

 

[teuchter]

I make a point of knocking out anyone who thinks they have the right to damage my property.

Pretty sure the highway code doesn't allow that. Not that you'll have read it.

 

[hash tag]

Returning to the OP, I think if you take a walk around many Italian streets, you will note that many of the cars are little and are battered. For a country that makes so many fine cars its rather surprising.
Despite its youth and few miles, my car has half a dozen stone chips.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Pretty sure the highway code doesn't allow that. Not that you'll have read it.

My code does.
I live by this simple mantra. Never fuck with anyone's life, anyone's livelihood or anyone's property. I live by that, and expect others to.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I make a point of adding some scratches etc to cars that I walk past and don't like the look of, or if I suspect I wouldn't like the owner that I imagine they probably have. It's partly for my own satisfaction but mainly for the environment.

Yeah fucking nice one. Re-spraying cars is a definite boon to the environment, you moronic berk.

 

[souljacker]

weltweit Not sure what german town this was but I've spent a lot of time in Munich over the years and there are a LOT of very beaten up cars on the road. Yeah, you get a lot of brand new sparkling mercs/beemers/audis but you also get a lot of very tired looking golfs and polos. One of the german lads I used to knock about with drove a golf that was only about 3 years old but it was absolutely covered in dents and scratches.

 

[kalidarkone]

My beautiful T4 is really scruffy She has moss growing on her and a chunk out of side and bits of rust. The back doors do not open anymore and are dented. The alloys need a shine and the windscreens seal has gone and water comes in when it rains heavily.

However inside has leather saab driver and passenger seats and a full size rock and roll bed that converts to 3 seats. Fully insulated and with spot lights.She has a brilliant 2.5 engine and I love driving her.

Plan is to get the windscreen resealed, dents banged out, holes filled, rust removed, resprayed and van put back to original height and silly alloys replaced with bog standard wheels/tyres. Guess that will cost a couple of K.
Then I need to consider changing to a petrol engine.
I love a banger!

 

[plurker]

My Saab is glistening. I clay barred it recently, so the 30 year old paintwork gleams.


There is one two inch dent in the rear quarter where my dumbfuck neighbour reversed into it (no proof, but he's the only one that uses the track down next to my flat). I can't afford to get it sorted yet.

The campervan (VW T25) had a respray in 2016, there are some tiny bubbles of rust coming back - otherwise good. I repaint the plastic trims every year with a rattlecan, which does wonders for appears. She does have moss growing in the sliding windows tho ☹

Dents and damage do bother me, but only cause both these vehicles are decent low-mileage example classics, and I've one eye toward their long-term resale value.

 

[T & P]

Unless the car is either a brand new premium model or a lease job that’s going to cost you money to repair before returning it, I myself find it absurd to get worked up about minor scratches that are purely aesthetic. Admittedly anything deeper than the paint coat that exposes the the metal itself can cause rust, which is far less desirable. But otherwise it’s a bit silly.

Bodywork repairs are also absurdly high to correct in relation to their importance. Unless you’re loaded you’d be mad to spend hundreds on fixing small scratches or dents.

 

[T & P]

I make a point of adding some scratches etc to cars that I walk past and don't like the look of, or if I suspect I wouldn't like the owner that I imagine they probably have. It's partly for my own satisfaction but mainly for the environment.

Of course you do

 

[Marty1]

I make a point of adding some scratches etc to cars that I walk past and don't like the look of, or if I suspect I wouldn't like the owner that I imagine they probably have. It's partly for my own satisfaction but mainly for the environment.

I guess you’re on a wind up, but - how would you feel to return to your bicycle to find someone had kicked a few spokes out the wheels and keyed the paintwork down to the bare metal?

 

[SheilaNaGig]

Oh yes, me too.
I had a really crap old Picasso that no-one would touch; they took it off my hands and gave me £200 quid as well. I was just happy to get rid of it, tbh.
But they sure know how to knock down the quoted figure

Now I feel cheated! You got more than I did!


They gave me exacrly what they quoted. So either I was dead lucky or the valuation was spot on. I guess that was the scrap value less costs or something.