Denver

iTrader: (13)

^^^ yes, just like he said. gotta find a good body guy and just get the whole car painted. there are guys out there that can blend paint very well too.

jetboy

I think I would prefer to simply fix the car, sell it, and buy a replacement in the same low mileage and unmolested condition I had pre-tow. I believe that is the best way to actually determine the reduction in value from the damage. All together the "out the door price" was around $29k with the 5 year warranty etc. I'm guessing I would get a trade of around $22. So I'd ask for the repairs plus around $5-7k in diminished value. I may be able to work out a deal with the Dealer to find me a very comparable used car and possibly swap over the warranty? Not sure about that.

One local dealer the specializes in used late model lexus and infinity cars said to take about 15% of clean retail NADA and that is what they would discount the trade in for a perfectly repaired car. So that would be around $4,300 ish.

jetboy

No. The dealer is part of a big chain of various brands. The Lexus dealer doesn't have a body shop. The saleswoman we worked with told me that their bodyshop (IIRC attached to a dodge dealarship) was not very good and to go elsewhere.

NorCalIS

iTrader: (5)

Sounds like you have it under control, but for the sake of defending the option to keep it after repair, I have to say that regardless of the age of the car my body shop has always been able to paint match and make it look like nothing ever happened. That being said, it did took me three body shops to find these guys, but if you find a family owned body shop that has been around for years with good reviews it doesn't hurt to check it out. Most body shops will show you their work if you ask too. Good luck!