Hi - Love this site -- I found it at exactly the right time. My car was rear-ended last week and the body shop gave me a heads up that the damage estimate is more than the car's value so the insurance company probably will total it. The accident was the other driver's fault - she is with State Farm. My car is old, but has low mileage and was well cared for. Most people thought it was just a couple of years old (it's a 1997 Lexus I got when my mom died). I am a writer, self-employed, recession victim, yada-yada, so will have to find a car for whatever cash I get. How do I know I'm getting the most I can for the car? And how do I find another one very quickly (since I won't have a car!) for whatever cash I have? Most of the cars I've seen advertised in the $5K range are pretty high mileage and dealers don't seem to carry cheap used cars. Sorry for the length, but I didn't find anything on your site about this. Thank so much!

Hi Lynnie, I have been away and this post is now 10 days old, you still need help ?

You mentioned being a writer, I would like to pick your brains about that subject, if you care to respond send me an e-mail with a phone # and best time to contact,,,thanks