I'm sure it's just coincidence, but ever since a friend of my friend Dean (who recently died of cancer) hit my car and wouldn't admit to it, my car has been scraped and scratched so much it's beginning to look like a piece of art - so many colors, including rust. I did not turn it into insurance because it would have cost more than the car is worth, to repair the body damage.
I've said it more than once and I'll say it again: this car has a future, of sorts. It will either rust away or mechanically die - whichever comes first. I don't plan on spending any more of my hard-earned money on this vehicle.
The last time my side mirror got hit, my mechanic was able to re-seat the mirror and it was fine. This time things are a bit different. the vehicle was obviously driving through this alley, the wrong way because it knocked a piece of the mirror casing off this time, which I found on the ground, and it was not in the direction the traffic goes. Also, this time it cannot be re-seated. He's going to look at some salvage yards to see if he can find a cheaper replacement, rather than buying new. It's just not worth it to me.
Funny, this car was a replacement for a Volkswagen Vanagon (not quite old enough to be my hippie van). This Vanagon was given to me, by an elderly uncle. I found out in short time that he had not taken very good care of it. I spent, literally, thousands of dollars on this van before deciding to trade it in. I promised myself I would keep the van, at least until my uncle's wife passed. The deal was in the works and, as life happens, she passed away two days before the deal was solidified. My point here is that the car I am driving now is as much of a mess as the van I traded, except it is better mechanically.
I'm really sick of this car. I am looking . . . and waiting to look at a car my mechanic is fixing, as I write this.