Aunt Bea
Master Chef
If you don't fix it, you're driving around in a junky looking car for three years and when you go to trade it in or sell it, you'll get nothing for it as it's damaged.
If you fix it now, it will at least look good while you use it and the trade-in value will be higher. It may be "branded for life by Carfax" but the unfixed damage pretty clearly say "accident" without the need for a Carfax.
Thanks Andy,
I appreciate your input, I could use an accountant on this one.
The variable that I can't account for is the future value of the insurance money vs the future value of the repairs. My thought is that after 6 years I won't get much for the car, repaired or not. By banking the insurance money I will have approximately 20% of the current value of the vehicle that is free from future depreciation to use as part of the purchase price of the new vehicle.
These riddles always give me a headache, life was so much simpler when I was young and didn't have a choice.