Expert: Ernie - 12/6/2006

Question
Hi!

A couple days ago a truck slid into the back of my 97 Honda Civic. The only damage appears to be a foot long crack in the cover of the right rear bumper and a couple punctures. The driver was uninsured, and a cop just told me that it might be cheaper to pay for the repair on my own than to make the claim with my insurance company. Any guess as to how much I should expect this repair to cost?

Thanks!

Answer
You have three options. You can have a brand new Honda bumper installed and painted for aprox $500 or you can go with a aftermarket bumper which might not fit as well for aprox $375 or you can go with a reconditioned bumper for aprox $400-450. Depending on your deductable you may want to just pay out of pocket and not risk your premiums to go up.