u/AryanGosaliya

Hit a boulder while parking in a blind spot. How severe is the damage in your experience? I’m referring to California since I know repairs can be a bit more expensive here.

I was parked, and someone trying to park in front of me cut it a little too close. It was an older gentleman, and he was quite apologetic about it. He offered to pay for the repairs out of pocket and suggested a high-quality body shop, promising he would take care of all the bills there.

I’m currently considering whether I should go through insurance instead. I know insurance would likely suggest a dealership, which would report the incident to Carfax and cause the car's value to drop. On the other hand, because the color is a bit unique, a standard shop might not be able to match it exactly, which could also affect the resale value. Since I’m thinking of selling this car in a month or two anyway because I won’t need it anymore, I'm torn. Should I go the insurance route—risking a Carfax report for the potential to claim diminished value money—or should I just take it to his suggested shop and let him pay for the repairs directly?