This is my first post, and I want to thank everyone here for providing me with invaluable info. My dad and I were able to fix the problem with my Volvo's broken timing chain only because we found instructions for making some kind of clever fix-it tool on here. I also discovered why my OD was going on and off, and what caused my dash lights to fail occasionally. Thanks!

Now to my sad story. The 21 year old kid across the street from me had his brakes "fixed" by his mom's BF, and they're both morons. He jumped in his car and tried to back it out of his steeply sloped driveway. Didn't think of pumping the brakes or turning the wheel, apparently, because he managed to plow right into the rear left quarter of my Volvo, hard enough to knock it up onto the curb a little.

Damage done to the QP, left rear driver's door, possibly the wheel, bumper, miscellaneous valances, etc... My neighbors wanted to "keep it off insurance," but I just looked at them and said, "It's a VOLVO. Do you have at least two grand sitting around for body work etc...?" Nope.

So the insurance adjuster comes out yesterday. He writes it off as a total loss, I was sort of expecting that. However, he determines the inital fair value of the car at 2760, but knocks off 1100 for having high milage!!!! (289,000) The insuance agent tells me that she "has to go by his estimate" but offered to give me the car without charging me a salvage value for it, since I obviously don't want THEM taking it.

Sorry about the length of this post, but I'm pretty upset. My dad bought this little car as a present for me in 2003, and I LOVE it. I feel very safe in it, it gets OK milage, and I don't have any problems in the snow/sleet. (Ohio)

Now to the questions:

1. Can I fight their estimate? Based on my searches, it's not possible to find a comparable Volvo (high milage included) for $1655.

2. Any good body shops for Volvos in Ohio? I'd like to possibly just take it to one to have them repair it to the point where it's drivable, and then buy another Volvo so I can have two, ha ha! It would be drivable now if I jacked the QP up far enough so it wouldn't cut the tire when it hit a bump, and fastened the muffler on again somehow. Dad would normally help me with that, but he just had surgery for colon cancer, so climbing around under cars is not the best thing for him right now.

Thanks everyone

LiLi