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Hi, all. I have moved from Boston to central Maryland earlier this year. I have lived in Boston for over 23 years and know the place pretty much inside and out. I would, for example know where to go to look for a used Volvo (just pick up a current WantAd) or where to look for used car parts (Jack's Junk Yard in Billerica is a good start). Now that I am here in Montgomery County, MD I have no such knoweledge. So much for the preambule. Now to the point.
My wife hit a deer recently with her '93 940 Wagon (we both love that car. 165K miles and runs like new). The deer didn't make it, but the occupants were uneffected (she was going pretty slow and the animal jumped out of nowhere as it is their mating season). The car faired somewhere in between the deer and the occupants. Radiator grill is gone, right headlight assembly is gone, the radiator is pushed in towards the engine, but does not interfere with it. The hood is kinked and crincled a bit. No glass damage. No suspension damage. The car is drivable, though there was a slight hiss of escaping coolant (no the engine did not have a chance to overheat as the ride from the scene of the accident home was less than 5 miles). The insurance company decided to total the car. Both my wife and I really want it repaired, so we are considering salvaging the car, getting the insurance payout and fixing it using cheaper means than proposed by the body shop (used hood of the same or similar color instead of new hood + paint for example, used headlight assmebly, etc.). The problem is I have no idea where to even begin to look for used car parts around this area. Also where can I find a reasonable body shop to do the work? And, if fixing the car is not practical, then where can I find a forum for owners selling their cars and not dealers? Seems everything around here is taken over by dealerships and there is no "for sale by owner" marketplace aside from driving the neighborhoods looking for cars on people's lawns with "for sale" signs.
If there is anyone here that knows how to ease my pain, please let me know. We need a car as soon as possible and really want to stay with Volvo and preferably RWD (easy for me to work on and cheaper). My car is an S70, which I like, but the reliability and robustness of the RWD is a thing of the past, I think. Our 940 was an example of this: at 165K miles she burns no oil at all, runs as strong as new and has no rattles or shakes, solid as a rock. I am going to miss it a lot if it doesn't get fixed. And I would like to replace it with another 945 (my car is a sedan and a wagon is a must for a family with 2 kids, IMO).
Thank you all in advance!
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Vladimir. '98 S70 base, 5-speed manual - his, '93 945 - hers,
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