Welp, I’ve hired my first lawyer ever.

Specifically, Jessica hired a lawyer that I found.

The insurance has been a total douche situation so far and I have been getting really frustrated. They keep saying the policy is “under investigation” and it’s been 2 weeks. They won’t say anything else, and getting them to pick up the phone has been really really annoying. I have been calling frequently and just pulling my hair out over this.

Because the guy’s insurance didn’t quite match up. The driver wasn’t listed. The VIN number didn’t match. The policy was a personal policy that was clearly on a commercial vehicle being used for business. It all stunk and I was freaking out that they were gonna drag this out for months and end up denying coverage anyway, or best case, come to me with a shitty offer hoping I’ll just take it.

Well I got in touch with a lawyer and after explaining all of this he basically said

*”So first of all, you need to relax because you are WAY overthinking this” *

hahaha I did appreciate his bluntness because I probably did sound panicky.

“Listen, it doesn’t matter about that VIN or the personal policy part or whatever, they HAVE to cover this vehicle. The owner clearly authorized the driver to take the car so it doesn’t matter they aren’t listed on the policy.”

Whew, what a relief to know that. I kind of thought he was gonna just reassure me and hang up, as some kind gesture but then he was started talking about how he can help with this situation. And honestly, everything he said sounded pretty nice. He said

“With us behind you, you’re gonna get a fair price for that totaled car, you’re gonna get your medical bills covered, and you’re gonna have some extra money after. We’re gonna put pressure on this insurance company to get them to settle faster.”

Of course that sounds nice, but I wanted to know how HE plans to get paid. And he was upfront, explaining that he’ll get the medical settlement, take 33%, and start negotiating the medical bills down with the hospital. After he gets the bills lowered, the remainder will be ours. He also mentioned that he won’t take more than we do, so if his 33% ends up being more than the remainder, he’ll combine both amounts and split it 50/50 with us. And if for any reason this goes to court, he’ll take 40% instead. (unlikely scenario, but it makes sense that it’s a lot more work at that point). He also mentioned that Jessica being pregnant makes this a lot better for us. I’m not sure how, but I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.

Anyway, honestly even if we get less money total in the end, I’m kind of glad to just wash my hands of this situation and let them handle it. The stress difference before and after that phone call was worth any price.

New Car

So we’ve decided on a new car. The ‘22 Hyundai Tucson SEL Convenience Package (a mouthful I know, but I’ll elaborate later why this matters). I’ve been doing a ton of research and it really just came down to features/price/reliability. It was between the RAV4 (mentioned in the last post), the Honda CRV, and the Tucson. They’re all excellent cars and I was happy with any of them, but the Tucson just comes out on top with price/features.

I already know Jessica likes it because while researching these cars, we have been driving around to different dealerships and test driving cars.

OH, speaking of that, funny story. We found this Tucson that was actually a really fair price directly from a Hyundai dealership that was CPO (certified pre-owned) so you get the full 100K mile warranty. The miles were low and the photos made the car look like it was in excellent shape. I was pretty excited to try it out. Well, there were two problems.

Problem #1, the climate control option wasn’t there, it was just a basic a/c control. Also the instrument cluster was standard, not a digital cluster. I had been researching a lot and I was under the impression this trim had digital cluster, climate control, a sunroof, 19 inch wheels… it was just weird that it didn’t have them. But I checked the VIN and it was definitely the SEL trim I had researched.

Well it turns out that each trim also offers an upgrade call “Convenience package” and that’s where the difference lies.

Standard SEL Package. note the normal instrument cluster and standard knobs for the AC.

SEL with Convenience Package. Digital Instrument Cluster and has climate control AC.

Well anyway, Problem #2. THIS CAR STUNK.

Smelled like whoever had the vehicle before just smoked a pack a day with the windows rolled all the way up. After our test drive, I had sick stomach and headache for an hour after. Jessica’s pregnant ass was worse off haha. She loved the car despite the smell, but needless the say that particular vehicle was NOT for us. And the saleslady totally denied smelling anything at all… Sure lady. Either you’re full of it, or you need a COVID test.

It kind of makes sense tho, 3 year old cars with around 30-ish thousand miles tend to be lease returns. And people who drive lease cars often don’t care for the vehicle the way they should. So while it’s good for us because we can get a better car for less money, it’s something to watch out for. That’s why any car I negotiate a price for, will be going to a third party mechanic for a full inspection.

There is one car I’m particularly interested in because I’m pretty sure it was used as a loaner vehicle for the dealership, because the carfax shows it was a corporate vehicle and every single service was done at the same dealership it’s at right now. So the engine was at least very well maintained and the interior was likely detailed frequently.

But I’m armed with 5 different cars, all the exact same year/trim. That way I can be prepared to just walk away from any dealership and drive to the next one.

I’ve also been watching a ton of videos on how to deal with car salespeople. After a few days and like 100 videos, I started calling dealerships yesterday to check on the car and ask some questions. And lemme tell you, if you’re prepared, even the most intimidating sounding salesperson isn’t really scary at all. The one that has that corporate vehicle I mentioned earlier was clearly a veteran and wanted to get off the phone as soon as possible once I started spewing him with questions.

Anyway, I’m probably sinking way too much time into all this for it to be worthwhile, but I mean hey, my car will need to be replaced pretty soon so these skills I’m learning will help when that time comes too.

Anyway, now my next project is to film a sponsored post that I should have filmed/edited weeks ago. But with all this and my health issues (OH SHIT I finally had my specialist appointment yesterday but I’ll save that for when there is more to tell) I just kind of let it slip and now the deadline is in like two days… whoops.

Until next time!

Last updated May 10, 2024