Just a Bump

Photo of a 1994 840 BMW

Ours has different paint, tires and rims.

I had written a blog on 6.28.10 about trying to make a curmudgeonly elderly man smile at the other rehab. We have since developed a lovely relationship. His wife died about a year ago and he just recently moved into an independent living facility, which he really likes.

So, he felt horrible last Wednesday when he backed into my car in the new parking lot at the new rehab center.

My car. It is a rare car. It is a 1994 840 BMW – 8 cylinder automatic – which was painted the Porsche Millennium color in 2002. It changes color in the sun. It sometimes looks black or green or brown or purple. It is interesting. Replacement parts are expensive and hard to come by. It is Michael’s baby.

When his insurance company’s agent phoned, she asked the make and model of my car. She commented that it was old then asked if it had over 100,000 miles on it. She was insinuating that this dent might total the car. She had no idea of its value. The car originally sold for just over $100,000 in 1994, the last year it was made.

Michael arranged for a shop he trusts to write an estimate so the insurance company would see the cost of the paint - $600.00 a quart ordered from Germany – was included in the costs to repair the car. The estimate was a surprising high $4,100.

I arranged to meet the inspector from the insurance company on Friday so he could take photos of the damages and the car in general. We met in the parking lot where the accident happened. He drove up in a BMW. It was a good sign.

What a surprise I had when he began to haul out a wheelchair. As we got to know each other, he mentioned that there had been an incident over twenty years earlier. As we continued to talk, our philosophy – adjust and keep moving - were the same. We were kindred spirits. We totally bonded.

He took many photos of the car then said that he has been looking for this exact model for over two years. He was stunned how clean and perfect it was. I told him that Michael is nuts about keeping the cars in perfect condition. Always. He offered to buy it. I promised that I would keep his number and call when we are ready to sell.

So, even with a sort of bad incident of being hit and a pain to deal with plus the indignity of driving around in a dented car, I had a marvelous experience and connection with another human. I love when that happens.