Originally Posted by Rob M
This makes little sense to me. Either you have paid for collision insurance on the vehicle and should use it, or you should pay for the repairs with money you have on hand. Borrowing money to repair a car makes no sense at the typical interest rate you would have to pay. Do you have collision insurance on the car? I can see wanting not to use your insurance for fear that the rate could increase but you have to weigh that against the total cost of double payment (i.e., paying for insurance that you don't use). In the event you don't carry collision insurance, you should consider walking away from the car and get yourself into a nice used 1995 Chevy Cavalier or similar.