I'm a Honda zealot also so I'd vote for that. I've had four of them and none have ever had any type of problem and required nothing more than regular maintenance, new tires, etc. I've heard Volvo maintenance and repairs are very expensive. Not sure if that is true or not but I noticed when I had a Lexus all the maintenance was 2x the price of the same maintenance for essentially the same vehicle - Toyota Highlander. I also heard similar reports from someone I work with about another luxury/high end brand - I think Volvo fits in that category. I also haven't gotten the impression Volvo reliability is as good as Honda but that's based on my experience with Honda only and anecdotal reports from a few Volvo owners. I'm not sure what new cars are going for these days but I bought a new 2003 top of the line, everything but naviagation Accord for well under $30K. It's the best value I've ever gotten in a car (we always buy new). In fact, I guess that's the model you are looking at 2003 EX-L - if that's the 6 cylinder model. This is a fabulous car in my opinion.

golddust, what a fantastic story. You've had some rough spots in your life, but sounds like you received enough loving support to make them strengthening ones. Thanks for letting us in on your wonderful uncle. I have a theory that it isn't the big gestures that make the best impact on the world, but little kindnesses and quiet expressions of affection done over the years that add up. Your uncle is proof of that.

I'm sorry to hear that--it's devastating for them when they have that car they love and it gets banged up. Please have her be very aware of her health for the next few weeks. When DD was in an accident some years back, she went to the hospital, was checked out and X-rayed, was fine that night. But within 2 weeks, she developed a back problem that's going to give her pain and problems the rest of her life. My second suggestion is to do what we did. Turn the whole thing over to your attorney. Don't talk to your insurance (other than to alert them that there WAS an accident), don't negociate with the other fellow's insurance, don't deal with the medical bills--just let your lawyer do all that. If your lawyer is any good at all, your daughter will come out way ahead, even after his fee--I know my dd did quite well (although, no amount of money can ever compensate one for a lifetime--well, 50-70 years--of pain). But the last headache your daughter needs right now, is having to deal with insurance companies--encourage her to let a professional handle it for her.

The place to go is a body shop, not a mechanic unless that person is adept in body work. Get an estimate. I believe that the VW uses uni-body construction, therefore, the floor pan would be part of the body's strength structure. The seats and console may be fastened to the floor pan depending which part of the pan the needs repairing. These have to be removed and reinstalled during the repair. You did not state the age of your vehicle, the number of miles on the engine and transmission, or the condition of the remainder of the body. These items should be considered to evaluate if the cost of repair is worth it. I think you have salt damage to the body which means there is damage in other places as well. The body may not be in good enough shape to warrant a repair in one place if it is failing at another location. Also, consider that it is a used car. What's it value after repair? Its after repair value may not be enough to warrant the work. Applying the cost of repair toward the next vehicle might be better economically. However, if you like the car very much and wish to keep it forever, go ahead with the repair. That's ok for a collector's item, but probably is not economical for an everyday driver. Correction: You did state the age of the car. Its a 1990 VW Jetta and therefore is 16+ years old.