Should I use car insurance claim check to buy camera gear?

[blondandfun]

I have this car. I paid $4000 for it. It was involved in a nasty hit-and-run when It was parked (unoccupied) and the culprit's car flipped on it's side. He attempted to run from the scene but was caught and charged with DUI. But the car is still drivable, just the passenger doors will probably both have to be replaced. The driver's door opens halfway, but I'm in-shape so I can squeeze in fine So I got a $3200 check from my insurance company. I don't really care about resale value of the car, because I'm the type of person that will drive a car until it is no longer drivable, and with a $4000 car its just going to be worth $2k in a few years anyways. So really, as long as the car performs its function and is safe to drive for myself a others, I could REALLY use a professional-level tripod and a nice wide angle lens for my t3i. I could also use some lighting

What would you do? Cash the check and buy gear or get the car fixed?

[Playing]

I don't know what the law is in the US, but I suspect your car is not roadworthy as it is and that could open you to problems. Also if you have another accident the insurance will probably refuse to fix it if the first crash has not been fixed. But if it's all legal go for it.

[Krane]

Theres no laws against driving a damaged car; and I'm pretty sure there no law that mandates a car even have doors. (There may be some liability if you transport passengers though?) The insurance money is yours, therefore, I say use it however you see fit.

[Almohada]

Hmmm I'd invest in some quality lighting gear more than anything. If I had that cash I'd buy one of those 4 piece Arri kits. Or maybe the Arri knock-offs (don't take my word on those I haven't done much research on them)

[Bob Sanders]

Theres no laws against driving a damaged car; and I'm pretty sure there no law that mandates a car even have doors. (There may be some liability if you transport passengers though?) The insurance money is yours, therefore, I say use it however you see fit.

That all depends are where you live. Once upon a time we got cash settlements for accidents but it was found that people were not putting the money back into the vehicles.... they were buying cameras instead and the cars on the road became trashy-er and more unsafe.

In Canada (Manitoba) today however, you don't get cash back. Your vehicle goes directly to repair and must be repaired to "road worthy" status. The insurance company pays the repair shop directly. If the vehicle is too far gone, then and only then do you get a cash settlement. You are free to buy the car back (for nickels and dimes) but you can not put it back on the road unless it has been fully restored and inspected.

We also have on-the-spot road inspections at random places and times. They pull you over and a mechanic FULLY inspects your vehicle. If it is deemed AT ALL unsafe in any way they pull it off the road right there and then and you take a cab home.

[Krane]

That all depends are where you live. Once upon a time we got cash settlements for accidents but it was found that people were not putting the money back into the vehicles.... they were buying cameras instead and the cars on the road became trashy-er and more unsafe.

In Canada (Manitoba) today however, you don't get cash back. Your vehicle goes directly to repair and must be repaired to "road worthy" status. The insurance company pays the repair shop directly. If the vehicle is too far gone, then and only then do you get a cash settlement. You are free to buy the car back (for nickels and dimes) but you can not put it back on the road unless it has been fully restored and inspected.

We also have on-the-spot road inspections at random places and times. They pull you over and a mechanic FULLY inspects your vehicle. If it is deemed AT ALL unsafe in any way they pull it off the road right there and then and you take a cab home.

Remind me never to move to Canada. No hate of course.

[Dr. Benway]

Theres no laws against driving a damaged car

Which always surprises me considering how anal the U.S. seems. Try driving a damaged car in N.Z. or Australia.

In Canada (Manitoba) today however, you don't get cash back. Your vehicle goes directly to repair and must be repaired to "road worthy" status. The insurance company pays the repair shop directly.

Which is the same as in N.Z. or Australia.

But, B&F, buy some nice gear while you can.

[Bif]

Depending on the state you live in, it may not pass safety inspection the next time it is due. I'd find a shop where they could at least fix you up so doors open and close as they should for not much money and the heck with how it looks.

If involved in another accident, driver or passengers could be trapped inside while fire takes it's toll. I wouldn't chance that.

Bruce Foreman

[Dr. Benway]

If involved in another accident, driver or passengers could be trapped inside while fire takes it's toll.

Bif, that was meant to be kept secret.

[Bob Sanders]

Remind me never to move to Canada. No hate of course.

Hey... I have Noooooo problems at all with the tough program we run up here. Back when the whole mess was more or less un-policed, I had a friend who almost had his head taken off when the wheel of a passing junker car flew off and went through his windshield.

Today the streets are cleaner with fewer junker cars, and they're also safer. No one has the right to place other lives at risk running their scrap on public roadways. I'm just amazed other cities/states/Countries still allow such ignorance.

[cgbier]

Paragraph one on in German Road Laws says that you or your vehicle are not supposed to be any harm to others.

B&F check out some junk yadrs, you'll surely find doors for 50 bucks a piece. As long as your pillars aren't bent, it is an easy fix.

[Janke]

Remind me never to move to Canada.

Try driving a damaged car in N.Z. or Australia.

Paragraph one on in German Road Laws

Same here in Scandinavia, and also elsewhere in the civilized parts of Europe, UK included.

We have a yearly safety test for cars, if you don't pass, you have to fix the faults within 30 days, or, if the car is junk and fails totally, it has to be towed away from the inspection facility!

I have yet to see a rusty muffler on the road here in Finland! When I drove in CA and AZ, they were as common as dead raccoon dogs* are on our roads...

(*Nyctereutes procyonoides)

[blondandfun]

I may take $1k of it to casino.

I have been practicing roulette. Its already cashed, btw, im going to just replace doors myself with used parts. Maybe buy me a bottle of quality bourbon.

Maybe buy a crane or something o bring me up another level?

My state no require safety check. I Think its bad actually overall...but in reality insurance pays the brunt of all accidents.

Mint condition SUVs cause most deaths anyways, not beat up foreign economy cars. Suv rollovers are always funny, and those deaths are typically deserving.

[Krane]

I may take $1k of it to casino.

Oh dear. Well at least your losses are tax deductible. Just remember to keep the receipts.

Same here in Scandinavia, and also elsewhere in the civilized parts of Europe, UK included.

Hmm, seems like I'm missing something here? ^^


In the U.S these things are regulated by state. Here in Florida so long as nothing falls off and creates a hazard to others, you're good to go.

[Jim E]

I may take $1k of it to casino.

A casino? B&F, if you really want to give that $1K away so much, I'll gladly send you my bank account number!

I have been practicing roulette.

How exactly does one practise roulette? It's not like you keep playing until you get good at it. You just keep playing until you make the casino a bit richer by the amount you walked in with.

[cgbier]

A casino?

How exactly does one practise roulette? It's not like you keep playing until you get good at it. You just keep playing until you make the casino a bit richer by the amount you walked in with.

if it's an unregulated they might bait him by letting him win for a while, then rip him off. The House always wins. otherwise,mthere weren't any casinos.

Monaco went from from sea robbery to casinos. Pays for their country's state budget, and I doubt they have any debts...

[pro-hobbyist]

My state no require safety check. I Think its bad actually overall...but in reality insurance pays the brunt of all accidents.

Mint condition SUVs cause most deaths anyways, not beat up foreign economy cars. Suv rollovers are always funny, and those deaths are typically deserving.

It's true, every suv rollover story I hear involves somebody driving a Navigator 80mph, then I go out on the highway and what do I see - people in Navigators passing me at 80mph.

Since you've got plenty of money make sure you do a safe repair on your car and that the frame isn't weakened by the damage. I don't know what you drive but you should have plenty of money left over for camera equipment. If this happened to my car the $3200 would just about cover the parts cost of new doors

[Gillvane]

A casino? B&F, if you really want to give that $1K away so much, I'll gladly send you my bank account number!



How exactly does one practise roulette? It's not like you keep playing until you get good at it. You just keep playing until you make the casino a bit richer by the amount you walked in with.

The numbers on the roulette wheel are not in order, but instead random. Instead of 1,2,3,4 it goes 0,32,15,19 and so on.

Most roulette dealers will spin the wheel and roll the ball in a relatively consistent manner creating a more likely chance some numbers will appear more often.

You don't recognize the pattern, because of the random layout on the wheel.

So you break the wheel up into 4 quarters, then learn the numbers in each quarter. When you see a dealer starting to hit a certain quarter, you bet that quarter upping your chances of winning.

If the dealer hits 35, 7, and 14 most people won't realize he's hitting a certain quarter of the wheel. If you know what you're doing and see those three numbers in a row, you should know where to place your bets.

It's a proven fact that the player watching for these patterns will have better chance than just randomly choosing numbers. If the dealer is all over the place, you go to a different table or wait for a new dealer.

It's all about the odds. For example, Big 6 and Big 8 on the craps table are sucker bets. People play them, but you have much better payout if you bet 6 or 8, then back your bet.

Many slot machines advertise they pay out 98%. In Vegas they have a regulatory agency that makes sure casinos are on the up and up. So when they say they pay out 98% they really do pay out 98%.

But what they don't advertise is that they pay out 98% OVER A YEAR. That means there can be one big hit on one day, but for 364 days everyone that plays loses.

The casinos still make tons o money. 2% of a million bucks is 20K and 100's of millions run through those slots every year. And one big jackpot winner is a better advertisement than a bunch of people that win 100 bucks.

[Janke]

creating a more likely chance some numbers will appear more often.

I don't believe that is so. Besides, if people used that info, it would reduce the house's take !

There are too many bounces of the ball and the speed of the ball vs. the wheel aren't in sync, so the result (after a large enough number of tries) should be random.

[Gillvane]

I don't believe that is so. Besides, if people used that info, it would reduce the house's take !

There are too many bounces of the ball and the speed of the ball vs. the wheel aren't in sync, so the result (after a large enough number of tries) should be random.

Google it yourself. This is a proven fact. The ball drops at about the same time, the wheel spins at about the same speed, so it's not completely random.

For it to be completely random the dealer would have to spin the ball and the wheel at different speeds every time he throws. After about a thousand spins you get into a groove.

May not seem intuitive, but it's just the way it works.

Most people just play randomly, so the casino makes plenty of money. Besides, even knowing this only increases yoru chances, it doesn't make you an automatic winner.

People in casinos do win. They would go out of business if no one ever won. Doesn't really matter who the winners are. they are great advertisement for the Casinos.

It's not a consistent groove. Sometimes the dealer is all over the place, sometimes he gets into a groove.

If you know what to look for you can spot when a dealer is consistently throwing to a certain quarter of the wheel. Most don't know what to look for.

[Gillvane]

I don't believe that is so. Besides, if people used that info, it would reduce the house's take !

There are too many bounces of the ball and the speed of the ball vs. the wheel aren't in sync, so the result (after a large enough number of tries) should be random.

The vast majority of gamblers in casinos are not trying to maximize their odds. They are there to have fun because of the thrill of gambling. Keeping up with roulette number patterns would ruin their fun nad the Casinos know this.

The Casinos have nothing to worry about. 99% of the gamblers in Vegas are going to put their money down randomly, just like you. The 1% that maximizes their odds still loses a lot, but less than the random players.

[Gillvane]

I don't believe that is so. Besides, if people used that info, it would reduce the house's take !

There are too many bounces of the ball and the speed of the ball vs. the wheel aren't in sync, so the result (after a large enough number of tries) should be random.

Attachment 15716


See the Big 6 and Big 8? Those are sucker bets. But go to any Casino and you can watch people play them at the craps table all day long.

It's not a secret that these are sucker bets. The dealer will tell you the odds on the craps table, and if you understand what he's saying, it should be obvious right away Big 6 is a sucker bet. People just don't care. they just play to have fun.

[Janke]

Dice can be statistically analyzed and will give a clear peak for certain results, while I do think roulette is (or at least should be ) more or less random. You can't sync the ball throw, the rotation and the bounces to get any significant bias - but if the number of tries is low, then you will see peaks somewhere.

Wikipedia: "...roulette has 37 cells with equal odds of hitting ... "

- unless the wheel is biased - but casinos dread the losses caused by people exploiting biased wheels. "Low-profile" wheels are more random than the older type with higher pockets.

[Krane]

Attachment 15716


See the Big 6 and Big 8? Those are sucker bets. But go to any Casino and you can watch people play them at the craps table all day long.

It's not a secret that these are sucker bets. The dealer will tell you the odds on the craps table, and if you understand what he's saying, it should be obvious right away Big 6 is a sucker bet. People just don't care. they just play to have fun.

Sorta reminds me of that commercial that goes "actually it not happening, and it never will...?" Funny way to have fun. I'll stick to earning my wages the old fashioned way.


Good luck OP.

[Jim E]

The only time I went to a casino, I was on holidays, cashed up, and much younger and more foolish than I am now.

I won $300.

But it could have been more.

I was playing at the roulette table. When I was about $200 up, this dude walks up to the table. He could have been a typical Texas millionaire out of a movie; big bloke, cream suit, paunch, and even a white hat! And this was Australia, at the Gold Coast.

So, he leans over and with his first bet puts a wad of high-value chips on zero. Zero odds are 32:1. I look at this fella and think, I wonder if he knows something? Stupid thought, of course, but he just had an air of certainty about him. I thought for a second, but decided not to put my $200 (or however much the limit was), on zero.

Next spin, zero comes up........

Absolutely true story.