what's more practical?

[thequeenofquiet]

conflict

Comments

[archmage45]

If the damage is purely cosmetic, then pay off the card. Especially if you plan on keeping the car for a while yet!

[sueg]

I'd pay off the credit card first, and wouldn't fix cosmetic damage until I could save up for it. (If you can pay it off over time, you can also save in advance for it.) If the car wasn't running safely it would be different, but I wouldn't want to pay extra in interest just to take a dent out.

[noni3]

I would pay the credit cards and drive with the dent.

[yuwipiwoman]

Pay of the card first.

If its an older car, I wouldn't repair the damage anyway. I'd put the money into savings for a newer car. If its a newer car then its probably worth fixing it.

[cmarie14]

Agreed, but if the paint is cracked or scraped or the dent is fairly large, be careful. We were in a similar situation and didn't get it fixed right away. We lived in MN and the damaged area got rusty FAST! And when we did get it somewhat fixed, it cost a lot more than it would have had we fixed it in the first place. So if you think you'll ever try to sell the car and it might rust, get it fixed.

[cmarie14]

Oh, I just realized you said there was a crack in the paint. At the very least, make sure you seal the crack and anyplace else water/salt/gravel could touch the actual metal part of the car frame.

[fauxpaus]

The majority of bumpers these days are made out of plastic.

[brittdreams]

My car has dents I never got money for (stupid parking lot damage). I'd pay off the card and worry about getting the car fixed way down the line, especially if it really is just cosmetic damage.