Verified answer

$6000 is not steep. Front end damage that would require a new hood, fenders, bumper, grille, paint job, labor/tax/etc, could easily come to that much if not more & the car could still be driveable before the repairs were made.

I work for a Kia dealership delivering parts most of it to body shops and I'll have a person I know well to write an estimate that will come close if not more. First, have you picked a type of car yet, alot depends on that, year, make, model? Second was it hit from behind, the front, side or maybe a side and front or side and back? Third, $6000 isn't much, now a days, for damages. I've got an 08' Ford Ranger that was in a hail storm and didn't look like there was much damage to it but when the adjuster got done it totaled up to over $2500. You may want to rethink your storyline and go with the severity of the hit and not worry about the total dollar amount.

Besides extensive body damage, consider damage to the front end of the vehicle's suspension system, tie rods, A-frame and other steering components.

For a front wheel drove car. you can add broken constant velocity (CV) joints, even transmission damage.

A front end collision could damage or destroy the radiator, fan, various hoses and belts, alternator, power steering pump and AC compressor. Don't forget the cost of replacing damaged wheels, brakes and tires.

Frames can get bent out of alignment. Even body and quarter panel parts NOT directly hit can get warped and bent. These events can also crack a windshield.

Depending on the car, it would not be hard to come up with $6000 worth of damage. If the car were old enough, some insurance companies might decide to write it off as a total wreck rather than pay that much to repair it.

Your main character ( I will call her Sara ) has to own an expensive car because an insurance company would "total" Sara's vehicle unless it was something like a Hummer or Lexus---something very high dollar.

Let's pretend Sara had a head-on collision. Not her fault because the other driver ran a red-light.

This is important---the scenario, because it puts both cars traveling at a high rate of speed. If this were true, Sara would have been involved in a "T-bone" accident. Meaning the front of her car slammed into the side of the red-light runner. Causing huge damage.

Damage:

Both front air-bags blown: 800.00 -- 1200.00

( depends on car---Sara's high-dollar car: 1200.00 )

Front bumper cover, Grill, Hood, Radiator, A/C Condessor, radiator support brackets, headlight assemblys, fog light assemblys, steering column. $ 3185.00 -- 4200.00

Misc. motor parts: Water pump, alternator, hoses, radiator fan, hoses, etc. $ 1000.00 - 3000.00

Tires: 2 front are ruined. Rotors, tires, brakes:

800.00

Most importantly: Frame damage:

800.00 -- 2000.00

Paint: Painting the entire front-end -- blending on the side panels: 1000.00 - 1500.00

Hope this helps . Good luck on your project !!