Body info needed. Body shop has no info on "Older cars".

Hi all,

I have an 88 SE. I got rear ended and went in for an estimate.

The guy said that they don't have any info on this model, so they don't know what kind of plastic the skin is made of,  and they don't know what the whole bumper assembly consists of (All of the parts it's made up of)  And won't know until they start to take it apart.

Does anyone have any of this info?

Basically I'm not getting a clear idea of what the estimate will be. And I don't want to get stuck with a huge bill from the stuff that insurance won't cover.

I think I might get a few more estimates and get a check cut for the highest. Then have the repair and maybe more done at a cheaper place I know of.

The guy thinks that the black trim strip on the bumper is a separate piece. I doubt it, but does anybody know for sure?

Thanks!

I got rear ended in my first S12 and it bent the bumper assembly downward because she was hit by a bigger car. But it was drivable anyway. The insurance guy flipped up the carpet in back to see the floor was rumpled and that was enough to total the car. I took the payout and drove the car for 6 more years.

You should probably check under your rear carpet. You might get a bigger check than expected.

After looking carefully at my spare rear MK2 bumper, looks like it's all one piece.  The extended portion of the bumper is just painted black which looks like a separate piece.

Former body guy here.

S12 bumpers, like most cars from the period, are made of some moderately hard urethane. Specifics are hard to come by, but largely irrelevant. Urethane is urethane, for all intents and purposes. It's also a real pain to prep and paint. So much delam, so little time. But if your body shop couldn't tell you that much by looking at it, I'd recommend a different body shop.

For that matter, the trim strip on Mk2s is molded into the bumpers. If the body guy couldn't tell you that by looking at it, I'd definitely recommend a different shop.

I'm not sure this is an actual question as much as it is a spam post for a job site, but I'll answer the necro thread anyway.  If you have the basic tools, some knowledge and the willingness to do your own maintenance, owning older cars is a vastly superior way to live by every measurable metric.  If you can't do your own work and/or have disposable income new cars with warranties are very convenient.