Last night when I got off work, my car (THIS) looked like this:
I called the police to report a hit and run in the parking lot, but just had them log the call rather than doing a full accident report. My rough estimate for self-repair is $250 for the tail light (I have one on the shelf, but that's the current eBay price for used) and up to about $475 to paint & repair or replace the bumper. I expect a shop estimate would be about $1,500. I have $500 deductible and just had a claim a month ago for damaging my Cayenne with my trailer. I don't think that an insurance claim is worth it.
I remembered that a green Suburban had been parked back to back with my car across the parking lot lane. I drove the same car to work this morning and brought a tape measure. The height of the damage matches the Suburban bumper (parked in the far corner of the lot this morning). I found small paint chips that match my car on the bumper. The problem was that there was a lot more damage to the back of the Suburban. I see the Suburban regularly and it's usually very clean and polished. The damage is new, but not *just* from hitting my car.
I wrote a short polite note, saying what I thought happened and giving my info if they would like to respond. A while later 'Rhonda' came to my office and explained that she had been in an accident a week ago (police report in hand) and that no, she hadn't hit my Porsche. Two kids in college, insurance company wants to total her car, just before Christmas, ....
There's no witness. It's a small community and although we don't know each other, we know all the same people. She is a hard working part-time receptionist driving a 30 year old Suburban and I'm a pilot with 7 or 8 Porsches -who counts those things anyway. Time and trouble to fix it myself vs time and trouble to legally prove she did it and still get it fixed. This is not a battle worth fighting. One more job on my winter projects list.