So there I am, last night, driving down a road in Harford County, minding my own business, noticing the oncoming pickup trucks, when I noticed they were coming to a rather sudden stop. Then I saw the deer and slammed on my own brakes. And I missed it! Just as I started to relax, I saw the other deer.

Wham! Boom! Pow!

Into my driver’s side fender and all the way down the side of the car. Then it got knocked into the lane of oncoming traffic and the pickup went right over it. Photos possibly to come later.

Of all the mornings I wish I could sleep in …

… on the other hand, there are worse things than having your insurance adjuster call first thing in the morning. At least I know they’re on the ball. No sooner did I drop back into bed, then the body shop called. “Dude, your car is covered in deer fur!” Yes. I know. I was there, after all, when my car got covered in deer fur. Problem: they can’t do an estimate until they can get into the car, and, er, I forgot to leave the key. Solution: when I get my rental car, I’ll drop off my key to the body shop! Problem #2: rental car company 1701 can’t pick me up until 2pm. Alas!

So I don’t actually know if my car will be totaled or not. Mechanically, it still runs. The responding police advised I get a tow after seeing that my driver’s side headlight was hanging on by a literal thread. I had to force the driver’s side door to get out of the car after the accident, and the hatchback door doesn’t like staying up on its own anymore. Given the mileage, given the age, and that someone told me that if the repairs are within a third of the cost to total, the latter is the option the insurance company will take, I’m thinking that I’ll just be handed a check to replace the car. I doubt I’ll know one way or the other before the weekend.

And it would be the suck, if it is totaled. Yeah, my car’s old, and it’s got a lot of mileage, and it doesn’t fare well in impacts with deer or pickups, but I’d rather have it back then a car payment.

Meanwhile, I’ve been thinking that if I have to — if I really really have to — replace my baby, my top picks would be:

Toyota Matrix/Corolla
Ford Focus
Jeep Compass
Scion tC/xD

From a price point, the Corolla is “For The Win!” From the just-as-important mileage, the Focus! Meanwhile, from a “Deer Survivability” POV, I like the Compass. You’ll note a Wrangler isn’t on the list: the mileage sucks, and until Jeep either puts out a Hybrid Wrangler or brings the vehicle up to at least a mid-twenty MPG, it’s a luxury I can do without.