Car Accidents Hurt

Hi everyone!  Sorry I was a little MIA last week--things got a little crazy and my blogging was set aside.  We were in a car accident last Tuesday (a week ago).  We were rear-ended on our way to work (my husband and I usually carpool.)  A Ford F150 smashed into our poor Toyota Matrix, sending us into the car in front of us.  Yikes.  It was scary and painful.  My head hurt instantly from the whiplash. My neck was sore for days. (It's still not as good as new, but it is much better.)  I have bruises from my seat belt on my arm and my stomach.  My husband was a bit sore too, but not as sore as I was.

Our car was totaled, so now we're searching for something to drive, which is only slightly exciting.  Mostly it's a bummer--our car has been paid off for over three years now and was in great condition.  We were planning on driving it for much longer.  And now we're stuck looking for a car that will fit our two dogs, plus up to three cats at once.  We also need a car that will fit my craft show supplies (separately than the dogs of course), and I'm not interested in something as big as an SUV.  We've got our eye on a particular Subaru, but now the trick is finding one that fits our budget. My husband jokingly showed me a 1976 Mazda wagon last night and was surprised when I actually liked it.  So who knows what we'll do. Maybe it's time to start biking to work again...though this triple digit heat here in Missouri makes that incredibly unappealing.

Here's a few photos from right after the accident.  The damage doesn't look like much, but our whole car frame was messed up and even the cargo floor area on the inside of the car was buckled. The back fender was laying on the back right tire.  There's a cracked taillight, the hood is skewed, and the back passenger door and back gate don't open. Poor, poor car.

 
Do you have any car searching or buying tips for me?