On the plus side...

...I did manage to diagnose my problem accurately. Yesterday afternoon, I was going over in my head the symptoms of my car's distress--a sudden, violent shaking of the engine and the inability to get it into park that all happened at the moment of impact. Kitchen Hand alluded to a possible driveline misalignment, but I got to thinking and it suddenly dawned on me--engine mounts! Or a transmission mount. Or all of the above.

Just got a call from Martin over at Royal. They found a huge amount of problems, but there were some that were present before, such as a general weepiness of oil from the rear main seal. But the ones causing the problems?

Both motor mounts sheared, and the trans mount. So I get a prize for guessing correctly!

That being, this:

Trans mount = $60
Two engine mounts = $160
Shifter bushing set = $30
Labor and towing = $450

Getting hit by ["someone who seems to act oddly much like an"--Ed.] an uninsured, unlicensed motorist?

Priceless.

I feel so special.

[Remark added 6-20-07 to indicate that this is only my opinion, based upon actions. Could be perfectly legit, you know.]