Miata was rear-ended - light damage.

[FC]

My wife was rear-ended while on the Miata waiting at a stop sign behind 3 other cars. Apparently it was one of those slow-motion, "can't believe this person is not stopping" events. My wife had enough time to see it, pull forward to give more room, and still she got hit. It was a minivan with the wife at the wheel and husband and kids in the car.

My wife seems completely fine, and surprisingly, despite her saying it felt like a big impact, the bumper looks fine (no dents) other than deep scratch/imprints of the head of the front plate screws. The minivan (pretty well used) showed no signs of damage, so I suspect that while it felt like a big hit, it probably wasn't.

I'd be inclined to try to live with it or repair/buff out what I can and pocket the cash or use it to fix other areas of the car, but I am concerned that there may be internal damage to the car's ability to take a future hit. It is already a small car and I don't need its safety compromised any more than it should be. There is the potentially (but unlikely) bigger issue of my wife developing aches and pains down the road. Maybe I'm thinking too hard about this.