Helluva a way to start off the morning...

[Tonk]

Waiting at a stop light this morning on the way to work when ..WHAM!! Lady not paying attention slams into me from behind. Shoves me into a raised pickup truck. His towing hitch creases my front bumper.
Just took it into the body shop for an estimate. $3,321.74 is the initial estimate. I think its going to be higher when they get into it. I got a feeling that the insurance company is going to toal it out.

Couple of dents in my back bumper. I think it actually caused the cover in the back to pop off the hooks and recoil back to the rear seats. The hatchback is misaligned also. It teeter-totters if you push on each corner in the back.

Won't hear back until early next week on what the insurance company is going to decide.

First time I've been in a major accident like this. What happens if they do total it out??

 

[aloshan]

if they total it they should pay you the agreed value of the car.....thats how it works in Australia anyway....

 

[mecevans]

Totalled for sure . You might feel fine now but when you wake up tommarow it may kick you in the ass. If you do any physicly intensive work take time off and see a doctor. They will pay for it anyways.

I dont know how fast this lady was going, but you can sometimes be found at fault if you did not distance yourself from the car ahead of you. If the check is not enough to buy a car in the same condtion, DO NOT SIGN IT. Some companies will try to lowball you the first time around. I think i had to fight with progressive for 2 months till they gave me a resonable amount. They wanted to total my car out and give me $600.

 

[barkz]

if the damage is only really what we can see in that pic, $3,300 seems a bit steep, i would look at a different shop. and yes insurance companies will try to get you out of their hair ASAP by lowballing and just trying to total everything.

 

[Backlash2032]

if the damage is only really what we can see in that pic, $3,300 seems a bit steep, i would look at a different shop. and yes insurance companies will try to get you out of their hair ASAP by lowballing and just trying to total everything.

Problem its not really only what you see in the pic. Sure, a new bumper front and rear with bumper covers would cost less than 1k.. But theres way more damage hiding behind that bumper..

 

[barkz]

im sure there is. i once got in a fender bender(literally), where my fender was crunched and my headlight was smashed. Brought it to a shop, they listed EVERYTHING they could. im talking like, side marker lens, bulbs, windshield washer tank, wheel well insert, etc etc... all i really needed was a new fender, headlight and paint match. everything else could have been bought cheaper and installed myself. but i was young and still under my parents insurance so they just said screw it and let the shop fix it, for almost $2500... shops=rape

 

[Backlash2032]

Im talking more about frame damage. Gonna need a slight pull on the front and probably a bigger pull on the rear. Thats where it really gets costly. Plus its never going to be exactly straight ever again. Atleast thats my look on it.

 

[barkz]

yeah, if your frame is tweaked(she must have hit you HARD) then theyll probably total it

 

[Backlash2032]

yeah, if your frame is tweaked(she must have hit you HARD) then theyll probably total it

Key word probably. Have faith!

 

[barkz]

lol you have to look at their point of view, its a 20+ year old car. that estimate on damage is WAY more than what the insurance company will be willing to pay. not trying to be a downer but it may be time to start looking for a new one, and ripping any parts off now before the insurance company sees it. some companies wont let you rip parts out once they take it.

 

[Tonk]

One of the things you don't see is the reinforcement bar across the front is pushed in. Wasn't pushed in far enough to do any damage to the cooler or radiator, but needs replaced. The front and rear bumper covers are the most exensive parts on the list.

The thing is, I got the car just a couple months ago from my father-in-law because the tranny on my truck is failing and it was quoted $4k to have that overhauled and that's an amount I don't have just laying around. Now if they total this car, I'm starting all over.

Any ideas on what a FMV might be for the car? 124k miles and only really needing a paint job, bodywise. (At least as of a couple days ago)

 

[harley1985]

look it up on kelly blue book, although the ins company is going to screw you. this is what theyre going to do, well this what they did to me. some asshole in a lifted jeep slammed on the breaks and i went rite under him, and then another car plowed into the back of me. so what the insurance company said is that the car was already totalled before the person behind me ran into me. it didnt help that the jerk behind me didnt have ins. anyhow. but either way my ins literally gave me a 200 dollar check. ins companys are snakes, watch out. let then make you a few offers, also, you may want to look into buying it back from the ins company if they will let you.

 

[Tonk]

look it up on kelly blue book, although the ins company is going to screw you.

I tried that. kbb.com only goes back to 1991 for the Supras. A 1991 Supra retails for about $3200.00 So with mine being three years older, it's not looking good.

 

[mecevans]

KBB is not always accurate. Print out ads from craiglist and newspapers of car in the same condition. You can use that to prove the real value.

 

[te72]

look it up on kelly blue book

I tried that. kbb.com only goes back to 1991 for the Supras. A 1991 Supra retails for about $3200.00 So with mine being three years older, it's not looking good.

Guys, KBB is NOT what insurance companies use, I don't even know why people reference KBB for anything these days. Edmunds would be a better place to start, and I believe there is one other place that insurance companies use to determine FMV on cars. Sorry to hear of your misfortune, depending on the condition of your car, you may make out better than you expect. My 88 got hit twice (literally parking lot incidents, minor things in the long run, people backing into my car on both occasions), both estimates/repairs were in the $1900-2200 range to replace a couple door dents (and a smashed mirror the first time around). Also, consider buying the car back from them if they give you a decent amount and price to buy back. Some cars can be worth good money if they're parted out, key factor being space and patience.

Good luck to you, keep us posted.

 

[Suprapowaz!(2)]

What was her excuse for "not seeing" a big ass car in front of her?
Best wishes on the outcome on the insurance deal.

 

[Greek]

Lesson to learn here: Following distance. I put so much distance between me and the car in front of me that people get so pissed off that they pass me. I don't care what speed I have to go to achieve this, I'll put hundreds of feet between me and the next car. When at lights or stops, I put 2-3 car lengths between. That way if some fuck head rear ends you, you won't go flying into the person if front as what happened in the OP.

 

[Tonk]

What was her excuse for "not seeing" a big ass car in front of her?
Best wishes on the outcome on the insurance deal.

She gave no excuse. "It's my fault, I wasn't paying attention." I didn't ask her if she was on her phone or texting. She wasn't a teenager or in her 20s I think.

Lesson to learn here: Following distance. I put so much distance between me and the car in front of me that people get so pissed off that they pass me. I don't care what speed I have to go to achieve this, I'll put hundreds of feet between me and the next car. When at lights or stops, I put 2-3 car lengths between. That way if some fuck head rear ends you, you won't go flying into the person if front as what happened in the OP.

I think I was a car length or so behind the truck that was in front of me. We were both at a complete stop when I was hit.


I'm going to do everything I can to keep the car, unless the frame is totally tweaked. I'm going to do some more research on FMV to see what I can find.

Thanks for all the tips guys. Supposed to hear back from the insurance company early next week. We'll see......

EDIT: Just looked at edmunds.com for a quote. They don't even have the option for a Supra! And the oldest year they go is 1991, just like kbb.com

 

[Enraged]

just don't accept the insurance companies first offer, its always a low ball. best bet is to try to find ads for cars in similar condition that are nearby, so search craigslist, local papers, etc.

 

[te72]

She gave no excuse. "It's my fault, I wasn't paying attention." I didn't ask her if she was on her phone or texting. She wasn't a teenager or in her 20s I think.

I think I was a car length or so behind the truck that was in front of me. We were both at a complete stop when I was hit.

I'm going to do everything I can to keep the car, unless the frame is totally tweaked. I'm going to do some more research on FMV to see what I can find.

Thanks for all the tips guys. Supposed to hear back from the insurance company early next week. We'll see......

EDIT: Just looked at edmunds.com for a quote. They don't even have the option for a Supra! And the oldest year they go is 1991, just like kbb.com

Age has little to do with ability/choosing to pay attention. I would expect that 80% of accidents are due to not paying attention, 10% due to conditions, and the other 10% due to poor maintenance on some cars...

As for the Edmunds and KBB thing, they only go back 20 years. You might also try Haggerty (the insurance company) and see if they have anything for suggested FMV for our cars. Might not though, on account of their general market being classics.