2012 Crashed....Fix or Total ???

there’s always fault established in an accident, and this isn’t done by a police officer, but rather the insurance companies. in that accident it was your fault. some companies are more willing to take on risky drivers and some aren’t. the chargeability period is general 35 or 36 months for accidents.

prices can also skyrocket once you go from a permit to a license. so in your situation it’s possible it was a combination of things.

 

Total it, take the money and start fresh. Even though it’s been repaired and all...you’ll still have that feeling in the back of your head...it’s tainted...almost like a discomfort.

 

That other driver is a f’ing idiot

 

That's the bullshit thinking of this wasteful economy where everyone throws shit out and doesn't fix anything.

While I agree trying to straighten a frame is a terrible idea, a complete replacement is done by Toyota all the time.

Rule 1 of the road: Everyone else is trying to kill you, drive accordingly.

 

The at fault party's insurance was willing to pay i my case also but the settlement that my insurance offered was about 25% more than the other insurance.

Surrrrrrre. We all know that insurance companies always offer a fair payout right out of the gate and there is no need for negotiation

30 seconds and I found three 2012 prerunners with 110,000 to 140,000 miles listed for over $20,000. Seems if the OP's truck was clean and well maintained the settlement offer for the truck is $3,000 or more lower than what he'd spend to get into a equal replacement (tax, title, registration fees need to be covered as well). This doesn't even get into medical expenses or rental reimbursement.

 

If it was me, I would opt to total it and possibly buy it back for parts (if i'm getting a similar truck) depending on cost. $17K or even at $18K is low. Don't know where you are but a comparable truck on my area is at least in the $20K range. To get your figures up, search for comparable trucks in the area (expand the search if you have to) and average the price so you can show to their adjuster that $17K-$18K is low. I worked for a major insurance company for 6 years and this is how people got their figures up. $17K is just the initial offer. The adjuster themselves have an amount that they are approved to work themselves (typically $1K and that's why you got up to $18K) and anything above that needs supervisor or manager approval.

Also for an accident like this, your insurance should be involved as it needs to be reported to them (and the DMV) even if you're not going through your insurance.

 

if that’s true, then your insurance company has a poor business model or there’s a lot more to the story.

“fair” is subjective. and keep in mind insurance companies are obligated to be fair, but it’s also a business. if they start paying out too much on claims, then how do they recoup that money? yeah, the rest of us have to pay for it.

 

if you worked in insurance then you would know the goal isn’t to get the figure “up”. it’s to ensure the offer amount is comparable to similar vehicles in his area, in similar condition.

 

I’ve been there, with a 2012 too....here is my story with much of the same Q&A:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rear-ended-w-steel-bumper-a-story-of-redemption.485368/

 

The story is pretty short. Someone ran a red light and totaled our vehicle. The at fault insurance offered us just over $9,000 for the car (not including medical). I didn't like their offer because their settlement wouldn't cover the cost to replace the vehicle with one that was the same make/model/mileage/condition so called my agent to discuss. He offered to run with it and file a claim. His payment on the vehicle was over $12,000 and based on comparable listings in our area with a bit more added in to cover tax/title/reg.

 

you got lucky and made out for. just so you know, you created a loss for your insurance company and they have to recoup that somehow. if you were with a major company, i’m surprised your underwriting department didn’t evaluate your policy at renewal and make some decisions. lol.

 

The goal is to get the figure up because their low ball offer isn't comparable to similar model trucks (at least in my area) and that's why I said to the OP to do the research in his area.

 

You did the right thing by doing your research so that your payout was appropriate to acquire a similar condition vehicle.

 

right. but you don’t know. it could already be a comparable amount. you don’t know that it’s a lowball offer. you’re assuming simply because it’s the first offer.

 

Yes, I do know. The initial offer is always low. That's how insurance companies minimize payouts because most people would accept the initial offer.

 

Um, no. The loss was taken by the at fault party's insurance since they settled with my insurance to recoup the funds and we were paid what it cost us to replace the vehicle. That was 14 years ago and my rates never increased.

I was with insured with Farmers and Progressive was the at fault party's insurance provider. I've since switched insurance providers and this settlement didn't impact the premium when I switched providers.

 

It's a low offer man. How many people have to say that its a low offer for you to see that it's just that, low?!

 

It says “insurance expert” under his name so he must know. Lol
He must be the type of guy who walks into the dealership and pays full price.

 

"Expert"

 

wrong!!! i used to be an adjuster. many times our first offer was spot on, or even a little more than fair. i work for kneed the largest companies.