Rear Ended and Looking for Advice (2020 TRD Off-road)

I was rear ended this morning waiting at a light in a left-turn only lane. Some guy behind me in a (you guessed it) *Jeep Wrangler* was driving too fast in the snow, lost control, and slid into me, hard.

I'm devastated. It's the first vehicle I've owned, and I've babied and loved the hell out of this truck for all its 7,500 miles. I know it's a machine, an object, and ultimately replaceable. I'm grateful to have walked away with no immediately obvious harm to myself. But man... this accident broke my tailgate, but it also broke my heart.

I'm waiting to hear back from the Jeep's insurance. I've got dashcam footage showing what happened, so I'm not worried about proving he's at fault. But I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for what comes next, and I'm hoping for some advice.

I know I'll need to wait and see what the shop says about the damage-- I'll trust that to a Toyota Collision Center. But I will not be surprised if there's frame damage. My concern is this--what outcome should I be hoping for?

If it's totaled, I'm worried I won't get enough out of the insurance to cover the cost of buying an OR with less than 10k miles (assuming I could even find one). If it isn't totaled, I'm worried about driving a truck for years that needed repairs of this scale at the very beginning of its life. Anyone been in this situation or similar have advice on dealing with the insurance negotiations? Anything else I should bear in mind?

All input, thoughts, and condolences appreciated.

 

Sorry to see your truck damaged like that.

 

get a Carmax quote before the report hits as a reference point on value

 

Welcome to the forum. Sad day for sure. Unfortunately the bed crunched the cab so it’s going to cost a fair piece to fix it if it’s not totaled.

 

Sorry to hear about your accident. That sucks. You have a few options when dealing with insurance. The good news is that your Tacoma had very few miles on it and Tacomas hold their value almost better than everything on the market. Any insurance adjuster worth their salt will be able to tell you if it is leaning more towards total loss or not, but ultimately a collision repair shop can come up with a more accurate assessment. The big questions is, is it totaled or not. If it is, then you should not wait around for an insurance company to come up with their numbers to catch you flat footed. The market is in your favor now. Inventory, not so much. You should be researching "Like Vehicles" for price comparison. Save your findings with screenshots. Build a list. The more the better. Similar year, trim, condition, miles. If you can't find much in your market, expand your market a bit. The insurance company will do the same. Their numbers might be fair. But if they are off, you'll have some comparative analysis to throw their way. Make sure they are comparing like vehicles. I'm not sure where you live, but here in the PNW, a 2020 TRD OR DCSB is selling at or above what new 2022 TRD OR DCSBs are selling for. Blue book is not relevant for Toyotas.

IF they say they can fix it. Then make sure that you have everything replaced with factory parts. Also, make sure they include depreciated compensation for the fact that your vehicle will now forevermore have an accident listed on its vehicle history report. It's not going to make you rich, but it is something that insurance companies conveniently forget about when it's time to pay someone out to make them whole. Also, that looks to be a significant mechanism of injury get yourself checked out. Your vehicle claim is separate from your medical claim. GO. GET. CHECKED. OUT. Even if you don't feel it now. You probably will, and if you don't go for a baseline now, it didn't happen in the eyes of the insurance world. Typically, you wont feel the full impacts of the accident until a few days after the accident. Be polite and firm when you talk to any insurance agent. Get a notebook and document who you talked to, when you talked to them, and what was said. Trust me. This can really help you out down the road. You may never need all this info and or precautions, but you never know. Good luck.

 

Listen to this guy!! some of the best info ever. I didn't know about the "depreciated compensation"
Keeping a notebook/folder is also a great one. Keep track of who and when you talk to anyone. Need it?. Hope not.

 

First thought, I'm glad you walked away unscathed! I understand the frustration and emotion, I was rear ended with 800 miles on my truck. And while not as severe as yours, it still hurts the heart!
I'm no expert but have been in the same shoes as you. As mentioned earlier, Tacoma values have probably never been higher. This is possibly a double edged sword.
Not sure where you're located, but worth looking into insurance expectations of value vs damage in regards to totaling. Higher values can require more damage to total you out. That means more/bigger repairs.

A quick google search for Nevada (my state) shows the following. Take this for what it's worth...

A car is considered a total loss in Nevada when the cost of repairs plus the salvage value is at least 65% of the vehicle’s actual cash value.
Example:

• Pre-crash value: $15,000

• Cost of repairs: $6,000

• Salvage value: $10,000

• Pre-crash value - cost of repairs - salvage value = -$1,000

• Result: Car is totaled

Obviously these amounts are not in line with your truck, but it's an example. Also gives a good idea of how severe the damage is by state standard.
Diminished value is also something I'd imagine you'll see thrown around. Worth exploring and understanding before accepting any checks or releases from insurance.
Also not sure about what packages your truck has, but the more electronics, the more the expenditure. Make sure the initial quote accounts for all of the technology calibration and reinstallation.
If nothing else, make sure you feel good about the shop you use for the quote and repairs, that's your right! Go to multiple shops if you can/want! Well worth the cost of a tow. (My insurance covers 2 tows in the event of an accident)
Lifetime warranty on repairs from shops is more and more common, and as mentioned, demand OEM parts. I did so and as an example, the "V6" and "TACOMA" badges for my tailgate were $100! Can't tell me double sided 3m tape wouldn't cost $5... but push for what your truck deserves. Mine weren't even damaged, but the shop had to remove them and made sure OEM replacements were applied
I'd imagine lots of folks will have more input for you, your insurance agent should be a partner/resource also. I wasn't shy to call/text with questions and inquiries. There are certain things they can't/won't say (mine wouldn't tell me if they would take their personal vehicle to the shop I chose) but at least ask the questions!
Keeping records is great advice. I sent an email to the agent I talked to after every call recapping the conversation and asking any questions I had. Good luck with the process, as hard as it is to accept, its a material item and you made it home to the family when all was said and done. Thats the most important.

 

There are companies out there that will help you get the depreciated value back from the carrier if they won't play ball with you. Money well spent for their help. Your body shop will be able to steer you in the right direction concerning that.

 

Before we all get carried away let’s get this outta the way.

Welcome to TW.

 

If I had to guess it’s probably totaled. I think around $40,000 (plus another $3,000ish for tax and $500 for dealership fees) should cover buying this exact truck, but a 2022 - new.

First find out the value of your Tacoma using KBB, or any of those type of sites. Use that as a reference to the insurance quotes.

To be honest though I think insurance will give you pretty good money for this. I wouldn’t be that worried.

 

Any air bags go off? Hard to tell from pic if the frame is bent, but bed did hit can. Choose a good shop not just a part changer shop, once bed is off and tuck is block up and leveled simple measurements can be done in the frame. Have seen it happen more than once, but your truck is an easy fix, but with toyota trucks/4runners they want to total them and at the salvage auction they go for stupid money and end up in a shipping container and head for other parts of the world.

 

I wouldn’t be surprised if they fix it and not total it.

 

This and try Carvana...you can put in your VIN and get a quote without them laying eyes on the vehicle...same with some other online places.

Sorry about your truck - hang in there.

 

Are you sure you can't buff that out?

 

If your state allows, as has been said above, diminished value is going to be important. After the repairs the truck will have a lower resale/trade-in value.
The insurance company will offer diminished value after repairs. They will give you an amount or you can pay to have an assessment done by a 3rd party. (I've only taken the insurance company's offer so I can't speak from experience about having a 3rd party evaluate it). I do know the insurance company did not accept evaluations from local dealers - however it did give me a good idea of what amount to settle for.

 

I hope YOU have good insurance even if you have dash cam footage. It looks like you are in Colorado?
Key things I notice are:

• the bed is completely toast
• tailgate gone
• bumper too
• cab damaged

I hate to be the one to say it, but I'd guess this is not a totaled truck; BUT you didn't say if the the airbags went off. There is usually more damage than what shows on the surface and who knows about parts... I would say get used to a rental for 5-6 weeks.

Sorry, and glad you're ok.

 

If it is a write off and if you have a clause in your insurance that will pay original cost of vehicle in the first 3 years without depreciation then you got it made.
I had the same situation where my vehicle was a written off and got the full amount of what I paid for it new + whatever difference in the price of the new vehicle. Just depends on what the insurance you have and what coverage.
Good luck to you and welcome to the TW family.

 

Rear ended on the freeway 3 years back. Less damage than this but bent the frame. It was totaled. You can see the bed bending downward.

 

@LivinOnEdge Do you happen to have the estimate still? I'm curious how many hours labor they estimated to repair that caused it to be totaled. Just got rear ended and my truck look just like yours and they are estimating less than $3k in labor to replace the frame, tailgate, bumper, and bed.

 

I would first call your insurance agent or broker. I hope you purchased waiver of depreciation or replacement cost coverage as this should have been available to you as you purchased a new vehicle.