395 miles on the odometer, $17,186 in damages . New frame.

Sorry to hear that... It really sucks... Hope everything turns out for the best....

 

I have found this to be the truth... Been a Mechanic for 35 years and have never seen an auto body repair make the car/truck Like new again unless you are taking about a minor fender bender... just my opinion.. Don't want to start a war...

 

Another option is to take the check from insurance and sell the truck as it sits damaged. In other makes of vehicles I have been around, you actually do better doing it this way as a body shop can buy it and fix it using used/aftermarket parts so is willing to pay a little more. I am not sure what the market is for wrecked 2016 tacos, but you could check auction data.

 

Glad you are ok and healing. Sounds like you are confident in your body shop to do the work right for you.
Wishing you the best in this outcome.

 

What you're looking for is a "diminished value" claim. You should have an easy time proving the amount of damage given the age of the vehicle. This link has some info. I'm not a lawyer, but have a little bit of experience in this matter.

http://www.learnvest.com/knowledge-center/how-to-make-a-diminished-value-car-insurance-claim/

 

Keep your head up man. Things get a hell of a lot better! Glad your okay, thank God!

 

Sucks but glad you ok , sorry but your truck will never be the same. After the repair trade in or sell it ASAP. In my state of CA it's illegal to text and drive and if a accident happens that person would be in serious trouble , almost like drunk driving here.

 

About 5 years ago my $70,000 Porsche Carrera was rear ended and did about $25,000 in damage. Had it repaired and you could never tell it had be wrecked. Keep it a couple of more years and sold it to my business partner and he still has it and still looks good as new. If you have good body shop you should be fine, but as others have mentioned you may take a hit when you sell it since it will show up on a carfax has having been in an accident.

 

Glad you're ok. It sucks about the truck but its still a just a truck, you're safety is what matters.

As for texting and driving, i'm a freshman in college, so I see people text and drive all the time. Its the only thing that initiates a road rage to me. I'll get cut off, door dinged, ect and none of it really bothers me. Texting and driving? Oh boy that another story. When i'm with my roommate i'll call them out on his amped PA if I see it, otherwise I make aggressive hand gestures. Its so stupid and so avoidable yet so dangerous. The only time i've had legitimate blood shot eye'd fuming at the ears road rage is when I told someone on the PA to get off their phone and they flipped me off. I was ready to throw down. Of course it was a frat guy in a Dodge Ram.

 

Only $17000 to repair the truck and frames are replaceable.

Or nearly 40k to pay the bank for the truck and possibly get $15-18k back from an auction sale, minus whatever fees the auction charges.


The insurance company is doing what is in their best interest financially.

 

With all the rusting Tacomas out there - this would be a cool option if you could do it. That would definitely qualify as "better than new."

 

I feel for you, OP. Last year some local hoodlums tagged the side of my new 2015 with a bb gun. Not nearly as bad of damage as in your case, but it hurt to have to take it to a shop for body work and have the whole drivers side repainted.

I don't think it would hurt to talk to one of those ambulance chaser lawyers. I know other people who have been involved in accidents and the other party involved received a settlement for both physical and emotional pain and suffering.

 

The only issue I have with the frame replacement is cutting corners. The faster they get it back together the more money they can save/make. Break a bunch of clips taking stuff off you need new ones when you put stuff back on the new frame. You don't want a truck assembled with missing hardware and zip tied together. You also want to make sure they're using Toyota specified liquids. These are worries using independant shops. Best wishes and hope life finds you happy with the end results. Just make sure you're completely happy before you sign the papers and drive it out of the shop. Getting anything fixed after you accepted it is so much harder than waiting for it to be done right the first time. Make sure you test drive it before you accept it.

 

Who else would do it? Toyota service department isnt trained in repairing collision damage. Sure they can swap a rusted 2nd gen frame for a new one. That's just swapping parts. An "independent" shop is the only place that can handle this repair.


Toyota service department will tell you your frame is bent after hitting a pothole and won't align it. Yea, those are the guys who can handle a wrecked truck with a rusted frame, ok.

And OPs independent shop is most likely an approved shop by his insurance company. They will guarantee their repairs for as long as you can the car.

 

This was my truck a few years ago...Almost $18,000 in Damage. Brand new frame, the truck was never the same, was chewing through tires like you wouldn't believe. Ended up trading it in, multiple trips to the shop could not get her right again. Good luck, I hope yours comes out better than mine did.

 

Cops, insurance, claims adjuster's, and auto body shop, in the end it all that matters is your okay and if your not don't hesitate one minute to see a lawyer because I assure you the insurance company of the asshole that plowed into you is not your friend! At least it seems cut and dry the other driver is at fault so their insurance company should be liable and if they don't have insurance then yours should cover you. Someone stated that your in your state the damage must be 70% of the vehicle value which maybe true because in other states like mine its 75%. If your having a dealer body shop repair your car you can ask them to give you a number on "diminished value" if not take it to a dealer after its repaired or search around for a insurance adjuster who will give you this value that you can then file claim with the A-hole insurance company after your truck is fixed. I know its crazy when you add up repairs to your vehicle and then the probable diminished value you wonder why don't the insurance company just total it and give you the cash and call it done but sadly desk jockeys don't do what is logical. I know I'm going through the same thing on my wife car, 2014 Honda CRV, that a idiot plowed into after he ran a red light. If the insurance company doesn't want to total the car then stick them with diminished value at the end and trade the it in on a new truck. Again, don't hesitate to see a lawyer for any bumps and bruises you sustained because of some other idiots negligence because you never know you might collect enough on personal injury and diminished value that you could in the near future be riding around in a paid off 2016 or 17 new Tacoma! Think about it!

 

The MOFO that did that to you should buy you a new truck. Glad you are ok. How old are you? Don't think for a second those injuries won't haunt you later in life.

 

I would cry if that happened to my truck :'(