Accident Advice

Hey all, Never really posted before but I lurk the forums often. Anyway, two weeks ago a teenager pulled out of a driveway right into my Tacoma. Insurance told me based entirely on the age they will call it a total loss. I have been receiving a lot of contradictory advice ranging from "let it go" to "salvage it if the frame isn't bent". I guess I am looking for any advice, encouragement, thoughts, or anything you might have to offer. Also, if you have a LA area body shop to recommend me for a second opinion I would appreciate it. I am incredibly sad about this 2000 Tacoma with only 106k on it... I LOVE this truck. Enclosed is a picture post accident.

 

Frame damage, yes/no -
If yes, maybe let it go [what are your safety concerns etc..]

If no, do some math -
What will it cost to repair the damage to your satisfaction with the parts you choose/shop of your choice
What is the insurance gonna pay you for this total loss
What do they want charge you to buy back the total loss vehicle
Are you okay with a salvage title?
This should help you figure this out


I slid my 97 328is off the road way back when - the cats got destroyed by a log and the cats were worth more than the vehicle.. no frame damage, no body work/damage
Totalled
I knew what OEM cats cost [3000$] vs aftermarket ones [300$] and I knew that I would be fine with the cheap ones [pass inspection blahblahblah]
So I let them total it, bought it back and then repaired the cats, upgraded some suspension stuff and put a new clutch in and was back to even
I put another 100K miles on it and never had a problem
When I sold it, I could prove the 'no frame damage' so the salvage title wasn't an issue
I loved that car, it was a tank - I would have kept it forever if life hadn't gotten in the way

 

PS - I hope you weren't hurt nor the doofus that caused this, b/c in the end that is far more important than the vehicle [coming from someone who loves their vehicles more than normal]

 

Hard call without being up close and in person

Do you have the skills to remove and install a front clip your self

Going through a Body shop only you can decide .Repair costs could be higher then the insurance payment would you pay the rest out of pocket?

Have you received the pay out numbers on the truck yet That can be a deciding factor.

 

Thank you for all your advice. I should have mentioned both the other driver and myself were not injured in the crash.

 

I'm still waiting on insurance... they are dragging their feet but I am preparing for the worst case which is total loss and then for them to offer me an amount that is way undervalue.

 

Know that you don’t have to immediately accept the amount they offer. Gather anything you can that suggests a higher sale price and ask them to review it, you might get some more. We did this last year for my moms car and got a fairer offer.

 

You can honestly salvage it with aftermarket body panels and you can do allthe work yourself as long as the grame aint bent id do all the work myself, take the salvage check and go after the kid and youll get 2k more for ur time

 

Let it go and take the insurance check. Parts availability or lack thereof will be the issue and the truck will never be what it was. Sometimes you can squeeze a tiny bit more from the claims adjuster after the initial offer, but it won't be the amount you want.

 

How much is the insurance company giving you? With prices of used cars the way they are right now, it’s probably the best time to get a salvage check.

 

hell nah i bet you never have changed a tire lol

 

Several actually.




I've also got significant experience working on and restoring cars. Like a fart, let it go and move on.

 

alright big time touche

 

I've been through a couple other driver faults and here's my take.

Insurance companies don't give a crap about anything but numbers, if this truck had 5 miles on it they would still total it. Wife got a limited edition Rav4 that was rear ended on the freeway. She drove it home. I'm looking at it, sure we could bend this back, buff it out, still a good running car but they totalled it. I was sooooo pissed, I could see we still had a good car and they're like "total it." I wanted to salvage it out, however . . . .

The insurance paid more than we bought the car for and we were gearing up for an interstate move, one less car to move + extra unexpected cash. Had I salvaged it, we'd have been followed around with that "salvaged vehicle" stigma and would never be able to sell it, and any future accidents would not go well in our favor financially. So, as usual, she was right.

Before that, I bought her the first new off-the-lot car she ever had in her life, a squareback Scion. About 6 months later someone "dropped something on the floor" (uh huh) and rammed her at a stop light doing 50, didn't even hit the brakes. Now THIS car was totalled, even with her foot on the brake she rammed the car in front of her. About 6 months later she gets this text, hey have you got the code for the system, I got your phone number from the radio in the Scion. Sent her pics of it fully restored and title WHITEWASHED.

So those are the two sides of the scam known as the U.S. automotive insurance industry. You could figure out how to restore it and get the salvaged title whitewashed if you want.

 

I have never changed a tire!

i leave that to those tire people with the nice machines.

I might have swapped a wheel or 2 in my life.

 

I be inclined to get the go the salvage/repair route. It worked out well for me with a Camry I had about 10 years ago, got something like 5-6k from insurance and was able to get it repaired for half of that. If the 98-00 front grille/headlights are not your favorite of the three front clips for the 1st gen this would be a good opportunity to make the switch.

 

If a new frame is used during rebuild of salvage title the DMV will usually issue a new vin # after completion when title is updated. "white-washed"

 

If you love that particular truck and had intended to "keep it forever", fix it after buying it back from the insurance company. The "salvage" designation on a title is meaningless if you don't intend to sell it. The longer in time you are removed from the date of the accident, the less impact a salvage designation will have on resale value if you decide to sell it somewhere far down the line.

 

Thank you everyone for so much advice! I am feeling a lot better about my situation here.

Just got off the phone with insurance and they are deeming it repairable. Keeping my fingers crossed while I look for a body shop but things are looking good!

 

Post some pics after it's fixed...side by side with the before pic.