Involved in a 70+ car pileup, a sad day.

It'll buff out, right?






This pic is after most cars behind me had been cleared away, in front there's still semis, pickups, vans, and cars all over the place.

Insane blowing snow on the highways took visibility down to zero without warning. I avoided several cars strewn along the highway but eventually ran out of road. She took it hard in the front end and set the airbags off. It's been considered a write-off.

The plastic bumper shattered into pieces, and the supporting aluminum and steel pushed back through the rad. It looks like I lost some coolant, surely the rad is punctured. But, the engine starts as normal, shifts beautifully, and steering seems absolutely unaffected! It seems like this truck isn't ready to die yet.

Really, the damage is to front end components, while the suspension and drive-train components seem fine.

2009 TRD Sport Double Cab 6-speed with just over 100,000 miles. She was mint as far as I'm concerened! I had been planning on driving this truck for another few hundred thousand miles. The engine has been amazing and the truck has really never needed any repairs.



TWO THINGS:

1) So, now, I'm either looking to find a 2012-2015 double cab off-road (A-trac and locking diff please) with the 6 speed manual, or... maybe... just maybe... get myself, reluctantly, into a 3rd gen. Ideally I would get an off road, but it seems super super rare to get a double cab 6 speed OR in Canada.

Any advice for me on this one?

I'm still waiting on the insurance company to lowball me for the value of the truck. Advice there would also be appreciated...


2) I'm tempted to attempt to buy the truck back as salvage. I've been told this is a bad idea as it will be too expensive to fix and get re-certified for safety. The seatbelt tensioners will need to be reset, airbag system installed/repaired, rad fixed, front end structure fixed. But, the motor seems absolutely unharmed, tranny, steering, and it seems to me that the frame probably is fine. Thoughts?

Could make a good plow truck, bush truck, or maybe a DD. I could leave it in my barn and chip away at her piece by piece over time.

 

I should note that so far it seems like nobody was seriously injured in any of the pileups on the roads yesterday (there were multiple massive crashes like this).

 

That sucks.
Nice truck for a partout...

 

what the hell, where was this. its been nice and clear over here the past couple days.

 

Avoid 2012 if you can. Air injection issues.
If I was to purchase another 2nd Gen, I'd want 2009-2011. No smog pumps in those years.

 

Glad you and, as you report, others were not hurt.

Looks like you didn’t get hit in the back? If so, good for you and the person behind you!

If you’re considering buying it back, make sure you understand the full extent of the damage. In addition to what you said, there could be frame damage beyond the front end. Price up the repairs needed.

As for the 3rd Gen, people either love ‘em or hate ‘em. Make sure you take a thorough test drive before you pull the trigger. Also, one of the benefits of buying new is that you can order the configuration, with whatever options, color,,,, you want.

Good luck!

 

Too much damage for a buy back since the airbags deployed,get a 15 Tacoma with low miles.

 

--- Ontario, just north of Toronto. Highway 400 and Highway 11 through Barrie/Orillia. There were a couple of other, smaller pileups yesterday as well on other highways. 115, and maybe 89? Not sure.

https://nationalpost.com/news/highw...ions-after-multiple-car-collision-near-barrie

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weat...as-whiteout-conditions-blind-drivers/70007542




I should update my profile. I'm not in Alberta anymore.

 

Yeah, that could be an option! Need to price it out.

 

Put the feelers out & try to find one off lease if you can. Good Luck.

 

Saw that on the news. Crazy! There was even a double fuel tanker in that mess.

 

We nearly got rear ended. That's the scariest part. After we came to a stop I still couldn't see a thing behind me (visibility at times was really only a few feet), but then the wind let off for a second and I saw vehicles (including a transport) coming in fast. A car missed us by a few inches.

Essentially I had been on the highway for about an hour and visibility was just fine, the road was fairly clear of ice/snow. But then all of a sudden snow whipped up in this spot and you couldn't see anything. There were open fields that the wind was coming across and picking up snow. I've never been in an accident, and have driven upwards of 600,000 kms. Sometimes your luck just runs out.




I did about a 1,000 miles through Texas in a 2017 Sport. I like the interior (not sure about touch screen), but damn it felt good to get home and get back into my dated 2nd gen!

 

There's this one. "high mileage" and has had a few owners.

I can't figure the options out on this one. I always thought it was either Sport, or Offroad, but it seems like there are trucks without hoodscoop and without the locking diff?

https://www.autotrader.ca/a/toyota/tacoma/london/ontario/5_42553357_20190115224944337/?showcpo=ShowCpo&ncse=no&ursrc=pl&urp=1&urm=4&pc=L6H 2H7&sprx=-2

 

Damn.... glad you’re safe at least.

 

SR5- Base
TRD Sport - Hood scoop + painted bumpers
TRD Offroad - Locking diff

Canada did get different options than the US, but that's just a base model 4x4. It's listed as a V6 but I'd go there and check if I were you. I had numerous used car dealerships list the 4 bangers as a V6. If I were you I'd keep looking for a better optioned lower mile Tacoma.

Glad nobody was hurt!!

 

Glad to hear everyone's okay. I was born in Toronto, and other than the 9 years spent in Calgary, I lived in the GTA for over 40 years - prior to moving to Costa Rica last year. The 400 is notorious for strong winds and blinding snow squalls that come out of nowhere. Driving along in the clear one second to not being able to see the end of your hood the next. So I understand what you mean. I've been caught in more than a few of those.
But like l said. Glad that your okay. Looks like your Tacoma took the hit for you.
I'd hate to loose my truck too. I love it.
But if you do go that route. Get a very detailed list (with prices) of everything that's damaged.
It can add up pretty damn quickly. Plus look j to the process of re-certifying a truck if it's been written off. I know Ontario has a "Salvaged" note placed on the registration permit through the MTO. You'll never get that off. It's there to protect the next owner if the Salvaged vehicle is sold. Many vehicles have this status that are on the road.
I'd also check with your insurance company and see what they say about insuring it after it has been repaired.
If l was in your shoes and decided to repair my Tacoma..I'd take a million photos of absolutely everything.. Of what was damaged and what wasn't damaged. To protect yourself down the road if anyone asks questions about what was actually was affected by the collision, and what wasn't. If you don't ever need them, great. But if you ever did. You can prove anyone else wrong.

I'd say reselling the vehicle down the road would be tough with the "Salvaged" status. But if you planned on keeping it until it died, then that's a mute point.
See if it's worth it to you to go through all that. Or just buy another 2nd Gen Tacoma.

Let us know what you decide.

 

I’ve always seen these crazy high number pileups and wondered how they could happen...I never understood how people just keep jumping into the accident. But that description helped shed some light to it.

That’s scary, man. Glad you’re ok

 

I hear Entune is gone for the 2020..May be worth a look? Glad you are ok!

 

If you have the ability to do some of this work yourself (straightening the core support, replacing the radiator, bolting on the new hood/bumper/etc.) then I would probably buy it back. If you need to pay a shop to do it all, then you might be on the threshold of it not making much financial sense (depending what the insurance pays you). Assuming the frame didn't get completely smoked then your biggest individual expenditure will probably be the airbags.

I'm not sure what it's like where you are in Canada as far as getting it registered again, but down here they are basically just trying to make sure you didn't rebuild the rig in a chop shop with parts from stolen cars. At the inspections I've had done they just check the receipts from the big ticket items that you replaced and make sure you can document where they came from, that's it, it's a breeze. Costs like $50 or something like that.

 

You’re very lucky. Those pickups are scary