Need Advice-accident yesterday in 08 TRD Pro DC. not sure if insurance will be totaling it, etc

Hey guys- well yesterday unfortunate events caused me to make an error turning into a wal-mart parking lot out of urgent need to answer the call of nature. I was attempting to traverse the parking lot in a fast manner and cut across and guess I didn't see this stop sign embedded in the lot right where I was making my fast diagnonal turn (shit happens). First (my fault) accident in about 25 yrs of driving.

Insurance company is having it towed and taken to the place I've been before to replace bumper etc. looks to be good damage to my bumper and driver side fender. hit it hard enough it popped out my fog light and flattened my tire. The guy taking my information said it's possible they will consider it a total loss given the vehicle age and mileage 187,000.
Having never been in this situation before, what advice would you guys give? I searched "totaled" on the site but it's hard to find a thread with this information. how much does it really need to be damaged for them to just throw up hands and say that's it? Man I was really throwing down some cash on mods lately too. just upgraded stereo and lots of interior goodies, lights, just makes me sick to know that my baby of 12 yrs may be gone for good.
Certainly wasn't easy trying to play middle man with the police trying to get my truck moved as quick as possible (in an empty parking lot given covid and late time, rain, etc) anyways. posting a pic even as much as it hurts me to see. I'm completely fine, airbag didn't even deploy etc. before anyone throws hate please just understand that stupid things happen and I completely get it. don't really need negative shade at the moment. thanks guys.

 

Sorry to see that. with 187K , you may have a battle on your hands. Car-part.com to find OEM replacement parts and buy it back, have the Body shop replace the parts with hopefully paint matched replacements? Mine with 167K was totaled in April, Good Luck.

 

If the damage is just the cosmetic/exterior, I wouldn't think it would be a write-off. Any indication of damage to the front suspension, steering, frame, etc?

 

Meh, doesnt look that bad to me. It is high mileage, but the damage ON THE TOP seems relatively minor. If the hood is good, new fender, bumper, lights, potentially grill and some support stuff. I think it will be fine. Plus labor costs in Mississippi arent as high as other areas. Best you can do is wait and see what they say. Good luck!

 

Thanks guys. I’m not sure of the damage extent really. It seems mostly cosmetic and maybe the guy on the phone was just saying that. (USAA). The waiting game will be important and I’ll keep u posted. @Koolbreeze7 just curious what was the process for u regarding getting reimbursed and how much they provided etc. damn I hope my baby can be saved lol. I know a lot of people probably would love a check but I’ve enjoyed her so much and also of course not having a Payment to make for so long -
Wouldn’t even know where to begin starting over.

 

It’s definitely hurt. The big issue is that the inner apron and core support are all welded together and part of the cab. If those pieces can’t be straightened, that gets into some pretty serious labor to replace them. Most insurance companies go with the 70% number. If the repair costs are more than 70% of the value of the truck before it was wrecked, they total it. Some insurance companies will total it with a lower percentage, partly because rebuilders pay stupid money for totaled Tacomas at the salvage auction. Sorry to hear about your truck. I hope they fix it.

 

Didn't know there was a PRO in 2008

 

I lent my 09 to my brother for an errand, an hour later I get a call that he was in a collision. He and other guy were alright, it hurt letting it go, As I too had put some mods on it like you. I knew mine was totaled after viewing it. I have AAA insurance which is CSAA. They did low ball me on value of my truck and had no comps in my area. Be ware if you get a rental, they will use that against you to settle if they total it. I used another car instead of their rental and fought their initial value estimate and went on Cars.com., KB.com, edmunds and others to compile vehicles to get a proper valuation and they came up@ $2500 after a week of arguing. It doesnt look bad, but Ins. Co's are scared of opening a can of worms if they decide to fix it on what they consider a throw away vehicle. If your mechanic says it's salvageable, after a thorough inspection, I hope you can save it. Again good luck and send me a DM if you need more info, if they try to screw you.

 

oh no!! so glad nobody was hurt!! did you poop yourself?

i almost wiped out my truck, same way after some taco buffet several years ago. i almost let the parking lot security guy park the truck for me as i sprinted for....he understood and got out of my way.

 

I say it depends on your coverage, your insurance will cover the property damage. usually ins. doesnt care if you dont have Full coverage ( what's your deductible?). I say get an estimate from a body shop. and then go from there. A few years ago I got rear ended by a uninsured driver with a suspended License, I didnt have full coverage, cause I owned my vehicle, my ins. co. told me I was SOL. my ins. only covered property damage & personal Injury( which there was none of either).really annoyed me! Its up to you if you wanna fix it or not(total). yeah, it sucks. feel bad, but Stuff happens, maybe you can do some of the work(replace fender& tire) & have a shop do the hard stuff, alighnments & other serious body/frame work.GL
a funny, or amusing side note: Ins. took their time contacting me after & to tell me I'm not covered. few days maybe a week later they called me asking " Are you gonna have your car fixed?" I asked, "Why YOU ARE NOT doing anything for me!". apparently they wanted to see if I wanted to continue my policy! I basically told them to "F" off!! (had sell it to pick a part) :..(

 

that damage doesn't look that bad. no airbags deployment, and that will help a lot.

 

I had somewhat similar damage to mine from someone backing into me at a decent speed. The damages totaled a little over $5000. It’s hard to tell how much damage is done just by pictures and not taking it apart. My truck also had 192000 miles on it

 

Shit happens. Hopefully, it didn't happen in your seat....
My concern would definitely be the suspension and frame since the hit was hard enough to blow the tire.
If they do total it, maybe buy it back and call it time for armor.

 

Not sure about Mississippi or USAA but some insurance companies in some states will not insure a vehicle that had a frame "repair". So if something up front that suspension or drivetrain mounts to our supports is damaged they may not allow it to be straightened out otherwise repaired without replacement. My 1st gen had rear end damage and the left rail, well aft of the strut mount and cross member was bent inward about 3" at the end and the spare tire bumped the cross member and deformed it slightly but didn't appear to actually move anything. Insurance said the frame would need to be replaced to insure the vehicle again and that along with the bed side, tail gate and bumper put it well over the threshold for total loss. Ended up getting a check for $8k for a 265k mile 17 year old truck but wish I could have kept it instead.

 

If it ends up being a total ,buy it back and upgrade it !!!!

 

@windsor , @lynlan1819 what do u mean buy it back and have repaired ? How does this work? Do you basically use the money they give u and just get a body shop to repair it ? Are u able to buy it back before they auction it ? What about armor ?

 

Part out? I’ll take the hood

 

I had very similar damage due to deer strike replace fender front bumper headlight assbly. fixed small door dent paint match good costs~$4500.

 

Just for random numbers, let's say they value it at 12,000 before the collision and there's $8,500 in damages. Let's say you have $1,000 deductible. Assuming your truck is paid off, they write you a check for $11,000 and the truck now belongs to the insurance company. OR, if you decide you want to keep it, ask them how much the buyback amount is. Let's say they tell you $5,000. So, if you want to keep it, they write you a check for $6,000 and you keep the truck and end up with a salvage title.