People do not want the damage that occurred, to require the high amount of repair necessary, to get her back in acceptable shape...

Kinda like desiring less damage for a quick fix, over a totaled vehicle.

+ factor in all the lost sweat equity, per se'.

besides clean low mileage V8s are getting scarce..

ymmv

Just a FWIW on the way these things work sometimes. We were more than surprised in 2006 when insurance totaled my wife's '94 Accord after a tree limb fell on the roof. There was a small dent in the roof and I think the back glass was cracked. To us it looked pretty minor but they said the roof damage compromised the rollover protection and there was no way to fix it.

Update on the situation. I ended up keeping the truck and having my local mechanic do the work. I'm getting it all fixed and putting $2500 in my pocket on top of everything. It just needed a new rear axle and control arms. I should have it back by tomorrow, if all goes well.

I argued about the valuation but ultimately gave in and just took their settlement, because I was going to get my truck back, which is all I wanted in the first place. There will be an accident on the title, but I will have pics and invoices, so since it's still a one-owner truck, I don't think it will affect value much. NJ doesn't require a salvage title if you do the work and it's over 8 years old, I believe, so I should retain a clean title.

Glad to hear a good outcome!

My 4Runner had a previous *minor* accident on its record. Nothing enough to change its title status. But with one owner, a massive list of prior maintenance done, and a super clean 15 year old runner I decided to just ignore it and take a chance. I don’t ever plan on selling so I didn’t think it would matter if there was an accident on the Carfax.

Don't worry about the value, it wonn't make a difference to an educated buyer. Keep records of repair. These hold their value. I actually get a letter from Toyota every year offering blue book value for mine even after more than one accident.. you made the right move ✌️