Accident: Opportunity or Screwed?

R

rytard

New member
A few days ago I was in an accident. Everyone is fine, but my 1997 Limited 4WD is not. The woman T-boned me directly in the passenger-side rear wheel. She hit me hard enough that my tail end swung around front so I ended up facing the opposite direction, but when I got out to inspect the damage, it took me two laps around the car to figure out what was broken.

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3428/3401652892_ab07b22d89.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="My 4Runner is a tank" /> <img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/3401718542_88cbfc6b0f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="My 4Runner is a tank" /></a>

As you can see in the pics, the collision bent my rear axle (or at least some part of it) and twisted the running board. I drove it about 30 yards off the road, but didn
 
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glad you are all fine

wow 21 folks looked in so far and no one could find the time just to say:

"glad to hear you are okay"

Of course this is an opportunity.... let the parts vultures start descending.... Yes it looks/sounds like a total to me.

I am sure someone could fix it but likely better and safer for all concerned to just part it out.

Let us know if we can help find you a newer 3rd gen.
 
for me its hard to give an answer to some of these questions because i never know the abilities of the poster. If it were my truck, i would push for it to be totaled, then buy it back from the insurance company. Then depending on the damage, i would either fix it, or part it. The damage is hard to tell from a few pics, most likely its just some suspension parts that are bent, but you don't know until you start measuring or it sees a frame machine. oh yeah ... and glad everyone was okay.
 
I'm going to say that is an easy fix, probably less than 2k all up. The damage is likely to be confined to the panhard bar, the control arms and the shock absorbers. If the axle housing is damaged then they are still easily available for about 700. If the chassis mounting points for the above mentioned components are bent then hopefully a mechanic with half a brain should be able to realign them with a BFH.
What was the damage to the other vehicle?
 
Thanks for the replies. Hopefully today or tomorrow I'll hear from the ins. company. The woman who hit me was driving a 2002 Camry. She pulled out of a parking lot and, remember back when you were 3 years old and your parents taught you to look both right <i>and</i> left before crossing the street? Well she only looked to the right and drove directly into me (as I was coming from the left). Her front bumper did exactly what it was designed to do: scatter into 1000s of pieces over the span of about 50 yards. She was entirely at fault and it's her insurance picking up the tab.

I'm not capable/equipped to do anything close to this type of repair myself, so I'll really have to wait and see about the insurance company's decision. If they total it, I might chose to take the payout and repair it on my cost. Either way, it makes me cringe knowing I spent $600 on new tires a month ago.
 
Glad everyone is alright. That damage isn't too bad. I've changed a rear axle like that before. For the most part, its mainly bolt off/bolt on stuff. Like above, you more than likely have some suspension parts bent, panhard bar, shocks, etc, but it shouldn't be too bad. I don't think it'll be too expensive. Any decent mechanic should be able to let you know if the axle is straight.

May want to have a real close look at it. You never know what a shock like that could loosen up or break. Were you sore after the accident?
 
That will ring up over $2k and is close to being totaled but your insurance might save it but it is iffy since the truck is 12 years old and with 200k on it the blue book isn't going to be very high.
 
glad to hear ur ok. im in the towing biz. i deal with people and insurance companys all the time.but if you have the reciept for the tires they should add that in if it is totaled to the check you recieve also in the state of mass. you are entitiled to your sales tax back on the value but you have to ask for it also if you dont want to keep it make sure that you know what the value of the runner is and what the insurance company is goin to give you. because once they have the truck they like to play games.they need to tell you what the truck is worth and what there giving you. they have been know to offer $3000 less than what its worth.bottom line the insurance companys suck.no disrepect if anybody works for one. best of luck and if you have any other questions pm me
 
If there is no frame damage then I would suggest sonoran steel lift with new heavy duty link arms and he includes new pnhard bar with most of his kits. Also even if you go with the OMe stuff you will get the new springs and shocks. So for the investment of a good suspension lift you will end up with most of the parts you are likely to need. However will say wait for the adjuster to let you know what they found wrong and if it is more then the link arms and panhard then go from there.
 
Believe it or not, the damage is so close to the threshold, the insurance company says I get to choose whether it's totaled or not.
<b>Option 1</b>: I accept the total loss and take a check for $6k-ish
<b>Option 2</b>: I sign a property damage release (saying the insurance company is off the hook for anything else), they give me a check for the cost of the repairs ($4k-ish), and I keep a clean title.
All this time I was preparing to get ready to go car shopping, and today I learn I have an option to keep it. Tough decision, but I'm leaning towards totaling it since it's over 200k miles and only a matter of time before it begins needing pricey repairs.
 
ry**** said:
So as I await the verdict from the insurance company, my questions are:
<ul>
<li>Has anyone ever had similar damage to their vehicle?</li>
<li>Any guesses about how bad the damage might be/extent of the repairs?</li>
<li>I don
Click to expand...
 
You have more options than the insurance company is telling you. For example, you can have them total it and pay but also negotiate a price for you to buy back the vehicle. I did this same thing to mine in October '08. If you do not want to keep the vehicle, you can negotiate the payout they offer to a higher amount. Understand that the price they give you is calculated by a bs company that determines a market value based on the asking price of other vehicles in your area and other arbitrary factors. If you want a fair payment you will need to do your homework, not get into a rush, and hold firm. I actually created my own market value index and used it to negotiate a significantly higher payout than what was initially offered. It took a little bit of time but the end result was more than worth it. If they use CCC valuescope for market value, you are definitely getting screwed. That company has stirred up a lot of angry consumers so beware, you have been warned. Feel free to pm if you would like more info. My accident
 
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honestly i wouldn't do a buyback.. not worth the hassle for wat u'd get back. u're best bet would be to list off as many options that ur car has to make the worth high as it'll go and then take the check
 
Thanks for the advice, everyone. I do know I have more options than the two I mentioned previously. A third option would be to buy it back with a salvage title. I'd get more $ than if I signed the property damage release and kept a clean title. However, at this point, with 200k miles, it's only a matter of time before something else on this truck needs costly attention. Unless something significant changes today, I'll likely take the total loss payout and use the money on a new 4Runner (or FJ Cruiser or Murano, still trying to decide).

All in all, dealing with the insurance company has been a long, drawn-out, pain in the ass but I do feel they're paying me a fair price. They've provided me documentation of their research of local similar vehicles and I can't say I have much room to complain. The price they're offering is comparable with similar high-mileage, 12-year-old 4Runners in my area. It's all a huge annoyance, but I'll end up with more $ for the truck now than I would if I'd held on to it and sold it on my own in a year or so.
 
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