Is it totalled? Opinions please
- Thread starter jimithing
- Start date
NCSCOTT
New member
:lol:
I got a good buffing wheel you could barrow......:biggrin2:
On a serious note... Glad you and your daughter are OK. I had a wreck when my son was about 2 and it blew out the Drivers side glass which blew back onto him. I was almost paniced at night with him out in from of the head lights making sure he was not cut, hurt ect... He was fine though. He is almost 14 now. Toss that car seat as soon as you are done with the settlement with insurance. They should pay you for it.
4Runner4.7
Member
sandp500index
New member
I used to work as an agent for state farm.
A couple things. Look up the book value. Insurance should pay you retail value in excellent condition....which should be very good compared to what it is worth as a private party sale or as a trade-in.
As a general rule, once your repair bill gets to about 70-75% of the retail value, the vehicle is totaled. So, knowing the book value helps put in perspective.
From looking at the pictures I think there is a very good chance it is totaled. I was in a similar accident recently and it didn't take long to get to $7,000 in damage....and my vehicle didn't look as bad as yours. Also, my airbag didn't deploy...that is about $2,500 minimum to repair. I bet you have some frame damage.
If you have any questions about the process, I would be glad to answer any questions.
A couple things. Look up the book value. Insurance should pay you retail value in excellent condition....which should be very good compared to what it is worth as a private party sale or as a trade-in.
As a general rule, once your repair bill gets to about 70-75% of the retail value, the vehicle is totaled. So, knowing the book value helps put in perspective.
From looking at the pictures I think there is a very good chance it is totaled. I was in a similar accident recently and it didn't take long to get to $7,000 in damage....and my vehicle didn't look as bad as yours. Also, my airbag didn't deploy...that is about $2,500 minimum to repair. I bet you have some frame damage.
If you have any questions about the process, I would be glad to answer any questions.
You are correct! They were great, I very much appreciate their work that day. They were giving my daughter stickers and helping me unload the stuff from my car.
Thanks for that offer, I appreciate it. I stopped by the repair center today because I forgot to get a couple things out of my car so I had another chance to look at it and talk to the guy that received it. He's pretty sure it's totaled too. The impact did push the radiator into the engine and he's pretty sure there's frame damage too. The passenger side got it worse than I thought. The passenger front door won't even open because the quarter panel pushed into it. I took some more pictures and will try to upload them tomorrow.
I did look up values on my car from Edmunds, KBB and NADA. KBB and NADA were within a couple hundred dollars of each other and Edmunds was about $3k less than that. Do they average the three of those to get a value or how does that work?
The police report still wasn't available as of 4pm today and I needed a rental car so I filed a claim with my insurance company and they said they'd try to recoup any money they pay out through a process called subrogation with her insurance company. Does that sound right? Also, I have no idea who her insurance company is yet since the report isn't available. I know my insurance will treat me well and give me a good value for my car so I'm tempted to let them pay for the whole thing for now and then let them try to recoup the money from her insurance company. Is there any downside for me with subrogation? I just don't want her insurance to try to screw me on the price for my car.
sandp500index
New member
I believe they look at multiple sources. (I don't think Edmunds is used...but it depends on your comapny) Which company do you have insurance with? It will be hard to justify paying out just on the lowest one they find. They were almost to the penny of my own calculation based on Kelly Blue Book. One thing for sure....make sure you are happy with the settlement. There is room to negotiate if you have a valid argument. If you are unhappy, don't just take the first answer ask for supervisors. Also get your agent involved. He has a vested interest in making sure you are happy. I did that many times for my clients and drastically changed the amount paid out when things were unfair.
Subrogation is common. If you have good insurance I would go with that route. They will take out your deductable from the settlement check....and if they get money back from the other company, you get the deductable back. (It takes months) Your insurance company is more likely to give you a fair deal as they want to keep you as a customer. They can then later fight with the other company. Your negotiation power is greater with your current insurnace company.
Ask more questions if needed. I have a meeting...so I need to run. I will check back in the evening.
MidwestT4R
Member
Just find out your options and let your insurance company pay. That's why you get insurance. But find out how long they will pay for the rental car. Then find out if any family members will lend you a car after that. Why? Good 4runners are hard to find and you don't need to settle. My insurance paid me for my totaled car and for 30 days of rental. I had to borrow a family car for another 30 days because I wanted a certain runner and also wanted to try and get a fair deal. Depending where you live you may need the time because you want to get it from a Toyota dealer with an extended warranty or certification. Hey, if your settlement covers the purchase why not? You will also have more leverage to negotiate some maintenance or other accessories tossed in at the Toyota dealer.
As for subrogation the only downside is if the other driver has the cheapo insurance policy. You know, the minimum coverage folks that advertise on TV. They typically deny payment for any reason. Even when their covered party is totally at fault. So your insurance company will end up suing their policy holder and then going to arbitration. That's what happened to me so 14 months after the wreck I had to go to arbitration in support of my insurance company trying to collect. Remember, you don't get your deductible until they collect so that is your incentive. In my case the policy holder didn't show up but we still went through arbitration and we won. Which in my state is non binding. So when their insurance company denies payment again my insurance company will directly sue the other driver and get their license revoked. So I may have to participate in a trial.
Now, if her insurance company is a major player you will probably never have to deal with this. If they are one of others? Get ready for some ongoing fun.
As for subrogation the only downside is if the other driver has the cheapo insurance policy. You know, the minimum coverage folks that advertise on TV. They typically deny payment for any reason. Even when their covered party is totally at fault. So your insurance company will end up suing their policy holder and then going to arbitration. That's what happened to me so 14 months after the wreck I had to go to arbitration in support of my insurance company trying to collect. Remember, you don't get your deductible until they collect so that is your incentive. In my case the policy holder didn't show up but we still went through arbitration and we won. Which in my state is non binding. So when their insurance company denies payment again my insurance company will directly sue the other driver and get their license revoked. So I may have to participate in a trial.
Now, if her insurance company is a major player you will probably never have to deal with this. If they are one of others? Get ready for some ongoing fun.
YotaDriver
New member
I was also involved in an accident recently wherein the other driver blew through a red light and hit my old 4Runner on the driver's side just in front of the front wheel. His car acted live a wedge and flipped me onto my roof, however since I was buckled in I didn't sustain injuries that were too serious.
Not to hijack the thread, but here's a picture of my old truck after the crash:
Oddly, the other driver has the same insurance company as I do so it'll be interesting to see how the whole things works out.
Not to hijack the thread, but here's a picture of my old truck after the crash:
Oddly, the other driver has the same insurance company as I do so it'll be interesting to see how the whole things works out.
Finally got contacted by her insurance company today. She's got State Farm. I've got Amica. What my insurance representative told me is that I can wait and see what both companies are offering for my car before deciding which one to go with. So if my company offers more then I can take their offer, minus the copay of course. does that sound right sandp?
It sounds like basically I'm in a holding pattern for now until both companies have their adjustors look at the vehicle and determine if they think it's totaled. Oddly enough the repair place I took it to is an official estimator for both insurance companies. So I guess companies will come to the same conclusion.
Yeah, this is definitely a concern for me. I don't want to settle on a 4runner that isn't exactly what I want. I looked at 4runners for about a year before finally buying the one that just got wrecked. I know what I want and they just don't come up that often. I've been looking on Autotrader today and found one that's pretty close to what I had but it's a 4 hour drive one way to see it. I might just have to make a drive like that to get what I want though. It's better than settling to me.
It sounds like basically I'm in a holding pattern for now until both companies have their adjustors look at the vehicle and determine if they think it's totaled. Oddly enough the repair place I took it to is an official estimator for both insurance companies. So I guess companies will come to the same conclusion.
Yeah, this is definitely a concern for me. I don't want to settle on a 4runner that isn't exactly what I want. I looked at 4runners for about a year before finally buying the one that just got wrecked. I know what I want and they just don't come up that often. I've been looking on Autotrader today and found one that's pretty close to what I had but it's a 4 hour drive one way to see it. I might just have to make a drive like that to get what I want though. It's better than settling to me.
MidwestT4R
Member
My old neighbor told me how crazy 4runner owners are. How they are fanatical about their trucks. I didn't believe it. Until I went looking for my own. I looked and looked because I wanted what I wanted.
So take all the time you need. If there is one thing I see on this website it's the connection most all 4runner owners feel with their ride.
Don't rush it. Find that runner that puts a smile on your face when you get in it.
So take all the time you need. If there is one thing I see on this website it's the connection most all 4runner owners feel with their ride.
Don't rush it. Find that runner that puts a smile on your face when you get in it.
sandp500index
New member
State Farm should treat you right - very solid company that handles claims very well. You can wait for both offers and take the best one. I really think State Farm will give you a good offer and then you won't have to wait to get the deductible back. I can tell you from working for them, the chance is very high they will not jerk you around. (There are always rare exceptions)
Let me know if you have other questions.
Veritas
New member
I was also involved in an accident recently wherein the other driver blew through a red light and hit my old 4Runner on the driver's side just in front of the front wheel. His car acted live a wedge and flipped me onto my roof, however since I was buckled in I didn't sustain injuries that were too serious.
Not to hijack the thread, but here's a picture of my old truck after the crash:
Oddly, the other driver has the same insurance company as I do so it'll be interesting to see how the whole things works out.
You could probably buff that out too...
krupnation
New member
Snesley Wipes
New member
Where is this? This kinda looks like I-25 and I-70...
They put me in a Jeep Patriot. It's an SUV I guess but it's no 4Runner.
