Rear ended, insurance deems write-off

M

Mr.X.

New member
I am wondering if anyone here has gone through a total loss claim with their Runner insurance and share some thoughts

Last week I was rear ended on the highway by 2cars, chain reaction 3 vehicle collision. hard impact but not as much damage as I expected other than tailgate and the bumper. As a matter of fact the tailgate will still open and close. Looks like my tow hitch took much of the impact, needless to say the other 2 cars are most definitely write-off.

My insurance company declared it a write-off even before they sent an appraiser to look at it "due to the year" which is 2002

It has been 1 week since they looked at it and what I am being told they are having issues coming up with a fair market value for it. They want to get it towed from my shop to their own yard until they can figure it out

It is an 02 limited with 300k km or 190k miles, it has the heated leather seats, sunroof and E-locker, running boards, etc. Timing belt, water pump all seals and gaskets replaced a few months ago as well as the radiator. Also has an aftermarket 2-din stereo. Tires were replaced just a few months back, Toyo TA/2s

I am from Canada and currently there is none for sale here 02 with the E-locker and limited which I guess is why they are having hard time giving me a price..

Also wondering if anyone here has had an option to buy back after paid out for total loss? I'd very much like to buy it back and build it back up
 
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I would get a lawyer that deals with such things and convey your concerns. Don't say a whole lot until you have a plan.
 
It would help if we knew which province and if it was government or private insurance.

I bought back one of mine, fixed it, had it certified safe and put it back on the road.
It all depends on what the local rules are.
 
Don’t know about Canada but I’ve bought back vehicles after total loss here in the US. I’ve both repaired myself and had a shop repair. Having a shop repair is by far the easier route to take as a certified shop will not have to go through the salvage inspection process which, here, is essentially a state trooper or Sheriff inspecting the parts and receipts to ensure no stolen parts were used. Then a rebuilt title is issued.

Sounds like you have very little damage. If you don’t care about a branded title (assuming Canada does that) then tell your insurance company you’d like to buy back.


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alumarine said:
It would help if we knew which province and if it was government or private insurance.

I bought back one of mine, fixed it, had it certified safe and put it back on the road.
It all depends on what the local rules are.
Click to expand...

I am in Ontario, private insurance here but mandated by the provincial government under Ontario Automobile Policy.

Was yours declared a total loss? How much did you have to pay to buy back and did they pay fair market value for it?
 
jhodro said:
Don’t know about Canada but I’ve bought back vehicles after total loss here in the US. I’ve both repaired myself and had a shop repair. Having a shop repair is by far the easier route to take as a certified shop will not have to go through the salvage inspection process which, here, is essentially a state trooper or Sheriff inspecting the parts and receipts to ensure no stolen parts were used. Then a rebuilt title is issued.

Sounds like you have very little damage. If you don’t care about a branded title (assuming Canada does that) then tell your insurance company you’d like to buy back.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

How does the pricing work for buying back? Is it based on a percentage of appraised value?
 
Mr.X. said:
I am in Ontario, private insurance here but mandated by the provincial government under Ontario Automobile Policy.

Was yours declared a total loss? How much did you have to pay to buy back and did they pay fair market value for it?
Click to expand...


Mine was a total loss. Bent front clip.
It was 14 years ago so the numbers won't mean anything now.
Basically they gave me more than market value and didn't charge much to buy it back, basically what a salvage yard would give them. It cost $3000 to fix it and a ton of my own labor.
I was ahead when it all worked out but I would've been behind if I paid for labor.

You really need info from people in your area.
Also you need to find out if it's even possible to get it recertified for the road.
 
RedSled said:
I think you should keep possession of it until they can come up with something positive.
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This
As soon as it's towed to their yard it's gone.
I had a car totaled in a hit and run several years ago, spent a few weeks fighting with them about what they were going to pay me for the totaled car.

It was near my brother in law's and he'd went by a couple of times to see if anything had been done with it.

After 4 weeks or so he went by and it was gone, sent to the scrap yard.
I hadn't been paid, still had the title in my possession.

I called the rep and pitched a fit about how much I loved that car (I hated it) and wanted to fix it back to new.

It took them 48 hours to get me the money after I told them I couldn't speak to them anymore without going through my attorney.

DO NOT let them take your car away, you'll never see it again.
 
Was this accident your fault, or someone else's? Since you were rear-ended, it's likely the other driver(s) were at fault. In that case, don't just accept book value for your vehicle. The other driver injured you (not physically, but monetarily) through no fault of your own, and they (or their insurance company) owe you enough money to restore you back to where you were before the accident without out-of-pocket expenses on your part. This includes things like:
- replacement of your vehicle with equal or better equivalent
- rental car expenses while you look for another vehicle
- time off from your job while you sort through this
- general hassle factors
- etc.

At fault insurance companies will jump at the chance to total your vehicle for blue-book value and walk away. Don't let them do that. Your losses are much greater than that; hold their feet to the fire. A lawyer may be worthwhile.
 
2016 i was in my 2000 sr5 when i was hit on the passenger side rear by someone on the phone ran the stop sign in a volvo the rear wheel an axle took the burnt of hit my son was in the back in his car seat and my wife was with me eight months pregnant. the rear axle was totalled. the lady didn't get a ticket cause it was in a mall which is private property and no one was physically injured her front end was really bad. cut to the chase her insurance said due to 360 000 miles and age they will give me 5 grand and call it totalled. I accepted as long as I get to keep the truck. they said no. I refused to turn over the car and made the argument that the vehicle was worth a lot more to me then blue book. six months of back and forth and they paid 8400 to fix the truck and now it has 386000 miles on it and I love it.
 
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WVhillbilly said:
This
As soon as it's towed to their yard it's gone.
I had a car totaled in a hit and run several years ago, spent a few weeks fighting with them about what they were going to pay me for the totaled car.

It was near my brother in law's and he'd went by a couple of times to see if anything had been done with it.

After 4 weeks or so he went by and it was gone, sent to the scrap yard.
I hadn't been paid, still had the title in my possession.

I called the rep and pitched a fit about how much I loved that car (I hated it) and wanted to fix it back to new.

It took them 48 hours to get me the money after I told them I couldn't speak to them anymore without going through my attorney.

DO NOT let them take your car away, you'll never see it again.
Click to expand...

This.

Once the insurance company has physical possession of the vehicle, you literally have NOTHING left. I went through this when my Grand Cherokee was rear ended over 2 years ago. Geico wouldn't approve my emergency towing coverage on the spot because they wanted the car towed to their lot, I wanted it towed to a buddy's body shop where I knew my belongings inside of the vehicle would be safe.

I had to pay for the tow out of my own pocket and it started costing the other persons insurance company $50 day for storage, so that was working in my favor for a agreeable settlement to minimize their costs. I had to provide comps ( comparable vehicles) that were similar in maintenance/body condition because my Jeep was on the higher side of "average" mileage for it's age. It took me a few weeks of fighting w/ their adjuster to get the max amount of a settlement ( per the advice of my attorney) but I still wasn't able to replace what I had w/ the settlement that I got.

Just be ready for a fight for a fair settlement, they want to give you as little as possible as quickly as possible. It's just how the game is played.
 
After my car was stripped my insurance company towed it from the police impound yard to their contract yard where it lost another $1,400 in parts. It got raped twice. Luckily I had pictures from the police yard to prove it. The yard settled for $2,000 rather than go to court, plus I got more than I paid for the vehicle, bought it back and made another $4,000 when I sold it.
That one made up for the other times I got screwed.
 
Mr.X. said:
How does the pricing work for buying back? Is it based on a percentage of appraised value?
Click to expand...

don't quote me on this but i believe it was based on the anticipated auction value. I'm not really sure because in the past, i've just been given a number which has been generally very reasonable.
 
We were rear ended hard in my 3" lifted 2000, so hard it pushed us into the truck in front. Def get a lawyer, it messed us up pretty bad, still dealing with the aftermath, truck had $8000 damage to it...... best part, they fixed it, i wasnt gonna let that go, made sure they valued it correctly.
 
I heard here in the states. If the insurance is going to junk it. They give you a check for the value of the car. Then you can buy it back basically for what junkyard will pay insurance.
 
Dont let them take it

For sure, Don't let the take it, as multiple people have said.
You don't want to lose the ability to remove any mods you added that insurance will most likely not pay you for.
 
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