TB "totaled" due to a fender bender.

[coolride]

Man down!!!

I was pulling out of the driveway, and was hit in the passenger side rear fender.

It moved the trailer hitch (so the rear frame horns) a good distance to the drivers side.

Progressive ins. said it's totaled and offered $4,500 to take it off my hands, and about $3,500 if I want to accept a check and fix it myself.

Anyone have experience with this? Am I getting a good deal here?

 

[TollKeeper]

Rear impacts are the worst to repair, and with frame damage, its more than the frame horns...

4500 doesnt sound bad to me.. I recently got a little more than that on my Saab 9-7x

 

[coolride]

I call it "frame horns" for lack of a better term. It's the frame sections from the rear most crossmember back.

That's the most obvious issue. The rest of the frame forward of that was just rebuilt, so it might be very square.

It goes down the road fine. The body is a bit tweaked. The gaps along the rear passenger door are wider, and the gaps on the rear driver's side are smaller.

 

[Mooseman]

Seems a bit much for scrap value. If you want to keep it, ask for $4000.

 

[TollKeeper]

Not really allowed to negotiate on the salvage side. They go to places like IAA and Copart and average the sales for the last month, and give a value of salvage based on that.

 

[coolride]

I was told that the salvage value was 850.

 

[Mooseman]

Depending on finances and situation, I'd keep it. I did that with my wife's 2002 CR-V after a wind storm scratched the passenger door and window. Scrap value at the time was $500. Kept it, replaced the whole door for $150, drove it for a few more years. Only caveat is that it could only be insured for liability.

If it's safe to drive and doesn't look like a redneck mobile, I'd keep it.

 

[budwich]

I think the question might be: Can you get a replacement vehicle that you want / need for the money that they offered to take it off your hands?

 

[coolride]

I just accepted the 3,500 payout. So I'm keeping the vehicle.

And there's no changes to the title, because it's too old for that.

Only newer vehicles (8 years old and less) get a title change.