at least she admitted to the cop that she was at fault for watching a guy walking his dog instead of the road , but my car looks bad ; she got a ticket and drove home, i had my car towed home on a flatbed trailer . Civic@25mph vs. Explorer@25mph head-on =

i have collision insurance and a previously crash-free record with no points. my car is stock except for rims, which appear ok, and was in good running and cosmetic condition. i chose to pay to have it towed a few miles to my house rather than to the impound (for free), but for which i am supposed to be reimbursed; i got the receipt, and asked the tow truck driver what he'd do if it were his car. he said he'd definitely take it home.
the hood, headlights, and front left panel are trash, as is the radiator and ac rad, there was power steering fluid everywhere. i didn't try to open the hood, since i don't want the insurance appraiser(s) to try and say that i tampered with it, but the drivetrain should be ok, unless force on the left axle messed the differential, though the axle does not seem broken. the airbags deployed, but my friend and i are ok. if insurance says it's totalled, should i buy it back and try to repair it if the frame isn't bent? the windshield is trash, but the pillars, dash, doors, roof, and everything else looks good; i think that the moonroof still works. just the front looks fuct. any advice?

 

Fix the car. She (the other party) already admitted the fault and also received a ticket from police....you have a sure win case here IMO
If your ins. don't have to pay a penny, your "clean" record should also stay.

Btw...do u know what kinds of ticket she got ??

 

First of all, who's your insurance company? If they say its totalled, just leave it at that. You'll lose lots of money when you go to sell the car for it being salvaged.

 

OK, Kelley Blue Book values it at $5K for a private party sale (pre-crash), i live in MI and have AAA insurance. i was planning a swap, so i don't care if it has a salvage title, also since i drive my cars until they are worth very little anyway; as long as they run well and aren't smashed when i sell them, no problem. so, if insurance says it's totalled, should i buy it back and try to fix it if the unibody is not bent? also, any rough estimates on what it would cost to have a shop repair it based upon my initial description? does it sound like over $5K in damages? is this how insurance appraisers determine if it's totalled (if repair price exceeds Blue Book Value)? i know it's somewhat based on where i live and who's estimating (not like a Honda dealer replacing everything with brand new parts), but i'm just going for educated guesses at this point, since no shops are open today and i'd like an idea of what is probable from others with similar experience. btw, it's a 94 ex coupe (for estimates on parts/labor), and i live in metro Detroit (Motor City), so there are relatively few Hondas around. any help appreciated. thanks.

 

I live in Windsor now... our two cities are not imort oriented.

 

i live in windsor ontario too, where u live ?

 

it seems like you would be upping the 5 k range to have it professionally done and refinished. Are you mechanically inclined? If so, I would buy the car back, if no internal structural damage has happened, and fix it yourself. Take 500 bucks from the insurance and buy a beater to drive around. You can get the parts pretty easy, considering the coupe and hatch take the same front end sheet metal. I would say that you could find front fenders and bumper cover for around 300 bucks. Get a CF hood, have a salvage yard replace your windshield-usually a lot cheaper, get a del sol radiator, and try to upgrade as much as possible. You could get your whole car reshot for I'd say...around 1500 for a pretty nice finish. You should come out left over money for a swap, and also upgrade most parts as well. Maybe look into an Integra dash, new steering wheel, seats, etc. It will take time, but it should be fun, and you'll end up with a better looking ride, and money to spare if done correctly.

 

SLOFU, heres my senerio: I had a Expedition back into my car a few months ago. The party also admitted fault and i got there insurance company info. My car is a 93 civic HB cx (w/ minor mods). The truck backed into my driver side tailgate and pushed it in a little -craked my taillights, dented the tailgate, and a lilttle of the quarter panel a dinged; but not bad. After talking with their insurance co. - i was told to send a list of receipts of the things I had bought for my car. I sent everything copy of the receipts if things I had installed on my car. The insurance will add that total and the KB value of your vehicle. They will ask you to get repair estimates and see if those estimates will determine if you car is totalled or not. Most likely it will (casue my damage wasnt nearly as bad as you describe your). I got like 4 to 5 estimates and sent to the ins. company. After a few days past I got a phone call saying the damage done is considered "total" to my car. The agent gave me a chioce of either taking a check for 2800 or 2400 (400 to buy back my car). I took the 2400 and kept my car and repaired the damages myself.
In your case you might want to just part it and probably make more off the parts from what you will pay to buy the car back. If you have more question, just AIM me and i will let you know more info. GOOD LUCK!

 

I'm an estimator/production manager at a body shop in Maryland. First off, depending on your insurance company most cars die at 75-85% of NADA listed Retail value. If you're saying that the radiator and condenser are trashed, and you're leaking power steering fluid (probably from a destroyed reservoir), you'll probably need a new radiator support, at least an upper tie and left side panel, and repairs if not replacement of the left rail and apron. Rad support, rail and apron are welded on structural parts, not your normal DIY replacement components. Your car will probably need a frame pull as well. It's hard to tell how much it'll cost to fix without having seen it, but i'd say you're probably around $3000 - 3500 in damage. By the way, don't let anyone write the car for aftermarket parts. Aftermarket sheet metal, lamps and bumpers don't fit worth a damn on Hondas. Your gaps and lines will be all off. If you need any help, or have any questions, e-mail or PM me. Hope this helps...

 

thanks guys. i filed a claim today, and based on what i told the rep, she said that it sounds totalled to her; 36 pts out of a possible 28, just based on airbags, radiator, and windshield damage; she stopped me there. i swapped the stock wheels and tires back on, just in case, though i have receipts for wheels/tires. if the frame is bent, i'll just sell off the panels, interior, etc. if i can buy it back for ~$500; i just hope they don't inflate the value to try to screw me. i've already located a few prospective rides/swap recipients, but i'm also concerned about what AAA will give me; the rep said that they check local dealers for average replacement value, which i'm assuming is higher than Blue Book value between private parties, ~$5K, but if they say ~$3K, i'm gonna flip. i'm sure that though i'm not at fault, and am only covered since (limited liability collision), they will still look for every reason possible to raise my rates; a new, heavy, domestic SUV hit my old, japanese compact car head-on, more than 5 miles away from home when i was not commuting to/from work, the sky is blue,... .
i'm still amazed at how soft my impact was with the driver's airbag; my glasses are not even bent; i'm 5'10" and light. my 6'3" 190lb friend, however, said that he felt punched; we were hit on my side in the front, but he hit the airbag so hard that he broke the windshield. i might have had my seat slightly closer, and my airbag deployed from the steering wheel, so it might not have inflated fully before i hit it, whereas his deployed from atop the dash (farther from him), and might have inflated fully before he hit, especially if his seat was farther back. we both had our belts on, and fortunately are ok. he got a fat lip, and i got a minor friction burn on my left arm (almost gone after a day) from the coating on the airbag when it deployed, but looking at the car, it seems it'd be worse. i can only imagine if we'd have hit eachother going 45mph. btw, that airbag propellant and powder smells/tastes like ****, and lingers.


[Modified by slofu, 5:39 PM 9/30/2002]