After nearly two decades of uneventful motoring with my R, my lucky streak finally came to an end coming home from Thanksgiving. I hit a dead bear that was lying in the road (sadly the aftermath of a much more tragic/fatal accident minutes earlier). Both airbags went off instantly as the car abruptly slowed from 55 mph down to ~35, but were not needed as the seat belts kept me from contacting them. I coasted/lightly braked to a stop on the shoulder with the cabin filled with acrid airbag smoke and the engine still running...



If you're wondering, the splatter on the drivers door is blackberry juice presumably from the bear's last meal.





The insurance company is totaling the car with repairs estimated at $7500+ and a claimed value of only $6160. Buyback option with 'forced' salvage re-title is around $5400.

Now I know my car had 205K miles on it, but I have to believe that a well maintained one owner clean title example was worth more than that! Problem is I'm having trouble finding "comps" to demonstrate the value of the car to my insurance company, so if anyone has any guidance in that area I'm all ears.

I think buying it back is a no-brainer, but I don't know if I'll rebuild it as I can't even look at the car in its present condition without feeling sick to my stomach.


Thanks,

- Ben

 

Dang! Sucks for the car, the deer and you

y : o shi - who's glad Ben is okay though

 

Thanks, I do feel fortunate to be alive and uninjured, as most of the occupants of the first car to hit the (live) bear weren't so lucky.

Also, I just learned that the "comps" cited by my insurance company are both GSRs (no offense to GSR owners)

 

Yikes! My GSR back in the day got hit with theft by way of smashing the drivers side window. The ignition assembly was destroyed but they failed to start the car because they accidentally pulled the fuel relay wire while disarming the alarm. Seeing the shattered glass everywhere, ignition assembly dismantled, shift **** gone, and radio unit gone broke my heart. I can't imagine what you must be going through and I am very sorry to see your car like that, but as they say, material items are replaceable and we are glad you're okay.

I was gonna say that claimed value is extremely low!

 

If you need Comps, try this, it worked for me using State Farm Mutual Ins.

Pretend that you wanted to sell it, before you wrecked. Register as a seller on Autotrader dot com. There are several steps to this and you will stop, before your actually list it for sell.

Enter the specifics of the car then, when you need to list an asking price...look for help (in the form of an icon, tab, question mark, etc.) when deciding how much to post.

Don't buy the advertisement, just close out the window.

You will be given a list off all Integras and Type R's sold on AutoTrader in America. Print it out and let your ins company know that these are actual sold car prices/values.

In 2008, State Farm offer me $13,300 for my 2nd owner ITR PY with 64,600 miles, after their certified shop totaled it.

They wouldn't accept e-bay auctions, but they did accept AutoTrader's list of sold Type Rs. I got $17,200.

I bought it back for $4,400 + my deductible.

 

Ahh hell, what bloody terrible news to read. Glad to hear you're OK, when others were not so fortunate. Safedriver's advice is sound and sound for dealing with insurance [expletive deleted] worldwide. They need dealing and fighting with. They will fight you. After two decades of driving and yeah bonding with your car, damn right you should fight them and get a proper actual insurance cover from them.

 

Such sad news, I'm sorry to see that. For comps, I'd head over to BringATrailer - that's where Rs have been doing well (and why I sold mine there via auction).

The good news is that, in this market, your car will live again either with you or with a new owner.

 

That sucks. I would've gotten out and made sure that bear was dead after all. Hope you can at least cash out on insurance.

 

Sucks man sad to hear. Good luck with insurance, I thought it was a deer until I reread it and it was a freakin bear!

 

Ouch! Glad you are okay. That's got to be terrible sight for you to see after owning it that long. Fight the insurance company not a fair price on your caR.

 

That suuuuuucks... would make a great race car!

 

Man what a sad day! I do hope you keep it and bring heR back to life!

I don't get how insurance works. If you own the car and then the car gets "totaled" by their definition, how come you have to buy it back from them if you're the owner in the first place? I never understood this.

 

When you file a claim and the insurance company totals out your car, they are essentially buying the car from you, at what they determine to be fair market value.
If you think that the amount is too low, you have to prove why it's too low.
Now that you have agreed to an amount, they will try to recovery some of their loss, by auctioning it off at a junk yard sale.
It's not called a junk yard auction sale, but you get what I mean.
If you want the car, they usually sell it back to you for under 25% of the totaled out amount.

You must tell them that you want to buy it back, before they cut you the check.

 

FCK! let me know if need help or advice on replacement parts

 

I've dealt with insurance companies multiple times and my attitude the entire time is 'it's not nor ever their car to sell me back'. It's my car, I have the title, regardless how old or new. Typically with our cars they won't put up too much of a hassle because of the age and it being typically ~20k they don't fight as hard as if it were more of an expensive vehicle.

 

Your damage is to the left side, mine was to the right side. I disassembled the front and had 51 spot welds done to the the radiator core etc., for $510, then a $2,100 paint front the mirrors forward.

 

Use bring a trailer for some comps. They just had a higher mileage one go through there.

 

sad to see, but glad you're ok... i couldn't imaging hitting a bear. but bring a trailer should be the go to for itr comps these days. good luck, man.

 

Thanks for the clarification. That makes sense to me now.

 

Thanks for all the advice. The insurance company didn't like the Bring a Trailer comps (surprise!) so I'm going to try the Autotrader method that safedriver suggested. If that doesn't work I'll have to go the independent appraiser route.

p.s. I did get out and check the bear after securing my car - it was very very dead as it had been hit by two other cars before I hit it, and another one after. We had to drag it off the road as no one could see it until it was too late.

 

insurance company must be out their damn mind trying to compare it to GSR values...shame on them. good luck the autotrader route.

 

Since when are their bears in Sac-tucky? You could buy this replacement R with your insurance monies.

 

Accident was in the Sierra foothills, car was transported all the way to Sac (Copart)
Settlement wise, I've hired an independent appraiser (who knows what a Type R is) so we'll see what he comes up with

 

Hope it all works out for you and keep us updated.