Wife just got rear-ended today and want to get some feed back from you guys. Im thinking about $6-8k in repairs, not to mention future problems. Here is the kicker. Ive only had the car 15months, with 9500 miles (its brand-new still!!), carfax reports will have this accident show up. Now Im out about $4-5k in resale value, I think. What do you guys think about the car and is there anything I can do to try and recoupe some of that money? Here is a pic of the damage, Im hoping its totalled so I dont have to worry about that stuff.



thanks in advanced,
Eric

 

i seriously doubt it's totalled, i did over $5k worth of damage to my 97 Lude in may of 2001, your car is practically brand new, your insurance should easily cover that

 

that isnt a total.. Body Shop out there will be easily able to fix it .. so dont get your hope up so high about totalling it..

 

Not totalled.

That car's book value is worth at least $16,000 in good condition. So you would need damage approaching that point to make it worthwhile for the insurer to declare it a total loss. Every insurer has a different value to repair cost ratio that they will apply. But I would say that they will not be totalling that car.

Andrew

 

Looks like you only need to replace the trunk and bumper cover and then a shop will repair the fenders.

 

You are entitled to not only the costs to repair the car, but also to the amount of money that represents the reduced value of the car due to the accident. You can argue with the insurer for a settlement beyond the repair costs. You are in a much better position to do this as you are obviously not "at fault" in this accident. Your insurance company should handle this negotiation with the other party's insurer. Do not accept a settlement until you are satisfied with it.

Also, most states do not record accidents in records that would appear in a Carfax report unless a salvage title is issued. I do not know if VA does or not...

Andrew

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by aklucsarits &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You are entitled to not only the costs to repair the car, but also to the amount of money that represents the reduced value of the car due to the accident. You can argue with the insurer for a settlement beyond the repair costs. You are in a much better position to do this as you are obviously not "at fault" in this accident. Your insurance company should handle this negotiation with the other party's insurer. Do not accept a settlement until you are satisfied with it.

Also, most states do not record accidents in records that would appear in a Carfax report unless a salvage title is issued. I do not know if VA does or not...

Andrew</TD></TR></TABLE>


Yeah I agree w/ everyone here that is not near being totaled. Also it doesnt appear on carfax. When somebody hit me about 5 years ago causing about 8k worth of damage, nothing ever showed up on my carfax.

 

Wow, i had pretty much the same damages on my car when i was rear ended a few weeks ago. It was about 6k in damages so my car was totalled because the car was only worth around 6 anyways. Your car will definately not be totalled, but figure that damage will be around 5-7k to fix.

 

Thanks guys, thats what I guessed, but was hoping for a total. I feel so violated that I now have to drive a new car , thats been wrecked, paying a new car payment.....
A large International Mac truck hit my wife in the back as she was paying a toll. I think I will take Andrew's recommendation and not settle until I get compensation for vehicle depreciation on this.
Ill take it to the best shop in town, if there is such a thing, get a loaner at their expense, have them make partial payments on my car, insurance and taxes while it is in the shop, and then see if I can get another $2-3k out of it for depreciation and future problems (which will occur, have yet to see a damaged vehicle be "as new" again... overspray, rattles, panels not fitting.....u know the drill ). How much do you guys think I can get for depreciation? Thanks for all the info guys!
Eric

 

There is going to have to be some serious work to be done to have that car looking good again. As long as the other person is paying, then you should be fine.

 

ill buy your motor off you.

 

i came so close to crying after seeing that pic. it was just too much for me lol. if it does get totalled and u wanna sell some parts please contact me.

 

That's actually probably good that it was hit by a commercial truck. It should be better than having to deal with an individual driver's insurance. The trucking company's commercial insurance should be easier and more willing to deal with you and your settlement demands.

Also, if there are any legal questions as to what kind of settlement you should be entitled to, you should consult with your insurer. They should be able to provide you with legal advice and even legal representation if need be.

Andrew