Totaled, or rebuildable?

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randysmom
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2018 3:09 pm
Location: Sterling, Virginia

Totaled, or rebuildable?

Post by randysmom »

Hi GenVibers,
My beloved '03 base Vibe was hit on the drivers side corner of the bumper by an idiot in a new truck (his fault) and the insurance company has totaled it (with a very poor settlement, imho). So, now I need to decide - is it fixable or should I look for another one? My car has 253,000 miles on it, burns very little oil, strong trans, no rust, good paint except for a few dings and scratches. It's been a very reliable car and I really want to put it back on the road. Insurance gave me $1,100 for it. The collision pushed back both fenders, the drivers side moreso, but the drivers door opens and the passenger door does not. The radiator support is buckled a bit on the passenger side. Had alignment checked, it is fine. Drives fine, no damage to radiator or a/c parts. So, given that they only gave me $1,100 for the settlement, and the adjusters estimate was $4,000 (which was inflated by wanting a new passenger fender, which is undamaged, and paint repairs to the passenger door, which only has a chip), any advice? Thank you in advance!
Attachments
Passengerside
Passengerside
VibeCollision4.jpg (104.96 KiB) Viewed 2095 times
Passenger side
Passenger side
VibeCollision3.jpg (113.99 KiB) Viewed 2095 times
Drivers side
Drivers side
VibeCollision2.jpg (95.97 KiB) Viewed 2095 times
Point of collision
Point of collision
VibeCollision1.jpg (134.49 KiB) Viewed 2095 times
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joatmon
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Location: SMC MD

Re: Totaled, or rebuildable?

Post by joatmon »

I hate those decisions. I would hope the car had been worth more than $1100. At 15 years old and a quarter million miles, it won't have any particular resale value if you fix it, so having a salvage title shouldn't matter. You probably won't be able to find another one in decent shape for $1100, but you might find another one in tolerable shape for a lot less than a new car. Still, sucks to have the accident be the other person's fault and have it cost you money.

How does that work with insurance, they give you $1100 and they take the car, or is it a different amount of money if you keep the car?

Is it worth asking a body shop for an estimate to do the minimum required to restore functionality and safety, but not address all the cosmetics?
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tpollauf
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Re: Totaled, or rebuildable?

Post by tpollauf »

Yeah I agree with Joatmon that you should have received more than $1100. So basically they gave you a check for $1100 and said good riddens? Their client took a perfectly reliable car out of service and you're getting the punishment? Try to see if there's a way to get a better settlement. Then definitely fix it! Even if it's not the most perfect looking car, cosmetically that is, you'd be able to continue driving it for a few more years if not more. Are you the original owner? Location ??? Give us more details and let us know what path you do down :?
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andrewclaus
Posts: 482
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2017 6:38 pm
Location: Golden, CO

Re: Totaled, or rebuildable?

Post by andrewclaus »

It sounds like the damage to the frame members is enough to make it not safely driveable--probably no way to get the wheels aligned economically.

If you need a beater commuter on city streets only, never on the highway, it might serve, as long as the brakes work perfectly. With any misalignment, that might not be the case.

Are any similar cars being sold in your area for much greater than your settlement? For example, KBB value of my old Subaru is less than $1000, but they're being sold by the dozens on Craigslist for over $2000--it's a hot seller in Colorado. I would use that to argue with the insurance co.
randysmom
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2018 3:09 pm
Location: Sterling, Virginia

Re: Totaled, or rebuildable?

Post by randysmom »

Andrewclaus, I do not know if there is damage to the frame member. The alignment is fine, I have already had that checked. And yes, similar cars are being sold for much more than this, though usually they have lower mileage. There was an '03 with 211,000 miles, stick shift and no alloys, for $1100 that was tempting. I just hate to part with this car since I know it's history...thus the questions I am asking.

So, to determine if the frame is in fact damaged, should I get someone to put it on a frame rack and measure? I was told that would cost $250 to just measure. The adjuster did say the frame rail extension on the drivers side that the bumper is bolted to showed that it had been compressed. However, that, I believe, is what the extension that the bumper is bolted onto is supposed to do in an impact - compress and spring back.

I live in the Northern Virginia area, very close to D.C. Most people here have lots of $$ and drive newer, fancier cars, but I prefer my Vibe to anything I have seen and also save bunches in property tax by having an older car. I have owned this Vibe for 6 years, and bought it from the nephew of the original owner (cause the kid wanted something flashier and red!). Anyone know a good side-job mechanic who wants to take this on? I can replace panels and parts, I just cant straighten frames!

Insurance is totally a racket, it seems. I pay them for years and years and then I get this kind of a settlement. They do comparables on similar Vibes, then subtract 20% (because that is the dealer markup, apparently), and deduct $380 which is the salvage value of my car. That is how they came up with the $1,100.
andrewclaus
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Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2017 6:38 pm
Location: Golden, CO

Re: Totaled, or rebuildable?

Post by andrewclaus »

I missed the comment in the first post about the alignment.

I'm not a body mechanic, but as this is a unibody car I don't think anything can be straightened, to factory standards at least. Bent members need to be cut off and replacements precisely welded back on. Thus the high cost of repair. Crumple zones are good until you need to repair a bad fender-bender like this one.

If it were my project car and I really liked it and only had $1100 to work on it, I might try disassembling the front end sheet metal and radiator and see what I could do with hammers, fabricated levers, and come-alongs on the bare structural members. That would be an attempt only to get the doors and hood working, and the headlights aimed, not perfection. If that all works, you could look for a new bumper and cover. I don't know if you'll get a body shop to perform that low a level of work.
petervivian
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Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 2:52 am
Location: AR

Re: Totaled, or rebuildable?

Post by petervivian »

Why doesn’t the insurence company give people a choice of getting a check or getting the car fixed?
05 Vibe (Frosty), 13 VW CC (Fortana Red)
andrewclaus
Posts: 482
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2017 6:38 pm
Location: Golden, CO

Re: Totaled, or rebuildable?

Post by andrewclaus »

Sometimes repairing makes no sense at all, and I get that because I'm a repairman. I deal with that every day with homeowners--repair or replace? Often it's a no-brainer, like spending $4000 to fix a car that might be worth $2500 when you're done. The problem here is agreeing on the insurance value with a large, faceless company.

A couple of years ago I had a similar experience to the OP, but I was very happy with the settlement. The adjuster gave me extra money for the newer tires and some accessories that were ruined, too. I got more than the car was worth on the local market, which was flooded at the time with similar cars (an older Prius). So it's not all bad stories. We won't talk about how my premium increased.

In that case I was also tempted for a moment to buy the car back and try to fix it myself, but I realized the best result would only have been a good beater commuter car. Since I wasn't commuting and had no use for a car like that, I took the money. Hopefully someone else got it at auction to do the same thing.
ChrisW
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2014 6:21 am

Re: Totaled, or rebuildable?

Post by ChrisW »

Since the collision was such that the passenger door no longer opens, that is probably enough to total it. The insurance amount does seem low. If you have any receipts for major repairs done in the last 6-12 months, you may be able to get it adjusted higher.

I hit a deer with my '03 Vibe GT last November. The passenger door wouldn't open and it was totaled. :x However my settlement was okay and I found yet another '03 Vibe. (Number 4!) Another GT too.
Caretaker

Re: Totaled, or rebuildable?

Post by Caretaker »

The car is totaled if damages are more than value, it is done. If my insurance company came to me and said that they were giving me $1000 for an operational car which has (prior to the accident) resale value, money poured into it for maintenance which surely costs more than $1000, and others, I'd be first saying to my insurance company: "you will be suing the other company for compensation, correct?" If the answer is no, then your next comment will be that you need to hire a lawyer and sue. Not only can you NOT replace a car in that condition (prior to the accident) for $1000, you also are out of the ability to get to work and earn a living, get groceries, drive to doctor's appointments. See where I'm going with this. This is pain and suffering pure and simple. These companies cannot make us pay insurance on $300,000/$500,000/$300,000 for liability, collision, etc and then cut us a check for $1000. If the other person is at fault, your insurance company should be going to bat for you. I'm not a suing person..............I have never sued anyone...............I'd sue.

A 98 year old man walks across the street and gets hit by a car while he was in the crosswalk, crossing with the light properly. The police write a report and verify that the driver was to blame. The man's insurance company cuts their 98 year old policy holder a check for $1000 since he is old and going to die soon anyway. No matter that he can't walk to the grocery store or to the doctor for a few months. Seriously????
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vibrologist
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Re: Totaled, or rebuildable?

Post by vibrologist »

With the alignment unaffected it looks fixable to me. I'd have a body shop check what 's keeping the passenger door from opening. Probably the fender. I would bend the radiator support back as good as possible and have the front pulled back to make the hood line up again.
I also think they should give you at least 2 grand.
Vibrologist
'05 Vibe

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joatmon
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Location: SMC MD

Re: Totaled, or rebuildable?

Post by joatmon »

I wonder what effect the first accident might have on the next. Modern cars are designed to sacrifice themselves to protect people inaide. If this accident damaged or weakened something designed to crumple, it might offer diminished protection if there is a next impact.

Didn't see where you said if anyone was in the Vibe when it got hit, if so I hope they're ok.
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