Assessment of Car value after rear end collision

Maintenance/Repairs
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Appraiser from the Insurance Company estimated it takes approximately 8K to fix the damages assuming use of generic car parts instead of Toyota’s. So a decision was made to total the car. We are offered 5.2k as trade in value of the car. Thank you for your timely suggestions, I appreciate it.

Now we are shopping for a new used car. We are considering Nissan Rogue, Toyota Corolla/Camry/Rav4. I appreciate your thoughts on any of these cars. My preference is to buy a certified car to have peace of mind at least few years from the date of purchase.
Any tips on how to negotiate with Car dealers?

Thanks,
AK

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The certification of a used car isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. My advice is to get any used car, certified or not, thoroughly inspected by your mechanic on your dime, to remove any conflict of interest. There is no substitute for this type of inspection, so don’t let any used car salesperson talk you out of it.

2 Likes
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Some of these vehicles are very different

Corolla is a small sedan, Camry is mid-sized sedan, I suppose Rogue and RAV4 might serve the same needs

You are wise, in that all of them have a high reliability rating :+1:

How old of a car are you planning on buying . . . if only 2 or 3 years old, for example, you might be better off spending a little more and getting new. There are always rebates, incentives, etc. on new cars. And you’ll have new car warranty for 3 years, I believe. Not so with used cars

By the way, is there a reason you’re not considering a Civic or Accord?

Hyundai and Kia lose value quite rapidly, versus Toyota and Honda. That’s something to consider, when shopping for a used car. Might find a good deal. And they make pretty good cars, almost as good as those other brands I just mentioned

I would be a little more wary of buying a Nissan sedan. Personally, I feel they’re not built quite as well. I just mentioned that, because you mentioned the Nissan Rogue.

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“How old of a car are you planning on buying . . . if only 2 or 3 years old, for example, you might be better off spending a little more and getting new. There are always rebates, incentives, etc. on new cars. And you’ll have new car warranty for 3 years, I believe. Not so with used cars”

I am okay to buy a 3- 4 years old car. The reason I am considering 3-4 years old car is that a car gets cheaper with every year. My budget for a car purchase is 10-15 k. 10k is ideal budget, 15k is a stretch. A new Toyota car may cost more than my budget.

“By the way, is there a reason you’re not considering a Civic or Accord?”- No reason, really. I did not see many Accords/Civics in my Car Shopping today. I am open to considering those too, just that did not mention them in my earlier post.

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You’re on the right track with the next car shopping, it really depends on which one you like more and fits your needs, the Rogue I know about from friends with 2014 and newer models which have been very reliable,A co-worker of mine had her Dodge Durango totaled in a freak storm and found a late model used Toyota Rav4 from the local dealer since the time limit on her rental from the insurance company was about up (they gave her 10 days to find the replacement)

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Key word: offered

Don’t cash that check. That settlement is negotiable. Also, you’ve mentioned trade-in value. You weren’t trading the car in when you were rear-ended. Forget trade-in and look at retail prices of comparable make, model, equipment, miles, condition, etcetera.

You should be given enough money to be able to go buy a car just like your car. Oh, and I believe they need to cover you for sales tax, registration, etcetera.
However, keep in mind that they will deduct for the salvage value (scrap value) of your wrecked car, but if you let them keep it that shouldn’t change things for you.

Find some cars that are very similar to your car (before the collision, of course) and print out the ads.
It behooves you to find similar cars on the higher end of prices.

If you have receipts for any fairly recent maintenance on the car, tires, battery, etcetera, you can enhance the value of your car for the negotiation.

I have had to total out 3 cars, none were my fault. I never accepted the settlement that was offered. I had to educate the adjuster and bring him/her up to speed so we could reach an amicable agreement. I have always been very happy with the negotiated settlement.

The adjuster needs to have some kind of documentation to show your car was worth more than that original offer, justification. My insurance company actually had a checklist for that. I believe I found it online. All you have to do is provide the information and expect results. Be consistent, persistent, and insistent.

Browse through these little beauties…
https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listings/toyota/prius/year-2005/
CSA

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Car is worth 5200? And damage is 8000? What is scrap value if you decide to buy it? There are many high value parts on car. Engine, trans, elec drive system, battery pack, a/c system, radiator, wheels, seats, stereo.

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All of those cars you mention would make for a good choice imo. It’s more important that the car you decide to buy passes your mechanic’s pre-purchase inspection rather than the specific make/model/year – at least in that price range. Suggest to focus on getting a good sample rather than the branding. Were I looking for a car in that price range I’d be looking mostly at Corollas, Camry’s, Fits, Civics, Ford Focusses & Escorts, and Mazda M3’s. I’d also consider the Nissan models, but I’d be careful on those to look up what Consumer Reports says about their reliability. In general when choosing a car, avoiding hi-tech gadgetry to the extent you can will improve reliability and lower future repair and maintenance costs. Likewise, a manual transmission is usually the lower cost option both at first and in the maintenance and repair phase later. If you can live without AC, that’s another feature that comes with high repair costs. Be sure to take a look at the Rental Car company (Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, etc) used car sale lots, especially if you prefer an automatic and some extra gizmo options, they tend to offer pretty good bang for the buck.

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I think they will total the car because its value is between 1.7K and 2.9K. The bumper cover alone is probably $700 amd then there is the cost iof straightening the frame that it attached to. Similarly it looks like you’ll need a LR quarter panel and again straightening the frame that it attached too. Probably $1800 and then there is the trunk.
If you find a way to just replace the bumper cover I would first take it to an alignment shop and have them check alignment of the rear wheels. If good and you don’t care what the car looks like then just fix the bumper.
Dan

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That has already been stated that vehicle was declared totaled by insurance and they are looking at replacement vehicles.

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Thank you. We purchased a pre owned 2016 Corolla from a dealer.

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Good for you. That car should serve you well.

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Thank you. I agree it is a good car, The only concern I have with it so far is the engine makes revving noise when accelerating from 0 to 25 mph which the car dealer says is due to CVT transmission. My previous car (Prius) used to be smooth. I have to get used to the sound with the CVT.

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If you think there is something wrong, test drive another 2016 Corolla and see if it behaves the same way. I drove a 2017 Honda Accord with a CVT, and it behaved seamlessly. I realize it is a different vehicle and even brand, but if Honda can provide a CVT that behaves the same throughout the power band, Toyota should be able to as well.

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The OP bought a 2016 Corolla so why would they drive a Prius for comparison ?

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Good point! I misread the latest OP post. I’ll edit the post above to make it right.

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I am pretty sure there is nothing wrong. We have a 2005 or 2006 Prius in our fleet at work, and it revs the engine a lot due to the CVT transmission.

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I concur, that’s probably normal. If you require the functionality of an automatic transmission, a CVT is a reasonable choice.