Hit and Run

Hello,

Yesterday morning I woke up to find that my street parked Mitsubishi Mirage had been hit by another car who left the scene(obvousily filled with the scum of the earth). There was damage to the rear driver side axel, cosmetic damage to the fender and door, and since the impact moved the car against the curve the rear passenger side axel was also bent. I had a body shop look at it and since the blue book value of the car is around $2,200 he told me that the car was totaled. I just want to verify with you guys to see if this sounds reasonable. Also what would be the smartest way to get rid of a car that besides the accident damage is in perfect condition (engine, transmission, A/C, PW, PL, Airbags, etc.).

Thanks

check with your insurance agent…usually repair costs exceeding 50% of value results in car being considered totaled.

Personally I would get a quote to see how much to repair it if you only carry liability insurance if still drivable. Then you can really sit back and see if you want to repair or move on.

Sorry about your situation.

It might be worth $2200. What year and trim level is your Mirage, and how many miles are on it? Also, what options are on it? Remember that it’s replacement value, not trade value, that you are interested in.

Your insurer can tell you that. Why did you talk to a repair shop first?

Two bent axels on a car that is in otherwise “excellent condition” totals it? Think this over, with using the cheapest parts (salvage possibly) and a independant garage. I am suprised that the body shop did not offer to “take it off your hands”.

How old is the car and how many miles are on it? if it is 8-9 years and about 100,000 miles it will not book for much. Oldschool suggested using LKQ/salvage parts but finding them for a Mirage will be easy said than done. Most shops will make 3-5 phone calls from their favorite suppliers and after that most will stop, especially on a model like this, no offense intended, there are not many of these running around.

As far as getting rid of it, that would normally be the responsibility of the insurance company. They would settle with you as far as value owed to you and then they would contact someone to remove the vehicle to a salvage yard. If for some reason the insurance company leaves it up to you then call salvage yards ASAP and hopefully they will buy the vehicle, it will not be for much, and have them remove it. A body shop can and will charge storage for letting a t/loss sit and it is legitimate. My area charges about $20 a day outside. On highway 80 which runs west out of Chicago, those tow yards and b/shops get $45 a day (what a rip).

You didn’t mention whether you called the police or insurance co. for an inspection and report BEFORE you moved the vehicle. Damage that much would lead me to believe you couldn’t have driven it.

If the police have a report they can take a sample of paint of the culprits’ car (From your damaged one) and keep an ear open for someone trying to get a damaged vehicle fixed.

I

You don’t say what type of insurance you have, but I’m betting on liability only. That means that YOU get to pay for any fix on the car. NOW, go to www.car-part.com and see what the parts are worth to make it safe to drive. Find an indy garage, body shop, or school shop (that may work for free) that can install the axle(S?). Obviously that won’t straighten the body, but at least you’ll have something to drive while you look for the scum that hit your car, or another car, whichever comes first.

I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH ROADRUNNER!!!
Did you file a report with the police. The other guy had to limp away from it. ALSO ASK YOUR NEIGHBORS IF THEY SAW OR HEARD ANYTHING!!! Did you not hear anything?

This is something completely stupid and useless and boils my blood. Innocent people like you having to deal with this. They were probably drunk or stoned!

Good luck with this mess!!! I feel for you.
JP#3
Your next vehicle should be a 1988 F-350, even if it don’t run, the hit-and-runners won’t walk away! LOL

Look for plastic parts which may have serial numbers on them. I helped the police catch someone who hit my neighbor’s car by matching body part numbers with identifying numbers on them, matched color and waited for someone to show up at a body shop in the area. Took a little while, but worked. Rocketman

It’s more like 80%…and some insurance companies…90%.

Don’t some states require Hit and Run insurance coverage, even for “liability-only” insurance. Ask your insurance company, if any.

Hello,
I would like to thank everybody for your help. I did report it to the police but the policemen did not even get out of their car. So they did not really investigate anything. But there was some bearings from the other vehicle lying around my car. Anyways since It was an old car I did not have the type of insurance that would cover my car.
The car is a Mitsubishi Mirage 2000, with 84K miles on it. Everything else works just fine with the exception of the rear axels.
Thanks

There might be some state laws concerning this but for the most part it is the insurance company guidelines that determine this. I have totaled cars for one particular company that consistently totaled at 50%. Some even totaled at 100% but most of the time it was 75%.