I was in a wreck Friday night and I’m curious what you guys feel this would be classified as. Totaled or repairable. All vehicles are repairable, mostly, however, hidden damage and issues with mechanical, AC, etc is what I’m concerned about if they deem it repairable. I’m not sure what market value was Friday night at 5pm for a 2012 Toyota Camry, but I wouldn’t imagine it going down that much. Pictures are attached.
That would be considered totaled.
What the hell did you hit?
Tester
I’m on the fence on this one. I would want to see under the hood before deciding.
But what we think isn’t as important as what the insurance company thinks.
From what I have seen, when airbags are involved, there is major inclination to total the car. Getting them right is a bit tricky apparently.
Hope you are fine yourself.
Not an expert, but I’d guess the insurance company will probably say it is totaled. Assuming it is consistent with the terms of your policy, they’ll give you a check for the value of the car, and tow it away and it will be sold for it’s parts. Which if you think about it, makes running an insurance company a pretty good deal. They get all the premiums paid, then when an accident happens they get the owner’s damaged car and sell it for parts, and probably make back most or even more than the claim.
But all that doesn’t prevent you from purchasing it back from them. Many insurance companies will sell it back to the owner at a very reasonable price, in the name of customer relations. People get attached to their cars, so this happens from time to time. But you as the owner have to be careful doing this, as the car’s VIN will have been tagged as “totaled”. So there’s probably some effort and $$ involved to be able to insure it again after it is repaired. The insurance company will be concerned it isn’t a safe car to drive on the road after being “totaled”.
You have got to be joking. This is totaled. Period. The unibody is badly buckled and everything forward of (as well as stuff aft of) the A-pillar, in essence the entire front end, is totally destroyed… including the powertrain. The “clip” would have to include everything forward of the B-pillar.
Thank your lucky stars that you’re still here to ask the question.
@RL45401
Did It Run And Move After The Collision?
Do Both Front Doors Operate, OK? Are they damaged?
Windshield broken/cracked?
Any Subtle Wrinkles In The Roof?
The mileage might come into play. How Many miles on it? Was it in “like new” or excellent condition?
I hope you had insurance and I hope you started doing your homework searching for similar (make, model, model-year, mileage, condition, equipment) cars for sale at retail prices from car lots. Print out any and all similar vehicles in case the insurance company declares it a total and pays to replace it. You’ll learn if you are getting a fair settlement. It can be negotiable.
Oh, and don’t forget to include taxes, title/registration fees, too. Those of part of the loss incurred if it is a total. Also, receipts for any new stuff, like tires, maintenance, etcetera.
Do you want it saved? Sometimes that matters if it’s close.
CSA
@“common sense answer”
Did It Run And Move After The Collision?
Do Both Front Doors Operate, OK? Are they damaged?
Windshield broken/cracked?
Any Subtle Wrinkles In The Roof?
I didn’t notice any signs that the roof had subtle wringles, if you will.
The windshield, prior to the wreck, had a crack above the driver side.
The bumper, prior to the wreck also had a large strip of paint missing, more toward the driver side. You can see it in the photos. The bumper clips were also broke on the side prior to the accident.
The car was dead, would not start but the battery may have died or disconnected.
The mileage was at 66,262.
As far as if I want it saved…I called my finance company today and my payoff was $17,746.25…on a 2012 Toyota Camry. After hearing that, starting from scratch wouldn’t be a bad thing, in my opinion.
I do have GAP insurance through ClassicTrak which was done at the dealership when I bought it in April.
So, with all of that info…thoughts?
Paint missing on bumper cover, bumper cover clips missing, crack in windshield before this accident. Keep that info to yourself. I may be out of line but it sounds like you need to improve your driving skills.
@Tester, I was on the highway going 70, with the flow of traffic. A guy swerved in front of the the Jeep Wrangler in front of me. The guys in front of the “Mystery Swerve guy” slammed on their brakes and he bailed out of the line leaving the Jeep Wrangler to slam on his brakes and me too. I slammed into him and the chain began. 4 cars in all. Every car had a scratch, barely, except for the Jeep. He had no scratches or anything wrong in the front OR the rear. Just a trailer hitch bent slightly. My car is the one that well…as you see…took the heat.
@“VOLVO V70” As my first accident ever and I’ve been driving for 20 years. I think that’s pretty good, no? The crack in the windshield came from a rock off of a dump truck in front of me and the bumper clips and pain strip was removed due to a car wash. So…am I missing something, sir?
I think they are going to repair it. Be sure to let us know, OK.
That’s quite a bit of damage, so I’m glad you’re okay.
I’m afraid I do need to point out that if you hit someone because they slammed on their brakes then you were following too closely, so keep that in mind for the future.
I’m also on the fence on this without being able to check the subframe, strut towers, and so on but my gut feeling is that it’s a total.
A lot of the force from the impact will be transmitted back through the firewall, floor pan, etc and repairing it could get extremely expensive.
Much could depend upon the state you live in. Here in OK if the repair costs meet or exceed 60% of the actual car value (real value, not retail) the car would be declared a total.
From the looks of that I’d say the 60% has been easily met.
Thankfully you’re ok because that’s a pretty substantial impact.
Some years ago on the way home from work on a Friday evening while on my BMW motorcycle some jackass pulled the same stunt on me. This tofu eating yuppie wheeled his Porsche over in front of a Chevy pickup on the interstate and slammed on his brakes. The pickup locked 'em up as did I and the Porsche guy whipped into the other lane and kept going.
The center of the lane is coated with oil residue and the last thing I remember before sliding into the back of the Chevy truck and getting knocked cold was thinking, “Dammit; I’m going to bust up my Beemer…”.
"I think they are going to repair it. Be sure to let us know, OK. "
Keith could be correct. I can’t do photos very well. I can’t tell if the front-end “submarined,” because of hard braking, and took most of the hit high, as opposed to taking it right at bumper height.
The falling off parts don’t scare me and the bunched up hood, not too much. Battery smashed? Normal. The air bag definitely adds to repair cost, but I believe similar cars still carry a handsome retail value.
“The mileage was at 66,262.”
That sounds pretty average, too me.
What’s one of these worth on a sales lot? (My computer takes forever to search that stuff.)
@RL45401
Do Both Front Doors Operate, OK? Are they damaged?
Did all of the coolant (anti-freeze leak out?)
Oh, and I won’t offer any driving advice, as you didn’t ask for any, probably don’t need any.
CSA
@ok4450 It’s 75% in Alabama from what I understand. I’m very thankful I had on my seat belt. I’ve heard some say I was “following too close”. Well, when we’re all going 70, with the flow of traffic, on a busy Friday night at rush hour…avoiding this scenario is pretty tough. No one received a ticket. The cop, when distributing the insurance information sheets to the 4 of us involved, the cop gave me the guy at the very front of the line, and the guy I hit. Gave the guy I hit my information, that guys the guy in front and so forth. So I guess I’ll see what the report says Tuesday.
Many Years Ago I Managed A Body Shop At A Car Dealer…
A couple of times, customers had heavily damaged cars and didn’t really want them fixed, but rather replaced. Plus, they didn’t want to wait that long, sometimes weeks.
So, I can’t remember the details, but the car was basically traded-in to our New Car Department and the customer drove off in a new car. The Body Shop fixed the car and returned it to the Used Car lot to sell. Insurance somehow helped make this happen.
It was a coordinated event and the Owner, New Car Dept, Used Car Dept, and the Insurance company were satisfied.
CSA
@“common sense answer” Yes, all of the coolant leaked. I remember seeing steam or smoke of the sorts. Common, I’m sure.
The doors opened fine.
Around the area, they are going for around $12,000 according to True Car for comps. Looking NADAGuides and KBB…
NADA: $10,700
KBB: $11,692
So 75% of 10-12K is probably 8 or 9K to repair
I also think it could go either way
My opinion . . . if the insurance wants to total it, don’t argue
And you are prepared, because you have gap insurance
You’ll be just fine, except for when your rates jump
But if they want to fix, I’d be very careful. Make sure everything works and fits properly after the repair.
"But if they want to fix, I’d be very careful. Make sure everything works and fits properly after the repair."
Good advice.
The car owner can choose the repair facility. Some (most) insurance companies will “steer” customers to a certain shop or shops. Owners can agree or not.
My major insurer “steers” customers to a few shops in my area, ones that have a high rating from them and are “preferred.” The shops do quality work and take care of customers. To sweeten the deal, my insurance company gives a lifetime warranty on paint and repairs for people choosing these shops. They will work through any concerns. It’s not all bad.
CSA