I caused a rear end collision at an intersection, the victims turn signal was not on and we both came to a slowing crash into each other. neither airbags in either vehicle’s were deployed and I have little to no damage on the front bumper of my car… is it likely I damaged his frame and totaled his car even at the low rate of speed?
You were driving a Dodge Dart.
But we don’t know the vehicle you hit.
So, it’s impossible to say
Tester
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Such an outcome is definitely possible given the high cost of car repair. If you feel totaling the car isn’t justified, maybe you can make a deal w/the insurance company to buy it from them and hire your own mechanic to do the repairs. Then you’ll have two cars.
BTW, I’m puzzled by your TDLR starting this thread, as there’s nothing to read above it … 
good point haha, i hit a 2007 infinity g35 while coming to an abrupt stop behind him. an officer on scene initially valued the incident at less than $1,000 and now he’s sending me estimates upwards of 3-5 grand
I edited the post thank you man, neither of us were insured at the time (stupid i know) and it’s fallen on us to come to and agreed upon price or he’s threatened to take legal action on me. I’m just trying to be sure i pay for what I damaged but not buy this dude a whole car if not necessary
Ask the owner if they got three different estimates from three different body shops.
And is that the lowest estimate.
Tester
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i had asked to him to get 3 and they were places i’m familiar with however the estimates are taking into consideration his blown gaskets, rack n pinion etc and i’m not sure how exactly i could’ve done that. i’m not a mechanic though so i’m working with what info i have
It’s their burden to prove that the accident caused damage to those systems.
If they can’t, they have no claim for those damages.
In other words?
BOOOOOOGUS!
Tester
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My guess, the best path forward for you is to hire your own mechanic to do an inspection. They’ll provide an inspection report which has their opinion of what damage the collision caused and what was already there before the collusion. Then at least you’ll have something concrete to go on. Without that report in hand, both you and the other driver are disagreeing about speculations.
BTW, the same strategy I mentioned above remains applicable. If their side believes the car is unrepairable, and your side believes it is, offer to buy it from them. They may quickly change their tune.
The guy was driving a 14 year old car with no insurance and he can’t afford those repairs so he sees an opportunity to bilk someone into paying for them. You.
There is no way a comparatively minor rear end hit is going to cause any kind of blown gasket, fluid leaks in the engine compartment, or problems with the rack and pinion. A 1000 dollar estimate is barely a scratch when it comes to auto body repairs.
Your only responsibility is to cover the actual rear damage to his car; nothing more.
He threatens legal action. Big deal. You have not been served with any summons yet so do not worry about it at this point.
I can see him meeting with a lawyer now. When the lawyer hears you were not insured he will quite likely say sorry no can do. With no insurance involved the lawyer would likely want a very sizeable retainer to proceed with action against you and I doubt the guy is going to have that.
Lawyers like to bleed insurance companies; not people who are not insured unless they have very sizeable assets.
He can sue you but all he gets is a judgement. Enforcing that judgement is far more difficult than getting it.
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Maybe you could hire an independent agent to work the deal out. Someone that has experience in claims. That’s one thing about having insurance, it comes with free representation.
As far as cost, a few years ago a lady backed into my Pontiac in a drive through. So the damage was a new bumper cover, headlight, a little fender and hood damage and painting. After all was said and done with the emblems and so on, the total was $3000. Doesn’t take much.
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Thank you for the help, and to everyone else who commented for taking the time, this community has been extremely helpful! I appreciate you guys
It does not say in this thread but both drivers should have gotten citations for failure to have insurance .
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In my state, as I understand it, drivers license is suspend when insurance lapses.
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They would have in my state.
Same in my state.
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What if you sell your car but need a drivers license for employment?
In Nevada liability insurance is linked to the vehicle registration.
That goes without saying. No car, no insurance required. You can not insure something that does not exist.
yes you are correct that both of us should have been cited at the time of the incident, but due to the officer’s initial estimate of damage being less than $1,000 he cut is both a break and just did and Police report acknowledging and information exchange, it should also be known that at the time the police arrived we had pulled onto a privately owned lot so that is a possible reason he didn’t issue tickets at the time. i just can’t comprehend how the officer didn’t file the paperwork for personal property damage over $1,000 and sent us both on out way saying to “figure it out” and then all of his estimates are within the 3-5 thousand dollar range
I own 5 cars that are not insured, does not affect my drivers license.
in NY its both. suspension of your registration and license. and possible civil penalty. according to my insurance policy.