Wife totalled her car, maybe

[bigsilly]

Well my wife had an accident on the way to pick the kids up from school yesterday. She has a 2008 GMC Acadia. Her airbag deployed and the front end took a pretty good lick and the radiator looked to be toast, it was leaking fluid everywhere. When she called the claim in to the insurance company they told her it sounded like a total loss, actually kind of crossing my fingers that it is.

I have never had a vehicle totaled, my question is how do they go about determining the value that you get out of it? We still owe a little on it as we bought it used a couple of years ago, but I put down a good chunk on it and have a decent amount of equity. I just want to make sure I get a fair price for it if it is a total loss. I pulled and printed some vehicles like hers in a 500 mile radius to see what they are asking for them on the dealer lots.

 

[muddinmetal]

Most companies actually give you slightly ABOVE KBB private party. Believe it or not

 

[Molly Hatchet]

Most well know companies use NADA retail. Its one of the highest valuation guides out there if not the highest. If that's not what they use You'll need to ask for it. If you need help determining it PM me your year, make, model, miles, and options and I can look it up for you for free. or the Vin and mile.

 

[TacomaJD]

Hopefully they total it for you, and glad the wife wasn't hurt badly in the crash! I'd absolutely hate having a nice never wrecked vehicle then crashing it and having to get it repaired vs. being totalled. **** would never set right with me knowing that my once new vehicle now has a wreck history. And may or may not have all sorts of problems out of it in the future. Especially if it suffered any suspension or frame damage. Good luck with everything!

 

[ALLJ]

I have fixed wrecked cars for a living over 35 years and 99% of the time the insurance company will be fair on the settlement with you and most of the time will actually pay a little more unless someone is being unreasonable with them sounds like the advantage you have in this situation is not alot is owed on the vehicle 90% of people are so upside down there is no way they can come out on a vehicle being totaled. Its all going to come down to the amount of damage you have vs what the vehicle is worth I see it everyday I will get a phone call my car is torn all to pieces its TOTALED ! the police officer told me it was ! and my favorite one my next door neighbor said it was too ! so dont get your hopes up until the body shop or the insurance adjuster writes the estimate then you will know for sure.

 

[muddinmetal]

I have fixed wrecked cars for a living over 35 years and 99% of the time the insurance company will be fair on the settlement with you and most of the time will actually pay a little more unless someone is being unreasonable with them sounds like the advantage you have in this situation is not alot is owed on the vehicle 90% of people are so upside down there is no way they can come out on a vehicle being totaled. Its all going to come down to the amount of damage you have vs what the vehicle is worth I see it everyday I will get a phone call my car is torn all to pieces its TOTALED ! the police officer told me it was ! and my favorite one my next door neighbor said it was too ! so dont get your hopes up until the body shop or the insurance adjuster writes the estimate then you will know for sure.

^^^^^^^ A GMC Acadia has a hell of a resale value.... It'd take A HELL OF A LICK to total it. I'm doubting there is 10k worth of damage. $6800 is my out of left field guess and it may be way high at that

 

[bigsilly]

I have fixed wrecked cars for a living over 35 years and 99% of the time the insurance company will be fair on the settlement with you and most of the time will actually pay a little more unless someone is being unreasonable with them sounds like the advantage you have in this situation is not alot is owed on the vehicle 90% of people are so upside down there is no way they can come out on a vehicle being totaled. Its all going to come down to the amount of damage you have vs what the vehicle is worth I see it everyday I will get a phone call my car is torn all to pieces its TOTALED ! the police officer told me it was ! and my favorite one my next door neighbor said it was too ! so dont get your hopes up until the body shop or the insurance adjuster writes the estimate then you will know for sure.

Thanks guys. Yeah if it is totaled I should come out okay and have a very nice down payment for another one.

Yeah I have never totaled a vehicle before, and I know I have seen some before that there was no way I figured it was and they totaled them. It will be interesting to see what they say about it. Body shop called a little while ago and said they were going to get it torn down for the adjuster to come look at it tomorrow. I am really wondering what they will find when they start taking parts off. From what I could see the front bumper, all lights, both fenders, hood, radiator, and drivers door all had damage and most parts looked beyond repair. Her drivers door did not really want to open or close good. And the driver side air bag deployed. Just from looking at it there was quite a lot of damage.

 

[Molly Hatchet]

If the cost to repair is more than 50 to 55% of the value they'll total it. Its not worth the liability to them plus they can get some back in salvage.

 

[June dog]

In Kentucky it takes 75% of the vehicle value. Ohio it takes 100% :****:.. You would be surprised what it takes now a days to total a new car. In ky they subtract the air bag value. The air bags and components won't total one. I work at a collision center here in ky. If you car is fixed right there's nothing wrong a wreck. Hell 90% of the cars on the car lots have been wrecked or had some sort of paint work done to them. We work on one or two a month that get damaged in transport and I bet the new buyer never knows anything about it.

 

[Bones]

In Kentucky it takes 75% of the vehicle value. Ohio it takes 100% :****:.. You would be surprised what it takes now a days to total a new car. In ky they subtract the air bag value. The air bags and components won't total one. I work at a collision center here in ky. If you car is fixed right there's nothing wrong a wreck. Hell 90% of the cars on the car lots have been wrecked or had some sort of paint work done to them. We work on one or two a month that get damaged in transport and I bet the new buyer never knows anything about it.

Buyer may never know, but they SHOULD know. Then again that would mean a dealer would have to be honest and that's few and far between

 

[June dog]

I agree that they should tell them, or have to tell them. I would be pissed to buy a new car then find out it had been worked on.

 

[TacomaJD]

Thanks guys. Yeah if it is totaled I should come out okay and have a very nice down payment for another one.

Yeah I have never totaled a vehicle before, and I know I have seen some before that there was no way I figured it was and they totaled them.

My dad has done body / mechanic work and bought and sold wrecked cars my whole life from insurance salvage auctions all over GA, TN, and AL. I've seen him bring in nice vehicles that literally had no inner structure / core support damage, and all it took to fix it was simple bolt on things like a new grill, one headlight assembly, and a fender.....and them be totalled. Maybe they'll hook you up and go ahead and total it.

And also, damage in transport usually means cosmetic damage, i.e. scratches, skints, scuffs, and dents. Lot different than being involved in a crash.....unless it fell off a car hauler on the way to the lot or the truck driver fell asleep and rolled the car hauler off in the ditch.

When you have a head on crash vehicle and it hit something so hard that the trunk lid doesn't even line up and close properly, then there's where the good and the bad body shops are weeded out from each other. Not every body shop around does a spot on job at fixing some of the serious things like that. I've sene first hand work of several body shops around here and there's usually one or two things that I can easily point out after they are finished with it that isn't right.

 

[InDaShop]

I'd buy that **** back and just put miles on it. Get her a new ride, park your current truck, and daily that hooker.

 

[wont work]

I'd buy that **** back and just put miles on it. Get her a new ride, park your current truck, and daily that hooker.

.
Do this. I got rear ended when i was 16 in my moms maxima that was almost new. They totalled it out and we bought it back dirt cheap and put a rear half on the car. We drive that car like an indy car and put over 300,000 on it with only oil changes.

My grandpa owned a body shop for nearly 40 years until he retired and like said above it may look bad but it can be fixed for cheaper than it looks sometimes. If you just have to have it totalled talk to your insurance agent about it and it can usually be done

 

[ALLJ]

Keep in mind if you buy it back you are going to have to fix it on the money they pay you ! if you are sure the shop thats gonna repair it has seen everything thats damaged it is not uncommon to find damage after teardown if not then your on your own the insurance company is not going to pay you more once you settle the claim and you will end up with a salvage title also I would check and see what the process is getting it legal to drive again it is possible that you will have to have it inspected by the state before you can get a tag for it this may mean it has to be built back by a licensed rebuilder and another thing to consider is getting insurance coverage on it after its built back even just liability Im not saying dont do it I bought my Jeep LJ from Daveys Jeeps in Ohio with a salvage title and built it back but there was alot of paperwork involved just some things to think about check into it and see if it will work in your situation

 

[yankster]

Backhalf, turbo, and rockwells. Nuff said.

 

[bigsilly]

Little update here. I have no intentions of buying it back and having it fixed. I did go by the shop on the way to work this morning and they had it torn down. When I talked to the guy at the body shop yesterday before they started tearing it down he said it looked fixable to him. When we walked back to look at it this morning that was the first time he had seen it since it had been taken apart and he started to change his mind. The subframe and cross member took a hell of a hit and it bent everything to the drivers side. It will be interesting to see what the adjuster says today when he takes a look at it. While we were looking at it a guy walked up I went to high school with that is a body man at the shop and he looked at it and asked if it was mine. Told him it was my wife's and he said it did not look fixable to him either. So we will see I guess.

 

[bigsilly]

Well just got the call from adjuster. It is a total loss. He said there was quite a bit of structural damage. Time to start shopping for another car now.

 

[kmcminn]

Good to Hear

 

[TacomaJD]

Well just got the call from adjuster. It is a total loss. He said there was quite a bit of structural damage. Time to start shopping for another car now.

Good to hear man, best case scenerio