Crunch!
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 25,889
Likes: 7
From: Virginia Beach
CI 3-5-6-7-8 Veteran
- Initial damage estimate
- Expected supplemental estimate
- Expected salvage value
- Expected diminished value claim
- Rental car cost (only if you're the claimant)
If the sum of the above components is over 100% of the market value of the car it will be totalled. I used to be a GEICO adjuster for a few years. Also, my mothers '99 was totalled a few weeks back by Allstate and constructing the total loss got it taken care of. She had a $12.5k estimate on a car worth 19-20k. Allstate factored in the other items to justify a total loss and she took her $20k check and went and got a 2007 CLS550 benz.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 25,009
Likes: 2,707
From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
Last year I had a similar crash, though the cause was a geezer who pulled out in front of me. Fired the driver's airbag, slightly bent the frame up at the front. Destroyed the bumper, both fenders, hood and liner, both headlights, lots of little stuff inside the front. Surprisingly, didn't damage the radiator because it sits inside the frame. Total cost was about $16k, so they didn't total it. Bummer.
Instructor
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 180
Likes: 0
From: Cleveland Ohio
First of all I am glad your wife is well. Secondly, thats funny. I think Obama had that stopped as part of GM's restructuring plan...On star only calls when there is money in it for GM...
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 177
Likes: 0
Just because the insurance company doesn’t total it, you can still treat it as totaled. My 94 Vette was four years old when a large box truck changed lanes sending us head-on into a concrete abutment. The initial estimate to fix it was about 15.5k but I didn’t figure I’d be happy with the results. I took the 15.5K and wrecked Vette and sold it to a salvage yard for 10K. Since it wasn’t officially totaled, a salvage title was not applied thus enhancing the salvage value and ease of selling it.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 14,006
Likes: 26
From: JawJa
Glad your wife's ok. Hope it turns out for the Z and btw . . . what pizza delivery boy was it?
Same thing happen to me years ago, as I was getting ready to head out of town on a fun vacation. We're going about 45 mph on a two lane (one way) and this little dumbass punk kid cuts over from his right hand lane, right across my front to take the street on my left. No time for me to even try and avoid him and he got bumped up on the sidewalk in front of one of our nice homes downtown. Jackass told the cop that I hit him from behind. Cop did the same thing. In court, the judge looked at him and said the reason I don't believe you is that the same thing happened to me last week. Guilty as charged!!! Little dumbass still messed up my great Florida trip.
Same thing happen to me years ago, as I was getting ready to head out of town on a fun vacation. We're going about 45 mph on a two lane (one way) and this little dumbass punk kid cuts over from his right hand lane, right across my front to take the street on my left. No time for me to even try and avoid him and he got bumped up on the sidewalk in front of one of our nice homes downtown. Jackass told the cop that I hit him from behind. Cop did the same thing. In court, the judge looked at him and said the reason I don't believe you is that the same thing happened to me last week. Guilty as charged!!! Little dumbass still messed up my great Florida trip.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,673
Likes: 9
From: Upstate New York
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,999
Likes: 2
Thanks. Air bags deployed and she was in remakable shape. Actually took it quite well. I'll tell you, when I looked in the mirror and saw what happened it took about 2 or 3 seconds to process. That was the strange part. We will see if totaled. I am going to the yard tomorrow to take some pictures. Another concern I had was that Onstar never went off. I thought that when air bags deployed they contacted the FBI or notified Obama or something. I guess I'll call them in the morning and see if I can get some answers. Oh well, can't change the past - only look to the future and live in the moment.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 19,574
Likes: 167
From: Frederick, MD
Airbags deploying doesn't mean anything just that the cost of repair went up about $1-2k per bag. With an 08 Vette there will have to be around $30k of damage (they go by our dream value of the car not trade-in) so the whole front end could be destroyed and as long as they can straighten it up it'll probably be fixable. Of course your car's value just sunk by 25% or so.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 13,298
Likes: 14
From: Somers NY
100% right on.. back in 2002 my wife had just gotten a BRAND NEW Lexus GS400.. One week later an old lady ran a light hit my wife head on.. My wife was not hurt. however the air bags did go off..The estimate was $13,000 + & they (Ins Co.) would NOT total it
We had it fixed at a local body shop.. Frame was bent.. etc... They used a Lazar to check it and get it straight..Bottom line we kept that car until 2008 and NEVER had 1 problem related to that accident... Now she bought an Audi Cabrolet... and is happy with it ..
however I think the BIG GS400 Lexus afforded her more protection than an Audi A4 ??? Just a guess on my part...
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,186
Likes: 10
From: Virginia Beach VA
St. Jude Donor '10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17,’18,’19
NCM Sinkhole Donor
I realize that for a car to be totaled the damage has to be greater than 70-80% depending on state but I've been told by someone in the past that if the airbags deploy that since a safety feature would be hindered that the car would be totaled and since this guy had experience with this I just took it as true. Now that I think about what he said doesn't really make sense since airbags aren't that expensive and can be replaced and made to work properly again with probably little work, it does make sense that this alone wouldn't make a car totaled.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 44
Likes: 0
From: Santa Margarita California
Thanks for all the support. I went back to the tow yard today and took another look. Wasn't quite as bad as what it looked like yesterday. That said there was a lot of parts strewn all over after the impact and the right wheel was cocked out and back into the wheel well. This may not be a total. Adjuster is supposed to contact me tomorrow so we will see. Wife is sore and went in to get checked. Seat belt caused a muscle spasm and no real damage. Muscle relaxers and a little physical therapy. I contacted onstar and they had a ticket with the info. Had the exact time and location, notation that they could hear everything but couldn't talk to us for some reason. They did call Police. The miata was owned by a local pizza company and the driver was an employee. The owner of the pizza company actually came to the wreck, it was 1 block from them, and was mouthing off that my wife hit them, she was drinking etc. PIA
- Cop didn't pay much attention. As my handle implies, I was a firefighter/medic for 28 years so I've seen quite a few wrecks and have worked closly with LEO's. No question as to fault. Here's a couple pictures.
- Cop didn't pay much attention. As my handle implies, I was a firefighter/medic for 28 years so I've seen quite a few wrecks and have worked closly with LEO's. No question as to fault. Here's a couple pictures.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,673
Likes: 9
From: Upstate New York
I tend to agree but it's hard to tell. I've seen cars that I thought didn't look too bad and they were considered totaled - it's all the stuff that you can't see that adds up really quickly.
OP - Pizza place uses a Miata as a delivery vehicle? That's an odd choice of cars to be letting teenage drivers use as a 'company car'.
OP - Pizza place uses a Miata as a delivery vehicle? That's an odd choice of cars to be letting teenage drivers use as a 'company car'.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,466
Likes: 104
From: Texas
Thats is one of the reasons why I got the manual so my wife could not drive it.
Those pictures of your car make me wanna cryyyy...sorry that happened to you and I hope you get the z06 ...you deserve it.
Those pictures of your car make me wanna cryyyy...sorry that happened to you and I hope you get the z06 ...you deserve it.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 19,574
Likes: 167
From: Frederick, MD
I doubt it is going to be totaled I suggest start looking at a thing called Diminished Value. PM me if you want the companies name that I dealt with. Don't say anything to his insurance company about DV, except when they are finished. Don't sign anything also.
