Is my car totaled? WHAT TO DO?

[94Blue302GT]

Well, last night coming home I was coming up to an intersection that was red for me. In the oncoming lanes was a Mustang and an import SUV with two girls inside. The light turned green for me so I put it in second and started pull a bit. Not mashin it down or anything, just slowling pulling through. But, I guess she had just realized that she had a green arrow for the split second before that (possibly a computer malfunction, but whatever) and went through, causing an accident. both of them got hurt because they were too cool to wear seat belts, nothing major, but still. My bags (BOTH!!!) went off. I have damage on the left side, but it crushed my car to the point where the radiator fan motor almost hit the water pump. The cop didn't write a ticket at all, and we have the same insurance agent, in fact, we live on the same street.

The car may be totalled, but how hard would it be to do some of it myself? I would need to use whatever the insurance gives me to pay off my 3 grand loan, pay the 500 deductable plus whatever stupid hidden fees there are for those girls going to the hospitol (assuming the insurance blames me, since she had a witness and i didn't) I hope to keep my wonderfull car!!! I've had it for just over a year now and have $1500 in parts already, and the 3.73's in the garage sitting next to the E cam with all the gaskets and instillation stuff!!!

So fix it or Just try to find another, or maybe fox? What do i do?
it's been a short while here on stangnet, i hope to stay!
Lee

 

[5.0 from 95]

Start with the body shop on those questions. Unless you have lots of tools and can weld, you might have a tough time. Most of the time, it is easier to have body work done and us be the mechanics. You could probably do the mechanic side and save some but, the body shop's price includes automatically re-installing the part if they have to take it off to fix something else. Save it if you can. If the officer did not right a ticket, make the chics take you to court to prove it was your fault. Don't admit or say "well, it could have been maybe still red." That will cost you.


Just my $.25 worth.

Paul

 

[Venom351R]

1. Sorry to hear that it really sucks.

2. Got any pics?

3. Was the girl hot?

 

[mike93lx]

its a little thing, but as far as witnesses go, the other girl in the car cannot testify on or be asked about the happenings of the accident. i was in a similar situtaion a few years ago as a passenger and the cops couldn't use my account of the accident for the report.

and like paul said, have a body shop look at it.

 

[94Blue302GT]

I also heard that the girl can't be witness because she was in the car. My car is smashed only in the corner, i dont have pics, no digi cam, sorry. Maybe before it gets fixed. I decided to buy it back and fix it if they total it. No, the girl wasn't that hott, maybe a 6 out of 10. I have to have it towed to he best body shop around, they will store for free and tow for free.
If it ends up being up to the insurance company, they may choose my side because i have full coverage and she has liability, so instead of fixing both cars, they would just have to fix mine. it helps that we both have the same agent, no one can sue each other that easy!
The more i look all the details over in my mind, i KNOW she was wrong. Simple things like, after the crash and I got out, I looked across the top of my car into the oncoming traffic lanes, so even if i blew the light (which, by the way, i didn't) I was already almost through the intersection and she turned REALLY sharp to try and cut the light in time. Plus, if you look at the damage, my stang got crunched back to the battery on my corner, but her SUV with a CHROME BUMPER is wrecked from corner to corner in the front, mainly in HER corner, so where they met up, it's obviose that she had to turn HARD to get into that position AND hit me. Anyways, i gtg, b back on her to let you all know what happens. Look out for Ford Escorts for me!
Lee

 

[jmuva44]

I just wrecked mine a month ago. I barely had any damage at all but the airbags deployed, the radiator support bracket was slightly bent, the hood got chipped and the windshield cracked a little. It was totaled.

 

[Rootus]

It's very easy to total a car that is valued on average at $4180 (according to Edmunds). $3200 worth of damage would do it. A few years ago I ran my '97 GT into a concrete wall -- had to have the bumper cover, fender, and headlight assembly replaced, and the quarter panel had to have a tiny bit of repair on the lip above the wheel, and then repainted that area. It didn't look like much damage at all, but cost nearly $5000 to fix. Didn't total that car, but it would easily total my '95.

 

[jmuva44]

On a sidenote....Geico estimated my car to be worth $6500. So they may shoot for the high side of the price spectrum. Yeah, mine was still totalled. Cuz of the airbags ($700 per airbag for parts only) and cuz it got a salvage bid of $1500 plus all the other smaller things.

 

[94Blue302GT]

WEll, do they take into account the stuff i've done to it? I mean, shoot, i just spent a bunch of money getting a new tranny in there!!! Ok, well, i did it myself, but still. I probably have about 2-3k in parts in the car.

How does the Salvage bid determine anything? Is that what i would have to buy the car back for? 1500 would $UCK!!! I was hopeing under a grand at least to buy it back. I'm going to be talking to the repair guy today because he's a "service first" with state farm, so he can do the estimating also. I'll tell him that I want the car fixed either way, and that I can do the hood and bumper myself (I would probably buy a cobra of both anyways) and that way i save money off of the estimating, but only if needed!
Oh, the windsheild is fine.
I still can't believe this all happened!!!

 

[5.0 from 95]

Just having my radiator support replaced because it was towed, cast me $700. I thought it was high but after I started trying to do it, it was not high at all. I ended up talking them down to $500 because they were not very busy and I took them the green stuff. All that stuff adds up and when you put in the air bag stuff, it will not take much to total our cars.


Paul

 

[331 cobra]

I bought my car after it was in a front end colision. The radiator support and one of the front fender aprons were dammaged. Quotes for the repair were $2000+ parts. I have done a lot of metal work, so I know I can fix it myself, and I got it really cheap, so it makes sense for me.

Your car sounds like it was crunched worse than mine, it probably isn't worth fixing. Just see what the insurance company offers you and see how close that will come to replacing the car. Also, if their offer won't replace the car, look in to buying the car.

Body and frame work is a major hassel and it takes time. I bought my car last september and I just found a front clip for it yesterday. I'll have the metal work done in about a month, but then I'll have to save for paint.

If you are lucky, the insurance company will buy another car for you and you will just pay the deductable and your current payments.

 

[94Blue302GT]

Well, seeing as how i have like 3k of stuff on there, and a brand new tranny, how much would i be able to swap out if it's totaled? I could put the old trans in, the old hpipe, old tail lights, old FPR, etc. etc. etc.(it's a mustang for pete's sake) the 3,000 i put it is with ME rebuilding a trans, ME installing everything etc. so How do they figure this? I could just buy it and work on it for a while, using a beater car for the time being... I figure if it's totalled, cut the rest of the check to the shop to get the bags in and the fram stuff straightened. The bumper, hood and fender i would do myself.

 

[jmuva44]

Thats something that you have to talk to your insurance agent about. Its pretty much a case by case basis.

 

[95five-0]

alot of times if you have documentation to show what parts you put on the car you can get the value of the car raised. just a little FYI for you

 

[jmuva44]

Typically they go by what was insured. If you had those parts insured, they will throw them into the price. Otherwise, they are just stock replacement parts.

 

[94Blue302GT]

well, i got the car back, and 5200 on top of it. Lookin for a nice gt or gts to swap parts into. It pisses me off because all the mechanicals work fine. I drove it into the garage and everything. I just can't let it run for very long because the radiator leaks pretty bad. GRRRrrrrrrr... It's just so frustrating. I should have pics up pretty soon too. I was almost thinking of just stripping it totally out, ghetto rigging a bumper on it and having it as a track queen, just build it up a ton and have NOTHING in it. We'll see. I'd just really like to keep it alive!