Insurance totalling wrecked car

Hi, this is Mrs. HotRodDaddy.
I had a little accident and hit a car rear-end with my 2005 Mitsubishi Outlander. I crushed the front in a little, cracked the radiater, John looked under it and said the radiator support was bent, but the frame looked pretty good to him. The hood did not even look bent.
The airbag went off--boy does that stuff stink and burn!! I just paid it off last year for 22,000, they want to cut me a check for 12,600 today. The car had 33,000 miles and was EXTREMELY well kept. They claim it will take over 10,000 to fix.
We are doubting that it would really take that much to fix, but are unfamiliar with the ways of the insurance industry. John suggested I go on here to ask advice from those more in the know. Unfortunately we are not really familiar with newer (plastic) cars and repairing them either.
We are optimistic that with the market the way it is, we could get something for the 12k, but still, I had planned on driving that car until it literally fell apart. Ultimately my fault, no matter how whacky it was..but I would prefer to not be screwed anymore than I HAVE to. Thanks in advance...BRENDA:p

generally, if the air bags go off, the insurance company will total it unless it's less than 3 years old ( 5 yrs in some states ) and under 50k miles usually..

with that said.. the book value on the base model '05 Outlander is $9,640.. if this is the vehicle you have ( automatic, LS with standard eqp ).. you would need a estimate for less than $9,000 or else they won't fix it..

but.. If you do have the base model, if they give you $12,600 there not screwing you. you end up with a good deal that way

When my daughter creamed her sebring ragtop both airbags went off.I was being very freindly to the adjuster trying to get him not to total it and he told me if the air bags went off,that the law required that the bags,steering column,dash board,crash sensors & airbag computer would have to be replaced. Took their check,bought the car back for $600 fixed it with salvage yard air bags,new clock spring new windshield,new new right front fender etc,etc, and she's still driving it 3 years later.

She talked with the insurance company and they claim that no matter what it will be totalled, but if i want the car back they will take off 3000 of the payout, but it willm never be able to be titled again. I still dont see how it will be ten grand to fix, the only thing that got damaged was the front area and the rad support. the hood and fenders had no kinks or deformation at all, and even the headlights were still intact. the rad only pushed back a little and did not hit the engine at all, so i dont see the major damage, but im not a shop so what do i know.

Brenda, were you burned on the arms/face/neck by the air bags? If so, do you have medical on your policy?
One of the tactics we used when selling Toyotas was to explain to the customer that Toyota uses a cold gas chemical to inflate the bags so that you don't get burned with that....."gunpowder stuff" that the other car makers use.

Sorry to hear about your wreck, glad you are ok though. The rule of thumb is, if the repairs exceed 80 percent of the value of the car, it gets totalled. As mentioned, the airbags are a big factor too.

You do have the right to dispute what they are offering, but have your ducks in a row first, like knowing what comparable cars are worth, and have several estimates to get yours fixed.

Good luck,

Don

Mitsubishis are hard to sell too....they gave so many of them away with their 0% down and no payments for 12 months around here, they flooded the market. Now, there are too many being resold......lots of defaults, etc.

Insurance companies can not use anything but new air bags, windshields, sensors, and other associated parts. air bags for my son in-law's '96 Cavalier is $5,000.00 alone, car is worth $2.500, car was in mint shape.

Pat

I guess that's the sad truth about late models. Throw away cars basically. I see you have a lot of options but just think how you would feel if you got a car like that and found out later it had been wrecked bad enough to pop the bags. If it is low milage, I would buy it back, patch up the front and drive the wheels off it.

If you opt to keep and repair the car yourself,the title will be marked as totalled or whatever. That's not the end of the world. Most stated have special inspections after you make repairs,so you can put it back on the road. Yes the title will be marked as repaired or whatever,so it can never be sold as a cherry original. I happen to be driving a totalled car for several years now,it's really not a big deal. Hank

The only way i could get another title is have a certified repair shop sign off on it, and i dont have any buddies in that position. She has decided to take the cash and loook for another car. She found a couple of hhr`s she likes with under 50k miles on em. Thanks for the help guys!

A few questions

What insurance company?
Do you presently have the title?
If so , you won't need another title
What are your coverages???
Deductable?
Milage counts both ways ---low miles good, lots miles bad
What can an comparable vehicle be bought for?
Sales tax---they owe you for that unless another vehicle is bought promply in which case it can be transferred
Do you have window sticker, etc which lists every option / extra on car? Many will only offer settlement bases on base vehicles---
Special paint or dealer applied options---undercoating, striping, tire/wheel combo, trailer tow options(heavy duty radiator,alternator,brakes)
Sound systems,phones
Extended warraNTIES

Progressive
Yes. we have title.
Full coverage.
$500 deduct
33,500k miles.
??????
It was not a fully loaded car, but it had power windows and stock cd player, stuff like that. But it did have the upgraded trim package.
100,000 mile powertrain warranty.

John and Brenda, when I worked at the body shop, Progressive was one of the companies we hated to deal with.......had to fight for everything. They wanted to use aftermarket body parts (that fit like crap) and denied a lot of suppliments we submitted. But, you do not have to take their first offer. Tell them to find you an identical car with similar equipment and milage, and you will be happy. I have never done that, but I have heard that some people have and they got bumped up a little. Worth a try anyway.

Don

If you have the title---you can repair the car without any worrys about that junk/etc title crap---all you have to do is fix it---they want you to take a low pay off and then they will sell your car and probably make a profit on it--it will be shipped to Mexico/south america or Poland.etc---

Deal with them about the top level shape/condition the car is in---new/good tires, recent brake job, etc

You'll just have to change your insurance coverage to libility/medical instead of full coverage.

If you take the pay off and don't buy the car back---made them add sales tax value, and an amount equal to the remainder of your license period---

Well, if taking the money and getting a new car doesn't hurt then by all means do it.
I know laws vary from state to state but I have a good friend in Texas that fixes and sells totals all the time. They will always have a totalled title. He sells them cheap, people know what they are and he has them sign off that the airbags are inop.

Thanks for all the input, its always appreciated! She decided to take the payoff, and she bought a 08 chevy HHR with 12,000 miles for around 15,900. Its super clean and red as can be! I guess if you look at it a certain way, it kinda worked out to be an upgrade for a couple of grand, or she only spent a few grand to drive the other car for three years. Either way i feel it all worked out in the end. Again, thanks for the help guys!

Oh i almost forgot, does anybody have 59 caddie taillight conversion ideas?

Like Itoldyouso said--tell the company to find you a comparable vechicle. My wife had an accident about 6 years ago, her fault. Her Cherokee had minor front end damage, popped the air bags, a fully loaded car with all the features, 4 years old with 28k on the odometer, paid off and well maintained and clean. Insurance company were going to total it and offered about $14k as a payoff on a car that if traded in, pre-accident, would have brought about 16-18k. Anyway long story short we held out after getting 5 bids on repair costs and the company, Progressive , finaaly,upped the payout to $17.5, and then cancelled my wifes policy.