Auto426

As some of you may know, I've been trying to get everything in order to purchase a new 2013 GT Premium. Well, those plans today had a literal dent (actually several dents) put in them:



On my way home today, I had the misfortune of running across a careless driver. While traveling on a 4 lane road, separated by a median (or neutral ground, as most would say in my area), near an overpass, a driver in a pickup started coming down the off ramp of the upcoming overpass. On the oncoming side of the highway a state trooper was escorting a wide load. The pickup driver chose to pay more attention to the oncoming wide load than the stop sign he rolled through and my 2 lanes of traffic, and he pulled right out in front of me.

I saw him pull out, stood on the brake pedal, but it was too little too late. I was probably able to get my speed down to around 35 or 40, but all 4200 lbs of my Charger T-boned the pickup and I received a face full of airbag in return. Apart from a sore nose and a knee that bumped the underside of the dash, I'm fine. The 70 year old driver and his wife in the pickup were also fine, though the fire department had to use the jaws of life to open his door.

So here I sit, with a new found appreciation of modern car design. While my Charger may look nasty, the actual damage to the unibody structure of the car seems pretty minor. It's also interesting to note that apart from a couple of interior bits, the damage seems regulated to everything north of the firewall. The doors and roof like seem just fine. The car could still move, though I doubt it would get far with the radiator folded over. The police escort witnessed the accident, and the other driver admitted fault, so I guess you could say it wasn't the worst first accident a person could have.

I'm pretty much left waiting for the time being. I'm waiting on an estimate to see if the car will be a total loss or not, and trying to figure out my options to go from there. I got stuck with a Chevy Impala for a rental, which I will be trading in for something different as soon as something becomes available.

mopar?

if they don't do a total loss on that car, I don't even wanna know how much the bill will be to repair it!

Glad to hear you made it out ok and so did the other idiot

You'll get more than what a dealer would of given you for a trade in for the car anyway so think of it in the positive aspect of it.

TheDivaDanielle

congrats on your Mustang to be, since you'll now need a new car.

Auto426

Knowing that I'll probably receive the high end of the book value on my car is nice, but I'm not certain that I could meet the payments for the new Mustang should I go that route. I really don't want to buy another second hand car with that money though, as I'll likely get stuck with something I don't like.

My Charger wasn't anything special, but it was my first car and I was quite comfortable in it. I loved the aggressive looks, and while it didn't have that V8 sound I've been longing for it did serve me pretty well. I'd hate to see it go out like this, but then again I'm worried about the value of it if it is repaired. My guess is that if it's not totaled, it will be very close.

mopar?

I wouldn't worry about them going the fixing route, from the looks of it that car is done for. Well you can always use that money and put a nice down payment on it but don't use it all. Keep some so you can make monthly payments and the insurance. It's really not that expensive when you break it down, you'll probably pay around $500 a month with both included depending on your insurance rate and what not.

Rando

That's definitely totaled.

Ronin38

Sorry about the Charger, but glad you're okay! I had a 2007 Charger and I've seen many examples on the forums of how much of a beating these cars can take! They're tanks! Good Luck with the replacement, whatever it may be.

JoesCat

I too have a Charger currently and they are tough cars. Glad you're okay!

And yeah, it's impossible to say from a single pic, and I'm not a professional appraiser for certain, but in my life experience I'd say yours is totaled. Front end damage is pretty expensive as there are a lot more parts to deal with. In any event, I wouldn't want that car back anyway, whether it was a good car to me or not. It just did its final job, absorb the crash, protect you and sacrifice itself in the process.

Auto426

I had the car towed to my aunt and uncle's body shop, and upon just seeing the car their initial thought was about 5-6k in damages, but I personally think that's low. My father thinks its fixable (or rather he hopes its fixable, since hes such a cheapskate and doesn't like the idea of co-signing a loan). Still, there has yet to be a thorough estimate done. My aunt is actually authorized by Statefarm (the other drivers insurance company) to do the estimate herself, no adjuster needed, and it's the first thing she will be doing come Monday morning.

I personally believe that the damages will likely be close to the totaled mark, but it still may be considered fixable. I really don't like the idea of being stuck with the car after it is fixed though. A serious front end collision on the car's record is going to kill it's value, and it will probably never drive the same again. It just pisses me off that right when I seriously start to look at buying a new car this happens. Overall its been a really rough 3 weeks, between having to put my dog to sleep, getting sick, and having a hurricane come through. I'm hoping this bad luck streak will end sometime soon.

UOP Shadow

Sometimes having somebody in your family in the business is a blessing and sometimes it is a curse. Make sure if you have ANY influence on the decision to total the car you let your Aunt know or take it somewhere else!

I'm guessing total loss on this one. With all the front end damage, the engine is probably cracked / damaged. Most insurance companies use a formula of about 70% repair to value to calculate whether to total or fix it. So if the cost to repair your car is more than 70% of the vehicle value, they will not fix it. Also, after this serious of an accident, your car will be worth less than a car of the same age & miles just because it has been in an accident. The insurance company won't tell you that. Just wait until you try to sell it or trade it in; then you'll find out just how much less it's worth.

IMO, with that much damage, I'd do whatever I could to convince my Aunt to make sure it gets totalled. If the ratio is close, you can also plead your case to State Farm that you'd rather have it totalled because once the front end sustains that much damage, it won't perform the same again in another collision. Explain to your dad how the car won't be worth as much if it is fixed and how it won't perform as well if there is another collision. I'm sure between his "cheapskateness" & his concern for your safety, he'll agree that totalling the vehicle is the best bet.

Good luck and glad that you weren't seriously hurt. You should also make a doctor's appt to get checked out after any accident sever enough to deploy an airbag. I got a concussion from a 40mph collision from the airbag. BTW, did you get airbag burns on your wrists when it deployed?

Here's my 07 CLK550. Only the front got damaged, all the way back to the right, front wheel. Engine didn't crack but there was enough frame bending to exceed the 70% ratio. Now THAT was a sweet ride. Not as sweet as its replacement is going to be though!

UOP Shadow

Another thing, don't worry about the insurance company. They will make plenty of money on your vehicle if it is totalled.

For example; my CLK was worth just over $30K and the cost to repair it would have been almost $25K. BUT... when the car is parted out, because it was almost brand new (only 7000 miles) and in perfect condition, the total value of the parts was >$50K! That's mostly because it was a Mercedes in great shape with almost no miles on it. Your Charger won't be quite the same but there is still a lot of value in the used part marked for "totalled" cars!

Auto426

I'm sure my father knows it, he's a long time car guy and hes been in this situation before. His name is on the title of the car, so he really has the final say here. I'm sure my Aunt could influence the decision either way, but they are good people and have been in the body shop business for a long time. I don't believe they wouldn't force the repair through if they knew the car was beyond saving. At this point I'm just waiting for the initial estimate to come in on Monday, which will likely be followed by some long conversations with my parents.

UOP Shadow

Even if the car isn't "beyond saving" and is repaired, if the damage to the front frame is bad enough, it probably won't be as good as it was before the accident.

Auto426

Well it's not like it was anything special before the accident, but I know that a major punch in the nose is good for throwing front suspension geometry out of whack, and getting those front frame legs back to factory new condition pretty much impossible. If it is deemed fixable and the repairs are carried out, I guess I'll start looking into a diminished value claim.

Auto426

Well it's official now. My Aunt and Uncle did a thorough estimate on the vehicle and it came back totaled. The damages exceeded $12k, which was well over the approximate $9500 totaled mark. I figured this would be the outcome, after all I was the one that felt the impact, and I could tell by looking under the hood that front frame legs took a good pounding.

Now I'm waiting on the insurance to come back with an amount for the car. Hopefully if all goes well it will become a large downpayment on a new Mustang. I'm still hunting for a better job, but with a big enough down payment and my parents co-signing I should be able to meet the payments each month.

JoesCat

Glad it's worked out well for you so far. We hope the insurance company sets a good settlement value on it for you!

carfreak666

I am sure it's been said on these boards before, but you do not have to accept the first offer the ins company come back with. Do your own research around your area for pricing of a similar vehicle and keep it handy in case the insurance company wants to low ball you...
Glad everyone walked away from this without any major injuries and good luck with your new purchase

UOP Shadow

Did you go see the doctor after the accident? If you did and submit the bill to the driver at fault's insurance company; they should pay for the visit as well as add in some extra $ for pain & suffering.

Auto426

Thanks for the support everyone. As soon as I heard the news of the car being totaled I started researching its value through various websites as well as looking into local car adds to get an idea of what I think is fair.

So far I haven't been to a doctor, but I am considering a visit to get my nose looked at. I was wearing my sunglasses when the airbag deployed, and it hasn't felt right since that day. If I get some free time I'll try to go in for an appointment.

UOP Shadow

The sooner the better. Otherwise, you'll have a hard time proving it was caused by the accident.