They Crashed Me.... TOTAL LOSS

[Green Pathy]

It is with sorrow that i make this post. I was going with the family to a park, was sitting in traffic waiting for the line of cars to get moving again, when a guy on his cell phone rear-ended us at speed. He never stopped. Our tire carrier and spare stopped him and acted as a sort of massive rubber pillow. The guys' insurance (State Farm) declared our Pathfinder an "Economical Total Loss". Offered us about $2,400 for it.

Its annoying and irritating because the car looks fine. No broken glass, all stuff that apparently we could get from a salvage yard. But the frame was bent and the car has a downward slope from the middle to the rear. The rear passenger doors do not fully close and 2 body shops said they would not fix it due to liability issues and because they say the work of bending the frame and the body back into shape might not even work. It sucks because i know they're going to make a killing selling it off in parts out of some yard.

I had bought a used brush guard i was going to install, i had just gotten a Monstaliner paint kit in the mail for it, and have changed/repaired: Windshield washer pumps, brake booster, cv joints, 4x4 hubs, charcoal canister, replaced all interior lights that had burned out in HVAC controls and countless other things. I still have a brand new Power Steering pump for it and interior Air filters i was going to install by doing the inner filter mod. Was turning into something that would have looked at home in Jurassic Park or something.

What are your thoughts?

[hotdawwgman]

Can't see the photos, but if I were you, gut it out before letting it go. Take all the parts that you put on it and swap them over to a new to you Pathfinder! Sorry for your loss

[Mike W.]

First off is everyone ok? I hope you did or will get everyone, including yourself to a doc just to make sure. I was rear ended pretty good one time, felt just a little bit stiff that night but my neck got progressively worse over the next several days.

You don't have to take the first offer by the insurance company, that's it, an offer. Documentation, documentation, documentation is the name of the game trying to get a better price. For repairs, comps of other vehicles in similar condition or even worse as a contrast to yours. That said a '95 probably doesn't go for much money so the offer isn't as insulting as they sometimes are. Your medical insurer will try to get paid for any care you receive, so count that into the number. Pain and suffering if it's real is real and expect to be paid for it. Do not settle today for the price offered.

[Green Pathy]

Were all alive. We did go to the doctor because some of us do have pain in different parts. I went over with the agent on the phone if any of the repairs were taken into account, or the tires and she said that that only counts towards upping the overall condition of the car from fair or poor to good. That the mileage affects most of the price and that theyre not budging from that. Ive checked other pathfinders in the area and with that mileage, 241,000 the price is overall in the range of whats around here. Im thinking of getting a chevy astro. I need the room and passenger capacity.

[Mike W.]

Yeah, insurance companies have a thing about mileage, adjusted artificially low of course. I swear on a high enough mileage vehicle they'd be asking you for money. Their idea of normal mileage is about 7K a year.

[Hawairish]

Glad you’re alright. Bummer on the loss.

Where’s your insurance company in this? Have their insurance improve their offer, otherwise let your insurance company negotiate. Factor in any improvements or maintenance you’ve recently performed.

Also, don’t let on that you’ll change vehicles with the money. Just focus on getting what you think is reasonable for the truck. Don’t necessarily compare prices by what’s in region at your mileage. If you’ve maintained the truck and had confidence of any repairs that they could yield X more miles/years of use, it’s worth way more than an identical truck at the same mileage and unknown history.

...Also factor in incidental costs like needing a rental car for a reasonable amount of time until you can get a replacement vehicle. Their insurance needs to cover that.