WWGRM do? Accident content

OK, GRM, WTFBBQ. Need advice here. DD#1 got rear-ended pretty hard last night, on her way home from work (no jokes please). She's OK, but will be going to the doctor for a checkup in a day or two.

Other guy has admitted fault, cop came, took report, yadda yadda. We have State Farm, he has The Lizard. I reported the accident to State Farm, and they initiated a claim against The Lizard on my behalf this morning.

Pics below:

Hard, but not as hard as it might have been, which is part of the problem - it comes down to a judgement call.

The quarter panels are not wrinkled (there was a pre-existing minor dent just forward of the starboard taillight), and I don't see any problem with the roof. No glass is broken. Both taillights popped out, I jammed them back in so I could drive it home. It drives fine, tracks straight, doesn't shimmy. All 4 doors open and close smoothly; I'm not even trying to open the hatch at this point.

The hatch and back bumper assembly are clearly toast, along with the tail lights. Given that the brunt of the impact fell right on the latch point, I can only assume that the center panel of the unibody is berked - in fact it looks to be in about 4"-5" to my eye. Haven't been underneath, so I have no idea what the floor pan of the hatch area looks like.

The car is a 2002 base Impreza, automatic, 101k on the clock, average condition. Not really rusty. Never been wrecked before to my knowledge, but has dings and scratches all over - if they're painting the back half already, I'd probably get it shot all the way round. It's due for a timing belt and at least 1 front axle replacement. Transmission is fine. Oil and coolant look good, but it's spotting a little oil on the ground, so it's probably on the way to needing headgaskets.

Subarus hold value in this area (Midatlantic states), so it's hard to estimate the pre-accident worth. But pending the adjuster's review, I'm betting it's going to be iffy whether they want to total it.

Would you fix this car? Or how much would you take to total it and look for something newer?

Based on the photos, I'd fix it.

Lawyer up. It's what I had to do.

Dr. Hess wrote: Lawyer up. It's what I had to do.

I may have to, but it's only been 18 hours since the incident and 4 since the claim was filed with The Lizard. I'll wait to see what he has to say before reaching for my attorney.

It's Japanese. They're typically only a little more than broken in @100K. Based on the photos, I'd keep the devil I know rather than buy a devil I don't know. In our part of the country, at least, Subies are typically run hard and put up wet.

Fix it if not totaled, if totaled then buy back and rallycross it. Glad everyone seems to be fine

I got $3K for my 02 WRX, but it had more rust than yours and I am in Canada and our used car prices seem lower than yours.

If they offered me $4K or more, I would walk.

Duke wrote:

Dr. Hess wrote: Lawyer up. It's what I had to do.

I may have to, but it's only been 18 hours since the incident and 4 since the claim was filed with The Lizard. I'll wait to see what he has to say before reaching for my attorney.

That's what I'd do too. Messing with lawyers over an insured fender bender? Is not something I'd do. If you have to go that route, plan on losing a lot of time before you see any results!

From the pictures, the car is probably a total loss. I don't know it's exact value without doing some research, but it needs a hatch, bumper, tail lights, very likely rear body panel, probably some floor pan damage, frame pull, paint, etc... It's a gonner. If you want to retain salvage, your call, but I'd be shocked if Geico wrote for repair. Glad nobody was seriously hurt.

Oh, as for the lawyer thing...do what you want, but I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt...it won't help. First, you may not find an attorney to take a relatively small property damage claim, because there's nothing in it for them (unless they're a family member or something). If you find one, they'll just take a lot of your money. They will also typically slow the settlement process down dramatically.

And people complain about paying such high rates...sigh.

I'd be hoping they total it with a low buy-back. Or just totaled.

If it's a reasonable amount of money, I'd take it and run. Otherwise, good luck trying to sell it or get a decent trade-in with the wreck on the carfax. A buddy of mine finally gave up on selling his BMW because everyone thought a MINOR (WAAAAAAAAY less severe than the pics you posted) meant they either were totally uninterested in the car, or wanted to pay him half of blue book.

My $.02 YMMV.

No tail light means not safe to drive. Expect a rental car from The Lizard today or tomorrow.

Duke said: DD#1 got rear-ended pretty hard last night, on her way home from work (no jokes please).

Well you take all the fun out of everything to do with getting hit in the rear.......

On topic, I'd say its toast.

JohnRW1621 wrote: No tail light means not safe to drive. Expect a rental car from The Lizard today or tomorrow.

Yes, absolutely. The car is not legal to drive. You can and should ask for a rental if you need one.

take the cash, buy the title....

I'll bet the rear floor by the latch has been moved... 5" worth... I doubt.

Yup . . . . definitely a total.

Accept the money and arrange to keep the car.

Then it all up to you.

Step 1: Collect check.

Step 2: Buyback car for low $

Step 3: Junkyard M/T

Step 4: Cage

Step 5: ???

Step 5: Rally Car!

TeamEvil wrote: Yup . . . . definitely a total. Accept the money and arrange to keep the car. Then it all up to you.

That's what I would do. Take the pay out, buy it back for nothing, fix it so it's just good enough to drive, and drive it into the ground. Put the leftover money in the bank.

The only real problem is that salvage titles are kind of a PITA in our home state. But that's not off the table. Thanks for everybody's advice.

take the check, back it back and convert it into a truck!

Or just take the cash and purchase a Baja.

I'll just leave THIS here.

If they total it you can buy it back for around 500 to 700. Find a hatch on car-part.com for $150 (There are sereval at that price that are already green). Chances are they have a bumper and tail light as well. A body shop can pull the center section for around $150, if you can't do it your self with a winch or come along. At the end of the day your driving the same car with $3000 or so extra dollars in your pocket. Who cares if it has a rebuilt title, where else are you going to find a car like that for what you will have in it.

If you don't want it post it on here for your buy back cost. I would be astonished if someone else doesn't take it off your hands. I guarantee johnrw1621 can use it to for work.

Take the money and sell it to someone here who thinks the fix will be easy

slantvaliant wrote: I'll just leave THIS here.

+1 for this idea.

If you involve a lawyer it will take much longer to get a settlement and the lawyer gets his piece. Let the insurance companies figure it out.

When my Fiesta got totaled, it only took a couple of weeks to get my check. Some paperwork involved.