Jere Urso

Got hit by a Oldsmobile Bravada going about 30 - 40 while I was stopped at a stop light, when I got hit from the back I was pushed into a pt cruiser in front of me.

Luckily I put on full coverage not too long ago, it's mechanically sound and I got all the lights back working again, my battery was literally on the ground when I opened the hood. Now it just sucks having to have it repaired and not having it for awhile. But it should all work out good in the end.

I'm so devastated.

Banzai

iTrader: (13)

So, your insurance company has ok'd you to repair it? Do you have an agreed value type policy? If not, I'd be surprised if your insurance company doesn't want to total it. Today, the normal routien is to replace the damaged part. It cheaper for the shop to do this instead of paying for the labor hours and time it would take to straighten out the damaged pannels. In this case, even grafting in a new rear section would take a significant amount of time, most likely putting it over what any NADA book value would list it at. Of course, if they total it, you can buy it back and take the money to still have it fixed. It probablly won't be enough to have it done just anywhere.

ray green

iTrader: (14)

I agree with Banzai, they are going to want to total it. I was in a very similar situation with my 84 GSL a few years ago, rear ended in a chain reaction on the interstate started by a semi. The damage was to the right rear and similar but probably not as bad as what you have.

The trucker's insurance agent came out and looked at the car and called it totaled, with a blue book value of about $2000. But my car was in excellent condition, I had just finished going through it mechanically, new brakes, tires, engine bay was immaculate, the brown leather interior was completely restored.

So I took lots of pictures and wrote a letter to the trucker's insurance company, attaching the pictures of the car showing the damage and all the other good stuff, along with a couple photos before the accident. And I told them I couldn't replace the car for less than $4000.

They cut me a check for the $4000, plus another $400 for a rental car I didn't rent. And the best part was they let me keep the car, which therefore was not tagged with a salvage title.

So I bought another 85 GSL (with the brown leather interior) for $1600 and drove that for awhile, until I repaired the damage on the 84 GSL, with a little help from my neighbor, who is handy with body work.

Kind of a nuisance all around, but it turned out well and I actually turned a pretty nice profit - $2800 in the bank and two GSLs instead of one.

midnight mechanic

It depends on the insurance company. Allstate wanted to total my car for $600 when it had minor damage to the rear bumper. Eight years later it got hit, Progressive gave me $400 without totalling to repair a bumper, minor body work and a tail light.

My real point is, that I now insure with Progressive because if I hit a thug, and if the insurance is with Allstate, I'm going to have one mad thug that wants to shoot my ***.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

if you need the sheetmetal between the tail lights, i've got an NOS one

Jere Urso

Wow this is terrible, I have to do all my stuff today because my insurance was closed when I got in the wreck. I really hope it's not totaled, the two taillight assemblies are destroyed along with the middle piece, need a back bumper, have to pull the metal to be flush with the rear hatch. I need a new front bumper because it is cracked and bent out of place. My hood doesn't shut as flush as it use too. The drivers side door doesn't shut like it used too. That's really about it when it comes to what needs to be done.

Jere Urso

I'll be going to get estimates in a few hours.

ray green

iTrader: (14)

From your description, the car is totaled from the insurance point of view, regardless of the company. The estimate from the insurance agent will be the blue book value.

Your only argument is to show that the car is worth more than the blue book value (if that's the case).

Since you were rear ended, it's clearly not your fault and the insurance company of the other driver should pay. From their perspective, if nobody got hurt, they got lucky and should be glad to provide you a reasonable settlement.

Condition is everything for cars this old. Be sure to document all recent repairs and upgrades with lots of photos and then be very proactive with your demands for a fair settlement.

Jere Urso

Thank you for the advice.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

i agree car is totaled

rear bumper cover, FA01-50-220 list price $637.81
rear finsher panel between the tail lights, FA07-50-840C $276.30

the rear body panel and taillights are NLA, although i've got some.

and this is before we look at the rear reinforcement, and stuff

Jere Urso

The estimate was $5110.71 He said it might be totaled but after he got the prices he told me to my face it wasn't totaled. He could be wrong.

ray green

iTrader: (14)

Was this your insurance agent or the agent for the driver that caused the accident?

How does it work in Michigan. Is it no fault?

Jere Urso

In my case it was no fault. I have to wait for the fax to be sent to my insurance and my insurance calls me. That's a super high estimate so I'm assuming it's totaled.

Jere Urso

The thing that aggravates me most is that these cars are so low in value when they really shouldn't be. These parts are so rare and expensive yet the car is so low in value.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

if it makes you feel any better my Rx8 got rear ended, with less visible damage, and i haven't heard back yet, but i think they will total it too

ray green

iTrader: (14)

Insurance companies are *** holes.

Banzai

iTrader: (13)

Insurance companies are like casinos, they stack the odds in their favor. It's all about numbers. They don't care how much the car means to you, if its cheaper to total it rather than pay to fix it, guess what they opt for? And the cost of repair doesn't need to actually exceed the value, it only needs to meet like 80% of the book value for them to say "nah".

It doesn't have to be that old either. I had an 03 F-250 that was absolutely cherry W/70,000 miles (I bought it in 06 w/58,000). It was totaled last year. Unless you looked close, you couldn't even tell there was even any damage. I had to argue with the insurance company, find and provide copies of like trucks w/ values above what they said it was worth. In the end, I got an additional $1,500 more then they first offered but it was still a few thousand shy of what the repair quotes came in at. I ended up letting it go and putting the money towards a newer truck.

Sh00bs

iTrader: (8)

it'll be totalled, on the plus side you should get a large $4k check or so for it and be able to buy the car back for a couple hundred and then fix it yourself with used parts that'll run you under $1k total to purchase

i have sa bumpers if you wanted to convert it. check out the first gen for sale section, lotta part outs going on that have parts you can buy when you get the check.
GL man, i know it sucks.. stay positive

Jere Urso

It's always hard to stay positive when the thing you care about most is ruined. Not sure if I want to use this rx7 as a winter beater or to fix it little bits at a time. Or I could use the cash I get to buy another rx7 and part out of my old one. It's my first car I bought myself, spending lots of time and money keeping it alive and slowly making it better. Now it's totaled all because some c*cksucker wasn't paying attention.

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

I hate to say this because I know its not your fault but we drive very small cars that can stop
and react to traffic faster than most soccer moms on their cell phones in 2 ton SUVs. Always
stop with some distance between you and the front car and watch that rear view mirror like a
hawk. I can't tell you how many times I've avoided some asshat who wasn't paying attention
by simply pulling up or sideways to get out of the way.

Jere Urso

I was sitting in traffic for a good minute waiting for the light to turn green and the suv said they were distracted looking at something else.

andernamen

iTrader: (2)

My 85 SE was rear ended in 90 or 91 by a phone company van and it was far worse than yours. Should have been totaled. The insurance decided to fix it and the shop that did the work didn't do a very good job - thick bondo, etc. Looked good initially, but To this day, rust always comes up at the same spots. I'd love to have this fixed correctly someday. I'd say, do not compromise on this. You don't want to slap the thing back together. Weld in parts from another 7 and be involved and make sure you get quality work. Threaten to hire an attorney if they don't give you at least $4000.

project7s

iTrader: (5)

J9, could you post a picture of the rear body panel? I didn't know Mazda had body panel to cut out and weld in. I'm curious as to how much it covers. Thanks

Jere Urso

I had the adjuster come today to look at my car at school. All he really said was "You can always fix it yourself." I feel like he tried to give as little information as possible. I convinced him that I took good care of the car and did maintenance all the time, which I really do. He said he would do his "paperwork" and get ahold of me after. This sucks.

ray green

iTrader: (14)

Your insurance agent is going to try his professional best to totally take advantage of you. That's his job.

Please don't sign anything or accept any payment until you are absolutely sure you understand it fully and accept it as a reasonable settlement.

I still don't understand why you aren't dealing with the insurance company of the person who caused the accident.

Somebody ran into you while you were stopped at a traffic light and caused a lot of damage. Fortunately nobody got hurt.

That person and their insurance company should be the ones paying for your damages.

And you should be calling the shots on what those damages are and how you want them fixed.