Uh-oh. Least they were at fault.

Run into from behind by a truck.

Ugh.........sorry to see that.

Tim "Bigblackbeasst", had a similar accident to the rear quarter. He had his bodyman smooth the damage out, so it is hardly noticeable. The original "wood" stayed. He may have a tip or two for you.

Tom

silverfox103 wrote:

Ugh.........sorry to see that.

Tim "Bigblackbeasst",  had a similar accident to the rear quarter.  He had his bodyman smooth the damage out, so it is hardly noticeable.  The original "wood" stayed.  He may have a tip or two for you.

Tom

Much as I hate to take a 95K car off the road, I may take the money and look for another one.

Try paintless dent removal. They can do miracles.

If all else fails, buy it back, and sell it to someone who will fix it.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

buy it back, and sell it to someone who will fix it.

The best way,....

phantom 309 wrote:

Fred Kiehl wrote:

buy it back, and sell it to someone who will fix it.

The best way,....

If they offer a good enough total loss check, I may take it and not look back, because I dont want to buy back a lot of the problems that were cropping up. She was getting really leaky on both oil and R-134, a quart per tank and a small can per week. There are some small parts that could easily fall off of course: cargo lamp covers, armrest, etc. Any suggestions on that score?

Someone who has the ability to fix the cars issues, but does not have a lot of money would appreciate a low priced start. All fixed up cars like that are fetching upwards of $3500. If you can buy it back for $500, I am sure someone would take it off of your hands quickly.

Crap! Looks like a lot of next to impossible to find parts caught the big one. Make sure your insurance company doesn't price out the repair based on parts costs for things that are no longer available without extensive searches.

I agree with Nick,and Fred. Several guys on here would love to start with a low mile ride.

Andebe wrote:

I agree with Nick,and Fred. Several guys on here would love to start with a low mile ride.

Still all hypothetical. Havent even spoken to the adjuster yet. But if there is interest, and they do talk total loss, I'll inquire about salvage value of the car and offer it here for that much, assuming I can get at least a few days of lead time before I have to sign it over.

Rev Bob wrote:

Crap! Looks like a lot of next to impossible to find parts caught the big one. Make sure your insurance company doesn't price out the repair based on parts costs for things that are no longer available without extensive searches.

Yeah, the spare tire well fender had to be the one to take the brunt of it, right? No big loss, though, as the well was rotted all to hell anyway. Had to JB Weld the spare tire bracket to what was left of the bottom of the well to keep the spare from flopping around.

hey mike, let me know if you want an analog b body still, i have a 91 custom cruiser...

Thats why I stopped driving my OCC to work everyday. Too many impossible to find easily destroyed parts on it.

That's a shame because damage like that won't just pop back out. But, it is certainly fixable if you choose that route. Used bumper, tail light, right chrome trim, all that stuff is easily available either here or local junk yards. Insurance may not total it based on its pre accident condition and low miles. Several tree branches fell on my 96 Roady with 122,000 miles last month and at $2200 it didn't come close to a total loss. Good luck!

It's not so much the damage to value ratio as the inability to source parts in the normal stream of commerce. (read: big repair shops want to be quoted a price and have the part shipped from an established wholesaler. They dont want to have to scour the pick-a-part joints)

You can use a "not so big" repair shop, and they will source parts from full service yards if you request it. You could even help source the parts from the forum if necessary.

The metal can be reshaped, and the other parts are available on this forum. The insurance company should give you enough money to get the parts you need. I can supply all but the fender trim (I may have one, but I am not sure) and rear bumper cover (I may be able to get one if you act quickly).

So the tow truck just came to take her to the shop. Very tough to watch the truck go down my street. Should know more by Monday. Conveniently a couple of really presentable cargo lamp covers and a very good looking center console fell out the door, just in case this turns into a George Jones song.



OK, it's the dude who dies in the song, not the car, but the FEELS are right there.

I agree with the feels. Lol...

MG Davis wrote:

It's not so much the damage to value ratio as the inability to source parts in the normal stream of commerce.  (read: big repair shops want to be quoted a price and have the part shipped from an established wholesaler.  They dont want to have to scour the pick-a-part joints)

If you supply the parts the shop would be happy to put them on. Standard mark up is 20-25% if they get the parts, and since the used parts are so cheap, it's not like they are making much on basically 4-5 parts. You are replacing the rear bumper, tail light, right long chrome trim, and the overlay, which of course would be new. Most of the cost of your job would be labor. You'll have some frame time (even if the frame isn't bent, you'll need a frame machine's capacity to pull the quarter panel), quite a bit of sheet metal time to repair the quarter, and then paint time. Be involved with the appraisal process. Be firm with the appraiser and tell him/her you don't want the car totaled. Find the parts yourself, and provide price/ location of parts for the appraiser so they don't have to try to find 20 year old parts. Car-part.com is an amazing source for any part, even old stuff like our wagons. Unless you become actively involved in the claim process the appraiser may take the easy way out, and just total your car. Stand up for yourself, and don't let it happen.

I just noticed a little damage on your tail gate. That, combined with the other damage, may total your car. As the appraiser is writing the estimate, tell them to keep you informed if the car is going to total. What you can then do is take what's called an appearance allowance for the tail gate damage, of say $100. What that means is that, in exchange for $100, you acknowledge the damage is greater than $100, and can't be fixed for that amount, but you get the money for the damaged appearance.

The tailgate looks like it can be repaired with a minimum of effort. Most of the damage is the trim, and the gate itself may not be bent. The way the shop fixes a dent like that is to pull it with spot welded rods and a slide hammer. In the damaged location, it will not affect the woodgrain.

You will also need a bumper shock.

If you have the quarter panel fixed by welding a patch in, the cost may be somewhat higher. That still may be less than unfolding the crumpled one.

There is an RMW in the Largo, FL LKQ that has all the parts except for the tail light, quarter panel trim, and corner trim. The quarter panel is excellent, and can be cut off without damaging the woodgrain, and it even has a good tailgate. You would have to act quickly, because it is due for rotation out to the crusher in a couple of weeks.

The tailgate is a bit worse than it appears in the pic, and the neither of the handles open it.

Got the word from the adjuster today, total loss. Check for $3200 enroute. Considering that's almost exactly every dollar I put into her, including the purchase price, I think I'm going to break down and take it.

Good news is that I have real nice cargo lamp covers and a tan leather armrest in really good shape, plus a pristine windshield to help out other cars.

Buy it back, and sell it for a couple bucks more to someone who wants to fix it. What do they want for it?

Fred Kiehl wrote:

Buy it back, and sell it for a couple bucks more to someone who wants to fix it. What do they want for it?

I asked about that, and they told me it's going to a salvage auction. I wont be able to by it directly from the insurance company, I'd have to go to the auction. If anybody is in Central Florida and wants to bid on it, here is the information I was given...

Insurance Auto Auctions Orlando-North
2500 Adesa Dr
Sanford, FL 32773

407-323-4090
Stock # 18297590

It should be towed to them on Thursday, but I do not know when it will be sold.

The motor and trans are solid, with under 100K. Usual oil leaks, of course. There is a year old AC compressor, clutch, and condenser set on her. Year old dual exhaust with H tube on there too.

You probably have to be a dealer to buy there.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

You probably have to be a dealer to buy there.

Dunno. If it's salvage, they may not care. Would have to call and find out. I just dont have the space to buy her back and break her down, or the heart to do that to her. Nor do I want to put money out there and then offer her for sale unless I literally could get her back for a hundred bucks.

You might get it for about that. Scrap prices are really low. The JYs only give about $150-200 for a car.

It's a shame to see people accept whatever is offered by insurance companies,. and to be told what will happen etc,.
It's you right to NOT have the car totallled,. and it's your right to negotiate a better settlement,.
The insurance company will increase the total payout by 15% almost just for the asking,. and telling them you are not happy with the amount etc,.
It is also your right to keep the keep the wreck,  bought for the price of salvage,.
You have the right to repair your car,..
The insurance company does not have the right to sell your car at auction,.
UNLESS you sign off on the settlement,.

So another roady wagon wasted,..

Fred Kiehl wrote:

You might get it for about that. Scrap prices are really low. The JYs only give about $150-200 for a car.

Half tempted to buy her back for peanuts if possible, rip off the rear bumper and stick on a roll pan, pull the fender out and pocket a couple grand. But then there's the oil leaks and R-132 leaks that still need addressed. I dunno.

The counter offer to the insurance company should be $3200 for repairs, and you get to keep the car.

I wouldn't have even let them tow the car out of the driveway....damage like that an adjuster can inspect just fine on site. Once they have the car they have you by the balls.

Yeah... wouldn't have let them touch the car.

Been there, done that. Fixed my own car and pocketed a lot of money from it.

RedandBlack wrote:

Yeah... wouldn't have let them touch the car.

Been there, done that. Fixed my own car and pocketed a lot of money from it.

With the oil leaking at a quart per tank of gas, the AC coolant leaking at a can per week, I am not all that upset getting a total loss check. It was eleven hundred bucks higher than than the average for the year and model due to the extremely low mileage. Well, 96K is extremely low only in the sense that its under 5K per year, and most similar cars are in the 150K and up range, if they even survived Cash for Clunkers.

oil leaks can be fixed,.a/c leaks can be fixed,.

the orange car was fixed for,.27% of what the insurance paid me,.

Maybe you will get enough money to have someone else take care of all of the issues, and have some money left over for another wagon.

I dont see myself dumping most of the check back into the car.  I'm guessing about $750 to get at all the seals and a new distributor/wires, another $500 to run new AC lines and complete recharge, then at least $500 for cosmetic repairs.  So I'm out $1750 for a car with a rough interior and a transmission that will need a rebuild in the next 30K, has a salvage title, and slapdash body repairs.

Think I'll just pay off my bike or something.  It's been real, fellas, but I really dont want to buy back the same headaches I was having, even with found money.  Maybe in a year or so, when the settlement check comes in, I'll look for a cream puff like the DCM one with 60K on it that just sold for $4K at a dealer here in Orlando.

Look for a post in the coming days offering a windshield, center console, a complete front end, shocks, and cargo light lenses.

Dibs on the cargo light lenses. What? Too soon?

ehhh whatever. To repair that right you'd have to replace the 1/4 panel, it's all folded up, you can't PDR that stuff. Once the steel is creased like that it's weak at the fold, you'd have to work some bodywork magic to fix it and even then it'd be a hack repair. Plus I'm betting the frame was twisted even a bit and you'd have to throw it on a frame machine at least to check it. Likely better this way. I drove a wreck rebuilt car for years and really hated it towards the end, the creaks and wheel alignment issues were just not worth it looking back.

MalibuSSwagon wrote:

ehhh whatever. To repair that right you'd have to replace the 1/4 panel, it's all folded up, you can't PDR that stuff. Once the steel is creased like that it's weak at the fold, you'd have to work some bodywork magic to fix it and even then it'd be a hack repair. Plus I'm betting the frame was twisted even a bit and you'd have to throw it on a frame machine at least to check it. Likely better this way. I drove a wreck rebuilt car for years and really hated it towards the end, the creaks and wheel alignment issues were just not worth it looking back.

Definitely another consideration that;s been in the back of my mind, especially because it was hit at the corner, not directly from the rear.  Anything that bottoms out the bumper shocks on one of these beasts is a hard-assed hit.  Attorney is saying concussion = five figure money and pretty fast too.  Definitely going to keep my ear to the ground for another cream puff like the DCM one I mentioned above, once im sure that a check is coming through.

I might know of a low mile DCM Fleetwood for sale.

Andebe wrote:

I might know of a low mile DCM Fleetwood for sale.

It *is* a beautiful car. But wasnt that the one with problems? ;-)

I really do LOVE the Cadillacs of that era. My mother had a black on black one with bucket seats and a console shifter, which I guess was some kind of obscure performance package with a slightly uptuned Northstar.

MG Davis wrote:

Andebe wrote:

I might know of a low mile DCM Fleetwood for sale.

It *is* a beautiful car.  But wasnt that the one with problems?  ;-)  

The fleetwood is no longer a low mile car,. it now has 40,134 miles on it, and gaining eveyday

it HAD quite minor problems really,. and if any one can find a car that doesn't have small problems once in a while here and there,.then i think it would be a PFM model,.

For some of us,. fixing the small problems is part of the joy of ownership,.

Would the caddy fit in with your budget?

phantom 309 wrote:

MG Davis wrote:

Andebe wrote:

I might know of a low mile DCM Fleetwood for sale.

It *is* a beautiful car.  But wasnt that the one with problems?  ;-)  

The fleetwood is no longer a low mile car,. it now has 40,134 miles on it, and gaining eveyday

it HAD quite minor problems really,. and if any one can find a car that doesn't have small problems once in a while here and there,.then i think it would be a PFM model,.

For some of us,. fixing the small problems is part of the joy of ownership,.

Would the caddy fit in with your budget?

Not sure when I'll be buying. Attorney is pretty certain there will be a decent sized check incoming, but not sure on the timing. Probably taking the money from Hilda to pay off either my bike or my wife's Sportster. Will be big car shopping when that larger check comes in at some unknown time in the future. Whether it goes toward another whale or a big Caddy, I dont know yet.

It's a shame you retained an attorney. It will just slow down your payment process, and you'll lose a third of your settlement to them. Settling it yourself would have gotten you paid much faster.

Mark 96 Roady wrote:

It's a shame you retained an attorney. It will just slow down your payment process, and you'll lose a third of your settlement to them. Settling it yourself would have gotten you paid much faster.

That's not how it works. Insurance companies dont just hand you money for your injuries because you call them.

MG Davis wrote:

That's not how it works.  Insurance companies dont just hand you money for your injuries because you call them.

I would have to disagree. I did not retain an attorney and still got a sizable payout for the whiplash I got in an accident, that I was not at fault for.

MalibuSSwagon wrote:

MG Davis wrote:

That's not how it works.  Insurance companies dont just hand you money for your injuries because you call them.

I would have to disagree. I did not retain an attorney and still got a sizable payout for the whiplash I got in an accident, that I was not at fault for.

If they were willing to write you a check for X dollars, the check you could have gotten through an attorney's involvement would have been between 3X and 5X. Allowing some for fees, your payout is still double to more than triple.

Well, MG, as a retired insurance appraiser and adjuster, I'm here to tell you a few things. First of all, in a case that looks as clear cut as you describe (sitting still, hit from behind) the other driver is at fault-period. Most insurance companies (and I worked at several, big and small before I retired) won't waste any time settling a simple claim like that. Adjusters work several files at once (hundreds, actually) so sitting on a clear liability case like yours just slows down their day. They may make you a low ball offer at first, just like you would if you were negotiating to buy a car. If you take it, fine, they save their company some money. If not, you haggle a little, and come to an agreement. End of story. With an attorney, now your settlement is on his/her timetable, not yours. If the attorney has bigger fish to fry, your settlement can be delayed weeks, or even months. I saw it happen countless times over the years. I even had people call me after they retained an attorney and try to settle themselves because they were getting the runaround from their attorney. It happens, believe me. I'm not saying this to be a dick, just don't fool yourself thinking an attorney will magically make you rich-it won't. He'll take his cut, you may get a few bucks more, but you will have to wait for it. There are certainly times where an attorney may be necessary-questions of who was at fault, death or severe life altering injury, etc. But a simple fender bender? Not so much.

There is a concussion and lengthy treatment involved.  But feel free to continue telling me how much more you know about my situation than I.

MG Davis wrote:

There is a concussion and lengthy treatment involved.  But feel free to continue telling me how much more you know about my situation than I.

Maybe its all just in your head,you're just hearing voices...