Car got crunched; insurance company wants to say it's a total loss?

[owlice]

Must be car-issue month. :-(

My car got hit on Sunday; fortunately, no one was injured. The driver door took most of the damage:

(My second split-second thought while the other car was hitting mine was something along the lines of "Gee, I hope I don't have to go to the hospital; I have on old underwear!" I wish I were kidding about this... but ~~ sigh ~~ I'm not... )

It's an old car, 1998, ~ 210K miles, a Honda Civic which has been very reliable. I hadn't planned to replace it for at least another two years, not with a kid in college at the moment.

My insurance company has declared it a total loss, which seems to be in their best (financial) interest; it does not seem to be in my best (financial) interest, however, given that I don't have a car payment now and would like to keep it that way (see "kid in college" above).

Has anyone here been through this before? I've not and suspect I should be more educated about my options before I make a decision to accept (or fight) the company's decision. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be very grateful for them!

Thanks!

[Zen]

blue book value of a car that age with that many miles vs repair cost may be a total loss from an actuary view.

You might look into a junkyard replacement door if you want to put out the time and effort.

I know how you feel though
my car is the same year and I've taken good care of it. It would be hard to find a replacement for the $ they'll give you

[jdubble]

i know nothing of insurance/loss issues unfortunately, but i had to comment on this:

(My second split-second thought while the other car was hitting mine was something along the lines of "Gee, I hope I don't have to go to the hospital; I have on old underwear!" I wish I were kidding about this... but ~~ sigh ~~ I'm not... )

After finishing the Monster Cookie Metric Century in April, I pulled on a skirt, ditched the bike shorts, and then realized I had forgotten to bring undies. Figured, oh well, what the heck, I am NOT sitting on that chamois for an instant longer, hopped in the car, and three blocks later, we were t-boned by someone running a red light. My third split-second thought (after "how's my pregnant friend in the back seat?" and "omg the bikes are on the rear rack!" was "oh s***, I don't have any underwear on!" So yes, I can relate

Hope you get the answers you need. If the damage truly is limited to the door, I agree with Zen and look for a junkyard door. But is there more damage that they're basing their "total loss" on? Frame/axle damage that's not visible?

[OakLeaf]

Frame damage is what I'd be most concerned about.

But if two body shops tell you the frame isn't bent, and if the door is functional (or if you can find a door at a salvage yard as they've suggested), you might want to buy the car from the insurance company for the salvage value. Then it'll have to pass inspection by the OSP and they'll issue you a new title.

I've never done it myself, but I understand it's not hard in Ohio.

I don't think there's any way to avoid them totalling out the car, even if the damage is strictly cosmetic. That looks like at least $4000 to me (and it's been a while since I've had any body work done, thank goodness, so inflation probably makes it more than that).

[owlice]

Thanks, all!! I've emailed the insurance company asking for the figures they used in making this decision, and letting them know I'd like to get a second estimate for fixing the damage.

jdubble, oh thank goodness, it's not just me!! Thank you!

[Biciclista]

total loss just means that it would cosst more to repair the car than the car is worth.
You can take the check and find someone to repair your car if you still want it.
It very well could have frame damage.
If you are not happy with what they think your car is worth, find some other cars same make model and year for sale and prove that your car is worth more. photos of your car in its original pristine shape help too.
A few years ago someone rearended my 1991 Honda civic. THey wanted to total it too.
I got my car fixed!!

[Melalvai]

(My second split-second thought while the other car was hitting mine was something along the lines of "Gee, I hope I don't have to go to the hospital; I have on old underwear!" I wish I were kidding about this... but ~~ sigh ~~ I'm not... )

You should be proud of that moment. That is hilarious.

My car is a 1998 Ford Escort. I had the same situation about 5 years ago. I was waiting at a stop sign and a snow plow backed into me. Insurance declared it totaled and gave us $1600 since I said we wanted to keep the vehicle and fix it anyway. I think they were going to give us $2000 if we didn't keep it. I don't want to buy a car for $2000. It wouldn't run. The mechanic fixed it for as close to $1600 as he could. We paid the difference. It wasn't much, so I was happy.

We were able to get it fixed for less because I guess one of the things they do is paint it to match the rest of the car, and after the car is this old it has faded quite a bit. I could barely tell that the hood was a brighter white than the rest of the car, and after a few months when it was equally dirty I couldn't tell at all. The front and rear bumpers are now black, on a white car. Since then I've noticed a LOT of cars have black bumpers and I wonder if that is intentional or just a cheaper way to get the bumper fixed. It's not noticeable, not like having a blue door or something.

I just wanted the car to run, and be safe. It's stupid to pay for cosmetics on an old car.

I guess technically we were supposed to get a salvage title, but we never got any paperwork on that. We don't intend to sell this car, we are going to drive it as long as it will run, so it doesn't really matter.