Regal GS Totalled?! What next?

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OpenClose

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So last week, I took a yellow light a little too hard, and was rear-ended by a truck about the size of an F-250. Took out a rear tail light and quarter panel.

I took it into the body shop and they worked with insurance to assess the damage. They are saying the car may well be totaled, with about $3500 in repairs on a car I bought for about $5000 (Now worth half that, apparently, after like 2 years.)

So, like, what is next? Do they only give me back the trade-in value of the car?

As far as getting a new car, I haven't driven a car that drives quite like that one. Just about every newer car I've driven accelerates like garbage, with inconsistent torque that is only available at high revs, but gearboxes with so many gears you barely break 3K when flooring it. Maybe I'm just spoiled by the supercharger. Or maybe I'm sick of driving this rental Ford Focus in high traffic.

Also, I keep seeing Cadillac CTSs and DeVilles for, like, 5-6K with a little over 100K miles. V8's in all of them. They seem like nice cars, but I'm wondering what the catch is.
 
Originally Posted By: OpenClose
So last week, I took a yellow light a little too hard, and was rear-ended by a truck about the size of an F-250. Took out a rear tail light and quarter panel.

I took it into the body shop and they worked with insurance to assess the damage. They are saying the car may well be totaled, with about $3500 in repairs on a car I bought for about $5000 (Now worth half that, apparently, after like 2 years.)

So, like, what is next? Do they only give me back the trade-in value of the car?

As far as getting a new car, I haven't driven a car that drives quite like that one. Just about every newer car I've driven accelerates like garbage, with inconsistent torque that is only available at high revs, but gearboxes with so many gears you barely break 3K when flooring it. Maybe I'm just spoiled by the supercharger. Or maybe I'm sick of driving this rental Ford Focus in high traffic.

Also, I keep seeing Cadillac CTSs and DeVilles for, like, 5-6K with a little over 100K miles. V8's in all of them. They seem like nice cars, but I'm wondering what the catch is.


What years of vehicles are we talking here?
 
The Northstar engine tends to coke up the rings and consume a lot of oil. That's probably why those cars are so cheap. Or GM electronics at the time weren't that great ...
 
The Cadillacs are around the 2003-2007 range.

As far my examples of "newer cars" that felt bad, I'm renting a 2015 Ford Focus SE, And I've driven my parents' cars, a 2010 Ford Escape and 2015 Dodge Journey.
 
Sorry to hear that. Those SC 3800 GS cars were nice.

I suspect if the cost to repair is more than 75% of the KBB value, they will total it and give you 75-100$ of KBB, - any deductible you have.

You may have the option to buy the car back from them wholesale though... And so if you can get/do repairs cheap, you may be able to.

The catch on the new fancy cars is that the repairs are likely very $$ for what goes wrong... Or else folks don't want them. For the CTS I speculate it is the former, for a deville, the later.
 
What about a early 2000's Monte Carlo SS or Park Avenue Supercharged if you liked that supercharged 3800 in the Regal? You could probably find a nice one of those in the $7000 range

Cobalt SS would be a fun little car if a bit cheap and also around that price.

What're your priorities in a car besides good acceleration?
 
They should give you the comparable cost to replace your car, if totaled. Nadaguides.com values your car at 4000 retail. That would be the figure I would be looking for.

Depending on the insurance company, the adjuster may start with a low offer. It may also be difficult to find an exact replacement, so there is a lot of room for interpretation of the information and pricing that may be offered.
 
Originally Posted By: OpenClose
The Cadillacs are around the 2003-2007 range.

As far my examples of "newer cars" that felt bad, I'm renting a 2015 Ford Focus SE, And I've driven my parents' cars, a 2010 Ford Escape and 2015 Dodge Journey.


What's the journey like? My mother is looking to get a new car next year and I was considering one of those.

I would steer clear of those engines. They are nice but there was a bunch of issues with oil leaks, coolant leaks, electrical etc.

What about a Malibu or Fusion? You can get a good V6 version of either one for roughly your price range.
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88
The Northstar engine tends to coke up the rings and consume a lot of oil. That's probably why those cars are so cheap. Or GM electronics at the time weren't that great ...


Northstar's need regular WOT to keep the rings free and are generally driven by people who never rev them past 2k rpm..

Check out RWD V8 STS's from 2005-2010. One of the best values you can find in RWD V8 form IMO. The RWD Northstar's had none of the problems their FWD cousins suffered from. I've replaced struts, a diff bushing and some a/c actuators which isn't bad for a 10yr old car. I really enjoy it and love how quick it is.
 
I haven't shopped for a sedan in years, but my wife's Avalon with a 3.5l V6 moves quite nicely. I had the same engine in a RAV4 and it was very fun and surprised a lot of people who assumed that thing would be a slug. You'd be stuck with FWD and (I think) an auto tranny, though...my wife's has a manual shift function, but she never let me mess with it because she thought I would break her car!
You can get a Camry with the same engine, not sure if it has the manual shift mode for the auto tranny, though.
 
I suggest a 05+ LX car. Charger, Magnum or 300C with the hemi. Hands down the best car I've owned, very fun to drive and handles like a car half its size. The hemi poops and scoots. 5 second 0-60 and 25+ mpg on the highway with ease.
 
Those Cadillacs are not the most reliable things on the road, that's for sure.

Also, you paid way too much for that Buick. Did you buy it from one of those sleezy car lots?

The same thing happened to me in my Camry 1 month ago. Got rear-ended at a light and the big pickup took off the rear corner of my car. About $3600 in damage to my car.

The insurance company valued my car at $3450 (much more than what I paid for it, I paid $2100) and the Buy-back was $870. I walked away with almost $2600 and got to keep the car. I got out the hammer and bought a used tail light, banged out the metal enough to get the tail light to screw in. It's the same car I had before the accident, drives perfect, runs great, and has many more miles left in it. I don't care what other people think it looks like.

mtxlzc.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: OpenClose


As far as getting a new car, I haven't driven a car that drives quite like that one. Just about every newer car I've driven accelerates like garbage, with inconsistent torque that is only available at high revs, but gearboxes with so many gears you barely break 3K when flooring it. Maybe I'm just spoiled by the supercharger. Or maybe I'm sick of driving this rental Ford Focus in high traffic.


Oh, there are LOTS of newer cars that are better in every measurable way than a '99 Buick. You just don't often get to drive them if you're evaluating rental cars.

If you like instant-on torque, I'll second Semi_287s recommendation for a Chrysler LX platform with the 5.7 Hemi (or an SRT with the 6.1 or 6.4 if you can afford it). Actually the older circa-08 6.1 SRTs are getting pretty reasonable now. But don't rule out a Ford Ecoboost either. Just beware of the AWD versions, the PTU that sends power to the rear wheels is a problem area. Also a 3.7 V6 Mustang from a few years ago is surprisingly capable- can knock the socks off any 90s Mustang GT.

Originally Posted By: OpenClose
Also, I keep seeing Cadillac CTSs and DeVilles for, like, 5-6K with a little over 100K miles. V8's in all of them. They seem like nice cars, but I'm wondering what the catch is.


That "V8" is probably the 32V Northstar. Avoid, avoid, avoid!!! That's exactly why they're so cheap. It was a great performing engine in a tiny package when new, but it just doesn't hold up. Tons of issues, from pulling head studs out of the block, to leaking coolant THROUGH porous block castings, to oil consumption issues due to gunked rings, to the fact that you have to pull the intake manifold to replace the starter (no kidding). If you find any non-Northstar Cadillac for cheap, seriously consider it but look for other issues like repaired collision or flood damage. Cadillacs aren't cheap, and honestly they shouldn't be.

Newer V8 Cadillacs like the CTS-V use the GM LS-series smallblock, but they're expensive because its the supercharged version designed to go kill BMW M5s all day. Which it does very well, by the way. A 3.6 v6 CTS would whomp your '99 Buick, though, so you don't really need the -V.
 
The insurance quote was $3500 which means that you can probably get it fixed for $1000 or less paying out of your own pocket.

If you are inclined to do so...if they total out the car, you can buy it from them for probably around $500. Fix it for less than $1000 and keep it if u wish.

So all said and done after they pay you for the total loss, assuming that you have full coverage... you could keep a reconstructed title car and put $1000 or so in your pocket.
 
Actually, if you can stand the look, I have heard that Dodge Magnum V8s are available at very attractive prices. Plenty o power (and [censored] gas mileage to match), but I took one on a long highway test drive and felt tired when I got back as it was a chore to keep it in a straight line. I guess I'd call it a wagon, very distinctive looking vehicle. I ended up buying the RAV6 because it was more fun for me to drive and had much better gas mileage, but the Magnum I was looking at would have taken it in a 0-60 run by a noticeable margin. I wanted the AWD version, but RWD is more common.
 
The L67 (supercharged 3800 V6) in the '99 Regal GS had 240HP and 280 ft*lbs of torque.

The LTG (turbocharged 2.0L I4) in the current Regal GS has 259HP and 295 ft*lbs of torque.

If you can swing it, go buy a new or couple-years-old Regal GS with the turbo 4. The performance will be comparable.
 
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OK, thanks for the info so far. Now, one thing I might consider is to replace the right tail light and just deal for another year or so. I just interviewed as an electrical engineer, and if I get that job, getting a Tesla Model 3 would be cake.


I'm looking at the 300C's, and [censored] those are awesome. I very much prefer the look of luxury sedans over the bland look of economy sedans. And a friend of mine had a Daytona themed Charger, which while it was powerful, and nice, it kinda reminded me of some preteen boy's wet dream. I'll take it for sure, but if I had a choice, I'm not much into flashy race-themed vehicles. Though I don't mind newer mustangs.

But that isn't a huge deal when I'm looking at budget vehicles with good performance. Beggars can't be choosers.

So how about the Jaguars and Mustang GT's I'm seeing with around 100K, from 2000-2006, and between $4K-$7K?
 
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
The L67 (supercharged 3800 V6) in the '99 Regal GS had 240HP and 280 ft*lbs of torque.

The LTG (turbocharged 2.0L I4) in the current Regal GS has 259HP and 295 ft*lbs of torque.

If you can swing it, go buy a new or couple-years-old Regal GS with the turbo 4. The performance will be comparable.


Yeah, I have trouble trusting the raw numbers. The 3800SC is 240HP, while my mom's Ford Escape is rated the same, and the torque is only slightly less. But it's like I said before, it barely stays at a decent rev range because it is shifting all the time. It feels like a power-wheels car where it juts forward at first gear for half a second, then is painfully slow after 2nd gear.
 
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