Repair or replace 02 truck due to damage ???

[fdcg27]

A 2K car is usually a gamble.
You may end up with something very useable or you may end up with an unreliable money pit and it can be hard to tell the difference just looking at and test driving a vehicle.
You know what you have in your faithful old truck.
I'd be inclined to buy it back and fix it.

 

[Inspecktor]

Sounds like you want to keep the truck, so fix it and drive on. Check with your agent, I know if a tree in my yard falls onto a neighbor's property, my homeowners pays to repair whatever is damaged in my neighbor's lot.

 

[The_Eric]

Find out who owns that tree, have their insurance take care of you and fix your paid off, known condition truck! Don't find a 2k dollar car unless you feel like playing mechanic every other weekend and don't claim against your insurance unless it's only to have them go after the tree's owner.

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: slowdime
It was at my apartments parking lot. Not sure who's tree it is since there's a house next door. Do insurers really raise rates for an act of god? Not like I ran into a tree, it hit me!


I used to be in the insurance industry, and this coukd vary by state but I didn't do Oregon so am not sure about the law there. Check with your insurance company, and also the lease at your apartment, as the owner of the tree could be liable, especially if the tree was in bad shape before the storm.

If it's all on you, try to speak to the adjuster in person. Let them know what your plans are, and usually they will help you out. If there is no structural damage (frame, suspension etc) then repairing your old faithful is how I would go. But - with.mismatched fenders etc as you mentioned, the ins co might not give full coverage for a future accident for damage to the same area.

As far as insurance increasing, it should NOT go up due to this claim. From your description you were legally parked and the vehicle was hit in your absence; there is no way you did anything to contribute. So fight that, and if necessary, vote with your money and shop around.

 

[ecotourist]

I had my low mileage, excellent condition car (a '63 Chevy II) totaled while in university. Bought it back for the salvage value and fixed the necessities. Drove it for at least 5 years with a dented rear bumper. Eventually gave it to my nephew. He drove it for a few years and sold it on. Saw it in traffic at least 20 years after the event. That car is probably worth quite a bit today.

If it's a good running vehicle buy it back, fix the necessities, pocket the difference and drive it.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
Pure comedy genius! Wouldn't that be like putting lipstick on a pig? If you put Bilstein on that truck just drop out of college now, it's not working. Buy the cheapest shocks on the planet or leave the old shocks on. Be real.

Originally Posted By: slowdime
My girlfriends dad owns a parts store and offered to sell me some bilsteins at cost!


What does the brand of shock have to do with the way the truck looks, or its value unless he plans to sell it soon? If he plans to keep the truck a while, he should get quality suspension componenets. It sounds like he wants at least another 50K out of it...Bilsteins make sense if you are looking 50K in the future. The way the vehicle looks and the way it drives are two different things...to me, how it drives is more important because that actually has an impact on me.

What's dumb is doing the opposite...the people who trash a nice vehicle because they "can't afford brakes because of the car payment."

No need to say things like "drop out of college" just because he wants the truck to handle well.

 

[slowdime]

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
Pure comedy genius! Wouldn't that be like putting lipstick on a pig? If you put Bilstein on that truck just drop out of college now, it's not working. Buy the cheapest shocks on the planet or leave the old shocks on. Be real.


What does the brand of shock have to do with the way the truck looks, or its value unless he plans to sell it soon? If he plans to keep the truck a while, he should get quality suspension componenets. It sounds like he wants at least another 50K out of it...Bilsteins make sense if you are looking 50K in the future. The way the vehicle looks and the way it drives are two different things...to me, how it drives is more important because that actually has an impact on me.

What's dumb is doing the opposite...the people who trash a nice vehicle because they "can't afford brakes because of the car payment."

No need to say things like "drop out of college" just because he wants the truck to handle well.


Sounds like the collective wisdom of Bitog has spoken and it does make a lot of sense financially, and I'd still have a known quantity in my trucks reliability. As for having mismatched body panels, I really don't care about what it looks like; I do however care how it handles and how well its guts are taken care of. I've learned plenty in college and out, both related to cars and otherwise; one important lesson I learned was 'buy cheap and fix it twice'.

 

[slowdime]

Originally Posted By: Kuato
Originally Posted By: slowdime
It was at my apartments parking lot. Not sure who's tree it is since there's a house next door. Do insurers really raise rates for an act of god? Not like I ran into a tree, it hit me!


I used to be in the insurance industry, and this coukd vary by state but I didn't do Oregon so am not sure about the law there. Check with your insurance company, and also the lease at your apartment, as the owner of the tree could be liable, especially if the tree was in bad shape before the storm.

If it's all on you, try to speak to the adjuster in person. Let them know what your plans are, and usually they will help you out. If there is no structural damage (frame, suspension etc) then repairing your old faithful is how I would go. But - with.mismatched fenders etc as you mentioned, the ins co might not give full coverage for a future accident for damage to the same area.

As far as insurance increasing, it should NOT go up due to this claim. From your description you were legally parked and the vehicle was hit in your absence; there is no way you did anything to contribute. So fight that, and if necessary, vote with your money and shop around.


I've got to wait til Monday to hear from the adjuster. Honestly my apartment complex looks like it could have been abandoned for years if everyone was to move their cars out of the lot. Plants are overgrowing everywhere(like that History channel show a few years ago 'Life After People') but a new owner has recently bought the place and 'promises' to fix it up. So far all they've done is clean all the debris off the roof and replaced the washers and dryers in the laundry room after everyone complained enough. Seems like they've been more focused on renovating units after people move out and doubling the rent. We'll see what happens in the spring but supposedly they're replacing all the roofs and siding. I'll call the complex manager and let him know what happened and see what he says, he already feels like a jerk(I hope)after falsely serving me and a few others with eviction notices due to a 'paperwork error'.
If I do end up buying it back if it's totaled, it'll be a salvage vehicle anyway so there wouldn't be a whole lot of sense in having anything more than bare bones liability. I printed out the KBB, Edmunds, and Black Book values and averaged the 3 to come up with a value of $3000. I went conservative with the pre-accident condition and called it 'average'. I've already looked around and gotten a couple quotes from other insurers in case things aren't handled very well.

 

[Jarlaxle]

One thing I would do: start part-hunting NOW! Call around, ask the local yards if they have a 1998-2004 (?) S10 or Sonoma (Blazer/Jimmy might also work) in your color. You need a right 3/4 nose and hood.

Also, I would not be surprised if you need a radiator and A/C condenser.

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: slowdime
Originally Posted By: Kuato
Originally Posted By: slowdime
It was at my apartments parking lot. Not sure who's tree it is since there's a house next door. Do insurers really raise rates for an act of god? Not like I ran into a tree, it hit me!


I used to be in the insurance industry, and this coukd vary by state but I didn't do Oregon so am not sure about the law there. Check with your insurance company, and also the lease at your apartment, as the owner of the tree could be liable, especially if the tree was in bad shape before the storm.

If it's all on you, try to speak to the adjuster in person. Let them know what your plans are, and usually they will help you out. If there is no structural damage (frame, suspension etc) then repairing your old faithful is how I would go. But - with.mismatched fenders etc as you mentioned, the ins co might not give full coverage for a future accident for damage to the same area.

As far as insurance increasing, it should NOT go up due to this claim. From your description you were legally parked and the vehicle was hit in your absence; there is no way you did anything to contribute. So fight that, and if necessary, vote with your money and shop around.


I've got to wait til Monday to hear from the adjuster. Honestly my apartment complex looks like it could have been abandoned for years if everyone was to move their cars out of the lot. Plants are overgrowing everywhere(like that History channel show a few years ago 'Life After People') but a new owner has recently bought the place and 'promises' to fix it up. So far all they've done is clean all the debris off the roof and replaced the washers and dryers in the laundry room after everyone complained enough. Seems like they've been more focused on renovating units after people move out and doubling the rent. We'll see what happens in the spring but supposedly they're replacing all the roofs and siding. I'll call the complex manager and let him know what happened and see what he says, he already feels like a jerk(I hope)after falsely serving me and a few others with eviction notices due to a 'paperwork error'.
If I do end up buying it back if it's totaled, it'll be a salvage vehicle anyway so there wouldn't be a whole lot of sense in having anything more than bare bones liability. I printed out the KBB, Edmunds, and Black Book values and averaged the 3 to come up with a value of $3000. I went conservative with the pre-accident condition and called it 'average'. I've already looked around and gotten a couple quotes from other insurers in case things aren't handled very well.


Take a bunch of pictures, showing the neglected areas and the buildings. If it's not too late, go take some pictures of the tree that fell; if it's rotten on the inside you may have something to work with. Let your insurance company know also.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

Can't say about your situation, but we had a comp claim on a 94 Dodge GC a while back. The repairs were way more then the value of the van, but the insurance paid everything but the deductible because it was comprehensive rather then collision..

Wayne

 

[Wolf359]

I've had a tree fall in my yard. Talking to the insurance company, they told me that if the tree did any damage, they would cover it under the property damage and because it's an act of nature, it shouldn't affect premiums. They don't cover the cost to remove the tree though so that's probably why the tree is still there. You should be fully covered under the owner's insurance policy. As others have stated, you should just take the money and fix it as it sound like you can. Then you'll have a nice deposit on something else at a later date.

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: slowdime
Grille and headlights are destroyed, hood is caved in in one spot(very front passenger corner) and the fender is munched.


Pictures of the damage would be very helpful to us.