Crashed Scout....:(

[joelweb]

I hit a deer last summer and was able to keep my scout from being totaled by going to down the body shop and going through the parts with them. I had most of the parts and offered to sell them to the shop for a price and they were able to give me a reasonable estimate.

If you were to figure out what it costs for a new quarter panel and end cap and then go down to a body shop and have them estimate the rest of the fix you might be able to prevent your truck from being totaled. I find it hard to believe that it will be more than $3k.

[Fred Demmon]

Make the insurance replace the quarter panel and repaint the entire vehicle(paint won'tmatch)

Or let them total it
But I would do some searching for the "replacement" vehicle
Scour CL and ebay for another Scout....Let them know that the price will be much higher than fixing it your way

Do your homework and it will pay off

[Afireinside2285]

Same thing happened to me two years ago and my traveler was a rust bucket but the same damage and a bent rear leaf spring. I didnt have insurance on it at the time. Here in colorado you dont need insurance to park a vehicle. I was prepared to fight tooth and nail with the insurance adjuster but he came and looked it over and a couple of days later they responded with an offer of $3800 and I could buy it back for scrap value($350 or so). I did and it paid for all new body panels and lots of other stuff. So I made out pretty good on it. I also got to keep my same title(no salvage Title).

Good luck

[fredsterra]

The damage dosen't look too bad. Have the body shops contact SSS or you favorite LL dealer for a parts est.

And fight them tooth and nail!

If all they want to total it. Then have then give you a check for the damage less scrap value and avoid a salvage title. You never know when that can come back and bite you.

If this is your DD and baby look into full coverage. Or at least Comp. and Liability. If you had Comp. then you would have a leg to stand on with your Ins. Now your on your own.

[guidolyons]

Originally Posted by rworm

If thats totaled....Mine was totaled when i bought it

Too true!

Originally Posted by scoutboy74

I'm with the others. Your Scout is nowhere close to being totalled. The rear quarter damage can likely be fixed with a combination of inside popping and exterior pulling, or in the worst case, a replacement quarter panel could be installed. The end cap can be replaced via several LL vendors. The rear bumper can be straightened or replaced with another.

Originally Posted by Tim Potter

That's totaled? HAHAHAHAHA! Did the rear quarter get pushed into the bed area area?
You know man, the reason the body shop told you that is because they do collision repair on new vehicles and they know they aren't going to call their supplier for skins. They also know there's no money in fixing your body damage because they can't just go by what the insurance company pays to fix the newer plastic cars.

I'd take the truck to three "real" body shops, the best ones you can find and get real estimates to fix your truck. Don't let an insurance company "total" your truck. Make them pay to fix it, and fix it right. Probably need a complete repaint.

I would notify my insurance company of the incident and I would get them to pursue the insurance company of both other drivers involved and let them fight it out. And, since this is your daily driver, you should get a free rental car while your truck is being fixed.

Eggg-zachary what ^^^those guys said. If that's the only damage, i find it hard to believe it's totaled. Find another body shop, also do you have the police report and others driver's insurance? Have your insurance agent contact them, they (probably the silver car) are responsible for fixing it.

Don't let them get off easy by declaring it "totaled" and writing you a check for the bottom barrel blue book trade-in value.

[Cory Smith]

Replacing a quarter and endcap is easy, but the reason they want to total it is because the won't be able to match the paint due to fading, wear and tear, etc. and painting the whole thing probably costs more than the insurance company thinks the scout is worth.

[Thomas]

-K,

---Since I am new to the state, I consulted my bud who knows WI law. As with most states, liability in this state covers the vehicle you hit. Now that being said, their policy will state how much... as well as yours and yours might even state your vehicle is covered. I buy as close to and no less than 50k/500k (damage/medical) liability. This can be for me if the motorist who hits me is uninsured. I make it so and if my insurance company doesn't like it, they're there to sue, so be it.

---They pay your damages and your damages can either be the cost of repairs, what it cost you to get the vehicle in that condition in the first place... or the least likely you will see, not gonna happen if you drove away, no matter how extensive the damage, how much to replace it because it is totaled. Totaled would be the appraised (pre-) value of the vehicle.

---Your beef is with the insurance company belonging to the person who lost control of their vehicle and careened into you. If they were uninsured, your insurance company should cover you, don't allow them to leave you aching two days later. You pay them to protect your investments. If they argue and you can't stand up for yourself, consult an attorney and sue them for damages & if that's not enough, attorney fees. There are attorneys who love classic car cases, most are collectors themselves. Talk to local clubs

---Glad you weren't walking across the street with MP3 player jamming No Leaf Clover.

Originally Posted by Cory Smith

Replacing a quarter and endcap is easy, but the reason they want to total it is because the won't be able to match the paint due to fading, wear and tear, etc. and painting the whole thing probably costs more than the insurance company thinks the scout is worth.

---Good luck trying to total a vehicle out if it was driven away and like I said, policies dictate how much coverage there is. Legal binding contract.

[dkterra]

I had a similar problem when I was in the service, I had a 74 charger that some squids backed into. The owners car insurance wanted to total the car for the passenger front fender bieng smashed, but we settled for around $750, which was workable in 1994. I had to come up with the other $800 or so to have the rest of the vehicle painted. Turned out real nice for what I paid.
I'm not going to tell you to not pursue getting everything payed for, by all means do so, your insurance company should assist you in getting a settlement, but if you have to come up with the difference that's the price you might have to pay for taking a chance with only liability ins. It can still be cheaper in the long run then getting more coverage.

[1966 Travelette]

Tell your insurance company that it's an International...made from real metal, and that it's "barely broken in..."

Good luck with your truck...don't give up...

[Will Marsh]

Back in 2005 on new years eve I had a motorcyclist on a brand new Harley (he bought 3 days before) attempt to pass me on the left as I turned left into a field road off the highway. He was doing 60+ and hit the Celica I was driving in the drivers front tire. Totaled the Harley and the car, but somehow he managed to survive it.

I called my insurance (Progressive) within an hour after I got home nearly 6 hours later even though I only carried liability insurance on the car. They helped me with negotiations with his insurance company even though they had no liability in this instance. State Farm paid me a total of nearly $2K for a car I'd bought for $300 a couple years before, along with reimbursing the towing bills and a rental car we used for a trip to my grandmother's funeral a week later. (It was a very bad day, she passed away about the same time as the accident happened. )

The point here is that you need to contact your insurance company even if you know they aren't liable, because the other folks insurance companies are likely to attempt to collect from them anyhow and they need to be aware of it. And because of that, they're likely to provide you with some assistance in dealing with the other insurance companies involved.

Another thing to consider is that if it was in your driveway (or even parked on the street in front of your house) at the time, you may have some coverage under your Homeowners policy as well, depending on how it's written. I'd at least make the phone call and ask.

In this case I agree I would not let them total the vehicle. Worst case I'd settle for something like the value to buy another one in "like" condition or your own "lowest of 3" repair estimates. Tell the body shops you want an estimate to repair it even if the insurance won't cover it all. Then negotiate for as close to that as you can get as a repair settlement instead of a total loss settlement. Just because there aren't any in "like" condition in Wisconsin doesn't mean they don't exist, and I'll bet John Glancy at SSS or Lynn Faeth at Scout Connection can provide you some examples. Wherever you end up is likely to be cheaper for them then facing a Lawyer representing you.

HTH, and good luck.

Will Marsh