I need advice from this forum. My 2006 S2000 in pristine condition (has just 12K miles) got wrecked on the passenger side by "blind" driver coming out of a drive way on the right. The door is completely damaged (pushed in), the front fender and the rear quarter panel are damaged. I am dealing with a reputable independent body shop and the other drivers insurance company (State Farm) now. The body shop says, there is structural damage around the door that requires replacement of the rocker panel and rocker panel reinforcement. The hinge pillar needs to be repaired as well. Here is the short list based on visible damage:

Fender,Front RT - replace
Wheel,Rear RT - rebuild/refinish
Pillar,Hinge RT - repair
Panel,Rocker RT - replace
Reinf,Rocker Panel R/F - replace
Door Assembly,Front RT - replace
Hinge,Front Door Upr RT - replace
Hinge,Front Door Lwr RT - replace
Pnl Assembly,Quarter RT - replace

The total estimate is $10,000.

I bought this car just 2 months back for $25K+TTL from a private party. I am very concerned about what this accident has done to the value of my car even after a full repair.

Is the car going to behave like the original car given it has had structural damage? In addition, the paint work on the right will look different from the left for a trained eye.

I would happily take $25K from the insurance company if they chose to take the car. But, I don't know if I can persuade them to do so.

I would greatly appreciate any advice you can give. I live in San Jose, CA, USA.

Here are the photos:

 

Personally, I would ask the insurance company to write it off and give you a cheque.The other thing that I would do if they do decide to only let you repair it is ask for the wheel to be completely replaced.

Anyway, sad to see the car like this and that's some shitty luck but gotta make the best out of the situation I suppose

 

Ouch, that's rotten (and such an amazing find with the low miles!!!)

Look up the term "diminished value" online for pointers in getting cash for your resale value loss, you have anywhere from two to four years to claim this depending on your state. If you still have a copy of the carfax when you purchased the car, try running another now and ask for the difference. They should give you a check to make up for the loss in resale value, but you may need a lawyer to press the point, they don't generally like to pay out (though it is usually part of your policy.)

 

damn man thats bad luck. sorry to see/hear that. good luck with everything man.

 

I am getting another quote today. I am also listing the damaged car for sale. I am quite upset that the car I bought after a long and hard search ended up T-boned like this. If I can find a buyer capable of fixing the car at lower cost than the body shops want and offers me a price that will not result in a big loss for me, I will sell the car and look for another one. I know that may be painful, but I want look at all options I have.

 

I think I would cry if this happened to mine. Good luck with everything. Me personally would never want the car back knowing what happened to it...no matter how good it looked after being fixed.

 

Spectre711, you described how I feel exactly! Thank you! That helps!

I visited another body shop (Dell Auto Body in Campbell, CA) and met with the main guy there. He showed me around their facility. They work on expensive cars like Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche, Bentley and the like. They seem well equipped with the usual set of equipment plus a spot welder. After talking to him about my concerns, I am leaning towards fixing it and then decide if I wanted to keep it or sell it. If the work is done with original Honda parts and done right and like the outcome, I will keep it longer than otherwise. BTW, this shop is not a partner with any insurance company, which I like.

 

If i where you, i would try and part ways and try to convince State Farm that its not worth getiing fixed take the money and get something else.
I love my s2k but i had a G35 got wrecked i got t-boned and then i got it fixed and the car was never the same to me.

 

The car will never be the same. Sorry to say. I had an S2k with frame damage that was "professionally" repaired, but it was never right.

 

What does this mean? Do I ask them to call my car "totaled" and give me the fair-market value? What if I ask them and they offer a low-ball figure well below the $25k I paid less than 3 months ago? Am I stuck with that decision?