So here's the story. I hit a deer a few weeks ago and took the car to the dealer to get it repaired by the insurance company. The dealer ended up over pricing the repairs by a long shot and totaled the car. I only brought it in for a bumper driver fender and headlight, the dealership has never worked with body kits and thought you had to buy the whole kit even if you just wanted one panel replaced. I used to have a aftermarket steering wheel on the car but switched it out with stock but the airbag had been deployed, the dealership added in the cost of replacing the entire SRS system into the cost of repairs. I only paid 9k for the car and the insurance is willing to give me more than that as a settlement. I can keep the car and get 7k in the settlement. I talked to a shop that deals with a lot more aftermarket and they assured me over the phone they could save the car and know for 100% if they saw it. The damage is really minimal, my dilemma now is to have it totaled and just buy a new S, have the second shop fix it and keep the title clean, or have it totaled and have the second shop fix it along with painting the entire car plus a few other upgrades and still have money left over but end up getting a salvage title on the S.

 

If it was me... I wouldn't mind the Salvage Title and some extra cash in my pocket. If you don't plan on selling the car and there's no frame damage, Keep the car, take the $7k, and go get it repaired from a trust worthy shop.

 

I'm an insurance adjuster so I deal with this situation a lot when I total out a vehicle.

Honestly, it becomes to much of a hassle to repair it in the long run. And here is why:
1.Once they start the repairs they will most likely find additional damage that they couldn't see on the outside. The cost for that additional damage will have to come out of your pocket because your insurance company already gave you a final settlement amount. That would negate the amount you have in your pocket after the vehicle is repaired.
2.You just decreased the value of your vehicle by 30%-50% by having a salvage title on it.
3. You risk other factors in the long run depending on where it was hit. i.e. Hit near the wheel? Possible suspension issues. Hit in the front end/back end you have crush zones which are meant to collapse on different types of impact.
4. You're not driving an Honda Accord, you're driving a S2K. I believe the S2K is the peak of Honda production. It is a performance vehicle. Why risk it. Think about how you drive and if you would trust your vehicle if you had cheap repairs done.
5. Insurance on an S2K is high, on a Salvage Title S2k it could be interesting how the rates would flux.
6. Insurance companies are not stupid. They are walking away from your vehicle because either they see there will be more damage, it is too risky to fix, or their is possibility of mechanical damage.

Ok, this turned into a little rant sounding but overall this is from my experience.