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I was rear ended and pushed under a Hummer. I'm fine. The car, not so much. I'm seriously considering buying it back, but it will need new bumpers, fenders, hood, trunk lid, right rear quarter panel, and whatever happens it happens to need underneath. Is it worth it?
The spare tire on the Hummer went into the engine compartment, but didn't do much damage. The radiator and condenser were bent, but not leaking. I'm not too worried about the front, but I'm not too sure about the back. It still drives well. It's an 03 and I've had it since 08. 208k miles and never had a problem. I really hate to lose it, and I don't mind working on cars. I've sourced the body parts at $1500-2000 and my shop said they could install and paint for $2000. I figure another $1000 for anything that might come up once the body is taken apart. The thing I'm worried about most is the airbags. I can save some money buying an aftermarket steering wheel, but I'm not really into that. I've found both airbags and the computer for ~$1500. I'm in Vegas and Nevada doesn't require airbags, but I'm afraid it won't pass the rebuilt inspection without them. Time and storage are not really an issue. If I keep the car, I'll probably only get $5000 from the insurance company. He told me the median salvage price was $2700, but there might be wiggle room for negotiating I think. If I don't keep it I want to buy another, but I'm not really into the AP2s and I can't afford a car payment right now. (I can spend money, but not looking for long term payments)
I never planned on parting with this car, so I don't care about resale. In fact, part of me wants to rebuild it for the satisfaction. Is it worth keeping? Anyone have this much carnage and keep their car?
I think it looks worse than it is, but what do you all think?
I think the passenger quarter panel is bent by the taillight. I might be able to straighten it, and if it doesn’t look right I can replace it. I’m looking at a lot of time and money though. After ten years, the car doesn’t owe me anything but it’s like losing a limb! I had the car for my entire twenties.
My real concern is if it’s cheaper to fix than buy another one.
IMHO, it's gonna cost more to restore it to pre-accident safety level, than look for another good used car. Gotta to remember, it gave its life to save you. That level of security may not be there after restoration.
I can see the taillights are bent under. There is damage under the bumper that will need to be pulled out. Front, headlight also tucked, but its possible that is only the brackets, though I suspect more.
It also looks like the radiator support is badly bent.
There is no way a shop can fix these things for just $2k. I'd guess there is >$10k worth of labor required for this car.
Both airbags deployed. This should tell you something about level of energy displaced here.
The shop estimate was to install the body and paint. I was going to do the mechanical work myself. I have a feeling when I pull everything off the rear I’m gonna find a lot more work to do.
03-11-2018, 10:58 PM
Just got totaled. Worth keeping?
